Another Poppy Launch for Paul and myself, this time last Saturday at Christchurch in Dorset. Just down the road for us! Sunny and cloudy this time but a wonderful mornings fun had by us all. Once again all the bikes were well received, lots of people crowded into the little shopping square to see the Bikes and listen to the great band and watch the Army, Navy and RAF cadets with their competitions. All in all a great Poppy Launch for Christchurch, we shall be back next year to do it all again! As ever pictures tell the story, hope you like them. Promise I will get back to BEARS soon!!!!!
Meeting point!
Arrival at Saxon Square
Paul just had to climb the Cadets Wall! but did he make it with his old bones!
Of course he did!
Next the Army Cadets won the tug of War and chose to take the Legion Riders on!
Big mistake on the boys behalf, there was supposed to have been 6 Cadets on the other end
more like all the crowd!!!
Paul and I left the home yesterday morning at 8.30am in torrential rain! Fortunately we do have all the 'gear' for the Bike but non the less the spray on the motorway was 'not pleasant'! to say the least. Only an hours ride for us to the meeting place this time. 24 Bikes turned up for the Southampton Poppy Launch at the West Quay Shopping centre.
There was a small service inside the shopping centre then one of the Marines abseiled from the ceiling followed by all the falling poppies. The cadets then took the poppy boxes through the centre and out to the waiting bikes where they were presented to 3 of the riders and then we all left through the centre with a great deal of noise as you can imagine!!
Pictures tell my story once again:
Wet on the outside, dry in the middle but still smiling!!!
Have now finished the eleventh Bear in my series of Birthstone Bears. TOPAZ is the Bear for all us Scorpios! ( yes its my Birthday this month too) those with Birthdays between October 23rd and November 21st. If you would like to see the other Bears in the series please visit:
http:www.ljbears.co.uk/BIRTHSTONEBEARS.htm
#1 has already been adopted to the USA but the picture below is of Bear#2 and is available now:
Sunday Paul & I ventured out in the early hours 6.30am! to Highclere Castle. Only a 60 mile journey for us but made worse by the freezing cold and thick, thick fog from the minute we left our home. Not much fun I can assure you on a motorbike! There was no one on the road (I wonder why not)! and the motorway was empty but then we could only just see in front of us. Hypothermia was settling in on our arrival at the meeting point, the poor staff in the motorway service station must have been amused at 110 bikes all arriving and everyone dashing to find the air dryers for their frozen hands!! All the bikes were on display in front of the Castle and the 30 that were in the display team (which included Paul) did a really good job considering they had not practised! or even performed anything like that before in a display arena, and on wet grass! No one fell over! Great day, very well supported again by the general public, several thousand people and the sun shone from mid day onwards. The high light had to be the AVRO VULCAN which flew over twice, what an aircraft in the sky to see, well worth waiting for that to happen. As always pictures below: hope you enjoy them.
Very early at Highclere, no one else about yet!!
Paul and I had a good look around the static aircraft well before everyone arrived, later in the day you could not see the aircraft for all the people around and in them!
The boys will never live this down : practising their display outside the arena without their motorbikes!!!
Video link below to see the boys in all their glory!!!!
The Royal Horse Artillery and gun carriage
This was the War Horse! absolutely brilliant, after a little while you forgot that 3 men were working him! He strolled around the Castle grounds most of the afternoon.
And finally the AVRO VULCAN: if only you could hear the noise from that wonderful aircraft
I am sort of still here! been a little under the weather of late but loved making these Autumn Bears, the colours are changing rapidly here in the UK now and there is a definite Brrrrr in the air in the early evenings, just three more weeks and we move our clocks back an hour! then it will really be Autumn and dark.
