So, this weekend we’ve had Onne here to stay (actually he’s still akip in the spare room); for the purpose of attending the Morris Minor Owners Club Website Rally. Basically an excuse for (some of) the message board users to put names to faces, cars to name, and faces to cars. Or something.
Anyway, this year it was over at Stondon Transport Museum, and so, with Onne in tow (he’s flown over here, now that’s dedication); Me and Rebecca took John and Onne up to the Rally. The only slight problem being that it was 160 miles away.
However, by setting off at 0630 0700 hrs (Nikki did the ringing me in the morning just as I woke up and telling me trick, so I had no idea until I got there to meet them at 6:30 and the unprepared fuzzle that was Nikki at 6:30 on Sunday greeted me looking somewhat puzzled) we managed to get to the rally a whole 5 minutes early.
We had a thoroughly civilised drive; or at least I had a thoroughly civilised drive, my compadres (Nikki and Kate) felt that I drove a little more swiftly than my “oh, I’ll take it easy” may have suggested (my speedo spent it’s time between 65-70mph, mostly, ‘cos otherwise the oil takes it’s leave from the vehicle; theirs disagreed).
Anyway, we had a adequate breakfast at Membury services, having had an argument with the serving wench about not wanting our ‘fresh’ breakfast microwaved (they’d piled so much stuff on their warming plate that the first English Breakfast we had was stone cold – and she suggested microwaving it). Fucking expensive though.
Stopped again at the bottom of the A1(M) for Petrol; and then flew northbound. Impressively we made it there with no wrong turns at all; pulled up and saw…. a thing.
Stondon Transport Museum is a very odd place. And let’s get this straight; I really, really enjoyed my visit. But it’s a weird place. It seems to be sort of roughly in age order, but also seems to be completely random in what cars it does and doesn’t have. World changing cars are absent, and then there’s a Volvo 244 DL sat there…
…I got the impression from one of the (volunteers?) that it largely consisted of what was donated. The damp atmosphere I’m sure does very little for the cars condition; and they’re packed in so tight that you can’t really walk round them and look at them. But then they do have some of the most insane car’s you’re ever likely to encouter. Mad, mad, mad cars.
Some sort of Impala buggy; 250cc cars; a Trabant Kübel (along with a couple of other trabants); a Tatra 603 (I wwwaaaaaant); a Vincent HRD; Gaaah. Mmmuh.
And it kinda has an ad-hoc thrown together atmosphere. I hear the boat’s not worth the tour. I looked at it and suspected as much. But overall, definately great fun.
And meeting all these people! So many people! At least I now have the vaguest idea what some of the people I talk to online look like; and I might even remember for more than a day or two what a few of them look like.
After a brief vulture like descent on the Marina equipped minor in the car-park, and the distinctly disintegrated traveller, we headed off on a run to the pub. Well, more of a photo-op run, and thence to the pub; where cola was consumed, chat was had, and a good and cheery time was had by all. Eventually though, we headed off – the traffic on the M1 started to look a bit iffy, and then thoughts of a stationary M25 surfaced, so we nipped round on A-roads through my old home town.
Getting home, absolutely wrecked, at 9:30.
There will be photos for the sad-geeky-car-orientated people like me, at some point in the future. (I shot about 2 and a bit rolls of (24’s) film) – so I’ll bang that in the post fairly shortly….
Yeah.
Went swimming at the Dolphin pool; annoyed by local spotty oiks; missed Brizzy North, will go there this afternoon. Yeah.
Lots of driving this weekend. Need a break now!
Off to Wales in 3 weeks; off to Alaska in 5. Does that not rock?
Enough.
