Once more up the Creek!

Well, while the weather is this hot and sunny we Morgan drivers have to make the most of it and I am pleased to notice that Kenneth Nilsson, my Morgan chum in Sweden, seems to be enjoying the same weather as us so I am sure that he will be out and about in his lovely Roadster.

Can you see where the name is now!

But I digress! The main reason for my drive was for my two sisters' benefit....do I really mean that? Anyway they wanted to know precisely where I had placed the name of our mother on the car, so it was a good excuse to take some photographs somewhere a bit more photogenic than our garage drive.

Oh and what a lovely drive it was today.  Everything off of course (sidescreens and hood I mean!) the wind whistling around my ears and the lovely sound of that exhaust....gorgeous!

Shard Bridge in the extreme background

I have a keen interest in boats and it was nice to get down to our local, former Roman harbour at Skippool Creek again and see a few, many of them hulks, but never mind they make good photographic material.

I commend the purchase of one to all of you!

On my return, a welcome glass of ice cold beer opened with one of the best Christmas presents I have been given...a Morgan bottle opener,

which, as you can see, attaches itself very handily to our cooker in the kitchen by the amazing force of magnetism!

I recommend one to you.

I name this car !.......

..............NELLIE !!   😀😀

It has taken us ten years to do it but now we have we're rather pleased with the outcome.

We have always called the car 'Nellie' after my dear mother, who, along with my father after their joint demise, contributed to the Morgan fund that has enabled us to have such a fun retirement.

The usual deliberations took place in deciding whether the name should be placed at the side of the Union Jack, or at the bottom or the top, or indeed at the rear of the flag which was our final decision.
Oh, the terrible problems that we have to deal with!!!!!!!

Pure Morgan!

These are the words of the Morgan Motor Company...."Shared enjoyment, a sense of adventure and taking the long route home, the 4/4 represents the purest Morgan experience available"....and who am I to disagree!

It is the longest running production vehicle in the world, a true icon....and I am extremely lucky to own one!

The coast of Brittany

Burgundy

From the south of France, to Spain, to John O'Groats in the far north, to the Ring of Kerry in the far west and all stations in between, my wife and I have had huge enjoyment and certainly a sense of adventure.

Near Albi in the south of France

Lekeitio, Spain

Ours, bought in 2008, is totally original, untouched by modified suspension, tweaks to the brakes, performance exhaust system etc.,etc. It is, as they say, 'bog standard' and in my opinion all the better for it.

The Ring of Kerry

If we had wanted our Morgan to drive and behave on the road like a modern car we'd have bought a Mazda, BMW or Audi Sports model.....in any event they are all a bit too common anyway!

John O'Groats, Scotland

The bridge to Skye

We love the experience of driving as it used to be, although, admittedly, it is now rare to be able to pootle along a delightful empty road without being harassed by another vehicle about 20 cms from our rear bumper!

The English Lake District

The Yorkshire Dales

But we can live with that, the car is a joy, a thing which gives us and others so much pleasure, whether it is a picnic in the fells or a quick blast down the road with the sound of that throaty exhaust echoing in our ears.

Long live the 4/4!!!

A Visit to the Shrine!

On this gorgeous July day, a day on which the England football team play Croatia in the World Cup semi final, we set off on what was to be a most pleasant drive to Southport in Lancashire.

It's about an hour from home during normal hours but at least half an hour longer in the 'rush hour'. But what the heck! We were there sitting in the sunshine in our beautiful car, attracting glances from most other drivers, at least those that are interested in classics.

The 'Shrine' in Southport

It was just one of those days when you are glad to be alive, although when you get to my age its a joy to wake up every morning...but you know what I mean!

The lovely shopping arcade,off Lord Street, Southport with bunting out for the World Cup England fixture.

The purpose of the trip was to the home of Morgan in Southport, Lifes Motors, where a new battery would be installed and a new 'smart charger' purchased so that the car can be left in the garage on permanent trickle charge.

Lord Street, Southport

This regular practice after each drive has enabled me to get 10 years trouble-free life out of the old battery, indeed it was only the failure of the 'Ring' trickle charger also after 10 years, that prompted me to decide to change the battery after such a long time.

The battery being installed.

What a pleasure it is to visit Lifes, the staff are great and of course there are always interesting motors to ogle at! Every visit re-charges my already keen interest in the marque and makes me realise what a lucky chap I am to have owned a Morgan for 10 years.

Part of the Showroom with a very desirable used V8 Plus 8 in blue at £82,000!!!

After an indifferent coffee and a toasted teacake in a very well known Southport department store we returned to Lifes to pick up the car, very pleased with the level of personal service received and a job very well done as usual.

What lurks under the sheets???

If only that store could make coffee to the same standard and quality as the service I have always received at Lifes!

