This large and popular event always clashes with Newquay, so most of our members head to Cornwall.

Nevertheless Sarah, Kevin and Mark Chard joined Bridget and Bas to fly the flag for YMM.

We were lucky with the weather, Sunday being the sunniest and most wind free day of the weekend.

Sarah had PUR back on the road, having been rebuilt by Kevin after she had modified it up the back of a Mercedes last year!

Mark,who must be the unluckiest club member, was sporting dents in YOJ, having recently been shunted himself.

Mark treated us like royalty and took it upon himself to make sure that the food  was safe by sampling some from every burger, donut and ice cream van on site!

All in all it was a most enjoyable day with lots to do,  see and buy !  And there is always something to keep you amused, with a constant stream of events in the ring, at this well organised show.

We left Cooper’s Mill for Haselbury Mill around 9.30 a.m.

Half an hour later we arrived in Siberia!  My weather  app had predicted temperatures to be 2C feeling like -4C.

Fools had left off the O.

Felt more like -40C to me!

Whilst on the look out for polar bears,  we quickly erected our Igloo to give us some shelter from the biting winds.

At least the sun was shining!  Well it was on 95% of the site.  Yes, you guessed it,  we were in the  5% shaded by a bloody great conifer!

There were plenty of high quality vehicles on display in the second running of the event,  so ably organised by John Best and his crew,  in aid of Motor Neurone Disease,  in memory of his sister.

Like last year, over £1000 was raised for this worthy cause.

One of the highlights of the day was a surprise visit by members Andy and Ruth. We had not seen them for a long time.

Members come and go and when they disappear we assume that their mini has been sold or is off the road. Maybe they have joined a new club or maybe we have , unintentionally, upset them in some way.

We do not assume that that they have been seriously ill, spending many months in Frenchay Hospital,  fighting for their lives!

Naturally we were shocked to learn that this had been the case with Andy. So it added to our joy of seeing his ‘grinning’ face again and looking so well. Both he and Ruth have been through the mill and we wish them both all the best and look forward to seeing them again soon.

Colin and Mandys’ wonderful Royal Mail van,  looking resplendent in its pristine condition, won the Best in Show award. It is believed to be the only one currently on the road in the UK.

Colin celebrated by having his photo taken with Mickey and Minnie Mouse. At first he had his arm around Mickey. We didn’t know that he had ‘those’ tendencies. After we pointed this out to him he cuddled them both!

It was great to see Kirsty join us with her immaculate and rare Mini Special 1100, being one of only 74 currently licensed at the DVLA.(Source: Howmanyleft.co.uk)

We have some cracking good cars in the club and this adds to our list of rarities.

We must be the only club that takes the trouble to purchase and erect an Event Tent just to sit outside of it!

We think that THE STIG made a guest appearance in his casual clothes or maybe

it was Wallace and Gromit,  having a Grand Day Out,  in their Sunday Best!

All in all it was a very good day,  spent amongst good people for a good cause.

Next stop Newquay for most and Abbey Hill Steam Rally for others.

.. that Kevin was pushing his luck.

Others say…

No. It was Jan!

.. that Jan and Stu have been married 25 years. Surely not!

We all say …

.. Many Congratulations on reaching this milestone and for raising £275 for MacMillan Cancer Care at  your party in lieu of presents.

What jolly good Fellows and so say all of us!

that now Colin is getting older and slowing down a bit,  he has bought a Mechanical Beaver Machine!

Others wonder what will get turned on the most  - Mandy or the Machine?

Here are the events that we  have planned so far:-

Abbey Hill Steam Rally, Yeovil Showground, 4th-7th May

This is a well established local show,  with tons of exhibits and trade stands and a continous stream of entertainment in the parade ring.

Entries have closed for this,the 32nd running of the event but Kevin, Sonia, Sarah, Bridget and Bas will be representing the club on Sunday 6th May.

Riviera Run: 4th-7th May:

What can I say about this weekend?  Crazy comes to mind combined with loads of fun and giggles.

- To the members of the crew travelling to Newquay,   who have an unexplainable urge to play dressing up and making a complete spectacle of themselves (all in the best possible taste of course ) we are looking for suggestions for fancy dress.

So far the most popular theme is Where’s Wally!

Party in the Port: Saturday 2nd June

Milborne Port are celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee with lots of fun and frolics. Should you wish to be part of the festivities please pop your name down on the sheet in the events folder. Further details will follow at a later date.

National Mini Cooper Day, Beaulieu: Sunday 10th June:

This is always a popular event with trade stalls and an opportunity to visit the museum and the big house combined with plenty of minis to cast your gaze upon – oh and not forgetting a possible visit from the very lovely Paddy Hopkirk (the twinkling wee Irish man kissed me on the cheek once!) Add your name to the sheet in the events folder should you wish to go and pray that the weather is a teensy wee bit better than the rain and gale that blew a hoolie last year .

Bristol Mini Day: 16th and 17th June

Another popular and fun show that we always put on a good show for . Glamping is available again this year and at a reduced rate if we book early. Pop your name on list should you wish to join in the frivolity. Details to follow.

Wincanton Car Show Henstridge: 23rd & 24th June

This is another glamping event that is great fun. Hats off to Justin and Frank who braved the unseasonal lovely weather to camp last year while the rest of us who were practically washed away at Bealieu turned chicken and went home over night!

