Die Adelaider Zeiten
The Adelaide Times (better than the New York Times)
Edition 13 – Tuesday 25th December 2012
http://brian-vogt.customer.netspace.net.au/DAZ13/index.html
Written and edited by "der umherziehende Reporter"
Continuing in the tradition of Die Rüsselsheimer Zeiten (35 editions in 19 months, 1998-2000),
this is my summary of the past 52 weeks in Adelaide.
The condition of my heart seems to be improving further.  Occasionally I have consultations with Professor Sanders and another cardiologist at the Cardiovascular Centre, where they download data from my Medtronic pacemaker.  Not all data is recorded; only abnormal events such as atrial fibrillation (AF) and tachycardia (rapid beat rate).  Several months ago an incident of 153 beats per minute was recorded, but the professor and the Medtronic technician were totally happy when I mentioned that I was doing a very fast training run at the time.  The most recent report (12th December) was the best one I've had so far – AF for periods of only 2 and 4 seconds.  The cardiologist said it was nothing.  He was also happy that I've achieved his target for weight loss: down to 80.0 Kg.  Last year I achieved their first target, reducing from 97 Kg to 82.7 Kg, but during the next year or so, I increased to 85 Kg.  The cardiologist warned me that if I didn't reduce to 80 Kg by the end of the year, he would make me keep a log of all food eaten.  The threat worked, and my heart beat rhythm is better.  The main cause is better eating habits – not eating so much, and avoiding foods fried in boiling oil (because the oil chemically decomposes into harmful stuff).
The weight loss has enabled me to run faster than I have for over 20 years.  For several months, I've been running 5 times each week: 4 x 7.9 km and 1 x 11.9 km.  It doesn't seem much compared to the 120 km/week I ran for marathon training in 1988, but it's an amazing comeback from not being able to run at all in August 2010.  I'm not sure I want to look skinny like I did in my Marathon web page, but it was fun being able to run around quickly at only 67 Kg.
I continue to be an active member of the Hillman Car Club, and was again re-elected to the position of Social Events Officer – planning ahead & co-ordinating the people who volunteer to organise specific events.
I also continue in the appointed position of Webmaster (since 2001).

The 2012 Hillman National Rally was held at the Renmark Hotel (beside the River Murray) during Easter.  More than 100 people attended.  I was a member of the organising sub-committee.  My special role was with the computer – playing recorded music and showing pictures on the screen during the evening sessions.  The theme for the Saturday evening dinner was "Art Deco" because that's the style of the hotel's facade.  At my suggestion, my father was invited to bring a gramophone and old records from his collection, to be the DJ for the dance music.  I talked him into using his Charlie Chaplin costume, which became a real hit.  Our judges (the hotel dinner waitresses & barmen) awarded him the prize for the Best Dressed Male, and suddenly gathered around him when the presentation photos were being taken.  This happened 2 years after he stopped attending BMW motorcycle rallies because he thought he was getting too much attention.
A prominent local businessman made a speech on the Sunday night, saying that our rally was easily the best car club event held in Renmark for many years, and that we'd left a very good impression on the town.  Dad, at the age of 89, told me that it was the best car rally he'd ever attended.
Photo below left:  The view from the Renmark Hotel 3rd floor balcony.
Click on one of the photos to view a Flickr album containing 90 rally photos.

My involvement with the Gideons continues, back to a busy level.  Last year I completed the maximum term of 3 years as Treasurer of my local group.  A younger member did a good job for 13 months, but had to resign because of family commitments.  So I was invited to return to my old position.  As in previous years, I placed Bibles in the rooms of several motels along Main North Road (and other places), as well as distributing pocket testaments to Year 8 students in a few schools.  I spoke in 5 churches (including my own) about the work of the Gideons.
I've continued participating in monthly Saturday & Sunday rides with the Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA), except for the past 2 months when I've been busy attending other events.
Sadly, one of our very new members died during a run in February.  It seems that he'd suffered a severe heart attack, and died just before managing to bring his bike to a stop.  This was one of 3 funerals that I attended in February, and 3 other people that I knew also died in the same month.

Picture at right:  CMA group on the ferry across the River Murray at Swan Reach in July.

In May I attended an evening seminar on the history and heritage of The University of Adelaide.  It was very well researched & presented by historian Rob Linn.  By the end of it, I decided to buy his excellent book, The Spirit of Knowledge.  The soft cover edition (if it's still available) is excellent value.  I studied at The University of Adelaide from 1973 to 1975, and received my Bachelor of Science degree certificate in May 1976 from the hand of Vice Chancellor Roma Mitchell (later titled Dame Roma, then became state governor).

