The day after submitting my report for edition 250, thirty East Saxons made the trip to Ironbridge for our spring weekend away. Avoiding motorways, we enjoyed a fairly leisurely journey, pausing at Woburn for coffee and the Stag at Redhill (just west of Stratford upon Avon), for a very pleasurable lunch. Our break had started a day earlier than normal to enable the Royalists amongst us to partake, although somewhat remotely, in the Royal wedding. The hotel really showed their mettle here by allowing us two rooms in which to set up bunting, bubbly and buffet to either watch or barrack the proceedings. On Saturday, most members visited some of the many museums around the town, chief of which, Blist Hill – a reproduction Victorian village, was a delight.

We were very pleased to receive a visit from Simon Beresford of Shropshire Group who joined us bearing gifts and local knowledge that was put to good use when we visited Ludlow and Long Mynd on Sunday; thank you Simon.

Come the end of the visit, Andy and Lynne McNab’s 4A threw up a couple of problems – the high torque starter motor jammed, a hefty shove down the car park – fixed! Then, petrol started pouring out of one of the float chambers. By a process of elimination, it was proved that one of the floats, well, it didn’t!

Enter Colin Collingwood with a needle – enlarge the hole, squeeze out petrol, borrow hotel kitchen’s brulee torch, heat flat side of screwdriver and smooth over hole – again fixed! What ingenuity!

By all accounts, the Marque Day at Duxford was well attended by Register Groups despite some grumbles over admission prices – your pennies do, however, allow entry to all the attractions of which there are many.

It’s nine years since Veronica and I attended the Laon weekend in France and we had forgotten just what a great occasion it is. This year, the theme was British classics and although I didn’t count them all personally, the word was that there were about eight hundred vehicles taking part. There were TRs in abundance - GB, French and Belgian registered, indeed I suspect that TRs alone outnumbered all MGs. The bonus over the weekend was meeting up with members of other Eastern Groups as well as Kent and West Country visitors. Roll on next year, the dates are 11^th to 14^th May.

The following Sunday, Denis Parsons led 14 cars on a super route through Essex and Suffolk for the east Saxons’ Tour to the East Anglia Transport Museum at Lowestoft. It was very sobering to realize that I had travelled on examples of some of the exhibits there – ex London Transport trams and trolley buses.

Upcoming events are on our website  including Helmingham Hall on 7^th August, (hoping to have a combined stand with other local Eastern Area Groups), our annual BBQ and get together at Thaxted Windmill on 14^th August and further ahead in September our Autumn weekend away to Bradford on Avon.

 Regards Allan