January
Our first event of 2008, The Purbeck Potter, was very well attended with about 15 Lotus leaving the St. Leonards Hotel, some of owners even braving the cool air and driving with their tops down!!
The brief crossing on the chain ferry was lovely with most people standing on the top deck of the ferry, admiring the view and making sure it stopped before we hit the other side! It was then on for the remainder of our scenic drive to the Springfield Hotel where a warm welcome awaited us along with some very comfy armchairs!
The afternoon was spent in the comfort of lovely surroundings, eating a range of food from sandwiches, omelettes and all-day English breakfasts to roast dinners. Some of us even had room for pudding! We sat around chatting and puzzling over a quiz which some found more demanding then others – it was a close result in the end but the winners were eventually decided and they duly collected their prizes.
February
I must say I feel really satisfied following the wonderful success of our recent trip to the Dorset Golf and Country Club. We enjoyed a dry day but boy was it cold. The chilly conditions however did not deter our hardy Elan crew who drove to the venue with their top down.
Following a superb run through the Dorset countryside we arrived at the Golf Club where we were met by Graham Packer, the resident golf professional. After an introductory talk he handed out a golf club to each participant and we proceeded to attempt to hit a ball, some with more success than others!! With help and patience from the professional we started to improve and soon we were all striking balls in the general direction they were supposed to be going. It was definitely harder than it first appeared.
After the excitement and glory of the driving range we all retired to the 19th hole where a separate area had been set aside for our use. The lunch choice was to a high standard and we all replenished our energy reserves and restored our body temperatures before some brave souls ventured back outside again to have another go at the driving range or try their hand on the putting green.
The positive response from all who attended has encouraged us to repeat the experience in the summer and also take advantage of the B.B.Q. area at the golf club.
March
For our regular monthly run in March we drove to Milestones near Basingstoke and I have to say once again it turned out to be a very pleasurable day out. The weather Gods were on our side and our drive turned out to be a combination of sweeping bends, rolling countryside with fantastic views of the North Wessex Downs and hardly any traffic to hinder our progress, just a couple of wrong turns!!
After lunch at Milestones we spent a pleasant afternoon wandering the network of full size streets replicating the habitat from Victorian times to the Second World War. There were many interesting old houses, shops and methods of transport to see and it was quite funny to watch some children open a door to an outside toilet at the rear of one of the houses only to find a ‘man’ sitting there reading a newspaper - ahh, those were the days!!
April
The April run to Sherborne Castle was a low-key affair with the number of attendees fewer than we normally see at our monthly meetings, mainly due to the fact that we had our only snowfall of the winter that morning.... but I should have had more faith in the Wessex members as there were several others in the car park! The morning had now shaken off it`s winter blanket and the sun shone brightly on the gleaming paintwork of the cars.
After a great run taking in some of the most picturesque views in the Wessex countryside, we arrived at Sherborne Castle where they very kindly let us park our cars in front of the Castle and cameras were soon clicking away.
We had a lovely lunch in the restaurant and spent the afternoon walking around the lake to the old Castle and waterfall. Soon it was time to return to the main Castle for afternoon tea and cake (of course!). The sun shone all afternoon which added to the pleasure of the drive home and made the whole day a memorable experience – it had definitely been worth leaving our cosy homes first thing that morning!
Our Italian evening at Prezzo`s was truly appreciated by all who attended with Pizza, Pasta and Garlic in high demand. There was a bubbly atmosphere and plenty of chatter by us and a group of teenage girls who sat behind us and seemed determined to out-voice us until Kelly had a quiet word with them! A wonderful meal was rounded off nicely by just a few Bendicks Mints provided by Dee.
May
After snow at our April meeting, we had rain on our run out to Stourhead Gardens for the May meeting! Needless to say this was not going to deter the hardy Wessex Lotus owners and soon there was a good turnout at the St Leonards Hotel ready for the off. It was nice to meet new members, Tim and Lesley, in their Silver Elan M100 and Wendy in her 111S Elise. We also had a surprise new car – Colin Webb turned up in his brand new Elise SC and it looked gorgeous!
