another one down

A little over a month ago I left work on time for a change and headed west along the motorway, going several junctions past where I usually turn off I came to the junction nearest to my destination. Crossing over the motorway the turning left past the place where I did some temping as a receptionist in 2006/2007 the same place where I wrote this story during the quiet times. Along past the fast food outlets on the right before turning left again to re cross the motorway. At the next traffic lights turning left again twards the hotel where I met HMU 18 months ago. we are still friends and exchange advice on regular intervals although not as often now as we were. It is also the same hotel where I used to stay with Swinger and where my special friday took place last August. I can't believe it was almost a year ago now.

Once past the hotel I went on up the hill pulling into the golf club car park......I never knew there was a golf club there. I knew there was a tennis club though as you can see that from the hotel, Swinger and I had wandered what it was the first time we stayed there. But on this occasion I was not there for the hotel, tennis or golf. I tottered across the road in my heels to jin the other parents. I don't know very many of them, most of ET's friends are just names to me. Obviously I know his close friends that he hangs out with but thats all.

After a while the fancy cars start to arrive. The occupants all dressed up in their finery. I did take some photos on my mobile but I am having trouble uploading photos from my mobile so here are a few from my camera.

This lad who has grown up on a farm drove himself to the venue dressed in his Dinner Jacket (dad was there to drive it away though)

These girls arrived with an escort of a dozen motorcycles, I expect they enjoyed it until the guy in front of them decided to rev his engine excessivelly covering the girls in a shroud of smoke stinking of hot rubber.

There were the usual vintage cars and then there were these Hummers. Some were white one or two were black and this one was gold.

There were also a few of these traditional stretch limos, white ones a pink one and a black one then this one with spots all over it.

Finally after much waiting ET and friends arrived in thier stretc Hummer with their names on the windows, smoke billowing from the windows and music blaring out. Us parents had payed a lot of money to give our kids a complete experience. Including a stop on the way for a photograph session.

So here are my little boy and his friends at the start of their school prom. They are nolonger school children but young adults.

ET is at the far end with an orange tie completeing his outfit of a black suit and black shirt. We didn't have anything like this when we were sixteen. I was chatting to one of the mums she spent £500 on her daughter (who I didn't even see, I had forgotten that she was in the same year as ET, I know the familt because her little brother played football with JA before he had to give up playing). I am sure glad I only have sons. Well now it is 3 down one to go and I have a few years yet to save up for his prom.

Red and Yellow

Where to start

Traffic on the way to Goodwood was pretty much stop start for milesBut we eventually arrived at about 11am then cam the long walk from the carpark, first making a mental note of where we were parked (between two 4 x 4's). It didn't take me long to realise just how unfit I ahve become in the last few months of not going to the gym regularly (something I really must do something about maybe I'll go tomorrow).

On arrival at the festival we first had a look at the 'touring cars' lots of engine revving and cars being lovingly polished. I loved seeing all the old Alpha Romeo cars (mostly red). Before moving on to the paddocks where we were able to see cars driven by all the well known formula top names over the past 40 or 50 decades.At this stage in the day I was using my phones for taking pictures (I have not uploaded them yet as I need to dig out the cable ~ I know you are thinking thank heavens for that). But here are a few of the pictures I did take on my little digital camera.

The rain held off for the majority of the day after my previous fears of being soaked. The only heavy down pour happened as we were heading home in the safety of LV's car. However I did wear my new yellow high visibilty coat which was a blessing as this meant that LV and I didn't have to stick together like glue all day. I could wander about looking at the cars that took my interest while LV looked at the once he was interested in. He could keep track of where I was as I was indeed very visible. Obviously LV was not quite so visible to me and once or twice he surprised me when he appeared from the middle of the crowds.

It is amazing seeing the different syles of cars. One minute I was looking at this Porsche

and next minute there were these familiar cars,

and what a thrill this little boy's family had when he was lifted into the driver's seat.

In the middle of the afternoon we sat on the grass near to Goodwood House. On the track there was a demonstration by Dougie Lampkin bouncing his motorbike on and off a subaru. Being a massive 5' I find it difficult to see over crowds but I was happy to watch the events on the large screens. All of a sudden Dougie left the track and emerged on the gravel path leading upto the House going around the centre piece of the Festival.

As you can see this huge Iron structure has attached to it 5 current Landrovers in special silver. OJ on seeing the picture asked if they were life size, I can assure you that they were.

Whilst we watched Dougie drove his bike in through the front door of the house, we then followed his progress via a helmet camera and the big screen as he went from room to room until finally he appeared on the roof where he continued his antics.

We finally left the Festival at around 4.30 and headed home. As we were leaving LV asked me if I would like to go for an Indian or a Chinese meal to end the day. But first he took me home so that I could make sure my boys were ok and had food for the evening.

After a lovely meal (which I really couldn't do justice to ~ that will teach me to wear jeans that are on the tight side) we said good night. All that fresh air and unacustomed walking I really was very tired.

I might not be as interested in cars as LV but it was still a lovely day out. Good company and just the relief of spending a day not having to worry about anyone or anything. I also appear to have caught the sun even though it wasn't out for very long at any one time, my face and chest are now a very definite red to contrast my very yellow coat.

Thank you LV

Now I shall leave you with an image that tickled my sense of humour.

Men are such strange creatures

Tonight as I was deleting my unwanted and unopened emails I found one telling me that I had a new wink from ***** ( I don't remember the name now, and I deleted it), unusually I thought I would just have a look to see if it was anyone I had come across before. But when I opened the email the thing that caught my eye was not the long haired beared young man in the picture but that it said distance from me was -1 ............ now if it had been 1 I could understand that But I was thinking how the hell could anyone be minus one mile away .......lol I am laughing at myself now because I just realised it isn't minus 1 but less than.............stupid woman that I am going blonder by the day except that when I look in the mirror its silver that I see creeping in not blonde.



Another email was from facebook telling me that I ahd been challenged to a game of scramble. I hadn't been on there much recently so I signed in and found a message in my inbox.



hi im Jim and love to be sub i am moveing to city soon,are you dominant and seeking a slave x



wtf was that about ? don't answer that I know exactly what that was about but why pick on me?

there is nothing at all on my profile that would make anyone think I want to dominate a slave.



You may have noticed that I have started getting a few comments from a blogger calling himself aka k, it seems that he likes cars, more particularly red cars, specifically red audi cars.



I am used to being woken up at 3am by JA, often it is because he has had a bad dream, last week he had to check that I was still here, (he never did tell me what the dream was). Other times he tells me he feels sick or has tummy ache. but this morning it was to tell me that OJ was not in his bed and he was not downstairs either. I was only a little surprised at this, I had known he had gone out at bedtime but had expected him back before this. Having questioned him this evening it seems he came in at 4am. His friend H and his dad were moving with Mr H's g/f, H has bought himself a widescreen tv that he wanted OJ to see (at 12.30am !!!). It seems the boy is growing up, in a few months he will be 18. In the next year I expect he will spend less and less time at home like DC. DC has, again, started talking about moving out, he makes me laugh (when he isn't making me cry). How does he think he will be able to pay rent if he cant pay me for his keep.