Our January run across the Purbecks was a great success and we were lucky with the weather—it didn’t rain. As we were driving round we had a quiz to be handed in after lunch at the Springfield Hotel .The lunch was very good as there was plenty of choice, was reasonably priced and very quickly served up.. We spent the afternoon in comfy chairs puzzling over the quiz and playing silly games with prizes of wine to be won. The quiz was won by joint winners of Joy and Kelly and Pete and June, the second prize was won by Jane and the third prize was won by Terry and Jackie. Many thanks to Colin Webb for donating the wine. It was nice to have an afternoon where we could chat in comfort and lovely surroundings.

The Slot car racing in February was very well attended with 42 people taking part. It may look like a kids game but everyone was fired up and the adrenalin was flowing. The racing was divided up into groups and those not driving were stationed around the track to catch cars that left the circuit and jumping tracks. This was no mean feat when the track is 8 cars wide and 210ft long. James did a stirling job organizing the heats and keeping the racing flowing using the microphone.

 

 

 

 

 

He should get a job as a DJ!!. Actually he should get a job!! At the final count there was a tie for first position so we had a drive off between Ed and Richard, with Ed being victorious. Second place was Richard and third place was Rob .Heat winners were Ed, Richard, Rob, Jackie, Dominic, George, Kelly and Shaun.There were prizes for the various winners. Watch this space as all the budding Michael Schumachers would like us to repeat this later in the year.
After the excitement we all went back to the Fish Inn for a fabulous lunch and as the day turned out to be glorious sunshine we had an impromptu run over Cranborne Chase to Compton Abbas Airfield for tea and cakes. 


March

 

Our run to the Sealife centre in Weymouth was a little damp to say the least. I must congratulate all those who braved the weather as we had a wonderful meal at the Seven Stars at Wool at lunchtime. After a short run to Weymouth we all went our separate ways to look at all the attractions. After all, the animals didn’t care if it was raining especially the seals and penguins. The underwater tunnel was amazing as we watched the turtles, sharks and other fish swim over our heads. The otters were very noisy and playful in contrast to the rays. We all met up for a hot drink at the end of the day then made our way home. Many thanks to Terry & Jackie for suggesting it.



April

Our Annual Lunch at the Sway Manor Hotel on the 1st April was a great success with 37 people attending. The meal surroundings and service were outstanding. We had a quiz which foxed everyone so nobody got all the answers correct but the highest scoring were Chris and Denise who won the £35 voucher to spend with Club Lotus. This was kindly donated by Club
Lotus.

 

  

The Hotel also donated a lovely prize in the form of a meal for 2 at the Hotel. This meant that the Assistant Manager, Steve, looked at all the Lotuses in the car park and picked the one that he would like to take home with him. Terry and Jackies HOT BANANA (the bright yellow +2) was the winner. Well done to Terry as he has owned his +2 for 38 years and totally restored it 20 years ago. Terry also gave Steve an exhilarating test run in his car.
We also held some comical games where boxes of chocolates were on offer to the winners.
At the end of the meal we had a photo shoot outside the Hotel which are going to be used in the Hotels brochure as well as appearing on our website.
For those who remained behind for another cup of tea/coffee we were treated to Richard playing requests on the grand piano without the aid of music or safety net!!

May

The meeting on the Bank Holiday Sunday in Stockbridge attracted another large turnout, larger than we had expected since it was a Bank Holiday. We were able to sit out in the garden for lunch and we were lucky the showers avoided us. There were some new cars that brought their owners. We had a series 2 Europa owned by Martin and Mel from Wootton Bassett.

 

This is a very new car and the first of the new Europas to join our group. It is in a stunning metallic black and drew a lot of attention. Martin and Mel also own a baby Elan. Another stunning car was a 1972 Europa owned by Ian from Andover and was in JPS livery, number 37 of a limited run of 100. Yet another newcomer was a lovely +2 in Black with a metallic gold roof owned by Simon and a rare non turbo green M100 from Andover owned by Andy and Sara. Andy and Sara suggested that we hold a BBQ in the Forest so that sounds like a good idea to us so watch this space. All the Lotus filled the car park of The Vine Inn and made quite an attraction of its own with a lot of people coming in to see the cars.

