Here are the Chairmans notes for our latest Mechanalia, he missed the dead line for the last issue so he has asked for the to be added here.. Enjoy..
Hello all
I am looking towards the summer and the warmer weather. I seem to have ended up with 2 mot’s in the end of November, with the Land-rover and the camper within a week of each other in the summer. We have almost sorted the evening meeting for 2017 with the usual out and about in the summer, we seem to have a ship and boat theme this year just by accident.
For our October evening meeting we had Trevor Jennings with his puppets, the last time we had him he did a show without the cover on his booth, just to see the antics of how the Punch and Judy person has to perform inside such a confined space. This time he had his puppets that he had had for many years some international ones as well. The figure who later became Mr. Punch made his first recorded appearance in England on 9 May 1662, which is traditionally reckoned as Punch’s UK birthday. The diarist Samuel Pepys observed a marionette show featuring an early version of the Punch character in Covent Garden in London. It was performed by Italian puppet showman Pietro Gimonde, a.k.a. “Signor Bologna.” Pepys described the event in his diary as “an Italian puppet play, that is within the rails there, which is very pretty.”
To Collectomania I took my E.N.S.A. (see earlier in the year’s news letter) bits which made a change. It was the first time I had taken it out. I had some interesting conversation with people that had never heard of it and had to explain what and who they were. Always nice to see some different displays .
Bonfire night in Heyshott was as big the ever. I managed to drive the L-R into the village avoiding the visitors mostly dressed in dark clothing. With its head lights only slightly better than candles not much visibility. The flaming torch parade from the top bus stop the green is one of the highlights of the evening. The date this year is 4th November – they start planning early around here. One of the helps has been helping for the last 50 years. I think I may have missed 2 since 1964, they had only been 3 commentators since 1953 (the queens coronation); my father, one other and me. I have been doing it for the last 10 years or so. I can remember the use of dads minivan – climbing on top of the telephone box with an old speaker from a 16mm cine projector. Having a mains voltage valve amplifier sat on the passenger seat that kept the van warm and having to run a extension lead to the what was then the post office. We were still using the same amplifier till a few years ago, I seem to have got more complicated now, having a 12v amp on the centre seat of the Land-rover, 3 p.a horns on the roof, one radio microphone, 2 receivers, another amplifier with another 2 horn speakers about 100 feet away with 4 car batteries to run all of it.
The last few days have been frosty. How big a hole do you need to see out of a car? Some people think if you clear a postage stamp size clear patch will do or by pressing your face up against the wind screen the heat from it will defrost quicker. We soon will have the AA and RAC with the phrase “Don’t drive if you don’t have to”. So take their note or be prepared with a tow rope, warm cloths, spade, hot drink and so on .
Nice to see so many of you at the A.G.M and no awkward questions which always make it easier. Thanks again to all those for you that help us (members, committee and I) to run the club and do the little jobs sometimes we (mainly me) forget to do.
On short notice (one week) the Stedham W.I asked me to do a film show as their booked talker was unable to attend. We did some WW2 public information films on how to make porridge using a hay box. They use a large wooden box with a good fitting lid, lined the inside with about 4 layers of news paper and packed hay around the pots. Putting a pillow case filled with more hay on top and closed the lid. As an ex-scout the use of hay boxes is well know – they were usually dug into the ground but the trouble we all was seem to have was the new scouts seemed always to open the lid on the billy can when still in the ground, thus some hay fell in to the breakfast. Some times a grasshopper made its way in… This gave some body and crunch to the meal . The nearest thing in the modern kitchen is the slow cooker… The other was on coughs and sneezes – this included how to make a face mask out of a sheet of paper along with how the fashion designers were making hats with built-in face covering attachment. I also showed a Harry LLoyd film from 1920.
The South Down National Park authority have been removing trees from behind our house, we found a photo from probably the 1920’s showing the common covered in gorse. The plan is to get more of the heather to grow back. They are going to spray the bracken when to starts to appear in the spring. When we use to have common fires more often, it was amazing on how the Heather grew back first.
Auto jumble was busy – has the internet had its day? Or do people like to see what they are buying and have a good social day? I have been asked at what time it closes well it would be nice for sellers to stay to 3 O’clock but some have long distances to go home and if the majority of the public have gone how do we stop them? At the Queen Elizabeth Country Park autojumble they blocked the exit gate with a car and the exhibitors just queued up, waiting to get out.
On a lighter note, still with a bad arm. I have been forced to give up with my semafore club I went to as I can only do the letters A,E,F,G,H,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S, and space. Now you can try to make some messages I can still do at the moment.
