I'm now back in my usual place on the sofa at home.
The last 48 hours have flown by: it's almost dreamlike and surreal that I came, I saw, and I went home home again. That middle bit, though, 'I saw' was the best bit (apart from not getting much sleep in the YH due to some bloody loud snorer). I'd only met TMN before, and was pleased to meet her again for the third time. But it was great to meet the other 13 for the first (and hopefully not last) time.
The weather was magnificent, the location was ideal, there was food and wine in abundance, as were the laughter and stories (Reg's account of being evacuated/air-lifted from darkest Africa, being the most memorable, if just a tad too detailed
). A fine collection of characters and personalities really made the day, though, and it was a fitting tribute to Vernon, who was looking down at us with his eyes, no doubt, on the pies.
Hopefully this will become an annual event (one of many around the country) and my misses has already given me the green light to 'host' a picnic and ride
weekend next year at her summer house in Sandefjord (accessible from Stansted and Manchester by Ryanair), if deemed to be a more attractive destination than Leicester (this time next year, no-one will remember that name
) or Oxford.
But wherever you are in GB, there should be opportunities for
YOU to have a get-together/picnic/ride in your area just for the sheer fun of it.
As TVC mentioned earlier, the process of 'actualizing' virtual friends was a great success.
Thanks to
everyone present for making it such an enjoyable occasion and, finally and most importantly, a massive thanks to User for planning and organising the day so splendidly, and his generosity with food and wine.