Pupdate

September brought some fine weather, so the boys have been able to enjoy more extra long walks at the weekend :)

Milo scans

Milo’s cancer care has settled into monthly scans, covered in the latest diary entry. TL;DR – he’s doing OK.

Cars

I’ve driven Volvo’s almost all my life, and I’m presently on my third[1] a 2010 model XC60 that I bought in 2013. It’s been a great car – comfortable, practical, nice to drive. Sadly it let us down at the end of last month. The starter would turn over the engine, but it just wouldn’t fire up. The problem was a burnt out fuel pump connector[2], which meant an expensive and prolonged visit to the garage.

While the Volvo was away that meant my daughter’s Mini was being used for most trips. Pretty handy for the Ikea run, especially given the expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ). After one trip out Rachel came back home saying “I think I’d quite like a Mini, but one of the bigger ones”.

So we’re now the proud owners of a Countryman Cooper S. I’ve not had much of a chance to drive it yet, but it seems nice (and fun).

Horsted Place

Last month brought a whole series of posts about the 2nd honeymoon trip for our 25th wedding anniversary, but because of work schedules we had to do that before the actual event. To celebrate the proper date we found a local hotel that looked like it would be nice – Horsted Place.

It was absolutely lovely. We were treated to an upgrade to their master suite, which seemed like somewhere that a well heeled gentleman could spend an entire season. The weather was hot and sunny, so rather than just having pre dinner drinks in the lovely garden we stayed out there for dinner too. It was a shame to have to leave (after a delicious breakfast), but sadly work beckoned.

KTM Motocross Experience

Last summer my daughter was showing some interest in motorcycling. I think she wants my ’95 CB1000 when I’m done with it. I went looking for a way that she could try out biking, without just driving around a car park on compulsory basic training (CBT). What I found was the KTM Motocross Experience, where one of the venues, Golden Barn, is only a short distance from home. After eventually finding some dates that weren’t booked solid (or clashing with the second honeymoon) we managed to go just before she had to head back to University.

It was a roasting hot day, but I’d take that over rain and mud. There was a good build up from basic riding safety around the oval, to a reduced circuit, to the full circuit, and every bit of it was great fun (but also intensely hard physically and mentally).

Here’s one of my latter laps:

Steve Hogarth

I’ve been a huge fan of Marillion since back when Fish was the lead singer, so when the chance to see their present lead playing ‘H Natural’ came up I didn’t hesitate to buy tickets.

It was a wonderful gig with a fantastic mix of well loved Marillion tracks, Steve’s solo material, and covers.

Solar Diary

Although September was (mostly) sunny, it really shows the difference that the seasons make when looking back to June.

SEG paid

Last month I mentioned that I was expecting £59.16 for Smart Export Guarantee, and that got paid pretty swiftly :)

Notes

[1] I previously had a 340DL, which had been my Dad’s. He was going to trade it in for a new Seat, but I persuaded him to do a swap for the junker Renault 12 I’d bought shortly after my 18th birthday. Later on we got a V40 (when a family friend got caught drink driving in it and realised they’d never get their license back). It was a sheep in wolf’s clothing, looking like the racy T4 model, but actually a regular 1.6 SE.
[2] Apparently not uncommon on this model.