Petworth and back to Henfold Fisheries – would we see ‘Blondie’?
Captains Report:
Well as seems to be the case my eyes opened 30 minutes before the alarm was due to sound its annoying notes…..still, time for an extra coffee. It was then that i remembered a slight schoolboy error – i’d left the Tiger parked nose into the garage, ‘ah why would that be an issue i hear you ask’…..simply that reversing 100 yards in the dark ( no reverse lights ) in the pitch black wasn’t too much fun.
A boring motorway sprint to BBarn was livened up #by the lack of suitable headgear, that’s one of the first times i’ve had brain freeze without drinking a Daquari ( however that’s spelt)….
Hurrah, 1st on parade, fuelled, coffee with extra shot in hand I wander out to see the rest of the guys rocking up one by one…..with a few tales traded off we set…..I’d like to point out to those that witnessed it that we were passed by the white van because a/ I was unsure if we were ‘all line astern’ b/ I needed to pop on my tinted glasses. Still we cracked on after that hiccup.
I have to blow my own trumpet, sorry chaps, that route is a beauty, I mean a real beauty. Fast sweepers, slower twisties, series of zig zags, it has it all it really does. Comedy moments, oh yes just 3-4…..there was Tony and I steaming past a right hand turn, doubling back and catching up the rest of the gang who’d got ahead during our ‘navigational error’, of course we weren’t content to sit at the rear ( well nearly the rear)…..our task made easier by Tony C leading 3 of them the wrong way out of Petworth ( no smile on my face at all T)……then there was the classic locking of brakes as a give way appeared out of nowhere, worryingly over brekkie Tony B commented ‘ yeah, I saw you lock up and stop, and thought I’d better stop too ‘ – err no you muppet, if it seems I AM STOPPING best to do the same before I come to a halt. Comedy number 3, yep another missed turn which let Graham het ahead, doh, so we played catch up, which we achieved as his sat nav decided on the ‘gentlemens route’ whilst us took us the direct way…..now if only we could press on and get up with the guys ahead of him….which we tried, in vain it seemed. Except that of course they were actually some way behind…..
Roads were a mixture of damp, wetter and white – clenched the buttocks a few times on the white stuff and kicked my right leg with the left to keep it off the brake pedal…..
And so we knocked off 80 miles, arriving pretty much on schedule for brekkie at one of our fav haunts, where ‘blondie’ was on fine form….hardly batting an eye when Tony B mused out loud whether she had plenty of cream – ‘ always sweetie, always’ came the reply…..squirty cream for hot chocolate you dirty pervs….
Seems that banter levels are also steady after a 2 week layoff……as there were the usual smiles and mickey taking as we sat outside in the sunshine wondering why so few ( not just from skcc but other clubs ) were out and about.
for me a safe , steady run home, blighted only by a load of lycra clad aliens who had decided to have a cycle race around MY lanes, how very dare they….handy when they start wobbling around at about 2 mph going uphill…..why don’t they just go to Holland where at least its flat and they can do a steady 30mph.
looking forward to next week – wherever we may roam….