2 November 2019 From the club desk... In This Issue... Social Media Faggots & Ducks Meet the members Welsh Walls MG Motor News Not much to report for October bar our move to new premises (photos at Merchansdise the back thanks to Steve Brace) and it would appear that the additional Forthcoming Events space has been most welcome. However, for the first time in a number of years, the December meeting will see the Christmas Dinner being held Contact Us at The Oak Tree Upton Grange Chester CH2 1BL. If you haven’t already provided your order to Angie, please do so at the next meeting in November. Send us an email for more information about the club’s activities or to join us. In addition, Steve and Amanda have kindly arranged the first of the Winter Sunday lunches for the Sunday, 17th November, at The White Horse in Churton. Angie Haughton - Area Secretary Please let Steve know as soon as possible if you plan to go along. The Winter [email protected] lunches are more of a social gathering and there is no requirement to take your MG if it is hibernating. Neil Wallace - Candles Run The committee met up during the month to sort out plans for 2020 and I am [email protected] sure Angie will provide an update at the next meeting of the plans. Neil has also Mike Haughton - MGCC Liaison provided an update on the 2020 Cheshire Candles Charity Run and our [email protected] LLANERCHINDDA FARM trip. There will also be another rolling road day to allow us to get our cars tuned for Summer 2020. Martin Williamson- PR/Newsletter The weather was reasonably good through October at times (although I [email protected] may be confusing that with the various places I have been on business) Volunteers: Steve Brace, Neil which meant that the last of the various Cars & Coffee events had a great Kennedy, Neil Gray, Richard Hayes, show of support. (Picture below from Chester Lakes by Steve Brace). and Matt Brookfield. Until next time. Visit us on the web at: www.westcheshiremgoc.club Cover photo: “MGB in reflection” by Martin Williamson 3 Keith Davis & Son Ltd Parsonage Garage Family run, customer focused business, committed to providing value for money and traditional honest service & repairs on all modern and classic cars. Worked in the motor trade since 1971 and established in Aldford since 1993. Work undertaken on all makes & models - modern or classic. Traditional servicing methods used combined with modern diagnostic technology. Classic car enthusiast and MGB owner for many years. Maintenance, repairs and MOT testing undertaken on all classic cars including MGs. Parsonage Garage, Middle Lane, Aldford, Chester, CH3 6JA 01244 620 399 or 07714 157200 [email protected] citroen-specialist-chester.co.uk 4 Savoury Ducks By Stuart Bebbington Faggots are meatballs made from minced off-cuts and offal, especially pork (traditionally pig's heart, liver, and fatty belly meat or bacon) together with herbs for flavouring and sometimes added bread crumbs. It is a traditional dish in the United Kingdom, especially South and Mid Wales and the English Midlands. Faggots originated as a traditional cheap food consumed by ordinary country people in Western England, particularly west Wiltshire and the West Midlands. Their popularity spread from there, especially to South Wales in the mid-nineteenth century, when many agricultural workers left the land to work in the rapidly expanding industry and mines of that area. Faggots are also known as "ducks" in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Lancashire, often as "savoury ducks". The first use of the term in print was in the Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser of Saturday 3 June 1843, a news report of a gluttonous man who ate twelve of them. The first use of the term in print, as cited in the Oxford English Dictionary, dates from 1851, in a piece by Henry Mayhew in which he describes a dish identical to the modern product with chopped liver and lights in an outer wrapper of caul. This was in London. The use of the word "faggot" has caused controversy due to its additional meaning as a pejorative term for a homosexual man in American English. In 2004, a radio commercial for the UK supermarket chain Somerfield, in which a man rejects his wife's suggested dinner saying "I've got nothing against faggots, I just don't fancy them" was found to have breached the Advertising and Sponsorship Code and was banned by the industry regulator Ofcom. In November 2013, it was reported that British Facebook users had been blocked temporarily for using the word, in its culinary sense, on the website. Facebook said that the word had been "misinterpreted." 