Membury Services, Friday 23rd April 1999 - A Chicken's Story.
TI Chicken has a quick change and waits for Sheep Liaison's arrival,
whilst wondering what will go wrong this time...
Nothing it seems - everyone turned up (even if Lubsie's instructions
were a little, well, WRONG!! - lucky we had a plethora of mobile phones!).
There was a little bit of quick (if panicky) shuffling of people in Portsmouth
but we all got on the ferry and found the bar. Beer made its usual appearance
in the procedings - as did a certain predominantly red piece of cloth that
must have been hung out to air...??? But it was nothing to do with TIC,
apart from planting the idea that is...what about a white one then??? Eh
Flagsie?
A quick fast forward to the morning then (beer blur intervenes) finds
us getting up from a plasticky night in the kiddies play area and heading
for the car deck. One bus gets off OK, but wait, we seem to be missing
a passenger in the car...what, not returned from an emergency piss stop?
It feels very lonely on a ferry car deck when everyone else has gone. Eventually
we find Lavsie in the terminal - seems she can't tell the difference between
a Renault 19 and an articulated BUS!
Then there was a mini Grand Prix on a roundabout, TIC v BUS. No contest!
Then there was something to do with a big bridge and elastic...
After which (what? skimming over the point of the trip? But I'm just
getting to the food and wine!!)
...there was a hotel with rooms, a restaurant with craps, oops, crepes,
and wine, and flaming Calvados, a bar with decent beer and pool, a little
overexuberance and a short nap before getting up at 5.45am to head for
the ferry (which we all caught!).
The morning allowed one last chance for a cockup, but we didn't quite
lose Frogsie and then, for the FIRST TIME EVER, TI Chicken got home before
most of the others and went to sleep! [I assume Sheepsie got home OK?]
This trip didn't have enough time to get really silly - no cricket,
nobody got wet [but remember Lavsie, we NEVER forget! Do you know the way
to the Magic Roundabout? Do you like custard?]
Hehehehehe oooohhh hahahahaha snigger snigger!