I have never had such a tasteless brew as that, well perhaps I have, because I find in most places that the coffee served is rarely, if ever, up to the standards that I can achieve with Kenco De-Caff out of a jar and certainly not up to the coffee from our Nespresso machine!!

How I wish that I had bought some shares in Costa Coffee, seeing the thousands of people walking around with a cardboard carton of coffee at two and a half quid, in one hand and a mobile in the other!! Absolutely barmy!!!

But I digress!

Coupled with the fact that mine is a damn sight cheaper

Quick picnic in the heatwave.

What a fabulous Summer we are having, although the farmers and gardeners amongst us are screaming out for rain. Crops are suffering, lawns are a lovely shade of brown and favourite plants are shrivelling in the heat.

The Fylde Coast in the hazy distance.

As for Morgan drivers, it's an opportunity not to be missed. Get that top down, sidescreens off and head for the hills or a nice country pub!

That is just what we did today, although we did not include a pub in our travels, having a couple of cans of beer in our fridge which would suffice.

A useful spot to keep your beer cool!

The Bleasdale Fells are about half an hour away from our home and provide an excellent destination for a short pootle to keep the wheels moving and get us out for an exhilarating drive.

Glorious Northumbria

I mentioned in an earlier post that after some 50+ years I had decided to take up the sport of fly fishing again and this holiday in Northumbria was arranged as a fishing holiday.

Our accommodation was lovely and in a spectacular setting overlooking farmland with the Cheviot Hills in the background. The house itself is situated on Tiptoe Farm, owned by Lucy and Anthony Carroll who grow heritage potatoes in all the colours of the rainbow it would seem!

Our holiday home on the left

From our bedroom window at 2.30 am

It is set on high ground above the River Till, a tributary of the Tweed, with a steep path leading down to the river some 200 yards long. It was only after booking our holiday that I noticed that the beat was only suitable to the able-bodied and this I must say filled me with some concern!

The River Till

 I will not bore my readers with a rambling diatribe of all my various defects, but will just say that I am definitely not able bodied and certainly not just at the present time.

What a fine specimen! Bad photo but trying to get the little blighter back into the water quickly!

On only two occasions did I attempt the gruelling (for me) climb down and up from the river and indeed had great difficulty in getting in to the river and worst of all, getting out. What a wreck! But my final effort was rewarded with a miserable 5 cms specimen fry and I will be forever grateful to the little chap!

Thankfully I am perfectly happy driving and so we were able to enjoy everything that this lovely area can offer.

Lindisfarne Castle in the mist.

The causeway to Holy Island

First port of call was Holy Island, in between the tides, sadly shrouded in a sea mist which I must say did add a bit of mystery to the place.

The mist did lend a sense of mystery to the surroundings!

Bamburgh was next, with its fabulous castle and then on to Craster which was impossibly busy so I missed out on a crab sandwich, for which the tiny port is renowned.

Bamburgh Castle

We had a fascinating day at Cragside, the home of Victorian engineer Lord Armstrong and his wife Lady Margaret Armstrong. Together they created Cragside (a National Trust Property), the first home in the world to be lit by hydoelectricity. using the newly invented filament light bulbs.

Cragside

On a day when we were enduring cloud and mist while the rest of the country were enjoying record summer temperatures we drove to North Berwick , a lovely town on the Firth of Forth calling at the little fishing village of St Abbs where I was fortunate to have a wonderful crab sandwich overlooking the harbour, beautiful!

The harbour at North Berwick

Across the Firth with Bass Rock in the murky distance

Bass Rock, home to hundreds of nesting gannets.

Super break, sad not to be able to make the most of the fishing but never mind we made the most of this glorious area.

......and a little friend who came to visit us.

 

Sete

It was some years since my wife and I had visited my elder sister who has lived in France for the bulk of her life, so a visit was long overdue.

From the balcony of our hotel

Sete, or Cette in the Patrick O'Brian maritime novels ( Jack Aubrey and all that!) and indeed known as Cette until 1928, is the largest French port in the Mediterranean and for someone such as me with an interest in boats, ships and the sea it is a very interesting place indeed.

Mont St Clair at night with a Tuna fishing trawler in the foreground

Built upon and around Mont St Clair, it is situated on the south-eastern hub of the Bassin de Thau, an enclosed salt water lake used primarily for oyster and mussel fields.

Very french!

It is known as the Venice of the Llanguedoc region with its network of canals linking the Mediterranean with the Etang de Thau.

Place Leon Blum

The marina with Mont St Clair in the background

There is always the temptation to take the Morgan there but it is an extremely busy place with very restricted parking and my sister is emphatic that it is no place for our Morgan....our old Volvo of some years ago yes, but not the Mog!

A welcome rest with our hotel in the background

We had a great time and intend to return in the near future if only to sample my sister's tomato farces, and of course revel in the French ambience of a very busy commercial port.