Day 6: Thursday (Visiting Exbury Gardens)
Yesterday after Dinner i had an interesting talk with Peter Winney (our chairman) and Tony Westhall. We discussed the idea to establish a german speaking group for the european countries like Germany, Austria and Switzerland and i agreed to take over the coordination and lead this group. Peter and Tony welcomed this idea and we decided to start the forming of this group with an announcement in the next magazine. The case that my website “www.drive-swing.de” can be used as a first anchor and platform found a positive resonance. The next step should be discussed if the european member has knowledge about this and will accept and join this group.
This morning the weather was a tick better as yesterday (maybe Tony had a phonecall with Petrus) and we were well prepared to start our next tour to Exbury Garden. The tour will lead us again through the New Forest, but today into the direction of Beaulieu and Langley.
If the FBI has a small office here in UK in Langley? Nobody knows it.
Today there were some more horses, donkeys and cows on the road and we had to drive very carefully. Richard and Jane were in front of us and then we got exactly such a situation with a horse standing in the middle of the small road. So he had to stop because passing the horse very close was a risk. Maybe talking and praying could be helpful, but will the horse understand what it has to do? I don’t believe it. For what reason. It’s their terrain and if it decides to stay it will stay as long as it will take.
But maybe the voice of Richard was mystic or what else, after some minutes the horse made some steps to the right border of the street and we could pass.
What a wonderful life a horse must have. Everytime something to eat, cars have to wait if the horse will and no money is needed but only spare time for this and that without thinking about business, classic car tours and what to have for dinner.
Wonderful.
For a horse, but not for me.
I love vintage cars and i like to drive this cars, even if i have to break for horses.
So let’s come back on track. We were on the way to Exbury Garden to see beautiful flowers and a steam railway.
Our tour lead us through Beaulieu, where in the middle of the village at a classic car shop some of the club member searching for their next classic car. Leaving Beaulieu we could smell the sea and after some miles we reached the seafront and we made a stop for a short walk on the beach. For our Austin it was the first time he has seen a beach.
Most of the other Austin passed this point without a stop and so we were in the group of the last cars who reached Exbury Garden. Welcomed by a parade of Austin we found one of the last spaces in the long row.
Some (maybe more then some) photos need to be made and then we had to enter the Garden (nearly 10 minutes to 12). The first walk was to the railway station for making some photos of the departure of a group of club member (they took the train for a sightseeing tour).
10 minutes past 12 the train was away and we could now make our first walk around the garden. After an hour we became hungry and made a little lunch breach sitting together with Tony, Rebecca, Richard and Jane.
Now refreshed we started our second tour around the park together with Jane and Richard. The smell of the flowers was beautiful and the fishes in the ponds came to the water’s edge to see if there is something to eat.
We continued our walk until we reached the seafront (very windy) and returned back to the entrance.
Most of the Austins had left the car park and we started our Austin for driving back to Lyndhurst, passing the National Motor Museum and then straight away to the Hotel. The clutch problem was still there but we reached the Hotel without bigger problems.
Step by step all Austins came back and it was a wonderful view to see all Austins parked in 2 rows in front of the hotel.
Half past 6 the beer before Dinner was waiting and again we changed our seats for dinner, now sitting near Tony and Pat.
The evening ended with a little quiz about car names and a wonderful talk with Monty Mumford.
This day was much more sunny and I made again a lot of photos from the Garden, the coast, the Railway and our cars.
Some of them you can see here.
The Garden
The Coast
Our Austins
The Railway
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The Coast |
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Our Austins |
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The Railway |
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