Pop your name on the list should you like to go to this cracking wee show.

Classics at the Castle: Sunday 17th July

Yet another popular show on our doorstep in Sherborne. The price is £10 per car and Bas is the man in the know. Please pop your name on the sheet in the events folder should you wish to go. Details to follow.

The Swanage Railway Steam Gala Weekend  7th-9th September 

We have not been to this event before but it sounds fun. Entries cost £12 and this includes unlimited FREE travel on the steam railway for the entire weekend.

YOUR CAR HAS TO BE AT LEAST 20 YEARS OLD TO BE ELIGIBLE

You can get an application form and further details from www.bppcltd.co.uk

Bas is organising this event and he needs to get it sorted by the end of  May because it may be oversubscribed if we leave it too late. See him at one of the meetings before then.

If you have any ideas regarding any events that you think that we should attend, we would love to hear from you.

It is YOUR CLUB and we  always strive to do things that you enjoy!

and finally:

Club membership is due and is still £5 per person. Colin is the man to see with your money.

… JAN R has continued to develop her talent in role play and impersonations this year.  One thoroughly entertained the class during our re-enactment of the Royal Wedding,  which resulted in One being selected to be head of the Royal Fan Club by One’s peers.

It is my hope that Jan will be able to expand upon these talents by taking the lead in the school production of ‘ Fanny by Gaslight’ in the Spring Term.

Jan plays well with others but must make certain not to be led astray by mischievous classmates such as Stuart and Andrew.  After they encouraged her to take an aperitif of ‘medicinal’ compound she found herself quite undone and incapable of participating in wake and shake with the class the following morning! It is my hope that she has learned her lesson and now understands that even though it smells like medicine,  looks like medicine and tastes like medicine it is not necessarily going to be good for her.

…PAUL B, is a very sociable boy,  who is never happier than when he is playing dressing up with his friends.  He enjoys dance and drama and is always an eager participant in those lessons.  With a bit more practice sand a better understanding of ‘left’ and ‘other left’,  I am certain that he will soon reach the next level.

He is an extremely safety conscious boy and can often be found clutching the odd bottle of anti-freeze or screen wash.  However for the comfort of himself and his friends, he needs t0 take heed of the ‘fill levels’ as he has a tendency to over fuel,  which  has at times resulted in an inability to coordinate himself or even locate his dormitory.

…JUSTIN L, is a hardworking and conscientious boy.  His success as class milk monitor last year resulted in him being given the responsibility of ‘key holder’ this term.  He took this duty very seriously.  So much so that at times it was extremely difficult to get him to relinquish the key. When his tenacity resulted in the caretaker nearly being arrested for breaking into the classroom,  the Head teacher felt that Justin would do better directing his passions in a more academic direction.

This is when Justin developed a keen interest in Chemistry.  Although not all of his experiments ended quite as well as he would have liked.  On a recent field trip to Newquay,  his research turned somewhat combustive.  This new area of his learning required him to work with highly volatile substances such as Tequila.  He found that when this chemical is mixed with the equally volatile Cider,  the unpredictable ‘Jack Daniels’ and a wide range of unstable elements the results are positively explosive!

… FRANK S, has been trying hard this year and his behaviour on the carpet has improved slightly as a result.  However I have had to continually remind him not to wear his questionable headwear in class!

I cannot find the words to explain the calamity that ensued, when during a recent lesson, he was asked to approach the whiteboard.His friend Justin nearly lost more than an eye and i am sure you can appreciate the time it took to reassure Sally’s parents that she will in time recover and be able to sit properly again.

On a positive note,  Frank has been working hard in Maths and Geometry, mastering the ‘angle of the dangle’ with great precision.  This proved useful during an inter house ‘conkers’ championship where it was found that little boys who aim properly are always an asset.

He continues to display an extraordinary interest in the female anatomy and in truth it is during these lessons that is he is most alert.

…SPECIAL MENTIONS go to GREG and COLIN for their enthusiastic and energetic wake and shake performance to ‘Cotton Eyed Joe” and the Home Economics class for their baking contributions for the school canteen, for which they received GOLD STARS.

The Xmas party was another hoot,  with fine food and much fun and laughter.

Frank and Justin were particularly festive. Frank was hilarious, doing an impromptu sketch, in a German accent,  extolling the virtues of owning a BINI,  wearing a plastic moustache from a cracker, with  a comb over provided by a deflated torpedo balloon!

Talking of balloons.  Never before has such a simple thing provided so much joy,  fun and laughter. Those long ‘Torpedo’ balloons have it all. Double entendres and inuendo ensued as the girls pursed their lips around the end and blew hard, making them  become ever longer and  more erect. Jayne was particularly good at blowing hers.  She looked so good in jodphurs, that mine inflated itself!

We ended up with a 21 balloon salute,  launching them all at once to provide a cacophony of noise as they raced insanely around the room!

Our favourite teacher, Jan, provided an end of term report for some of the Clubs pupils. Have a look at the “Some say’ section of the site.

Jan and Stu are once again to be congratulated on organising the event. They really are ‘Jolly Good Fellowes’ and so say all of us!

Have a GREAT CHRISTMAS everybody!

….that Kevin keeps appearing on the News.

Trouble is he is always standing on the same spot.

No wonder it is taking so long to fix the damaged wall at Bridgwater!

… that Sarah has a ” Darkside”