 

 

 

August

The Bank Holiday weekend Motor Pageant at Broadlands in Romsey provided fabulous weather for us and a very entertaining day for all who attended. We had a fine display of 18 Lotus cars parked around a central gazebo, emblazoned with our Lotus flag. The Lancaster flyby, parachute drop, stunts arena and stalls together with a truly diverse mixture of motor
transport ensured that all ages and tastes were catered for throughout the day. We also had a newcomer all the way from the Isle of Wight - Glen Fitch turned up in his Europa and we hope to see him again at some future events.

    

 

 

 

September

We were again lucky with the weather for our September run to Mottisfont Abbey. Glyn had planned a good route with the added bonus of us being entertained by a group of vintage motocycles (and owners!!) trying to pass a long line of 16 Lotus cars down narrow lanes.
All would have been ok but one of the bikes had a sidecar which meant he couldn't reverse so the Lotus line had to back-up as much as it could! We got our own back though when a 4x4 was also trying to pass with the motorcycles but she had to reverse up a bank to enable us to

pass.

 

 

 

At Monttisfont, most of us enjoyed a picnic on the lawns of the Abbey - Mike Chapman even brought strawberries and champagne leading to rather loud laughter from that end of the lawn! The venue has fabulous grounds with a very clear river running by it, where numerous trout could be seen swimming. The House itself was also very impressive, especially the Whistler Room, where the walls and ceilings had been painted by Rex Whistler, just before the second World
War. He was a very talented young artist who was sadly killed in France just after D-Day.

October

Our first Sunday in the month run for October was to Yeovilton Fleet Air Arm Museum in Somerset. It was another great success with eighteen Lotus and their crews on a lovely sunny autumn day; in fact it was so warm most of us enjoyed a picnic in the museum grounds! We were all allowed to park our cars on the lawns which allowed for a perfect photo opportunity and we took full advantage.
The Museum was very interesting with many inter-active displays including a helicopter ride to an Aircraft carrier deck with planes taking off and landing followed by a tour of the carrier`s below decks control rooms.

November

 

During November some of us visited the Club Lotus Stoneligh Show and Parts fair which this year had a special feature celebrating the Lotus Elite , Eclat & Excel. 

 

 

The Sunday meeting in November was our annual Treasure Hunt organised this year by Colin Webb which enabled us to visit the sights and history of Stockbridge. The owners of The Vine Inn pub in Stockbridge had very kindly given us sole use of their car park facilities for the day with a very efficient young lady guarding the entrance gate and only allowing in Lotus members and their cars!!

We also had a reserved area in the pub but as more and more Lotus owners turned up we were soon overflowing. Fortunately everyone was accommodated and a lively atmosphere was enjoyed by all. It was nice to meet two new members, Karl and Kate, in their Silver Elan M100 and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

 

 

 

December

 

There were nearly fifty of us at the Sway Manor Hotel for our superb Christmas Lunch on the first Sunday in December. 
The Hotel was beautifully decorated with lots of holly (tra la la la la), the Lotus lads and lasses filling the conservatory and enjoying the winter views over the Hotel gardens. The food and service was once again to a very high standard with crackers, party poppers and torpedo balloons adding to the atmosphere and causing the waiting staff to perform amazing balancing acts as they served the food and drink!!!!!

After coffee and liqueurs it was time for the free raffle with prizes being supplied by Wessex Area and Westover Lotus who are one of our local main dealers. Many thanks go to Chris Amey of Westover Lotus for supplying these.

There were prizes for everyone including a giant teddy bear which was won by Phil and Jacquie.

We followed this with a “feely feely” game organised by Angus. This involved an assortment of twelve items, some car related and some household, each sealed into non-transparent cotton bags.
The object of the game was to identify each item by feel only. After much debate and many bemused thoughts we arrived with a worthy winner having identified every item correctly and no, the Ann Summers toy was not in one of the bags!

Congratulations to Terri and Jacki and we hope you enjoy the fine single malt whisky prize.

 

 

 

As 2007 draws to a close we would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you at the many varied events we have lined up for you in 2008.