I recently bought an '87 Silver/grey as yet unnamed Westfalia, and love it.
I've been reading the owners list emails, and am surprised at the attention
Vegemite is getting. I was reared on Vegemite and lettuce sandwiches, the
taste and smell of which still press enormous memory buttons. Both Vegemite
and Marmite are made from a waste product from beer, which could explain why
99% of Australians are hooked on it from an early age. Here's a bit I found
on http://cstl-cla.semo.edu/zeller/vegmite.htm that may be of interest to
Vanagon owners:  "An article in the Toledo Blade published on 23 January
1987 reported back from Perth to America that Vegemite has 'the thick
consistency of axle grease'. The reporter, Steve Pollick, Toledo Blade's
Outdoors Editor, continues:
  It smells like a can of rusty nails, and tastes salty and yeasty--at
best--or maybe like a bloody lip or an inadvertently bitten tongue. It
definitely is an acquired taste, yet 15 million Australians consume
something like 4,500 tons of it a year . . . Now the stuff supposedly can be
found in 9 out of 10 Australian households.

In Canada, you'll find Vegemite in the import section of most large
supermarkets.

I have a question: Recently, when I pulled in to two propane filling
stations in the Victoria British Columbia area, neither attendant could fill
the propane tank under my Westfalia. I was told that the angle was wrong,
and they couldn't fit the nozzle to the "tap."  They suggested jacking up
the van to allow for better access for the filler hose.  Has anyone else had
this problem, and does anyone know of a station in this area that will fill
my propane tank, sans fuss and bother?
Here's a tip for repairing a mosquito net:
There was a large horizontal rip in the front pop-top mosquito net. I cut
the net out, leaving an inch of old netting all the way around. I used the
ripped piece as a pattern to cut a new piece of netting, adding one inch on
all sides (cost about $4.00 Cdn, i.e. nothing), then, standing in the van
with the top up, hand stitched it in place (two rows of stitching, with the
old net turned back once) . Looks perfect. And there are no worries about
glue breaking down, etc.

As this is my first visit, I'll include a link to a photo of my van on its
inaugural trip: http://www.photo-j.com/westfalia.htm
Nice to join the list.
Cheers
Tricia T.
_______________________
'87 Westfalia GL, Victoria BC
www.photo-j.com

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