Friday morning, I sat about and read for a while whilst my host was working, and then when he got back, I repacked my bike, he packed his and we set off for the rally.
I felt a bit weird when I got there. Although I've done lots of rallies on my own in the past, this was the first one since I ditched the Slave, and I got a bit maudlin and stood there like a pillock for a while, staring at my bike and considering going home. Anyway, shortly afterwards, I had a bit of help getting my tent up and then I went a-wandering cos I was feeling like a spare part. Half an hour later, my mate Hairy Stores arrived and I cheered up immensely. Over the next few hours, several other mates turned up and I was glad I hadn't bottled out and gone home. I bought myself a new tankard to replace the one that Lumpy sat on, so a few hours and a few beers later, I was having a whale of a time. It was getting a bit cold by midnight and I was glad of the brazier, but when I went off to bed, I was bloody freezing, even though Weevil had given me one of those foil survival blanket thingies to put under my sleeping bag. I didn't sleep too well, cos I kept getting cramp in my legs, so I got up at about 5.30am and discovered it was actually warmer outside my tent than it was in it.
Saturday morning, Reverend said he had to nip home for something, so I said I'd accompany him cos I needed some cash, seeing as I'd blown my budget on the tankard. Whilst back at his place, I did something I've never, ever done whilst away at a rally... I had a bath. Oh the shame! However, seeing as I don't actually have a bath in my house, it was a rather special treat. We then went off into Oxford for cash and summat to eat.
When we got back to the rally site, Bungle introduced me to the lads from 'Domine de Mortis' (jolly nice chaps too) and I sat with them and my mate Angus for a bit, before going outside to watch the egg roulette. Poor Tufty, who was officiating, also managed to get covered.
Mid-evening, was the Mr. Hex-Rated contest, which caused something of a stir. Eight hapless contestants were dressed up, and then interrogated, prodded and measured before being asked to perform a pole dance for the judges. I fear that some of the judges may never recover. Unbeknown to me, Bungle had been plotting, and at the end of the contest, the winner was coerced into performing a special 'dance' for me, so I was plonked into a chair and sat there doing a very good impression of a beetroot. All those who took part were brilliant and I take my hat off to the lot of them. Cheers Bungle. I think :pI spent the rest of the evening gassing with folk (and being gassed by Ever Ready's farts) round the brazier and later on in the barn, before heading off to bed in the early hours. Angus had had to leave the rally on Saturday evening, and had sold me his tent, so I had a choice, but seeing as all my stuff had been dumped in the big one, I decided it was too much like hard work to transfer it. It's a smaller tent than my current one, and I can put it up on my own. This time I slept like a bloody log and woke up quite refreshed.
On Sunday morning, I had a lovely surprise, cos Hairy Stores had bought me a birthday prezzie - he was the only person to remember, and he got me a fantastic hip flask with a celtic engraving on it. I was quite touched; it's a lovely prezzie and I shall treasure it. It's got Otard brandy in it at the moment.
I didn't really want to leave the rally, but I had to go, cos I was due to meet my pals from Scotland in the afternoon, ready to set off for Kent on Monday. I even remembered to pack down the second tent! It pissed down on the way home, and at one point, visibility was down to about 40 yards, which was rather scary, cos loads of cagers didn't even bother to slow down. Somehow, I've managed to lose my neck tube, so all the rain went straight down my neck, and drenched my back and my chest. Even after it had stopped raining, it was windy, so I was bloody freezing by the time I got home, and all the dye had leached from my jacket onto my neck. It took me ages to scrub it clean. I even had the energy to hose down the bike to get all the crap off it. OK, not all of the crap, but some of it, at least.
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