New members of 2013

Mr.Philip Boys - Staines-upon-Thames Mr. & Mrs David Davis - Edgware

Mr.& Mrs. Barry Hipgrave - Feltham Mr & Mrs J S Gill - Uxbridge

Mr. & Mrs. H C Hardwick - Pinner Mr. & Mrs. Ali & Tazeed Ahmed - West Drayton

Mr. & Mrs. Haig & Armineh Guevherian - Isleworth Mr. John.Rato & Miss Kashifah Arbi - Feltham

Mr. & Mrs. Michael & Rosalind Swinton - Uxbridge Mr. & Mrs. Martin & Linda Povoas - Pinner

Mr Kenneth Blunden - London Mr & Mrs Mark Ambridge - Feltham

Mr & Mrs M Kirby - London Mr & Mrs K Butcher - Enfield Mr & Mrs I Fowler - Harrow

Five mile an hour on rally fields at all times!

Dear Ralliers, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to this newsletter and remember anything you would like to add please contact me. If you would like me to send you a copy of the News letter, please send me a SAE or download from our website: www.middxcc.co.uk Grace Henderson 49 Hatherleigh Road Ruislip Manor Middlesex,HA4 6AX Grace Henderson, bigfoot.5@btinternet.com

John Robinson was a much loved member

of the Middlesex Centre and will be deeply

missed.

Sylvia Robinson would like to thank all

members that attended John’s funeral and

for your support and condolences.

The money donated to both charities will go to help others in memory of

John.

Sylvia wanted to share letters received on behalf of the Royal Brompton

& Harefield Hospitals Charity and the Nettlebed Surgery Medical Trust.

Congratulations

Congratulations to John and Joyce Fentiman who have recently

celebrated 50 years as Caravan Club members and have been

rewarded with a life time membership

Congratulations also to Pat and Rex Gould who are 80 years young

this year.

Rumour has that John and Terry will be celebrating their 70th This

year too!!

Attention all Ralliers Many Rallies are being cancelled due to lack of support. To prevent this PLEASE book in early to stop a rally having to be cancelled.

For Sale

BRADCOT AWNING

Portico in wine

Alloy Poles

250cm

Nearly New

£60

Call John Kingsley 01753 546728

FORTHCOMING RALLIESFORTHCOMING RALLIES

HCIR Country

6th—8th September

Meadow Field, Gt Barford Beds, MK44 3LQ

Home Counties Invitation Rally, held biannually and is an invitation

event to the Home Counties! -Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire,

Hertfordshire, Middlesex, North London and Upper Thames Centres.

This weekend is a varied event with many different activities happening.

This years theme is the 60’s for Saturday night with entrainment

So come down and join in on the fun.

Kop Hill Climb 20th –22nd September Princes Risborough

HP27 0DT

Rally Opens 5pm (School Site)

This is a great event for car and motorcycle enthusiast.

Over 250 historic vehicles from the earliest days through to post-war clas-

sics will be storming The Hill. Kop Hill is one of the oldest hill climb ven-

ues in England, dating back to the 1910/20’s.

Directions: From the A40 (West Wycombe). Take the A4010 to Princes

Risborough. On approaching the town centre, before the roundabout turn

right into Clifford Road. Look out for MCC rally signs.

Rally Officer: Colin Henderson

AGM 27th-29th September

Piggott's School

Wargrave

RG10 8DS

Middlesex Centre Annual General Meeting

SCHOOL SITE—NO ARRIVAS BEFORE 5.00PM

Rally Officer: Eileen Hole

Rally slips: To be received by 13th September

Autmun Fayre 3rd –6th October Leighton Buzzard

Invitation from Buckinghamshire Centre Directions: Take M1 to J14, take A4146 to A5 Dunstable. At

traffic lights in Hockcliffe turn right (Leighton Bizzard) onto A4012, the site is 1 mile on the right opposite Pecks Farm

Shop. Look for Bucks rally signs.

Liaison Officer: Anne Moss 07548 731320

Sheepcote Valley 11th-13th October Caravan Club Site Brighton

BN2 5TS Harvest Supper.

