Thanks to Bakerman and Co.

Thanks for all the effort put in by Steve and helpers :thumb

Just a couple of pics

Guess that tune







Lol doing the highland fling

 
Thanks for all the effort put in by Steve and helpers :thumb

Just a couple of pics

Guess that tune



How does Shep get his finger to light up like that?



Thanks Steve and gang for putting on yet again another splendid weekend event. It might seem to be a tad on the dear side when your sitting at home wondering wether to go or not but you never come away feeling you've been short changed.

Excellent talk by that bloke on Sunday morning, I wonder if his mate that dropped out of the race at the last moment's ears are still burning.
 
Another year, another Hograost and it was nice to be back after a year when a wedding interrupted normal proceedings for me.

A departure from my more usual Mr Onion's role as I was required to step into the huge void left by Dave & Val who were down at Lord Montague's Beaulieu Estate flying marquee sized kites in a breeze and the loss of his usual wing man at late notice.

Being meeter & greeter and chief money taker is not my forte but its what Steve needed and when the call comes from Steve, saying no doesn't come into it for me. I also got to be stage crew for Elvis uh-huh-huh and babysitter-in-chief for "The Bun King" Himself.

Issuing of wristbands started in earnest and after a frantic spell when The Gateway Club tipped up and required 60 of their own things steadied and allowed for some much needed refreshment and socialising whilst Elvis entertained us all uh-huh-huh.

Being 'staff' I skipped the queueing lark and nipped round for a chat with barbecue chef extraordinaire Chris who cut,cooked and served me with a very welcome fillet steak sandwich (the like of which I have never tasted).

Elvis' routine did for the Gateway folk and as quick as they came they were rounded up by Mrs Bowsher and on their way, singing and dancing as they went and armed with badges, mirrors the odd t-shirt and a few signed Elvis CD's uh-huh-huh.

Next up came slow hand Shep and the Lambettes of Phil (Pint6X/7X) on mouth organ and bass guitar, John (The Bede) guitar/vocals, Patrick(1/4Pint6X) lead guitar/acoustic guitar/vocals and Michael (1/8Pint6X) on percussion.

What followed may have surprised a few off-stage and on!! Several sets with Shep, John and Patrick taking it in turn to front-up with a range of bluesey numbers to chill their audience, probably the best Friday night line-up to date I reckon.

Whilst about 20 hardcore adventure seekers were being led a merry dance around the plain by Clive, I still don't know if they got lost or were just having a ruddy good time but they only returned shortly before last orders in the bar, but luckily for them Shep and them Lambettes still had plenty for them in the way of vocal sustenance.

Eventually Patrick was encouraged by Dad/Manager to leave the stage about 1AM and all I had to do was get The Bun King home. Simple enough you might think except a combination of sheer exhaustion and a seemingly never empty red wine glass (he only had 3 glasses :rolleyes:) Steve slipped slowly off his straw bale seat into a coma.

No amount of effort in encouraging him to stir was able to wake him and so his well-meaning friends set about tucking him up for the night entombed in his own 7 foot tall straw bale 'hotel' and left him to his dreams and some well needed rest and I high-tailed it in the ordered cab back to Chateau Bakes, a 10 minute drive away, well it should have been a 10 minute drive away but local born and bread Andovian, Ranjeet obviously only just scraped through his knowledge test and we arrived back 35 minutes later.

All plans to be back at the Hograost at 8.00 to meet Darkhorse for a spin down to Beaulieu were tossed in the shredder when I only met my bed about 2.45! Which is just as well as he only left home at 8.30 himself and unbeknown to us we were leading the rideout to Beaulieu which was due to leave at 10.30 - the Bun King looking as good and fresh as when I left him seven hours earlier. And so, armed with a bus load (two bikes plus us) we set off to the New Forest via a delightful route through Wherwell, Stockbridge, Romsey, Lyndhurst and Beaulieu. We dropped our passengers at the entrance and Dave and I nipped around the tradesmans armed with our freebies :D

With the show 'done' in 45 minutes (including watching Steve Collins' trials demo for 15 of them minutes) we dined on typically overpriced crap event food, did our turn on the stand and just chewed the fat with the assembled club-ites until our planned RDV at 4.30 for the return journey. Clearly we'd done such a good job on the outward leg our passengers could take no more excitement and didn't join us on the return leg, instead we were joined by two others. And so an old airhead was now joined by 2 12ADV's and one 12 (a recovery companies dream combo!), however our steeds all somehow managed the hours ride back Hograostand the brucie bonus was when I returned the Bun King had found me some helpers - woopee a night off!!!

