Speed Demon

Yesterday dawned bright and sunny - an excellent omen. Having taken an amazingly long while to realize and then get over the panic engendered when DH said he'd left his driving licence at work (which shows severe lack on my part of being awake and/or thinking coherently as he is anal OCD very attentive about this kind of detail), we dropped Sebastian with Wendy, the lovely lady who does doggy daycare, and then the kids with my friend Karen.

After a peaceful and uneventful smooth drive, we found ourselves just outside our destination by noon; being a bit early, we stopped to stretch our legs, and for a restorative gin (mine), at one of the prettiest pubs I've seen:


The Greyhound at Burton-on-the-Wolds had lovely decor, individual planting that shows that management has a personal interest in gardening, was clean, and the welcoming, smiling service reminded me about the friendly temperament of Leicestershire; no wonder it's award-winning, me duck.

Then on to Prestwold Hall for DH's driving day (his 40th birthday present). Very well-organized, professional and smooth, the day ran without a hitch. Here's a photo I took of DH in the Audi R8, which he forgot to look what speed he achieved:


And here is one of him in the Aston Martin, in which he noticed at some point that he was doing 158mph:


Yep, that's how fast he was at driving, and how slow I am to take a photo. Here are the brilliant photos taken by the venue:




























Today he is back at work in his 440bhp new, latest model Mercedes .... slightly more bhp than the Audi, but not as much as the Aston Martin ...

Reminders of Yesterday

So rather than dwell on the weight-gain trough I'm wallowing in (another additional 14lbs in about 2 months!) which resulted in a visit to the doctor's today and a blood test for hypothyroidism, anaemia and diabetes, for the results of which I am waiting, let's talk about the blast from the past that Destructo Boy's upcoming 5th birthday has inspired ....

Today I tootled down to the ITFC shop to pick up Belo's birthday present to Destructo Boy:



Although not a footie follower, I do remember Ipswich being successful when I was young, with players like Paul Mariner and John Wark in the team.

Walking back up to the town - and incidentally noticing that the recession is even hitting the Aston dealer, since DH's dream car, this:



is now retailing for only a mere £166,995, about £12K less than usual - if we skip next week's grocery shop, we should be able to afford it ...... Oh yes, where was I ? Walking back up to town, wasn't it ? I passed a chap who smelled of this:

A fragrance that, for me, is inextricably linked to the 80s, along with Obsession, Opium and Poison. A chill breeze (not so much of a blast) from even further back is Destructo Boy's present from us, which reminds me of my childhood in the 70s ....



along with Chopper bikes and space hoppers; not that we had any of those. It just goes to show that things go round in circles. What is currently Cool will become very Uncool (Ben10, for us right now .... of course, just after we stashed a Ben10 hat, gloves and scarf for Xmas - so if you want them, message me to arrange a barter) ... repeat throughout history.

And luckily there was an extra-cheery lift to the day, from Tracy, who asked if she could feature my Aztec Queen vanilla/chocolate cocoa butter-laden soap in her chocolate-themed Misi Monday over at her blog: thanks, Tracy.