Fun at the Bedford Rally...

This area is 'Bedford Party Central' the place where
all gatherings and meetings happen...
When I arrived at  the rally on Saturday about lunch time
I was informed we were gathering for dinner...
A lamb on the spit and would I bring a salad.

This was all that was left of a a whole lamb, we devoured the lot...

Just the bones left.

A great array of salads. It's amazing what people make
from the supplies we carry in our vehicles.

There was plenty for everybody and some left over.

It was a beautiful evening...

As we gathered and ate there was plenty of talking and
catching up with the people I had met at the rally last year.

Everybody is very friendly and joined in. It was a great idea.
Somebody donated the lamb, others sacks of potatoes
and kumera... Nobody went hungry.

After dinner we were entertained by the group
'Ukes On Fire'. They were great... Sang lots of old
popular 'sing-a-long' songs and played their ukelele's.
It was a wonderful night.

Sunday night we had a huge bonfire. Lance must have been
piling up rubbish and tree branches for ages as it was an
enormous pile. A couple of buckets of diesel thrown
on and it was off with a huge roar.

It was dark but the heat and light was amazing.

 

There is something magical about watching a fire burning.
The fire engine is in the background - just in case. But it
wasn't needed.

Monday lots of people left, back to work on Tuesday.
I stayed another night with about six other buses.
It was another lovely evening and an impromptu group gathered
with guitars and singing.
It was another fabulous evening to end a
very enjoyable rally.
So it's good bye till next year.

Time To say Goodbye... A Wonderful Bedford Rally Is Over

The day had come... The weekend had raced by...
And it was time to leave.


Time to say goodbye to new friends...
And the fun and laughs we had enjoyed together.

Time to begin to say goodbye to all the mud...
Although I still had to get off the blocks I was on and drive out... Maybe!


I loved this little Caboose... It arrived late in the weekend with a lovely couple from Hamilton.
They were very gracious in letting us have a look through their treasure...
Built by the current owners father many years ago.



They lowered down a deck that folded up against the side...
First the floor then the roof which was held up by air struts
pumped up by the vehicleair brakes.
They had some very clever canvas sides for it...
So it made a large sheltered outdoor deck.



Goodbye to more mud...


And friends who gathered to discuss everything under the sun...
From engines... To various repairs...
Some had had their buses for many long years.
I learnt a lot... That wasn't hard to do!


Goodbye to this amazing little Gypsy wagon...
It was fascinating... I loved all the creativity...
But couldn't live in such a 'crowded' space.


Goodbye to the history that will sit and wait for another year...



Goodbye to my row of neighbours who arrived willy nilly...
And who I got to know and enjoy... Such diversity...



And more goodbye's to the mud as the
Caboose got towed out backards.




I wonder what new tales these old buses will tell next year...
What they weill have seen and heard... 
I don't think they wil have moved far!

And goodbye to Joan, who with her husband
Merv were my immediate neighbours.
We weren't allowed to wear name tags... No rules or regulations.
So she made lots and stuck them all over!
She told me I could learn to be more self sufficient...
If I bought a grease gun she will give me a lesson next year...
In greasing my bus...
As these old girls need greasing every 6 months... She said.


 
This was the way out...
 I followed in these tyre tracks of the bus before me...
And I made it  amid lots of cheering...
As my back wheels skidded and spun...
But I made it...



Till next year.