Magnette Meeting at Norwich
or
What I Did On My Weekend Off Work
by Stephen Hicks -age 50 and a half (here seen with a friend)
Good driving conditions (a mixture of sun and overcast with no rain) on
Saturday saw around twenty Magnettes arriving to a warm welcome at Lou and John
Shorten's for a cuppa, a chat, some spares and and, in my case, some technical
assistance after a flooded engine. Thanks, as always, to the Shortens for their
hospitality and advice. I personally tested Lou's contention that 'Magnettes
are meant to be driven FAST!' all the way back to London and can confirm
that she is absolutely correct. A bunch of people took off for a mini rally
before meeting up again for a natter and a meal. Peter tells me they had a whale
of a time whilst the rest of us dispersed to various hotels and B'n'Bs near to
the show ground.
We awoke circa 7.30am on Sunday to the sound of Greg reversing his immaculate
Varitone across the gravel of the B'n'B carpark and showered to a stream of Mk1
Cortinas thrumming past the bedroom window. Breakfast: 'Oh look, a Mini Cooper!
And a Mini Cooper. Mini Cooper. Mini. Mini. Mini....Mini....' etc. Apparently
Minis have something to celebrate this year and they are coming out en masse.
Twenty one Magnettes, including one stunning Farina, made an impressive line up
at the show ground. We all had a lovely day poking around each other's cars,
swapping advice, running away from Daleks, sharing cakes, meeting new people
including two debutantes - me and Cara ( and her delightful boy ) - and taking
in some of the other splendid cars and bikes at the show. The best car was
Greg's by long chalk, though Mike Laflin's black pigeon pair of Z and Farina
really deserved some sort of special recognition. I include a photo of the two
of them and a close up of the terrifying monster lurking under the bonnet of the
Z. Mike tells me it pulls twice the bhp for the same number of cc's. Greg's fish
are a potential photo of the year. Incidentally, had there been a competition
for 'Most Ragged Magette' it would have been a toss up between me and Peter. And
Peter would have won.
The day wrapped up with the drawing of a raffle led by Paul Batho who thanked
Mark Bunce for a superbly organised day and people settled down to a cuppa or
slipped off into the late afternoon sun for a return trip home. Some as far as
Devon! All in all a really sucessful weekend. I hesitate to claim that the
Magnette and Z Farina Register turn out was by far the most impressive in an
impressive meet - but it just was. Thank you everyone.
Stephen Hicks (235 XUN)
ps if anybody found a ferrule off the front of a fog light either at the
showground or somewhere on the M11 - it's mine....
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| The line up | Open wide | can in have your email | Red, white and blue |
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| Steve Miller's talking point | Mike Laflin's supercharger | Mike's killer pair | Cheerful Magneteer |
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| Geg's winner | Obsessive about tools or what | Washer bottle aquarium | Sarah exterminated |
