Friday 18th November 2022

It was, at least, nearly the weekend.

Before the weekend, I had to get through six and a half hours of work, including five hours of meetings.

Most of those I had arranged.

So, I blame myself.

We got up late as we went to bed well after 11 the night before, and my head was woolly all day. Concentration would be hard.

Jools left for work, I put the bins out and set up the office, logging on still takes 15 minutes before all systems are up and working. Once I get logged on, the first meeting was in ten minutes: the weekly, or now bi-weekly social.

It is rainy season in India, and after the weekend extreme, for India, weather is expected, with much flooding due to happen in around Chennai. Life seems to go on, most carry on working even if there is knee deep water in their houses.

It puts our issues into persepctive.

And then the work meetings, two of which others declined so I had to send out a "grenade" mail to let them know this wasnt acceptable. I copied in my boss. New boss.

At half one I finish, Jools comes home and gets changed.

It is her birthday next week, and for a while she has wanted an MR2 or some other "fun" car, so I booked her on a track day driving two spots cars at the nearby Lydden Hill track.

Lydden Hill was known to me as being one of the venues for rallycross wheich the BBC used to show on their Saturday morning sports show, Grandstand. I have only been here once before, wehen we witnessed the largest hot air balloon crossing of the channel, and the balloons took off from here.

It's only just outside Dover on the A2, and so just a 15 minute drive for us. Now, I had no idea what to expect, but I thought maybe 20 people, a handful of cars, and that was it. But what we saw was a couple of hundred of people milling aorund, abaout 50 cars and lots of people with clipboards ticking off names, or reading the next driver's name out.

We had to go and check in, which was a bit unclear, but in twenty minutes we got Jools booked in. An option was going for a demonstration lap with an experienced driver so to learn the layout of the track and what to look for and how to take corners.

She got take out in a BMW, and was gone about 5 minutes, as they drove round, all sorts of exotic spots cars were whizzing past them.

Once back we go over to the waiting area, check in there, and then wait.

There were cars and things to photograph, until her name is called out and she goes to be introduced to her co-driver and guide. Her first car was an Audi R8, a sixty grand car with lots of horses under the hood.

I walked back up the hill to the grandstands, changed the standard lens for the big boy and began snapping.

At least there was warm sunshine, unlike the day before when there was driving rain. Golden light lit the far side of the circuit, so I snapped as the Audi came round and round.

She did 5 laps, which was 6 miles. So, when the car came down the slip road to the pits, I went down to meet her, and then wait until she was called for her turn to drive one of the Lamborginis.

Her time came, though she didn't get the brint orange gull-winged one, one another with in a stunning violet metalic blue colour. I went back to the stands and took more shots in the fast fading light.

By then almost everyone had been out for their turns, so there were few people left, but others who had booked to sit beside professional drivers were out on lightning fast laps. Engines and exhausts road and popped.

Jools walked up the hill, and we walked to the car. At least it was a short drive home.

Dinner was something new: well, chicken Kyiv isn't new, but homemade lentil dahl is, made with cocnut milk, garlic, onions and lentils along with spices and herbs. Came out well, if I'm honest.

We were still pooped from our late night on Thursday, so had the wirelss on, then went to bed at eight. I read for a while, then slipped into a deep sleep.