A HAZARDOUS DRIVE BACK FROM LINCOLN RUNNING DAY

Hi folks, it's evening here in Lower Peover and we are just warming up a flan in the oven for a late tea. Today was the annual winter running day at the LVVS needless to say in Lincoln where the museum spreads its wings over kindly loaned business premises adjoining the museum  and puts on a running day display perhaps only beaten by Alton. The weather was very damp first thing a horrible drive, the satnav took us over the M62 and then down the M1 and then over the toll bridge to the museum whilst coming back it decided to take us along the new road towards Leicester and then towards Nottingham only problem being that its a sea of cones and dazzling lights on a damp evening, horrendous journey but we actually arrived home to the exact minute that the satnav had predicted, clever things most of the time but why there one way and back another, strange. Anyway we were quickly set up in a reasonable spot perhaps only slightly overpowered by Bus & Coach Preservation who were inches from us and even put their DVDs on a table that adjoined us anyway not to worry, we were about 30% down on last years event but actually compared to some of the years events that's not so bad but hardly justifies having a stand there.

The variety of buses each year is obviously always going to have the museum exhibits as a corner stone and then a great variety of visiting buses lends the mix which makes it such a wonderful day. There is adequate but minimal marshaling, no sea of yellow vests although the cones along the road outside the museum were an eyesore but what can you do. We saw lots and lots of people we know and managed to establish that Carl from Arriva will be over in Malta next week when I go so I'll be able to get all the gossip. It was also good to catch up with Graeme and Sue from Halifax and Ralph twice in a week now plus Mark Senior who reports back that Sue is now undergoing chemo once more but it worked last time so holding her in our prayers once more. Nicky and Chris att TTC who were holding off selling at a near loss in the now very competetive world of bus models, buyers could get some real bargains. The cafe seemed to be making the biggest sales which is obviously a great revenue source for the museum, Mandy had home made cakes for moi throughout the day. I spotted a couple of buses on route out of Lincoln that we hadn't seen , goodness knows where they were hiding all day. Julian had his broad range of mas, books and models etc, must get a booking form for the Southdown 100 event, come to that we'd better start looking at next years calendar courtesy of Dick Gilbert of Skyline Aviation who keeps it up to date and provides the best source of rally info there is.

It's going to be a hectic week coming up, some photos below needless to say from todays running fleet and then tomorrow I see the consultant about the problem with my right hand  with the developing contracture of the ring finger, no fun this getting old lark. Hopefully a few minutes of the first day of fare paying passengers on the Manchester airport tramline . Then Tuesday up in the middle of the night to fly up to Aberdeen for a meeting, Halle at Bridgewater, Manchester Wednesday evening and Friday teatime i fly off from Liverpool to Malta and come back Tuesday night.