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Tuesday 19 April 2016

Salute 2016- in the Horses mouth .. almost

 So back from Salute after a very busy weekend. Oh, and a busy Monday catching up with the hundred or so emials and orders.- Not everyone goes to Salute it just seems that way ..
 Only a 2 man crew this year and we almost didn't make it thanks to the horses on the A1. Missed us by inches- seriously I could have strokes its bloody ears if I'd had the van window open. I could certainly see its teeth. Poor buggers- all 3 of them were scared witless- not that horses have many wits to start with.
 We avoided 'em by inches.
 The rest of that Friday was mostly  uneventful- Got to Ex-Cel unloaded and set up. Drove to our hotel checked in did the  SSSS thing as you do  then went for a pint and some dinner- first pub- where we have eaten previously- Kitchen closed. Second pub - where we have eaten previously- kitchen closed. Not only are we having no fun we are starving to death Jim and I . Finally found an Indian restaurant so staved of the pangs... eventually
Next morning Dawns so giving ourselves almost an hour to drive the 8 miles or so to Ex-Cel off we set... first half no worries then we find the Bloody idiots who  organise this sort of thing have closed the A-13 or at least the bit of it we need. so it takes 40 minutes to travel the next mile.
 THEN many of the approach roads to Ex-cel are dug up  with blokes in hard hats moving very slowly  so the time we set ourselves is ebbing away and finally we make it to the stand ith abouit 10 minutes to spare... PHEW!
Of the show I've little to say since I saw NONE of it far far too busy. My overall impression was that there seemed to be fewer games that past years but this may simply have been due to the fact that my route to the Gents  didn't pass many games. The only "trade" I spoke to were the delightful ladies on the Miniature Wargames stand whose appearance made a very refreshing counterpoint to the hot and sweaty masses .....
By the end of the day with all that physical activity lifting bins and  leaping from customer to customer Jim and I knew we had put a shift in . So, back to the hotel - more traffic mess- by 7 pm the dinner etc  and Drive home on Sunday.... Nice.
 There were apparently complaints form some traders about the Warlords organistion this year.
 I'd like to go on record that  as far as I was concerned it all ran like a swiss watch No bother ...

2 comments:

  1. You certainly looked busy.... still marshalling my thoughts and recollections for a Salute post... oh, and 60 odd photo's....

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    1. Steve- I've done 25 -or possibly 26 Salutes as a trader and I've never actually seen the show. Recollection are mostly a blur- though yes you did introduce yourself- but mostly its a case of "How many Austrian Hussars !" or Landknect pikement of Sudanese or Russian Napoleonics or whatever pass before my eyes= often in French or German or Spanish ....

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