Oily Hand's Life with MGs |
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We took Numbum to Preston Park to meet Nick Georgiou, a super professional photographer, for him to work his magic. The results are stunning. I have no association with Nick other than a very satisfied customer. I cannot recommend him highly enough and if you are looking for a shoot, he is the man to go to. Excellent work and very good value too. Here is a selction of the many he took. The man behind the lens after a quick blast round the car park. The whole album can be seen here
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We booked a photoshoot for ourselves and Numbum with Nick Georgiou, the brilliant guy who did our daughter's wedding and provided hundreds of superb photos.
Suitably attired we headed to Preston Park and spent a very enjoyable time while Nick worked his magic with the camera. This is the taster shot he sent us and we think it's wonderful. The rest will follow as soon as he can get them done, but he's a busy guy and we're happy to wait. Nick also has a Facebook page. This great event just keeps getting better and better and huge thanks must go to all who worked so hard both through the year and on the day. It's lot of work and we really appreciate it. There was a change this year which improved things a lot. The holding area was enlarged and classes called earlier so that those going out didn't get in the way of those coming back in. This went fairly well considering that trying to get people where they should be is a bit like herding cats. When we set out in old Numbum it was fairly cold and despite wearing more skins than an onion we were very cold when we arrived. A cup of coffee helped before we ambled around to get some photos and video. Thanks to Pam for the photos. Numbum has been suffering from an intermittent misfire problem for a while now and each time I think I've sorted it it comes back again. On the run to Saltburn the old gal was running really well but later in the day the misfire returned. It got warmer as the day progressed and we ended up doing the runs without our coats. With the improved arrangements we got two runs in in the morning. The hour lunch break was abandoned so after our second run we dashed off for the obligatory fish & chips which were excellent as usual. Our third run was soon after finishing eating and I'm sure we were slower with the extra weight. There wasn't time for all to have a fourth run but there was a chance but we had to be quick because the road had to be opened again at 4pm. We just made it and had another reasonably good run which was only marred by Numbum dropping out of second gear. That's a first and something else to investigate. The entry was 116 this year and the organisers think it was too many. There will be a limit next year. On the video front I decided to try something different and find a couple of volunteers to talk about their vehicles. I found two which were great but I'm not sure about the audio. The background noise was drowning them a little and my camera doesn't have provision for an external microphone. What do you think? All in all, a great day despite the misfire which reared its ugly head again on the way home.
Once again we took Numbum to join Middlesbrough & District Motor Club on their stand. Most of the people there were welcoming as we were in a car, not on a bike, but a few were not. Comments like " What's that car doing there" and "Why don't you park it over there with the other cars". One man in particular was more obnoxious than the rest and the fact that we were members of the club, and there with the agreement of the organisers didn't seem to make any difference to him. We had an early track parade which was good as it gave us the rest of the day free, but not so good as there were few spectators there so early. The classic racing bikes track parade followed ours so I stopped to take some video before returning to the stand. When we got back to the stand our previous spot was taken by bikes and discussion suggested that they weren't going to be moved any time soon so we were stuck with nowhere to go. The great guys from the Croft Classic & Sports Car Club came to our rescue and moved one of their cars to make some space for us. Thanks guys! Once that was sorted it was time for refreshments before heading off for another wander. Thanks again to Pam for some of these pictures. We spent some time on the banking watching the races but sadly the races we like had much smaller entries than previous years and were not very exciting. Once again we met friends old & new and had some good craic. The atmosphere was subtly different from previous years and it took us some time to figure out what it was. The "nostalgia" element wasn't there. Fewer military displays, 30s/40s re-encators were missing. The music was from much later years. Croft had grown better and better over the years and was deemed by many to be the Goodwood Revival of the north. All gone in a flash. We spoke to one stall holder who caters to the re- enactors and he said it was the worst year for trade in all the time he had been coming to Croft. "It was hardly worth the effort" he said. The pre event publicity was pushing the 60s & 70s with no mention of the earlier years. This must have felt like a slap in the face to all those who had played a major part in the event in previous years and it's no wonder that they weren't there this year. The usual best dressed competition was held again today and I wasn't dressed for it. Despite that just after I'd sat down about half past two I was approached by a young lady inviting me to be judged again. Judging was at three so it was a quick gulp of coffee and off to the marquee. I didn't win this time. I came joint second with all the others who didn't win. Soon it was time to head for home after an OK weekend. It cerainly wasn't as good as previous years. Yet another name change for what was Croft Nostalgia Weekend. I don't see the point, but Hey Ho, that's life. Once again we took Numbum loaded up with chairs, provisions and camera gear and we joined Middlesbrough & District Motor Club on their stand. It was a fairly relaxing day and we chatted to friends old & new and wandered around looking at everything that was going on. Thanks to Pam for some of these pictures. One of the features of this event is the people in period dress and a competition for the best dressed man & woman. There are Croft staff wandering around selecting people to go for judging and I was asked if I would like to take part. I was pleasasntly surprised at this and presented myself for judging at the appointed time. To my amazement I was chosen as the best dressed man. A bit of history about the suit. My daughter was married the weekend before and my now son in law chose the suits for the males in the wedding party. It seemed a shame to wear it once and just stuff it in the back of the wardrobe so I decided to give it another airing. It was a bit warm but worth the effort.