The drive to Stourhead was again superb, taking us through some spectacular countryside. We had arranged some special parking for the cars but as it was by now raining quite hard, we all made a dash for the restaurant! After some deliberation we decided to eat, and then we took over an area in the restaurant and had a very pleasant time laughing and chatting whilst the rain came down. Needless to say we were not so keen to wander round the gardens and have therefore decided to repeat the visit next year when hopefully we will be able to enjoy the attraction in better weather. However, as the afternoon wore on, the rain stopped and the sun came out so most of us decided to drive round to King Alfreds Tower and climb the 205 steps to the top. Once at the top, we admired the fine views over Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset (whilst getting our breath back!).
June
The Wessex Lotus trip to Normandy was a great success with seven cars and their crews meeting up at Portsmouth Ferry terminal at a truly enthusiastic and committed time of 6am!!!!! Yes you are right, it was an early start but soon we were on the SeaCat heading for Normandy.
Our four day trip will be recounted more fully at a later date but some of the more memorable experiences were Monet Gardens, The Bayeaux Tapestry and the very emotional visit to the American Cemetery and memorial on Omaha Beach. All in all it was a great success and our thanks go to Jacki for making all the arrangements.
Our May run was, weatherwise, third time lucky for our visit to the Eling Tide Mill being blessed with lovely sunshine. The drive took us over some perfect Lotus countryside along Cranborne Chase towards Salisbury then over the New Forest to the Tide Mill.
After lunch we had a guided tour of the Mill and watched as the mill was activated by the movement of the tide and ground the corns of wheat into wholemeal flour.
Eight Wessex Lotus cars went on the Mencap Classic Car Run in May. This was another early start as we met in Blandford at 8.30am for our run to the start at Lufton College near Yeovil. We collected our rally plaques and road books from the organisers and headed into the college for a refreshing tea/coffee as most of us had missed our first ‘fix’ of the day due to the early start. We were soon joined by a wonderful mix of classic cars ranging from a Model “T” Ford to a very large and exuberant contingent of Subaru owners who made the journey from Essex wearing their very bright ‘dayglo’ tee shirts! This enthusiastic group have been regularly supporting the Mencap charity run for several years and brought with them a sense of fun to the event.
Soon it was time for the off and each car was flagged away by “The Stig”. The chosen route visited
The “Hot Banana`s 40th Birthday Party” at Wilton House, Salisbury proved to be the perfect location for this special celebration. To honour the Elan`s birthday, we had 15 additional Lotus cars plus a day of sunshine. Soon after our arrival we decorated the car with yellow and green helium filled balloons and two huge banana shaped balloons which were just enough to leave the car still on the ground!! At midday it was the official cutting of the birthday cake which Jacki had decorated with a magnificent picture of the “Hot Banana”. It didn’t take long for the corks to pop off the champagne bottles which encouraged a toast to the car of the day and its dedicated owner. Many thanks to Club Lotus who donated the cake and bottles of bubbly.
July
At the end of July myself and several other members of Wessex Lotus gave our cars a memorable day out to visit the Silverstone Classic weekend event. The weekend was made even more special by the arrival of summer and Lotus being the featured marque of the event celebrating 60 years of manufacture. The Lotus group were there in force with a hospitality marquee (complete with lovely Pimms) and oodles of Lotus merchandise. I must confess I couldn’t resist the Pimms or the goodies on offer and I also indulged my passion and bought a new motorsport shirt.
Ed & Lena also took part in the Silverstone Classic Reto Run flying the flag for Lotus in their Lotus Elite and had a great time! The rally covered 100 miles of fabulous Warwickshire and Oxfordshire countryside meandering through Cotswold villages and involved around 50 cars all from different motoring periods.
On the Sunday they were lucky enough to have 2 laps of the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit seen here via drivers view "chasing" a Porsche through the Luffield Complex .
Classic Team Lotus were also at Silverstone with a magnificent array of past Formula One cars and it was spine tingling to see and hear these past champions racing around the home of the British Grand Prix. One of my most outstanding memories will be standing in the pits next to a Type 88 Lotus as the mechanics increased the engine to maximum revs, the sound of a fully tuned engine at full power is what dreams are made of!
Our monthly run in July to Bennetts Water Gardens was a complete contrast weather-wise with overcast skies and rain appearing later in the day but once again a bit of wet stuff didn’t put off the hardy Wessex Lotus members and their selection of cars. We also had the opportunity to welcome new members Dean and Becky (plus bump!) with their Azure Blue V8 Esprit who joined us for the event.