No arrivals before 1.00pm

Directions: On the M23/A23 after passing Brighton boundary sign and twin pillars join the A27. Immediately

after passing Sussex University take slip road sp B2123 (Falmer/Rottingdean) In 2 miles at traffic lights in Woodingdean turn right into Warren Road. See Caravan Club

Site book for full directions Rally Officer: Dave Hole

Rally slips: To be received by 27th September

Answers to Christmas Anagram Puzzles

Anagram 1 – Travel and Dance (2)

Advent Calendar

Anagram 2 – Rich Star Meets (2)

Christmas Tree

Anagram 3 – Smashing tricks cost (2)

Christmas Stockings

Anagram 4 – Wean again Mary (4)

Away in a manger

Anagram 5 – Vicars Themes (2)

Christmas Eve

Anagram 6 – The magic swiftness heart-throb (5)

Twas the night before Christmas

Anagram 7 – Spice in 'em (2)

Mince Pies

Anagram 8 – Modestly switch after-shave (5)

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Anagram 9 – He's Fat, Smart, Rich (2)

Father Christmas

Anagram 10 – Scathing mud drips (2)

Christmas Pudding

Anagram 11 – Red Ernie (1)

Reindeer

Anagram 12 – Let in Things (2)

Silent Night

WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAY by Valerie Ward

Took a trip across the Pond,

To Chicago and beyond -

Spent 5 weeks travelling round,

Went to see what could be found!

Amazing views across the city,

From the John Hancock Tower, it looked so pretty -

On the Trolley bus tour for Zoo and Museum;

Glad we went, we got to see 'um

Soon time to move on, a hire car we had,

though it nearly started out bad -

Freeway wrong turn had us heading Upstate

Instead of to Michigan - that was not great!

To Wyandotte near Detroit we could be found,

Cos my lifelong dream was to be Motown bound.

Riding in Model T cars at Henry Ford was a joy

Cos Jim remembered them from when he was a boy!

Cleveland, Ohio our next destination,

To see pop stars I'd heard on the radio station -

Hall of Fame, Rock n Roll style,

Held our attention for a long long while...

Down to Cincinnati we went next,

Stopped for petrol, and a rest.

I heard voices from the Gents loo -

Jim making friends with an Amish or two!

In Louisville we thought we'd made a mistake

When we drove down a dodgy road, & saw a man with a snake

Wrapped round his body... it gave me a fright

It's a wonder I could sleep that night !

Quite a contrast, then, to find

In Branson, people who were gentle and kind;

Grace before meals, on more than one occasion -

I kept waiting for the lightning bolt to send me to damnation.

Went to a Hoe Down in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Jim was picked on by the group we saw

Had great fun, they called him 'ScotLAND'

and when we left, he shook them by the hand.

Tulsa in a thunderstorm, we got another fright

Car light came on, but it was all right -

Fixed by a fireman, on a road miles from anywhere,

Saved us being 24 hours from nowhere!

St Joseph Missouri was where Jesse James was shot,

Pony Express Museum, but the digs weren't so hot -

Whiskey Mansion, painted in sludgy coral and green,

Our host an ex-air steward who was a queen...

Though, he did tell us on our way to Omaha,

to try a place en route that wasn't that far:

Brownville Nebraska - it was great

The whole town a yard sale - it was FATE!

In Omaha we met a lovely couple on a trip

to see Olivia Newton-John - her Ladyship -

Of course, we missed it by a day

But Tim & Joe were lovely - and very gay

Des Moines & Iowa City, we were back in B&Bs

Lovely places, worth the fees -

Off to Madison, then Chicago and home - oh!

how I do enjoy to roam!

48 States I have done,

Hard to say which is number one...

Let you know when I've made the quota

and spent some time in Alabama, and North Dakota.........

Charity Bike Ride 2013

Well done to Terry and Joan Leonard and John Taylor

who took part in The Caravan Club team bike ride in aid of Leukaemia and Lymphoma research.

Write Ups

Christmas Party Rally

The Piggott School Wargrave

30th November - 2nd December

We finally made it to a Middlesex Rally this year even if it

was the last one of the year. It proved to be well worth the

effort, and we enjoyed the entertainment. It is really good the

way we can fit back into the group on our very infrequent

visits. There were 16 vans on site and we were all warmed

up on what was a very cold weekend with warm mulled cider

(a first for me) and warm mince pies and stolen cake.. Grace

was already there preparing the soup for Saturdays dinner and

very good it smelled too giving us a small idea of what was

to come.

