Big Andys Scootering Site

(OTHERWISE KNOWN AS MORECAMBE)

    Before i could even contemplate anything to do with the First National of 2006 i had the small matter of work to get out of the way. Yes, i know Good Friday is a Bank Holiday but deliveries still have to be made, so at 3am i was on my way down to South Wales to do my usual run but was back home and ready to set of for Morecambe by 2:30pm, i just had to wait for Dawn (the wife) to finish at her work. By 6:30pm we were going round and round West End Road looking for somewhere to park up. We quickly dumped our gear and made our way round the corner to the Ranch House to catch up on the beers that our friends had been consuming all day. We settled down outside with the different varieties of Blues SC that were there (Edinburgh, Fife, Hull & Carlton) and spend the rest of the evening warmly greeting those that we had not seen for a while as well as those we had seen in the last few weeks. It was also a great joy to catch up with Minxxy & Madge whom we had not seen for ages. Myself and my good lady seemed to be on the receiving end of a few light hearted japes regarding our activities at Modrapheniacs a few weeks ago, mainly from Pitchie & Andrea, jealous i guess.

   After nipping back to our digs for a quick change we went to the Carleton, via the Ranch again, for the night do. Friday night was being run by Orgasm Addicts SC and not VFM* so i got a rare night off and set about making the most of it, and consumed half of the Newcastle Brown Ale brewery, or least it felt like it when i got up next morning. The night flew by as we caught up with people but by 1am my early start caught up with me so we called it a night and went back to our digs via the pizza shop.

    After a good hearty breakfast Dawn & myself decided to have a walk up along the front to walk some of it off. We set of towards town bumping into Mr & Mrs '1' Shirt on the way. We arrived in what passes for a town centre and after spending a whole 5 minutes looking around we ended up in Wetherspoons for a hair of the dog. Morecambe really is a dead end town and i can't understand why people go there. Don't get me wrong, it is a great place for a scooter rally and I haven't had a bad rally there yet but i wouldn't go there for any other reason. Half the buildings are either boarded up or burnt out. Honestly, Baghdad probably looks better. We then started our leisurely walk back to the Ranch, stopping to admire the many scooters we passed as well as stopping for a good natter with Baggs & Simmo from Blue & Gold SC as well as Modrapheniacs Rick and his new girlfriend. We stopped at The Station Pub for a spot of lunch before we eventually arrived back at the Ranch House and took up where we left off the day before. The Ridden Custom Show also took place outside the Ranch House meaning the place was heaving as i fought my way around to take some piccies. Dawn had to nip back to the digs to take our jackets back and get my cap as the sun was beaming down and my head was starting to fry, as it did 2 years ago when we last had a national here.

    We again returned to our digs to get changed for the night do and i then left Dawn with her friend Gina and her husband to be, Paul, as i headed of to the Carleton for VFM* duties. Dawn & Gina had got hold of some bunny ears and tail and Dawn had also got some baskets that she put some mini eggs in. They remained at the Ranch for a while before coming down to the Carleton whilst most of the Blues went to Maggies Bar for Gingers Do. Inside the Carleton, it was filling up fast. I had been paired up with Lincoln Lee again and we got the bar area to watch over again as we did in Llandudno. Its a tough life but someone has to do it. :-) The planned band for Saturday, Sha-Boom, for some reason couldn't make it so Steve had got Oasis'nt to fill in but as The Substitutes as they were playing a mixture of stuff. I thought they were quite good and their rendition of 'She Sells Sanctuary' was excellent. The paying public must have agreed as the dance floor was packed throughout their set. The rest of the night was seen to by the usual VFM* DJ's and before we knew it 'Broken Stones' was being played, signalling the end of the night. We nipped over to Gingers Do across the road which was still going and Ginger was good enough to waver the £3 entrance fee for us as we were only popping in 10 - 15 minutes to say our goodbyes to all the Blues SC in there, but half of them had retired to bed already. The bouncer on the door stopped me and wanted to know what was in the Lucazade bottle in my pocket. I told him i had been working over the road and it was only Lucazade as i don't drink whilst i'm working. Good job he didn't want to taste it :-)

    Next morning, after another good hearty breakfast we said our goodbyes to those that were about before nipping up to the trade stalls for a quick look around and more goodbyes. As much as wanted to stop and see King Kurt that night, both myself and Dawn were at work on Monday so had to go home. As big a dump as Morecambe is, we were both sad to see it disappear behind us as we set off back home, via the M62 as we found out that the M6 was closed near Stoke and couldn't be bothered fighting our way through the traffic. One good thing about a rally in Morecambe is that it attracts the Scottish Scooterists and it was great to catch up with my Celtic cousins. So the first national for 2006 was over for us and we had both had a great time. Heres hoping the rest of the year is as good or better.

SAFE SCOOTERING

BIG ANDY

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