A quick handover to Missus Sid Horman on what she had done compared to what we should have done and a fist full of notes put into my hand and I was free to go and lose the bike, freshen up and prepare for another evening's delights, and so I high-tailed it out of there, smartish :D

Barely time enough for a quick cuppa, freshen-up and a change of clothes and I'm heading back with the Event Catering Team of Mrs Soft Baps and the Bapettes (Becky, Chester, Archie and Fletcher) but not before Mrs Soft Baps placed a tray of serioulsy sharpened knives and cleavers on my lap and asked me to look after them while she drove us carefullu down the mud-strewn slippery nadgery country lanes in the pouring rain with little visibility and me staring at dash board with the dreaded words 'AIRBAG' looming large in my face and me thinking of what could come of a deployed airbag, the contents of Anodver's latest knife amnesty and me :yikes

Nil desperandum, we arrived safe and sound and I was happy to hand over this collection of implements to the Bun King (deep sigh and stiff drink and I was all better again). Even better Missus Sid and co were doing sterling work and safe from dumping more money on me was happy to hang on in there leaving me to say hello to people, imbibe and enjoy the Smokehouse Blues Band, ensure The Bun Kings needs were being satiated, his concerns calmed and brow wiped as required.

Two pigs were soon despatched into the tummies of those assembled, cornfields emptied and we even found sufficient veggies to polish off the ratatouille and there soon wasn't a doughnut to be seen anywhere. The band swapped instruments and kept banging out their stonkin toons, a raffle was knocked out in record time to ensure the band could get back to entertaining.

Was I alone in being amazed by the energies of some and their talents on the dancefloor? Mutley led the charge, ably assisted by 'Ewam McHunt' :D and it encouraged others to loosed up and chill out, meanwhile us foot tappers were keeping a keen eye out for Mrs Soft Baps lest she dragged you up for a quick spin in the midst of the dancefloor. By the end most there were sucked in to the dancing until the band finally called time at 1AM (or was it later?)

All I know is the Bun King and I departed in his own black cab back to Chateau Bakes and after a quick cuppa and a glance at the clock I was again reminded there were in fact two 3 o'clock in the same day!

And there I am mid-dream in my slumber and its just me and Mrs Soft Baps...
"Andy Darling..... Tea?".... and then the Bun King appeared in my dream too, "Andy..... do you need a dressing gown?", I'm now panicking its not a dream, its a nightmare.... oh no its not, I'm just awake - phew!

Clothes, tea and off we go - with the promise of breakfast encouraging me back down to the rugby club, autopilot is steering this particular ship. Brekkers on board and I need to do a bit of techy for the Polar Challenge speaker, OK he's up and running - now if I sit at the back no one will notice if I drop off - thankfully the speaker was good (and mercifully short), operation clean-up and breakdown is now in full-flow, pig carcasses and rubbish cleared, stage returned, clean up at the bakery completed by 3PM and by 4PM we were sat up at the kitchen table at Chateau Bakes, job done.

A shower and two Red Bulls and I was now refreshed enough for the journey home, by 8PM I was back in the bosom of my family, some 57 hours after I had left. I think I made the most of those 57 hours.

To the Bun King, it was an honour to step in and be your wing man, next year? You bet, onions, money, wing man - whatever you need I am there for you :thumb

Hang on what do I mean next year? See you Friday Steve :D

Sorry 'bout the lack of pics but I never got a chance to taken any!
 
Great weekend and great entertainment :clap
 
Great report Andy/Judge

It's only when we get a "behind the scenes" account do we realise how much work goes into everything.

I enjoyed being part of the band on Friday and was one proud Dad when my middle son Patrick took over the solo slot and belted out one tune after another to an enthusiastic audience.
patrick2.jpg

My youngest son Martin (not Michael) also joined in, playing a mean tambourine - in time as well. Here's Dad playing harmonica with Patrick & Martin on stage.
family.jpg

And here's a shot of the whole band. Left to Right - Martin, John (The Bede), Shep, Patrick, and Me (Philip 6X)
band.jpg
 
Steve, Thank you and your Family ( mrs hog roast what a mover) for all that you did I will see you next year :clap
 


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