Another cancelled event

Haddenham nr Cambridge is on, I'm taking a boat just incase though.

Martin P

In message , campingstoveman writes

I was wondering about that one. From the current forecast, Sunday looks like being the drier day, so we'll probably go then.

125 mile round trip to find the Alresford show canceled :-( Yesterday the web site was saying "Don't let the weather put you off - we won't"! Went into Winchester instead, had nice lunch and bought "A text-book of Gas Manufacture" (1911) in second hand book shop, so not a total write-off.

Nick H

Gentlemen,

I arrived at Haddenham Steam Rally on Friday morning around 10:30 to find the normal site paths blocked because they were badly churned up because of the previous days weather. Via other routes I got to the Engine line un-assisted, as the afternoon progressed it started to rain again for a couple of hours and by late afternoon others were being towed in. Saturday morning started well and with a stiff breeze the ground started to dry, the sun even shone for a while but then in the early hours of Sunday morning it fell down. The morning arrived overcast but dry until around 14:00 when it started to rain again in small showers. At around 15:30 it started to rain hard and at 16:00 people started to pack up so I did the same. At this point god decided that we should get in half an hour what the rest of the UK got in the weekend and it fell down and by the time I had finished loading my rain coat had given up and I had to go into my caravan to get changed. A friend and I then went to get our plaques from control and, by this time being towed off was the order of the day, we asked who we had to bribe to get a tow, within 10 mins both of us were towed off and I was home by 18:00. It surprised me how many people came to the rally as paying public and also

95% of the exhibitors showed over both days, the high light of the weekend was watching a man load a tractor onto a trailer behind his 4 x 4 and then drive 30 yds and get stuck, he sent his lad off to get a tractor to tow him off which came to nothing so he then decided to take his tractor and with the aid of a friend try and push the trailer to unstick the 4 x 4. Eventually the penny dropped and they towed the outfit with the tractor off site. Half and hour latter they were back to collect another tractor and he went through the same routine again. What a plonker. I only took pictures of the engines this time so if you go to the link below all will be revealed anybody tell me what the machine is in the second picture some of you will know so please keep quiet and spot the lawn mower engine.

Reading the reports on the show website and 'this is Hampshire' plus an email from a certain west country petter enthusiast makes me realise just how little we were inconvenienced compared with some others. The show organisers are looking forward to more than a few financial problems and are launching an appeal - Helen and I have determined to at least contribute the gate money we would have paid had the show had gone ahead.

Nick H

Nobody identified the two pictures yet apart from Peter Forbes :-))

Gentlemen,

you are a lazy lot, apart from a few who have emailed is nobody else interested in a bit of fun.

1. The machine is a swarf separator.
2. The Lawn Mower engine is a horizontal enclosed crank called " Ideal", I took a few pictures of it because its design looked more modern than its age, 1920's.

Martin P

Not a golf ball washer as i suggested then ;-)

Pretty little thing though, i certainly wouldn't kick it out of the shed!

NHH

Not lazy Martin, I just didn't have a clue! regards,

Kim Siddorn