MINI Adventures, they are fun!!!

It's coming up to nearly three months since I collected the MINI from Cooper Tadworth. On the 11th September I said good bye to the Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaag and hello to Dinky. Before you wonder why are you calling the MINI Dinky? Well, to go from a Jag to a MINI is a bit of a downsize (as mentioned earlier in a blog), so Dinky fitted quite well. Anyway, back to the present....

I had a trawl through the interweb, and thanks to Mr Google and lots of well placed words from those interweb geeks, I managed to find millions of Mini clubs and forums across the world. The only problem being, they were Mini clubs and not MINI clubs. Some are very anti BMW MINI, lots of them seem happy that you are in a MINI or Mini of some description, and some, after a bit more searching, just cater for MINIs.

As with the Alfa, MX5 and Jag before, the forums were joined and off I looked for inspiration and maybe more inspiration and possibly a few runs out to MINI or Mini or both meets around the UK. This is when I found SnM. After going through the TotalMINI site and wondering what was happening, I found the Surrey New MINI forum, and since then it has gone downhill since.

Two pub meetings, Nelsons Diner meet, Goodwood Meet, Winter Brighton Run and lots planned for 2012! My first real run in with them was at Brooklands Museum last year at the Mini day. I still like the classic Mini, and I would get one, if I had the time, money and space to rebuild one. But when I decent second hand classic Mini costs nearly the same as a 10 year old MINI, I think I'll go with the one that has air con, ABS and a CD player built in, rather than a possible rust bucket, that would eat my wallet contents like a... erm.... Ducati Monster!

Anyway, the MINI Adventures have been fun. Driving in convoys from Goodwood to Shoreham Airport for lunch with 35+ MINIs. Driving from Box Hill to Brighton in the wet conditions last weekend, was good fun, even with the strange folk of Brighton wondering why 15 MINIs were all heading towards Maderia Drive, well we want fish and chips of course!!

But alas, my 2011 MINI Adventures have come to an end. Nothing else to do but clean the car, buy more Union Jacks and clean the car some more. I'm looking forward to next year. Lots of meetings to go to. The Brooklands Mini day, London 2 Brighton, Mini Action Day at Castle Combe, maybe also some MINI racing and plenty of other stuff inbetween, a service and MOT being two things!

Right lets upload some snaps!

Dinky at Goodwood

SnM MINIs lined up at Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit

The Winter Brighton Run

Now with added Union Jacks

A lot happens in 20 years.

1991, my last year at Rydens School. GCSEs done, and looking forward to not going back to school forever! (Well ok I did do some sixth form and college). School as I knew it was over any way, and after spending 11 years in education, I was glad to see the back of it! As the years passed by, I found out life is very interesting. I discovered motorcycles, overtime, weekends off, four jobs, alcohol, cigarettes, naughty cigarettes, paintballing, more overtime, even more unpaid overtime and cars.

So, 20 years on, and yes the class of '91 had their reunion in Walton on Saturday 20th November. The Nobel Vine was the venue and yes I was scared shitless about going. Scarily, I was the quiet geeky one at the back of the class, staying out of trouble (most of the time), doing my homework / course work, and just trying to blend in with the greyness of my school shirt. How things have changed in 20 years. From the quiet, shy kid at the back of the class, to walking into the pub on reunion night to be greeted with... "It's the legend Danny Morl". To then be told by my postman that I have become the Rydens version of Jeremy Clarkson was a bit of a shock. One, I'm short, two I'm not that annoying and three, I'm better looking and speak more sense (sometimes, without the added ingredient of alcohol).

 Ok, I have no idea what I did at school to make me a legend. Apart from a brief spell in the school football team, we did win a trophy as well! I think the rest of the school football matches I spent sent off with my mate Nik as we just used to hack everyone to the ground (even our own team mates!). I didn't set fire to any class rooms, I didn't graffiti the common room, I never smoked behind the bike sheds, I can only remember ever getting one detention for Tipexing Andrew Thomas' work out in Home Economics. Then to be told by some of my (ex) school mates I haven't changed much in 20 years worries me! Did I have grey hair and was fat in the fifth year at Rydens?

Then it dawned on me, no one at the reunion had changed much in 20 years! The girls from the Class of '91 had got married and were in the process of have had kids, married, divorced, more kids and jobs, the blokes, well they are just as bad now as they were at school! So, after a alcohol fueled night of memories, conga, beer and more conga, the reunion came to a close. Twenty years to turn myself into a legend (not that I know how I became one), to catch up with some of my old class mates, to be in awe of one of my best mates at school now owns, and uses it daily as his daily transport, a 1977 mark 2 Escort, getting bored of tales about Lexus IS400 and IS200, and to not remember how I got home. Still, the reunion was a good laugh, and yes I would go to another one. They best arrange one sooner than the 40th anniversary of the class of '91 as I don't think I will make it that far!!

Then again, The Loon is a legend, my alter ego, the part of me that never came out when I was a spotty yoof. 20 years to discover the Loon inside me and release him into the general population. Maybe I have become a legend, just in my own head!