Uttoxeter Show 1st-3rd July 2011

A week before the show, I was surprised to receive a phone call telling me that my TriBSA was being allowed on the BSAOC stand.  I'll admit I've regularly been nagging for it to be allowed on the stand but I didn't really expect a result!

I was working all day Friday so Gus drove over to Uttoxeter with the TriBSA in the trailer, got the bike in it's rightful place as a Show Bike Trailer Queen (ha ha!!), got the tent put up and then drove home to fetch me (I hadn't just been wasting my time working, I'd managed to fit in getting Horatio, no 2 XL185, MOT'd!).  In spite of both being Very Tired (Gus has been working nights so had been awake for more than 24 hours and I'm nearly always tired), we managed to stay up enjoying ourselves until a reasonable hour.

Saturday was bright, sunny and hot; there were more showers available than in previous years and the water was hot; the racecourse cafe were able to provide delicious bacon butties; there were lots and lots of shiny and not so shiny bikes to look at and lots of people to meet and chat too.  It didn't seem as busy as in previous years but, as a "punter", that felt like a good thing - more room to move around and look at things and most people on the stands had time for a bit of chat and banter.  Everything you need for an enjoyable day, really.  The organisers provided a band in the bar each evening and lovely Uncle Jim Reynolds was an entertaining Compere during the day. What more could you want?  Oh yes, free weekend tickets for sticking my bike in the show for a couple of days!!

Gus pointed out the Batavus moped for sale - it has the same engine as in the Ariel 3.  But this one was running! I resisted the temptation. Until Sunday afternoon anyway.  The Batavus moped came home with us but, unusually, I had haggled - so successfully that I felt I could have got away with being less generous. Still, it was a good result by my standards!

Here are the pictures:

http://www.flickr.com//photos/bsanorthstaffs/sets/72157627114033460/show/

You'd think I'd have learned by now but I got horribly sunburned again on Sunday (I used the factor 50 on Saturday but sort of forgot until too late on Sunday), to the extent that I had to come home early from work today because I felt so ill.  I feel I need a nice lacy parasol to protect my delicate skin in future!