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:: [ SVVS
Great Summer Picnic - Horne - August 2023 ] ::
Report by Bozi Mohacek
The 2023 SVVS Summer Picnic was held again after a few years break at
Church Farm, at the invitation of the SVVS President Bozi and Julie
Mohacek. The event combined the annual Surrey Vintage Vehicle Society
Picnic featuring SVVS vintage cars, with Bozi’s delayed 80th birthday
celebrations from April. There was therefore eclectic mix present of SVVS
Members, and friends, and neighbours.
Those who have been to the SVVS Picnic at Church Farm before knew that
standard procedure is bring your own chairs, tables and proper picnic, but
that on arrival you get a free glass of wine and a hot dog to get you
going and into the spirit of a Picnic. The wine was supplied courtesy of
the SVVS and the Hotdogs were supplied courtesy of Messers President, and
obtained from a local butcher. Mrs. President and her youthful catering
team advised that they had cooked and distributed 60 hotdogs and 50 Hamburgers,
which just about ties in with the 110 or so people that attended.
We have the ‘picnic field’ next to the house with a gate
directly off Church Road for entry and parking of cars. The field is
rolled and mown so there should be no problems with having to worry about
exhausts and low undersides of cars. The vintage car brigade took the
field in their stride, and at some speed, - but some of the more modern supercars
this would have mattered as some of the ground clearances were
minimal. The overall vehicle count was 54 cars which included a
small bunch of moderns who segregated themselves from the main display.
Most of the 54 cars cars had double occupancy, some multiple, which ties
in the estimated 110 people judged to have been there.
The field had a footbridge to the adjacent grassed pond area by the house,
designed for lounging around. This year the pond was relatively
empty due drastic bulrush removal which had completely replaced the water.
Not much rain lately so not much water from all the roof gutter systems which normally replenishes any losses. The Pole Barn
had been fitted out with tables and chairs for those who did not bring
their own. Some people noticed that half the roof had been replaced and
the structure strengthened to be able to take a bank of photoelectric
solar panels from which Mrs. President plans to charge her new electric
car, whenever.
The weather turned out kinder to us than it had been threatening and
promising. The early morning showers were done by 10am from which time the
sun shone for the rest of the day. The breeze was quite strong and the
clouds did their best to interfere at regular intervals. Most people chose
the lawn area by the pond to set out their picnic and many commented on
how lovely it was to meet and chat with new bunches of people for a
prolonged period, enough to get to know them. There was therefore no need
to use the big Tithe Barn which, however 'country' it may sound, has to
have the floor tiles permanently tarpaulined because of persistent
activity of a very reproductive bunch of Barn Owls who continually practice
excretal dive-bombing.
Much lovely time was had by all for a few hours, at the end of which the
SVVS Chairman Malcolm Bailey gathered everybody together to thank Julie
and Bozi for their efforts in organising the Picnic. Tony Russell
presented Julie Mohacek with a bunch of lovely flowers and Chas Moody
presented Bozi with a bottle of Chateau Thames Ditton Blanc. Chairman
Malcolm then presented Bozi with a birthday card signed by most of the people
present to commemorate his 80th.
Mrs. President then thanked everybody for coming and commiserated about
looking after Mr. President who she believes will soon receive his own permanent
parking slot at East Surrey Hospital in view the multitudinous visits he
has been making there in the past few weeks, including a blue-lighted
ambulance trip, for eyes, expanding tongue and decapitated finger.
Julie and Bozi would in turn like to thank Tom, Georgia and Nicola and
Annika for all the work before/during and after the picnic, and sons
Daniel and Simon for doing the barbecues with Tom; choice of meat, vegetarian
and vegan-gluten-free!
Please
note that the photographs on this page do not enlarge
but you can always try the computer's Control+Scroll enlarge feature
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