Page 37 - MM_Sep Oct 2021

Peggy and I at the MMOC Picnic at Kelmarsh
the woodwork to feel confident in going ahead. The search continued, until in mid-June a Trafalgar Blue two-door came up for sale on eBay in a village not far from me. I went and test drove it, and fell in love with it. It also came with a briefcase full of history, a five-speed gearbox that would make driving
it a little more manageable, and a Bluetooth radio so I could still karaoke my way to work. The reg plate also had a lot of the letters the name I hoped to call my car, Peggy after a character from the Captain America Comics and films. There were apparently some other interested parties, so I had to work hard to not get attached to her.
The wait until the auction ended the next week was antagonising but it rolled around, and I ended up being the only bidder, thanks to others not wanted to travel to such a remote village via public transport during a pandemic. We collected her the next day, and the rest, as they say is history. To really top things off, after I posted the obligatory picture of her on Facebook, letting everyone know what a crazy person I was buying this car, my Dad’s older brothers recalled how a Morris Minor had been my Gran’s first car. That was really special as I had used some money she had left me towards the purchase.
In my first year of ownership, I have learnt so much and
had so much fun that it outshines the occasion we had to get someone to help push her out the way, half-way up a mountain, to cool down on the way to a waterfall. She’s really become
part of the family, and with the house purchase finally going through she’s got a cosy little garage all to herself too. We even quickly got a new driveway to make it easier to get in and out in her, pretty important considering she’s my daily. Despite lockdowns and cancelled shows, I’ve managed to use a lot of online spaces to get to know people within the community, and in June started a podcast, recorded while driving Peggy, which has helped me get to know even more people and share my experiences and passion with others. It has been really nice to talk to others and share experiences on this platform as well. If you’d like to find out more, you can find us on Instagram and Youtube as ‘The Passenger Seat Podcast’.
I am so grateful for the community who always are able to offer advice the moment something goes wrong especially the Facebook groups who have really made owning and learning about my car much more manageable so if you’re someone who’s responded to a question of mine on the Facebook page, or found me on Instagram, or someone I have to meet this summer at the shows, thank you! I look forward to hopefully many more years motoring in Peggy, alongside such a great bunch of people. l Becca Treston
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 MINOR MATTERS | 37
Covid Couldn’t Stop The Cowley Wedding Carriage
I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE THESE PHOTOS.
As I explain below my daughter finally was able to marry and the Morris ended up being the star of the show. It’s surprising how much the younger generation loves the classics!
In July my daughter Emma married her NHS doctor Luke at
the third attempt, having previously been stymied by Covid-19 lockdowns. The bride had a choice of two vehicles as her wedding carriage, a brand new Rolls Royce or my 1962 Morris 1000 convertible. Her true integrity shone through and the Morris it was!
I proudly drove her to the church and her new husband drove her back. The Morris sat outside the marquee throughout the wedding and was much loved by the Instagram generation, all of whom used it as a photo location. At one stage all her school friends were on board. When it was time for the happy couple to leave the Morris was duly fired up again and, bedecked with tin cans and balloons, they started their married life in a car twice as old as they are! l
Charles Phillpot (it’s me in the pink waistcoat!)
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