This past week’s been a really interesting and incredible one. Kathryn finished her course and moved down to Slough last Tuesday; and y’know what I’m very happy. James commented that we smile a lot (“You both grin like mad things”) – and y’know what, it’s true. Somehow I just feel happier.
Sorry, I realise that we’re also sickly sweet, but hey, we’ve only been actually able to see each other for more than a couple of days at a time for one week, tomorrow. So, yes. So that was Tuesday; I’d just come off nights and have to admit that the whole thing was kinda blurry for me.
The rest of the week’s been made up of working on the house (the bathroom ceiling’s flakey paint has now been largely resolved; Kathryn revealed a continent of plaster, and I increased it’s size tonight before slathering the whole area in dilute PVA before applying lots of filler. Much sanding now awaits), helping out at my mum’s house (and here’s another example of where being with Kathryn is just better’n being by myself. Not only do I get her awesome company, but she reminds me to take advantage of being out in the countryside).
Having wandered around we picked blackberries to go with my mum’s home grown apples – which on getting home we made into a really rather nice apple and blackberry cake. It didn’t quite rise right, but next time we’ll use the oven not-in-fan-mode.
Then we headed up for Pari’s 2nd wedding – which was just beautiful. It was really great to catch up with some people I’ve not seen since university; I was actually incredibly nervous – having not seen them for 7 years; but in the end it worked out well. Kathryn’s posted about the wedding here – and when I get the photos off my camera, if any of them are any good I’ll flickr’em, but that means getting my Mac working. Which I could’ve done tonight, but didn’t. Instead I watched the IT crowd :)
Finally we headed back via the Gaydon Heritage Motor Museum, which was hosting the VVOC’s AGM – and I got to meet (briefly) some members of the VVOC, drip a lot of oil on the car park, collect a new head (which will be made unleaded) for Brick, and also got to spend some time looking at the world’s earliest production Morris Minor. Kathryn too pics of me next to the Minor, so expect them too; I also took a fair few pictures as I wandered round.
We also sat in a Think, Ford’s acquired-then-sold EV – it was interesting, but also disconcertingly dull. I guess that’s what we need, dull EVs for people to just buy and use. It appeared to be built to Ford’s usual standards and it was interesting to see moulded plastic door panels with the kinds of door gaps I’m used to on the Minor. (I have to say, looking at the photos of the newer ones, it looks like they’ve improved somewhat on the very early one we were sat in)
Anyway, Brick brought us home despite atrocious traffic on the M40 – and the temperature gauge hanging around just before the “I’m letting all the water out now” marker. There were quite a few modern cars with the traditional pool of green water underneath them sat on the hard shoulder, so I am quite impressed with Brick’s performance, especially given the stuff that’s passing for coolant in ‘im at the moment.
1000 miles in a week not bad for a 35 year old car :)
