December 2009
At the
beginning of the month, a group of TaffMoggers was in the Charente and our
secret correspondent sent the following report –
“Saturday morning and it was still dark as we left the ferry
at Caen and headed for nearby Café Gondre at Pegasus Bridge for breakfast.
After numerous croissants and several cups of strong coffee we headed south,
guided by our trusty sat nav.
We arrived at Lyn and Graham Peek’s “Rose des Vents” near
Cognac, in the Charente region, where we joined up with Paul, Lesley, Nigel and
Max(ine). Both couples had already been in France for a week. Paul was exhausted
after a week on the golf course and Nigel, on his first Morgan trip, had spent
a week acclimatising in the Loire region.
Within a short time of our arrival we were tucking into food
and drink followed in the evening by an excellent four-course meal prepared by
Lyn. This was a foretaste of what was to come: a week of eating, drinking (in
moderation!) and driving.
The daily drives were along routes suggested by Lyn and
Graham and for these we were assisted by the copious notes that were provided,
which were both thorough and informative. The problem was that some among us
did not have time to read them properly before setting off and the week was one
long mystery trip, always ending somewhere interesting. Among the highlights
were the visit to Chateau Chesnel, where we were given a guided tour by the
Comtesse de Roffignac, the Hennessey distillery in Cognac, and a visit to
Rochefort where we met up with a group of ex-pat Morgan owners and saw a
replica of the 18th Century frigate “Hermione” being built.
All too soon the week was over and we headed north for the
ferry home. En route we stopped in the village of Beaussais for a comfort
break. There being only one loo and a long queue the mayor kindly put his own
convenience at our disposal! He also offered us a guided tour of the village
but time was pressing on and we had to leave.
After stopping off in Saumur for lunch we set off again:
well four cars did. Unfortunately Humphrey and Caroline’s car didn’t want to go
home and had a sulk, being reluctant to start and misfiring when it did. Paul,
Lesley, Tony, Pam, Nigel and Max had an earlier ferry to catch and they
continued their journey leaving us to wait for assistance. After the now
familiar trip on a low loader to a garage we managed to carry out some running
repairs, thanks to the garage owner giving us the run of his workshop (it was a
Saturday afternoon and the place was deserted). After an overnight stay in
Saumur we continued our journey, uneventfully, back to South Wales the next
day.
A big thank you to Paul and Les for organising a memorable
trip. Where to next year?”
The noggin
at Cottrell Park was a great success and we were delighted to see some members
put in their first appearance for a long time. We shall be returning to this
venue for noggins in February, March and April next year. Thanks to Simon &
Natalie for providing the raffle prize.
The usual
crowd enjoyed themselves at the Usk noggin and thanks go to David & Jean
for providing the raffle prize.
Tony &
Pam’s run started on time from Abergavenny when 9 Morgans and a tin-top set off
along quiet Gwent roads to the Forest of Dean. It would have been 10 but Nigel
had a pressing engagement and went home. It was good to see Des joining us for
this run – it’s the first time we’ve seen him for quite a while. The weather
wasn’t particularly kind to us, but most persevered with hoods down until the
lunch stop. After an excellent lunch at the Harts Barn Craft Centre, Longhope,
the run continued through the Forest of Dean, ending at Clearwell Caves, where
a guided tour had been organised. Tony & Pam and Nick & Elizabeth
stayed on for a cabaret concert in the caves. Many thanks to Tony & Pam for
organising another interesting day.
The last
noggin of the month (and the last at this venue for this year) was at The
Halfway, Nantgaredig. Despite there being only ten of us, it was a very
pleasant evening. Well done, Carol, not only for attending while suffering a
broken foot and being on crutches but also for managing the stairs to the
dining room. There were only two Morgans in the car park (well done Tony &
Pam and Ray & Diane) and since both couples had already won Simon’s wine
for best turned out car, he decided instead to donate two bottles to our
Christmas raffle. Thanks to Simon & Natalie for their generosity throughout
the year.
Don’t
forget we will be returning to the Halfway on January 14th for our
AGM and planning meeting. The club will be providing a buffet again this year,
so please let me know by the end of December if you will be attending.
2009 has
been another busy and successful year for TaffMog, due to the hard work of the
members who have arranged runs and holidays and also hosted noggins. Our thanks
go to everyone who has volunteered their services. Now is the time to get your
thinking caps on and come along to the meeting in January with plenty of offers
for organising runs and noggins again next year.
The noggin
on December 10th will be held at Humphrey & Caroline’s home in
Rhosili. Please let them know if you will be attending. The noggin at Usk on
December 16th will be the usual Christmas Dinner. If you haven’t
already done so, please let Jacqui know if you will be attending ASAP.
Best
wishes to everyone for a wonderful Christmas and a happy, healthy and peaceful
2010– Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda.
