Car chums

Headed down into rural Kent today for a summer lunch gathering of the Southern Group of Motoring Writers. We met at a charming country pub, The Woodman, at the quaintly named Goatherd Common south of Westerham. It's a popular spot for car meets because it is in the midst of some great driving roads, the pub is a beamed gem, the landlord is a friendly South African and the car park is large. It also has outdoor interest: aviaries with ducks, hens and exotic birds adjoining the car park.

One of our chums was nursing a sore finger, bitten by a stoat/ferret that attacked one of his ducks in the garden back home. We lapped up his sorrowful tale of how the nurse who administered the tetanus jab he needed afterwards laughed so much she nearly stabbed him somewhere else!

These were the early arrivals for our lunch meet, just as rain threatened (but happily stayed away). Hence a quickly raised, rather ancient umbrella protecting one of our member's cars, a rare and interesting but roofless Caterham 21.

A good time was had by all and as well as lunch we consumed a lot of soft drinks, teas and coffees. Yes really! Well, a motoring writer is not much use minus driving licence ...