Mabon rally

Cernunnos MCC, 22-24 September 2006

Much as though I love marmalade £77 a slice for the world’s most expensive marmalade is a bit steep, though I would expect it to be most yummy. Although Mr. Convenience stores best at 77p a jar is just as enjoyable.

Maybe the same can be said of rallies, you can spend fortunes at a huge mega event, having a great time, and possibly have as much fun at a local rally. Indeed this is a theory I thrive on, and it’s nice to know that there are so many smaller rallies around to satisfy this craving. Just a quick look at the events listing proves this.

With the harvest now coming in (including fruits for marmalades) I headed for the Mabon Rally in Buckinghamshire.

Mabon being the pagan name for both the Autumn Equinox and Second Harvest somehow it all seemed to come together nicely.

Run by the Cernunnos MCC (so named after the Horned god of fertility) however they did not account for the effects of the lords of chaos, who deemed that I was to be unable to attend Friday. I really must build an escape tunnel under the M25.

With autumn spreading her autumn gown over our sceptred isle, all be it wetly in patches, (thanks Hurricane George) I made my to the rally early Saturday. To be greeted by both warm sun and a big smile from Otter.

Tent up, and immediately home to a million spiders (we were their guests) I found Womble and Spike in the tea hut, a nice meeting place.

You really cannot be more traditional than this rally, with a bonfire and the pub being the focal points all weekend. Food was discounted, and special rally ale was going down well. No groups and no stalls selling anything, not even fruit based preserves.

There were silly games, mainly involving space hoppers and tyres; I left the energetic types to this as I made new friends.

Then a quiz, fiendish it was as we tried to guess 106 different logos. Womble and Spike and myself managed 92 and won, earning free beer vouchers.

Then back to chatting, watching the world go by, and the flames getting higher on the bonfire, late in the evening a guitar entered the scene and the scene was set for a long night, in a gentle way.

I went to join my family of spiders quite early, and laid back totally relaxed.

Sunday and I’m welcomed to the new day with fog, the embers of the fire, a good cup of tea and Toast, with marmalade (a supermarkets basic and very nice too) it then poured down as I took my tent down. And splashed home.

Those that woke later were greeted by more sun, next year I will not hurry home so fast.

A brilliant weekend

Bosun