The Water Gardens with their Lilies were extraordinary and it was nice to compare the gardens and replica Monet bridge with our memories of the real thing which some of us visited in Normandy earlier this year.
Lunch was enjoyed in their Café Monet where all of the temptations on the menu were homemade and delicious. We also had the opportunity to celebrate Bridget’s birthday with a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ as the cake (plus candle) arrived and was duly shared amongst the greedy ones!
August
The August Bank Holiday saw us at the Hampshire Pageant of Motoring held at Broadlands again. The day started like so many this summer with rain and I thought the day looked like being a washout but I was proved wrong again. A major downpour could not deter the Wessex Lotus members and their crews from turning out in force and just to prove their determination was well placed, the sun decided to come out while we were assembling our Gazebo. 
The varied display of different motor vehicles on show never ceases to amaze me and this year was no exception. In addition to the immaculately turned out classic vehicles there were stalls, arena displays and a fly past by three of our great World War Two planes, the Spitfire, Hurricane and Bomber. Some of our Lotus crew even mixed in with Ferraris and TVRs as a selection of cars were driven around the arena before their drivers were interviewed on air by the event commentator!
September
Lacock Abbey was our destination in September.
We met as normal at St Leonards Hotel and enjoyed a very pleasant drive across Salisbury Plain to our destination. When we arrived, Rod, our event organiser had arranged for a special parking area adjacent to a pub. The Abbey and Museum were situated in a very pretty village that transported you into a world of bygone days. In these days of digital cameras it was fascinating to see the memorabilia and concept of how camera technology has evolved.
The following weekend was a big event as Lotus celebrated 60 years of production and a group of us drove to Norwich to join the party.
October
I must say that our Treasure Hunt around Burley earlier this month was brilliantly organised, challenging and informative, with Simon and Carol being called some unprintable names during our discovery tour of this beautiful village in the heart of the New Forest!! As we read the cryptic clues deviously hidden around Burley village, it was clearly going to be a Hunt to remember!
Our base was the Burley Manor Hotel and we were given a room all to ourselves with picture windows overlooking a herd of deer grazing in the Forest as we enjoyed lunch.After lunch and with brollies to hand because it looked like rain, we all stepped up to the challenge and enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon discovering the more remote parts of Burley before returning to the Hotel with our answer sheets. We then enjoyed a well earned cream tea as we left Simon to check our findings and come up with a winner. First prize went to Phil and Jackie, who amazingly managed to find answers to nearly all of the clues, closely followed in second place by newcomers Chris, Ses, Rachel and Zoe with third prize going to Ed and Lena. Congratulations to you all and to everyone who took part.
Our last Friday evening meeting for this year was the Sportomotive Skittles Challenge held at The Elm Tree in Ringwood. We were joined this year by our title sponsors Cos and Dave from Sportomotive with their partners Jules and Maureen. James and Carol had organised us into three teams, Exige, Elise and Evora and the first match was won by Team Exige closely followed by Team Evora and Team Elise. We then had a break for our buffet meal before we had a second match which this time saw Team Evora take the honours with Team Exige and Team Elise close behind. Following this team match we held the draw for the raffle before the final event of the evening, a game of ‘Killer’ – the last person who manages to keep knocking skittles down. The game ended with a close finish between Nige and Trevor but in the end, Nige just had the edge to become our 2008 Sportomotive Skittles Champion! Well done!
November
The November meeting gave us the opportunity for a return visit to the Dorset Golf and Country Club near Wareham where we could once again try to perfect our golf swing or alternatively take out our frustrations on a little white defenceless ball!
James had organised a wonderful cross country drive through the lanes of Dorset to our destination where we were met by Scott, the resident golf professional who then escorted us to the driving range. He made sure we all had a suitable golf club and then, with some tuition and plenty of patience, he proceeded to attempt to make us all into golfers (some chance!!!!!). We started to swing away with balls going in all directions except the way they were supposed to but gradually and with guidance from Scott, we all started to improve and so did the direction of the balls!
After the session, we retired to the clubhouse for a superb lunch menu with panoramic views of the golf course complete with its members showing us how the game should be played. Many tales were spoken as we recollected how well we had practised and what the future holds for us budding professionals.!!!!!