Further day at COMPEC and a re-union with Dick Baines and Peter Dodds as old colleagues before a memorable dinner at Rosetta’s courtesy of Nigel
Up after reading this morning’s Financial Times and out in old clothes to the doves. It had been raining overnight and rained still as I muck out the dove enclosure and replace the seed, grit and water. The doves are now half way through their acclimatisation. I change and set off by car to Stevenage again to catch the same train – still as crowded as yesterday. More so in fact, so I had to go to 1st class and pay a supplement to sit down. A hurry to cash a cheque and then get across London by tube to Earls Court and then by taxi to a Hotel in Hammersmith for the BMMG meeting. I was, therefore, three quarters of an hour late and the meeting was also poorly attended to boot. A few things agreed, however, and then back to Compec by taxi. More chance to look around and more meetings with friends old and not so old. Welcomed Robin Tracey of Jarogate to the BMMG and then, to my surprise, I was invited by Dick Baines of Trend to their stand to meet their brand new Managing Director – Peter Dodds!
It seems that since I last knew Peter 15 years ago at Intertechnique he had worked both sides of the Atlantic, separated from his wife etc., but he still looks the same in spite of his age old stance of insisting he has lost hair. I sit and talk memories and industry anecdotes with him, Dick Baines and Peter Cowley and we remember the Christmas incident of me as a support engineer being asked to build his son’s train set layout. All this a surprise to Trend and I wonder how successful he will be. There will undoubtedly be compatibility on the humorous side of the business, but Peter is no Robb Wilmott. It would be a mistake to shake up such an established team and formula, though an element of more serious discipline will be needed to overcome the developments at Bristol Telecom – Trend’s historically largest customer. Fairwells to all with invitations to visit and then off to the Anadex Stand where a jazz band and bar had been put to start the evening celebrations. I leave the hall, take a bus to Kensington High Street and tube train to Kings Cross. On the way met Ian Nickson and Stan Bell of Comart and congratulated them on the product launch and reminded them about the grant application in view of the DTI’s SFI cutbacks. At Kings Cross, early to meet Diana at 8.00pm and so I bought a large cup of tea and an evening paper and watched the station prostitutes at work. A very nice one, dressed to the nines, competed with the paper for attention until it was time. By taxi with Diana to the restaurant, Rossetas of Queens Grove, St Johns Wood – and to meet a group of BMMG members for a dinner to remember. Though still suffering from my colds I enjoyed the food and the company sitting next to Nigel’s second wife, Lynne, and teasing Nigel throughout. He ordered in Italian, I ordered in English and I get the strawberries whilst he picked up the bill! It was one of those nights. Home by train to Stevenage and by car to arrive back after 1.30am. all was well at home and Di’s mum had stayed the night and we all slept soundly.