Back in Action!

What a great spell of weather we are having in the UK, almost an Indian Summer, following the excellent weather we have enjoyed for most of the year.

The lure of the Morgan, plus the additional incentive of spending a couple of hours in a brewery, celebrating one of my oldest friend's 70th birthday was just too much to resist.

National Trust property, Sizergh Castle.

First stop was the National Trust property of Sizergh Castle where we each enjoyed an indifferent coffee, which, in view of its quality was exorbitantly priced. We don't mind paying for quality, although it has to be said that we do wish outlets would serve coffee in smaller sized cups.

Lakeland Headquarters, Windermere

On to Lakeland Plastics Headquarters in Windermere, a frequent stopping place when we are in the Lakes, where my lovely wife wanted to buy some indispensible kitchen items!

Almost in Staveley

Then to the main event which was being held at the 'Hawkshead Brewery' in Stavely, just a few miles south of Windermere. They have an incredible range of super beers that were tackled with gusto by the members of the party who had travelled by train but alas I was somewhat restricted by my self imposed limit.

The Brewery

A tight fit in the Car Park

I must admit that I am not particularly fond of lunchtime drinking or eating for that matter , no matter what quantity, as it leaves not just me, but both of us, feeling somewhat bloated and sleepy. Not an ideal state for a drive down the M6 on the return journey.

My pal had booked a table for eleven upstairs in the restaurant which was ideal.

We started the meal with two giant sized 'Huntsmans' pies, followed in our case by a regular and a large sized fish and chips which were superb. The batter was perfect and the chips delightful, crisp on the outside and soft in the middle...yummy!

As expected, after what was a delightful occasion, we emerged bloated but happy for the return journey.

I have survived!

As you all know, I am quite a shy, retiring sort of chap and tend to keep a low profile as far as the blog is concerned, unless I have something truly interesting to write about.

However, I have been driven to pen this little item following an urgent call from one of my Morgan chums, who was actually quite worried about me, because I had not informed him about the success or failure of my recent operation, convened in order to return a part of my innards back to its original position, it having decided to force itself into an area of my body where it had no right to be! I was quite touched by his concern and realised that it might be mirrored by my worldwide readership.....who am I trying to kid?!!!

Additionally, I was also inspired to put finger to keypad by another Morgan chum, who writes a highly recommended, excellent blog  www://moggo-blog.blogspot.co.uk who has also been hit by a problem in his nether regions, but in a different locality to mine. He, quite properly and thoughtfully,  felt that he should let all his readers know that he had survived by informing them on his blog.

Both of them have shamed me into doing the right thing and I am now  letting everyone know that I am recovering well from the op., but it will be another couple of weeks before I can inflict the tender area of my lower body, to the cruel, unyielding confines of the Morgan cockpit!

A new image!

Can't wait to wear my new kit! (Brooklands)

Pre-op!

With only two days remaining before my hernia operation I thought that yesterday was a good opportunity to have a little pootle in the Morgan, because after the op I don't know how long it will be before I can contort my wracked body into the restricted confines of the cockpit.

The weather was set fair so, after picking my lovely wife up from the hairdressers, we set off via our favourite pie shop to Cockerham, an area bordering Morecambe Bay.

Looking west across the salt marsh towards the Bay...

It is an area that offers expansive views across the salt marshes, where happy sheep nibble away at the salt laden grass, before being summarily despatched, to end up on a Sunday dinner plate!

...and south east towards the Bleasdale Fells

As I lie at the mercy of the surgeon I shall be praying that the scalpel doesn't slip and I suffer a similar fate!!

Anyway, it was a good drive and as I said, I hope that it won't be too long before I get out in the car again.

Wonderful.....

....a couple that really use their Morgan!

It was lovely to see the picture of the 1990 White Plus Four on the August page of the MSCC Calendar for 2014 and to read that the owners, Dennis and Sylvia O'Neill,  have now travelled over 160,000 miles in their car.

That is surely what Morgan ownership should be all about, using the car at every available opportunity.

Well, that blew the dandruff away!!!!

Following our recent travels, the time had come to give the Morgan some attention. That would include getting the wheels off to clean them, which I always do after around 1000miles, at the same time as launching myself under the car to grease the sliding axles.

When I say launch, that does sound a touch dramatic and is frankly, a blatant lie!

The reality is more of an overweight geriatric trying desperately, in the first instance, to get down on his knees in order to place the jack under the car and from a virtually prone position pump up the jack to get the stands underneath the front axle.

Whereupon, he rolls on to his side, trying to ignore the painful reminder of his recently diagnosed hernia, and then shuffles on his back to a position where he can contort his wretched body sufficiently to see the appropriate nipple, at which point he decides that he shouldn't have worn his glasses and will be able to see better without them, so then has to effect this removal operation with greasy fingers and try to place them well away from the area where the action is taking place.

Finally the grease gun is attached to the nipple and with withering strength the thing is squeezed and the injection of the grease finally takes place.

Now, for the next wheel!!!!!

I did promise myself that I would in future just take the car to my local garage, 'cross their palms with silver' and get one of the chaps to do the greasing for me. On the face of it, this would have been a good idea, but it wreaked a bit of 'chucking the towel in' and, also of course, the wheels would not be cleaned either. So I decided that while I am physically able to do the job I will continue.

Actually it is quite therapeutic and I can take pride in the fact that although we are covering a lot more mileage than many owners, our car is just as well cared for, and looks just as pristine, as those mollycoddled cars with ridiculously small mileages!

Anyway, the reason I mentioned dandruff is that it is vital after such a gruelling maintenance session, to take the car out for a quick run, primarily to make sure that the wheels don't drop off, but also because it's such bloody good fun and immensely exhilarating, driving a Morgan without a cap and with sidescreens off, in a very fresh Blackpool breeze.

'Wilson' est mort !!!!

My many readers will be shocked to learn of the demise of the fish 'Wilson' who featured in my post of the 19th May 2012, entitled 'A fish called Wilson'

'Wilson' in happier times, although he doesn't look very happy!!.

While my wife and I were swanning around Herefordshire in the Morgan, the 'Grim Reaper' paid a visit to my youngest daughter's home and reeked his vengeance on our poor defenceless friend.

He had endured solitary confinement, for a couple of years at least, spending his time in a glass globe on the kitchen windowsill, separate accommodation provided by us from a florists shop, to avoid him being summarily executed on possibly unfounded charges that he was 'doing in' any new fishy arrivals in my daughter's family fish tank!

Nothing was proved, although thinking about it, he did have a somewhat sheepish look in his eyes. However,  he must be regarded as an innocent until proven guilty and treated with all the formality, dignity and sincerity that such a quality demands.

Olivia

Olivia, my beautiful grandaughter was very upset by his passing, as she had shared five years of her young life with the little fellow. She decided with her mother that a two minute silence was therefore justified and this took place with due diligence to the strains of classical music.

Rest in Peace

Following this sad performance, Wilson was finally committed to the compost heap, dust to dust, ashes to compost, at which time he will serve to enrich the garden and his memory will linger on in perpetuity.