5 The month in pictures! Not quite as impressive as Angie Haughton and Mike's drive up the Stelvio Pass with it's 45 hairpin bends and height of 2757 meters. However, rather closer to home, me & Amanda did follow Neil's TF up the Llanberis pass this afternoon. No hairpin bends and s total height of 335 meters.....still a great drive though! And then s very pleasant journey home down the A5.” Steve Brace on Facebook. To join us on Facebook search for westcheshireMGOC Photos by Steve Brace 6 My Cars Gone Viral I must say I got a bit of a surprise a few weeks ago when I opened up a couple of national MG Instagram and Facebook sites that I follow - only to see my own car staring back at me. It all started when Martin posted a picture of my car (he always manages to make it look good, so thanks for that Martin!). It appears that this photo was then picked up by Facebook's Classic MG Magazine under the headline 'A white 1966 MGB, with chrome wire wheels. Could this be perfection?' With over 300 'likes' and comments such as "certainly close to perfection" it was good to see and hear! The same photo then appeared on Instagram's 'classicmgcars', another national site in the MG world. This time it attracted over 600 'likes' and a few more encouraging compliments. Now whether all these 'likes' and comments would have been expressed, had they seen the car in the flesh rather than from Martin's nicely edited photo is debatable - especially bearing in mind my well advertised lack of car show prizes, but again they were good to hear. So not quite viral but definitely a good result all round. And in this digital age I now remind myself that it's not all about the prizes, it's also about the 'likes'..... 7 Meet the members! Name: Mike Haughton Age: 65 What MG(s) or classic(s) do you own? Currently an RV8 and an MGC GT How long have you had it/them?: RV8 4 years - MGC 35 years Have you had other MGs or classics before this one?: Pre our MG era - a Mk 2 Cortina Lotus - then a few B's and Midgets, a 1300, a Metro, 2 Maestros, 2 Montegos, modern TF, ZT 260 V8, ZT 1.8 Turbo, ZT-T 180 briefly, MG3, MG6 - think that's all... What made you decide on an MG? I was looking for a Lotus Elan back in 1980 (having sold the Cortina Lotus) but they were over £3,000 - and a 1973 MGB GT was only £1,200 - so no contest really! Have had at least 1 MG ever since! Also the MG clubs and social scene has helped us make many long terms friends over the years. Working or Retired?: I might be retired (if I keep my head down) after 40++ years in the life insurance business. After being in a rather senior position in a multinational company that closed down, I started as a self employed consultant in 2003, and never missed the corporate environment. Single or partnered? Very happily married to Angie since 1977. Hobbies, what floats your boat? Apart from MGs - Rock music; saw probably all the major rock bands in the late 60's and 70's - did a couple of festivals, and have met a fair few band members too, including a memorable curry with Rick Wakeman. Also rugby union - used to go to all the England 5 then 6 Nations matches - Dublin was always a great 'craic'. Bit of photography too. Any bucket list items? No real list as such - but we've just done the Stelvio Pass in the MGC, which would have been on the list if I had one! We have really enjoyed exploring parts of Europe the last few years with other MG friends, so will continue that. A Rugby Union World Cup Final would be nice. 8 Meet the members! Name: Angie Haughton Age: Yes What MG(s) or classic(s) do you own? 1971 MG Midget “Tigger” How long have you had it/them?: This time just a year, but owned it 35 years ago for a year or two, it was sold to a friend to make way for the MGC GT… Have you had other MGs or classics before this one?: Best see Mike’s answer – I think that’s the lot! My own first MG was a MG 1300, which I loved, but Mike didn’t, he thought it was like driving an armchair! I think it ended up in the scrapheap in the sky. What made you decide on an MG? like Mike said, we couldn’t afford a Lotus Elan, so got a MGB GT which was at the same garage. Working or Retired?: Working - employed in the mornings, then self- employed in the afternoon, all other time working for family, or MG clubs.