For one day during June, I met a distant cousin, Chris Engel from New Zealand.  In 1895, my great grandfather Karl Engel & his brother Heinrich visited Australia as members of a touring orchestra.  Both decided not to return home to Germany (the western Pfalz region).  After several years, Heinrich moved to New Zealand, and Chris is one of his descendants.  Until late September 2010, I was unable to trace the family in NZ.
Chris & I had a full day together; I took him (firstly) to Dad's sister Jeanette in the far southern suburbs of Adelaide, then to Dad at Kapunda where the photo at left was taken; Chris is on the left.
I continue to be an active member of the Prospect Road Uniting Church.  When I'm not visiting other churches as a speaker for the Gideons, I often operate the PowerPoint presentation of the ministers' liturgies, hymns etc. during Sunday morning worship services.  An organist comes to us only once per month, so I usually operate the recorded music in addition.  Now that we have only a permanent half-time minister, our worship services are led by visiting lay preachers and our own members.  In many of these cases, I am asked to prepare the PowerPoint presentation – a task that usually takes about 5-7 hours.
On Monday afternoons I've continued attending the Bible Study group.  Until 3 months ago, it was led by my long-time friend Les (who, like my father, was born in February 1923).  However, he rapidly became very ill with non-Hodgkins lymphoma (a cancer of the lymph system), and has been unable to be with us.  So the job of leading the group has fallen to me.  We decided to study the general topic of "Revelations in the New Testament" for 2 sessions, before moving on to the Book of Revelation (the last book in the Bible).  I found some brilliant lecture material at the Riverchase Baptist Church website.  It's far more meaningful & relevant than any study material or sermons we've previously encountered.
The Bible Study group has already conducted 2 Sunday worship services this year, and will do so again next Sunday – this time with me as the co-ordinator.  It's hard work, but very worthwhile.
I helped 2 friends by fixing their computers.  One told me that his computer would run for only 10 minutes before switching itself off.  That made it difficult to make Skype-to-Skype calls.  So I asked him how long since he'd cleaned the dust out of it.  Never, since buying it new 7 years ago.  The problem was quickly identified: the CPU's heatsink (which does the same job as a car radiator) was totally filled with dust, preventing any cooling from occurring.  When the CPU overheats, the motherboard powers off the whole computer to prevent damage.
I blew the dust out with a compressor, re-installed the computer back in its normal position, and it's been working faultlessly ever since.
On the weekend of 17-18 November, I attended a reunion of the Tschirpig & Milich families, held at Loxton.  These are the families of my late mother's parents.  It's usually a 1-day annual event, but this year there was a special extra event – the unveiling of a new cairn at Milich's Landing beside the River Murray, 7 km downstream from Loxton.  The text on the plaque says:
MILICH'S LANDING was named after early pioneers Johannes & Ernestine Pauline Milich & was a regular stop for paddle steamers.  Johannes & his eldest sons arrived & set up camp in 1899.  Ernestine Pauline & the rest of the family arrived in 1902.  The family lived in a kerosine tin hut near this site before moving into their new home at Pyap which was completed in 1913.  Ernestine Pauline was a midwife & at that time was the only medical assistance for Loxton & surrounding districts.
On the Saturday evening, the whole Milich family met for a meal at a hotel, and on Sunday afternoon, the full Tschirpig-Milich reunion was held in the Loxton Lutheran school hall.  Click on the picture to view my complete photo collection for the weekend.
Two weeks ago I had a solar electric system installed around the solar hot water system installed 2 years ago, which continues to work well.  I have a new electric stove with a halogen-ceramic cook top – it's brilliant; I should have got this 15 years ago.  So now there is no need to pay a gas supply charge (which was 8 times the cost of the gas I was using in the old stove).

During recent weeks, the debate about shopping hours around Christmas continues to rage.  Most people seem to have forgotten 2 things: 1. Nobody has issued me with extra money to spend while the shops are open longer, and 2. This is not a shopping celebration season, nor is it just a "festive season."  It's a celebration of the birth of Jesus, a bit over 2,000 years ago – which is why it's Christmas.  We need to pay more attention to this person whom we celebrate, and less attention to anything which distracts.  Therefore :

Ich wunsche Euch frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches neues Jahr !
(I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !)

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