We enjoyed doing our bit to the following days preparations,

and everyone was pleased with the look of the room which

greeted us on Saturday. We were joined by several members

for the evening, and it was lovely to see so many faces we had

not met up with for years in some cases. The evening started

with a sherry welcome. The dining area thankfully had been

warmed up by various heaters loaned by ralliers, although

John Robinson made a special trip home to get more. We

were soon enjoying the soup followed by a roast beef spread

followed by Christmas Pud and a glass of bubbly. .John and

his band of helpers had done us proud yet again. Thank you

all. The raffle was called, and £35 was raised for the charity.

Not forgetting a visit from Father Christmas Several poems

were then read out or recited by a variety of ralliers. We were

then able to savour the cheese course, if we had the space.

Time had passed so quickly I was amazed to realise it had got

so late. We had kept the heat on in the motor home so were

happy to retire to a nice warm bed and a good nights sleep.

At flag where we were all treated to coffee and biscuits, we

learned that Eileen and Dave had got the lucky van prize and

Eileen had also won the table decoration competition. A

presentation was made to Joan for all the work she does on all

our behalves at the regional committee, and Marion voiced

how proud she is of her. Brenda for herself and Alan,

belatedly received the Griffiths Cup, and we were all pleased

to hear that Alan was coming home from his stay in hospital

later in the day. There had been several visitors including a

couple from the Camping and Caravan Club who had arrived

expecting to have a fish and chip supper, but happily settled

for roast beef. Marion then expressed her thanks to all those

who had helped to make this a very successful rally.

The rallies final offering to us was to attempt a push start

when our battery failed, and when that failed a pair of jumper

leads appeared from a passing parent bringing a child to a

school club, and we were soon on our way home. “Thank

you” to you all for making us feel so welcome, and we will

try to get to an earlier rally next year.

Ailsa and Godfrey

Cookham 12th –14th April 2013 Holy Trinity Church We arrived at this lovely site with our new caravan, having spent two nights at the Henley site getting familiar with the workings etc on electric hook up, then at Cookham making sure all was ok on 12 volt, calibrating the water was a new one!!! This was Middlesex Centre first rally for 2013. We had 12 vans on site, 5 Middlesex , 5 Bucks, and one from Wales. Middlesex had been there before but this was our first visit and access to the field had to be negotiated along a narrow road with parked cars and was also warned of the gutter over hang when entering the field. We parked to the left hand side of the field, so that the Sunday worshipers were able to park on the right. A get-together was hopeful for Saturday, but the weather was the deciding factor in the end. We had a nice walk to the shops through the picturesque village and the dogs enjoyed the walk along the tow path. The children enjoyed the space too, it was good to see so many enjoying themselves. Flag went ahead in dry weather tea, coffee, and cakes were enjoyed by all and money was raised for the charity. We had to take care when leaving due to the mudding conditions and a push was needed by us all for one outfit.

National at Belvoir Castle 2013 We left home in the rain, hoping the National would not be a repeat of Tatton Park when the yellow flag flew most of the weekend. We arrived late afternoon, it had stopped raining but the ground was sticky with the mud. Marion had already arrived and gave us a cup of tea which was most welcome. After sorting the van out, we went for a walk around the site to see what was about. We were parked very close to the arena and the trade stands which was a great help to me. We woke up on Saturday to bright sunshine, such a change from yesterday. We made our way down to the arena for the Opening Ceremony, which the Duke of Rutland conducted. While the band was playing we heard the roar of an unmistakable sound as in the sky above us we watched the Lancaster bomber, a spitfire and a hurricane make a fly passed three times. The band played the Dambuster’s march as they flew over us. To us it was the highlight of the weekend. As we made our way to the Regional reception, we met some of the friends we had made over the years at the Nationals. It was lovely to see them again and catch up on all the news. We enjoyed the reception, after which we made our way back to the arena and trade stalls to have a look round. Later we joined Bucks for their Chairman’s reception and sat round talking until it began to get a bit chilly. On Sunday we got up and ready to go to church as this would be the last service Reverend Steph Roberts would

conduct at the National. We have always enjoyed his sermons and this one was no exception. He had over a thousand people in the congregation. After the service we stayed for the concert, which was played by the Caravan Club Band which we really enjoyed. We then watched some of the arena events before returning to the caravan to join Herts for their Chairman’s reception. On Monday, after I had attended a meeting called by Martin Stringer for all Centre Secretaries, this was very informative and is likely to become an annual event at the National. John joined me and we walked round the trade stands again seeing if there were any last minute things we wanted. We watched the Closing Ceremony and found out the National 2014 will be at Arley Hall, Cheshire. We left on the Tuesday after a very enjoyable weekend

