Moonshiners MCC

"Unplugged"

A chuffin' good rally

15th - 17th  March.   2019

   Right - here's a little bit of history for you.  The Moonshiners first held their "Bogsate" rally back in 1987 - this ran for six years up until the local council decided to ask rather too much money for the use of the site.  We took a little break until 1996 when we ventured out of our locality and headed for the Shropshire / Cheshire border and the "Horse and Jockey" at Grindley Brook.  Now seeing as this was a little bit of a jaunt - like about a 50 mile jaunt - we decided to move a little closer to home.  After searching around a bit we asked at the Unicorn, and in 1998 we moved the rally to the banks of the river Severn. . . . . which brings us up to date.  Why have I told you all this ?  Well it was when we were packing the control tent away after the rally, when someone commented that we need some younger members 'cos most of us struggle to pick anything up off the floor.  Y'know, he's probably right - some of those packing the tent away are 32 years older than when we held our first rally.  You would have thought by now we might have had a bit more sense - but where's the fun in that ?

Where are help the aged when you need 'em ?

    Anyway, enough of that, and on with the rally.   The pub had got new owners - we did come down a few weeks earlier to make sure everything was still alright for the rally, and they were more than happy with it.  In fact they even arranged for us to have our own beer "Moonshiners Chuffin Good Ale", and at 3.6% it was an excellent session beer.  You could happily drink it all night without getting too pissed. . . .and that's what I did.   

    The main room of the pub had been given a serious makeover, and very smart it looked too.  I couldn't fault the food either, all in all it was a rather fattening weekend for me, but ain't that the way on a rally ?

What more could you ask for ?

     Friday night dissolved into Saturday morning with folks generally sitting around and talking bollocks ( or whatever the politically correct term is these days ) until it was eventually time for bed.  The weather forecast for Saturday wasn't good.  They said heavy rain and strong wind all day.  As luck had it, most of the rain passed over a bit further North.  They were right about the wind though - one or two tents got a bit of a battering.

    The river was running very high, and by Sunday they were issuing flood warnings.  Every so often a full size tree would come floating past, so I reckon it must have been bad further upstream.  As we left on Sunday morning, the river was about two feet from coming onto the field, so a lucky escape there then.

Even the ducks had given up . . .  they ended up on the rally field.

    The rest of the rally went as it should.  Folks did the usual Saturday thing of heading into Bridgnorth on the steam train - followed by the usual taxi ride back afterwards.  I did spend an hour or so doing strange things with a ukulele - aided and abetted by Jan who happened to have an electric guitar and practice amp.  All good fun, as they say.

    I must hold my hand up and apologise to the "Toods" - or Toads and Dogends Rally Club, to give 'em the proper name.  One of their members won a bottle of Advocaat, which had been provided by me . . . .only little snag was . . . .I didn't know how old it was.  It was thicker than custard, and even with giving the bottle a vigorous shake no liquid could be persuaded to leave it.  I didn't set out to poison the Toods, honest.  Despite that, they still managed to win club turnout, so that made 'em happy again.

    There we have it - another rally over.  Thanks to the folks that attended despite the weather ( at least it was better than the snow last year ).  Thanks to the new owners of the pub - we were made more than welcome and even had our own beer as well.  I'll wind it up with a link to a few photographs ---> PICCIES

    Thanks to Nigel, who had the good sense to make a few notes of such things - here's who won what.

Best bike.                       19790 Triumph Tiger 650

Best three wheels.          Mick Bartlett's BSA ( mostly ) outfit 

Club turnout                   Them there "Toods" . . . Toads and Dogends Rally Club

Furthest male.                Tony Morressey

Furthest female              Mitzi 

    Nigel was also the last one to leave site on Sunday - here's his photograph of where the water had got to.

Cheers

^..^