Yes, we will set off between 11 and 12.  No I’m not messing around with the trike before we leave,  there is only one thing I’d like to get – a pair of hand guards to keep the wind off.  They won’t take long to fit. We eventually left nearer 1, after getting the guards and then manufacturing some parts to fit them.  By then we knew we would arrive after daylight, and long after residual daytime heat. Eventually we arrived and there started the beginning of my catastrophic weekend.  The ground was a little muddy, but only ¼” or so, so I thought I’d pop the Guzzi on the centre stand.  Bang, one wing mirror later it fell over.  Right – side stand   -    BANG, an even more bent wing mirror.  Just waiting now for it to catch light fall over and sink. Saturday morning & time to get the Bike fixed a little, at least get myself a Right Hand wing mirror.  Its always a bad idea leaving the Mad Axeman site, a little way down the road and my headlight fell out.  Never mind Snapper will have some tape, and we will fix the mirror with the aid of a vice and large hammer.  Sorted.  Back to the site – well almost, via one more trip to Snappers to put the gear change back on. The Saturday night selection of little parties was everything it always is – I think I managed to party with all of them, even in the clocktower – but how I got there I don’t know.  However, I can clearly remember Bril Bri hitting my head – supposedly to put out the flames from my woolly hat! Did you think Friday & Saturday were Bike Bad days – you ain’t heard nothing yet.  Try starting the day hung over, with a thaw making the site a quagmire and consider then that my ignition fell out.  Simple job to re-insert it, but the headlight needed to come off again – and then more tape to keep it back.  Eventually we set off, club Turnout trophy in our clutches.  That was a really bad word to choose.  The trike decided to misfire on the drive out from the castle (who forgot to turn his fuel on?!!!), and being such a soft-shite I turned round to help him.  It sounds so simple – but not when the clutch cable snaps mid manoeuvre!  250 miles, no clutch – mmmmmm NICE.  We will overcome and conquer.  By Borough Bridge the trike was still being a T**t, so we stopped, and again at Ferry Bridge.  However, this time I noticed that the Bevel drive seemed to be missing a few bolts – well four to be precise – all four!  Grovelling around on the floor I found one, and then removed another from where it was being used on the trike, and we limped on.  At last the M42 only 60 miles till home – but 30 miles of that was traffic jam.  I couldn’t stop, having no clutch, nor could I power home – partly because it is a MotoGuzzi V50 and partly because Cas needed to re-fuel and pressure wash his wheelchair.

Never have we been so pleased to see home – still on hindsight a cracking weekend.