Red Barn is normally our last
outside mid-month meeting of the year near Christmas but the Committee
decided that as our normal early winter venue at the Cock at Headley was becoming
a little problematic, we should give the Red Barn a second go. The Red Barn at Blindley
Heath is a very popular eatery with a lovely smart barn restaurant and has
a nice big roomy car park. We noted that the large yurty pagoda
outside the pub, which had been taken down after being much used during the
Covid era, is back up as enormous as ever. Probably gearing up for the
summer season, - so as the yurty area is covered, it does not bode
well?!
The pub can sometimes be quite packed and getting a
table to have lunch can be quite difficult. We noted that Oakes the Money,
(aka Hon Treasurer) and his family were firmly ensconced in the midst of
the eaters, eating. Although they could have walked, they came in a
modern. Pleased also to see Chairman Malcolm and Sheena who also needed a
modern due problems with an oldie.
The weather here can be quite unpredictable. One year the whole of the car
park was under a foot of water and only two cars occupied the whole area. The forecast
today was predicting doom and gloom here and floods and
snow 'oop north', so it came as a great surprise that lunchtime arrived
sunny and warm. The sun however makes
photography difficult because the cars are parked either in dark shade
and/or one is shooting into bright sunlight, with often, as here, disappointing
results. It also chose conveniently to go behind the clouds when our
event had finished.
This year we had 25 interesting vehicles on display, although not
necessarily all ours, and two cycles, one of which was a 'Penny-farthing'. Some members,
including Mr & Mrs President came in moderns. The excuse was that the
battery in the Citroen 5CV had died, new one purchased, - but not fitted
in time. The matching
5CV of Monsieur Gosset was also not there due Michel not being well,
although he and Helen were actually present.
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