Editor’s welcome
That’s three lockdown issues down, how many more to go? As I write, it feels like some degree of normality is returning but, well, we’re far away from a total return ‘back to the old days’ – remember them? When you could meet pals for a pint, not have to stand outside shops in a queue and when ‘social distancing’ was just what you chose to do with people you didn’t want to see (‘avoiding them’ as it is otherwise known), not your nearest and dearest. I’m still at my dad’s, though I have been able to be getting out and about a bit more; it’s lovely to be riding again. But we’re still not in a position where we can go and visit anyone much, so that’s why you’ll have certain ‘close to home’ features in this issue; with dad’s AJS, our project (I can’t really say ‘my’ with a clear conscience; as I sit indoors at the computer, dad’s outside working on it, every day) Velocette, Rachael Clegg’s dad’s photo album and recollections, as well as Martin Squires’ father- in- law’s shed. We’re all trying to generate new content, best we can, how we can.
Otherwise, it’s been lovely to be able to have some rides, and we’ve taken it as a cue to have several bikes out; I’ve taken turns on the vintage Zenith, an Ariel Square Four and a BSA Bantam, among several others. That I’m still working means I’ve not been out every day, although my dad pretty much has been – in between working on the bits of Velocette I’ve deposited on his garage floor.
The Square Four (and the Zenith actually) provoke a school of riding a pal and I have coined (I think he did actually) ‘wafting about’ where one is in no hurry, that the travel is about the journey rather than the destination, mainly because when you get to the destination, there nothing’s open anyway, so why rush? It’s just time to be thankful that we can get out for a ride and savour that experience.
We hope you enjoy what we’ve produced this month and please keep the correspondence coming in; several people have submitted stories, for which I’m grateful, while the amount of letters and emails has been splendid, with all sorts of great correspondence and facts learned, as well as plenty of talk of “we’ll look forward to meeting up when this is all over”, which is a sentiment shared and expressed by many, the world over.