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Second
Day's events at Powderham are washed out.
A rainy run in Devon - no stopping a
Standard - I think this photo sums up the weekend!"-webmaster
| The weather
forecast was not looking good for the weekend and we wondered
if all the participants would actually show up at one point. I
left home with my 1938 Standard Gwynne Fire Pump on tow behind
my modern and kept ahead of the black clouds all the way to
the site where Steve Lovegrove and Chris Bowden were already
cutting the grass and raking away the debris. In between bites
of my Cornish pasty and sips of Chris’ flask of tea, I
helped to finish the job and then we all set to , marking out
our area and getting stakes put into the ground on which to
hang our ropes and bunting. Steve then had to return home to
collect his Standard, having already trailered a Fergy tractor
up from Plymouth for our display. This left Chris and myself
to assemble the gazebo which was to provide rain cover and
catering accommodation for the weekend. |
Click on the
photos to see an enlargement:
A race
to the front for fish and chips |
|
Brian
drumming up business for the West of England show |
No joke to put one
of those up in a gale of wind, blowing in from the Exe
estuary. We secured it down in the usual way even using ropes
to help hold it to terra firma. By this time the New Forest
contingent arrived, Dave Lovering being just in time to help
put the Union Jack up, the correct way up this time!!!.
All was set then for our fish
and chip run to Dawlish but by this time the rain had set in
and with high tides and gale force winds the seas were
breaking over the railway at Starcross when we passed through.
Several returned to their weekend lodgings after the supper
but the hardened ones stopped off at the pub on the way back
for a nightcap. |
| I was lucky enough
to be invited to stay at Chris and Linda’s at Exeter for the
weekend and it was with some dismay that Steve phoned us on
the Saturday morning to say that the gazebo had collapsed
overnight, more to the point the front support had broken.
Chris raided his garage for all manner of timber, cord, gaffer
tape etc and stacked it carefully in the Eight to see if we
could do some repairs on site. When we got there, the support
had snapped but with a piece of broom handle,gaffer taped to
the broken bits in the form of a splint, we were back in
business.
Who would turn up on this wet
and windy day, the wind had swung around, putting our site in
more of a sheltered area. The wind was still blowing and
shredding tents at this stage, so we got away lightly. |
John and
Julia Pines lovely Little 9 |
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New Forest
guest Dave Salters 10 Tickford with postwar Standard 8 |
Two cars,
unfortunately couldn’t make it but those that did are listed
below:-
- 1933 Little Nine - John and
Julia Pine
- 1934 Ten 2-seater Drophead -
Bob and Val Richardson
- 1934 Ten - Steve Lovegrove
- !934 Ten Tickford - Dave
Salter
- !934 Ten - Colin Fry
- 1938 Flying Twelve - Dennis
and Sheila Brown
- !938 Standard-Gwynne Fire
Pump - Brian Murrish
- !938 Flying Eight - June
Ward
- 1947 Flying Eight - Chris
and Linda Bowden
- 1948 Flying Eight - David
Lovering
- 1948 Flying Eight tourer -
Geoff Cattermoul
- 1953 Ferguson T20 Tractor -
Sebastian Fenwick
- 1960 Standard Ten van -
Michael West
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| Most of us did a
session or two of tent-hopping, seeing what bargains were in
the autojumble area. Much tea was drunk in the shelter of our
re-invigorated gazebo and talk was turning to the expectation
of a good tuck-in at the Swans Nest that coming evening. We
packed away the table, cooker and chairs and departed to our
respective accommodation to clean up for the foray. The rain
continued to fall, though the wind had dropped somewhat. A
superb carvery was laid on for us and the ale and cider flowed
freely. I think at one point we were making more noise than
all the rest of the diners put together. This is what makes
our Club. From whatever walk of life we come from, get us all
round a table or on the rally field come to that, and the fun
and games start. We were evicted at nearly midnight in the
end. |
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The following
morning we had another phone call from Steve. This time to
tell us that the Sunday’s event had been abandoned due to
the now-waterlogged ground. What a disappointment. We still
had to go there to dismantle our stand and unfortunately could
not say a proper cheerio to some of our participants, more’s
the pity. An added complication was the road to the site
became blocked by a bad accident and the diversions were
confused to say the least. We met up again with our new found
friends from the New Forest before they left and what a lovely
bunch of people they were too. I only hope that this Powderham
Castle Rally does not put them, or any of you out there, off
from coming down to the South-West for an event such as this.
The company is terrific, This was the first wet Powderham
Rally for eighteen years, so I’m told. |
COME WITH US NEXT YEAR!
Let's see YOUR Standard! To secure
your place on the club stand in 2009 – contact
Chris Bowden on 01392 664952
for more info
Report by Brian Murrish
Photos by Linda Bowden
and Brian Murrish
I am sure that Len Barr would be
delighted to hear from eligible Standard owners who would like to join
the Rally next year. You can email him here
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