Old Numbun had serious trouble here last year and despite many hours of work it still misfires at higher revs. At least it's reasonable to drive although I can't drive it as I would want. Despite this we decided to take the old gal to Saltburn and try the hill. It was a cool start as we set off early to get a good parking spot and arrived about half past eight. Thankfully it got warmer as the day progressed and apart from a brief shower of rain it was a lovely day weatherwise. This is a superb day with great cars and lovely people. The Middlesbrough & District Motor Club put a lot of work in to make this day run smoothly and they deserve huge thanks for their efforts. I got signed on, we unpacked the chairs and settled down for a cuppa while we watched the other arrivals. Soon we were fully immersed in the day and time flew. So many people to talk to, some we have never met before, some we only meet here once a year, and old friends. The first run up the hill was pretty good with the car performing better than I thought it would. A lovely young lady was taking photos for the local council and asked me for a short video interview. I agreed and it was done. It will appear on the council website and I'm waiting for an email to tell me that it's on. Pam disappeared to take some photos and got a few. Lunch time was fast approaching so we checked with control to see if there was any chance of a second run before lunch. There wasn't, so we headed off for fish & chips before the queue got too long. After lunch we got two more runs at the hill and Numbum performed reasonably which I was happy about. Mark Thompson was about taking pictures and he got three good ones of us on the hill which he kindly allowed us to use. Thanks Mark. All in all it was a superb day and we set off for home weary but happy. What a super day this was. A relaxed start to the day saw us taking the short run down the A19 to Roots Farm Shop to meet up with old & new friends. This would be the longest run old Numbum had done since I changed the head gasket so there was a little bit of doubt as to how the day would go. Fortunately it was OK. The club gazebo was set up with the tombola & raffle and we won four prizes on the tombola. Not a bad start to the day. It was quite a good entry, 43 cars, I think from all over the area. The car park was quite full. It was good weather for top down driving as we set off on this well planned route to the upper reaches of the river Tees. Some of the roads were best described as interesting, and at times it was quite a challenge, but great fun. At one point we thought we were in for a soaking as the clouds rolled across the hilltop and a heavy shower passed over us. It didn't last long thankfully. For quite a bit of the route we didn't see another car from out group, which is just how I like it. We rolled along at our own pace and stopped for refreshments when we pleased. Back at Roots, it was time for some good conversation before setting off for the long 15 minute journey home and arrived back after covering 120 fun filled miles. A big thank you to all who made it happen. What an amazing difference from the first time last year at this superb venue. Many more cars and much more going on. There seemed to be many more spectators too. We had a brilliant day thanks to the hard work of all who made it happen and kept it going on the day. I made a short video of the day and posted it on another website asking for a critique. A professional cameraman and teacher gave me some great advice so I made a second video. Which do you prefer? It was a dry but cool morning as we set off in Numbum our old TA, heading for Stokesley for the start of this annual run to Durham Cathedral. We breezed through Yarm High Street which is chaos during the week and had an easy drive to an equally deserted Stokesley where we met the other entrants in the showfield car park. We signed on and enjoyed a cuppa before heading back to the car to attach the rally plate. The usual chinwagging and telling of tall tales ensued until the drivers briefing which was closely followed by the start. We were the second car away and had a great run through some lovely countryside. We stopped in Nothallerton for a comfort break and by chance met I guy I'd spoken to but never met. Adam has an Inca Yellow MGB GT which was his Grandfather's car and it means a lot to him. He has a website which chronicles his time with the car and the work needed to bring it back to life after a 17 year sleep. It was good to meet you, Adam. I'm sorry we didn't have more time to chat. As we were leaving Adam got a couple of quick photos which he emailed to me and graciously allowed me to use them. From here it was a smooth