Muggeridge Farm, Battlebridge. 24th-27th May 27th –1st June When we arrived at the site eventually, it was a difficult find, but was delighted to see such a lovely field with good views. There were 11 vans for the weekend and 9 stopped on for the rest of the week. Southend was a real surprise, we had not been there for years, it is quite impressive now, certainly had a real “makeover.” It was so crowded you could not put a pin between the visitors, very clean and tidy, ideal place to take a family. We were able to find some interesting places to visit during the week when it was not raining. Much time was spent rummaging through the antique stall adjacent to the rally field. We had a fun quiz to do over the weekend, Eileen, David and family put on a lovely meal mid week, many thanks to Wendy and Ian for the use of their large awning.. Don and Trish won the weekend competition, Wendy and Ian did really winning the weeks quiz. There were two birthdays, Matt Broom and myself celebrated another year don't lets talk about ages eh!! A game of le boule was played on the Friday before flagpole, we were split into two teams of 10, great fun, Tony and I were of course on the winning side.. Many thanks to our Rally Officers, nothing was too much trouble for them, nice to see some old friends , had a nice time and really enjoyed the whole weeks. Our thanks, Jackie..

Rally report - Cockpole Green 26-28 July 2013

Armed yet again with gloriously sunny weather, we arrived early afternoon Friday at Cockpole Green and

had an al fresco coffee & sandwich before setting off for the fleshpots of Henley. Jim went off to find an

ice cream van and pay his respects to the Dusty Springfield memorial in the churchyard, as I did my usual trawl round the charity shops - these are my

Harrods!! Result - one ' Zumba ' dvd set/booklet/toning sticks, for £6 - last seen by me in a department store for

about £30, and about the same price on Ebay. VERY pleased!!! Now have to keep my 2 cats out of the way (and Jim ) as I leap round the room so that they don't

join in as well :-)))

Up early on Saturday to visit Maidenhead, having exhausted the possibilities of Henley the afternoon

before - we were very impressed with the parking system in town; they do not issue tickets any more, but just take a photo of your car going in. When you

leave you tap in the last 3 digits of your registration number, and all the cars present with those digits come

up on screen. (Who knew there would be about 6 cars in that carpark with 'FFW' ?!! Amazing) You select your

car, and the machine advises how much you owe - £2.20 for up to 4 hours seems quite reasonable to me. No tickets issued, saving paper, printing, and the fact

that people CAN lose them - minimum fuss - well done Maidenhead council!

Rushed back at lunchtime so we could join in with Joan

and Terry's planned entertainment of horseshoes at

2pm; everyone on the rally either participating or spectating; very relaxed, good fun, with friendly banter

as to the relative skills of the participants. As I have 'an eye in my heid like a rotten cod' where throwing

anything is concerned, as Jim occasionally reminds me (must be a quaint Scottish expression) I had zero chance of getting through to the next round, but Jim

upheld the Ward family honour and was the only person who managed to ring the post with a horseshoe - pity it

was during a practice and didn't count! Alas, in the final he was beaten by Ken Potter, who had the skill right from the start. Halfway through the contest, we were

thoroughly British and 'everything stops for tea'.... or coffee....Joan had made perfect orange madeleines too,

which went down VERY well, and the centre's charity benefited by £24.02 (WHO put in 2 pee?!) from

voluntary donations for the refreshments Saturday afternoon, and at Flagpole.

The afternoon was very pleasant as we all sat chatting and catching up once the competition was completed,

however the planned communal bbq and quiz had to be cancelled - the weather decided to take a turn for the

worse and rain halted proceedings. Jim & I had a retirement party to go to in Frimley, creeping home and turning into pumpkins at 5 past midnight!

Thank you Joan and Terry for all the effort you put in to

give us a fabulous weekend, we really appreciated it :-)))

Valerie Ward