run to the lunch stop in Richmond where once again there was much good conversation. Once fed & watered we were on our way again, heading north towards Durham. The roads were excellent and we had a great time apart from a near miss. See it at 8.25 on the video below. A couple of miles from the finish we developed a misfire which steadily worsened until the car wouldn't idle and I had to keep throttle on every time we stopped. This was a tad inconvenient as we were heading into town with more traffic and plenty of traffic lights. Despite that we slowly managed the steep climb up to the Palace Green and parked up. Refreshments were the first order of the afternoon so we hit the cafe for our cream scone and coffee before investigating Numbum's problem. I checked the basics, spark, fuel etc. There didn't seem to be much fuel flow so I quickly fitted my spare pump but that made no difference. The fuel filter looked a bit grubby so I changed that as well but still no difference. A mad man called Ian decided to pull plug leads barehanded and it turned out that pulling 1 & 2 made little difference. The consensus was that the head gasket had failed between 1 & 2 cylinders. There was no chance of fixing that where we were so I closed the bonnet. While all this was going on I missed the presentations and didn't get any photos. Thankfully, Pam had been snapping away. We decided to limp home with what little power we had, but sadly didn't get very far. About half a mile into the journey it died and wouldn't restart. We were in a pretty dodgy situation with fast moving traffic so Pam tried to call the police on 101 but couldn't get through so she tried 999 and within a few minutes the police came to the rescue. In the meantime a couple of kind gents stopped to render what help they could. I was on the phone to the RAC and when I'd finished there was a plan in place to get us away from the dangerous place we were in. A short distance up the hill was a bus layby and old Numbum was pushed in there out of danger. A big thank you to the guys who stopped for us and the police officer who stopped traffic for us. Eventually the recovery truck arrived and we were soon loaded and on our way. Once home we unloaded the car and rolled it into the garage where it will sit until I can muster the enthusiasm to sort it out. Despite the ending, it was a super day and thanks go to all who made it possible. There is a tremendous amount of work in organising an event like this and it's much appreciated. After another hearty breakfast it was time to tackle the 3D jigsaw puzzle, also known as loading the car. This requires some precision as there isn't much room. It was more difficult because we had a very full goody bag and a raffle prize to squeeze in as well. A bit of pushing and shoving eventually got it all in. Having a baggy tonneau cover helped quite a bit. We decide to take the long route, about 78 miles, to the lunch stop and we set off in high spirits waving goodbye to the Cardrona Hotel as we drove off. The high spirits didn't last long as just after passing through Ettrick Bridge, about 20 miles into the run, we lost all drive. Luckily there was a safe place to stop just ahead and we coasted into it. While Pam was calling the organisers to tell them we wouldn't be there for lunch I called the RAC and eventually we pinpointed our location and help was on the way. All we had to do was wait. While we were waiting I set up a video camera to capture some of the other cars. Thanks to all who checked that we were OK and offered help. It was greatly appreciated. I eventually got a call from the RAC patrolman who was in Berwick, a good distance away. Usually the patrolman arrives, decides it can't be fixed and calls for recovery. This means a long wait. This guy was good though and after explaining the situation he saw little point in coming out to us and booked a recovery truck. The recovery truck duly arrived and we were soon loaded. We were pretty sad not to have made it to the end and missed the chance to say goodbye to folks personally, but looking on the bright side, we saved a few gallons of petrol.
Despite the ending we had a brilliant weekend. It was very well organised, had some great roads, a good hotel with lovely food and most of all, great company. The Caledonian Centre certainly know how to run an event. Thanks to everybody involved in making it happen |
AuthorHi, I'm Owen and I've been having fun with MGs since 1970, starting with my 1937 MGTA. Since then I've had three Y types and a couple of Z Magnettes. I now have a 1971 MGB GT along with the TA and my wife and I are still having fun Archives
September 2020
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