DIARY – CHELTENHAM
SATURDAY 20 OCTOBER 2012
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Choc returns to the Winners’ Enclosure having
finished 3rd in the 3 miles and half a furlong Handicap Chase This was my
first visit to the Cheltenham Showcase meeting. Despite the Gloucestershire track being my
most visited racecourse, it can be a lonely journey to the venue; and a long
one too, a 200-mile round trip.
However, on this occasion, my friend Lesley had asked if I was planning
to go racing in the near future; I suggested maybe Cheltenham on 20 October
and, probably, Kempton Park on 21 October.
She rather liked the idea of the former, and promised to keep this
date free in her diary just in case. As always, there
are very few fixtures I can firmly plan to attend in advance. I love National Hunt horseracing, but Choc
in attendance makes it special; plans were therefore in limbo until his
riding engagements were confirmed at lunchtime the previous day. Two rides might not have been quite enough
to make the journey, but in this case it was three; so it was all systems go. The majority of
my annual leave from work is spent doing racing-related activities, whether
it’s attending a fixture or watching a meeting on TV. Having taken leave earlier in the year to
attend the Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals, plus using 6 days to cover part
of the recuperation period following my sinus operation in April, and a
couple of days during the summer (and one of those was to book my Aintree
2013 tickets) I had 10.5 days leave remaining. Having worked for my employer for over 15
years, my entitlement is 27 days plus statutory. So, to make the
most of these 10.5 days, I’d booked many Fridays, a couple of Mondays, and
one Thursday, in the period running up to Christmas; Friday 19 October was
the first of these days. I confess that
leave from work is very expensive. I
drove down to the petrol station to fill up my car’s tank ahead of my planned
car journeys this weekend and, of course, I just had to visit the nearby
Marks and Spencer superstore. They had
the scarf I’d set my heart upon (a wine coloured one) ... yes, I also buy
them as well as knit them ... plus two per una ‘swan print’ scarves I happened upon
when heading to the fitting room to try on a long length skirt ... yes, I
bought that item too, as trying on items nearly always results in a
purchase. The skirt looked and felt
much nicer than would be expected from the picture on the M & S
website. I liked an
emerald green skirt too, but didn’t buy it ... however I bought a different
pencil skirt instead, which also looked much nicer ‘in the flesh’ than on the website. My reservation about the emerald one is
that I believe green is unlucky, but I may not be able to resist it forever,
as it did look and feel nice when handled!!!
I then trotted over to Next and bought a purse which I’d had my eye
upon via their website. I was now
penniless, almost L. Having spent all
my money ... or rather my credit card provider’s money ... I arrived home in
time to watch the matinee fixture from Fakenham on
TV. Choc was riding at this meeting,
as opposed to Day One of the Cheltenham Showcase. He was out of luck, with a second and an
unplaced from his two rides. Once he’d
completed his day’s engagements, I switched channels from ATR to Racing UK to
watch the action from Cheltenham. And
I telephoned my friend Denise late afternoon, to have a long chat. It took me ages
to decide what to wear ... the weather was quite mild for the time of year,
and my first thought was to wear a raincoat.
However, better safe than sorry, so I eventually settled upon my
cerise jacket; it is one size too big, and I can wear a number of layers
underneath it. Experience has taught
me that it’s almost impossible to wear too many clothes when attending the
races during the autumn or winter! Which scarf to
wear? The blue ‘swan print’ one was perfect.
Shoes, my pinky-mauve t-bar ones with purple
tights. A grey Dorothy Perkins skirt, burgundy cardigan, purple fleece,
cerise ribbed frill-edged cardigan and two thermal vests. Jewellery?
At 21:30 I was re-constructing a necklace and earrings, adding
Caribbean Opal coloured Swarovski crystals and cerise glass beads to the
existing fuchsia coloured crystals. I had arranged
to collect Lesley from her home near Dunstable at around 09:45. I awoke before 07:00, showered, washed and
dried my hair, and ate a breakfast of croissants and toast. I watched the Morning Line, their special
guest was jockey Mattie Batchelor. At the present time he is Champion Jump
Jockey in ... Norway! And, during the
quiet summer months, he often works as a gardener. Having applied
my make-up and got dressed, I left home at 09:20; I was running late, as it
takes me 45 minutes to drive to Lesley’s house. I apologised, but we did have plenty of
time as the gates opened at noon. Our
trip took us via the Leighton Buzzard bypass, Aylesbury, Bicester
and the outskirts of Oxford, before we headed along the A40 to
Cheltenham. We reached the town around
midday; I should have taken the Greenways Lane route as, having not taken
this route, we were delayed by the lunchtime traffic. Upon reaching
the racecourse’s main entrance, we drove across into Swindon Lane and turned
into the car park on our right. There
was plenty of room in the bottom field, which is where I also park during the
Festival. I had to wait for a number
of race-goers to cross the roadway (I even stalled my car at this point ...
it was on a slope), before I could park on the second row, vehicles sideways
on to the roadway. Having put our
coats on, we set off to cross the Evesham Road and entered the racecourse
precincts. We used our credit cards to
purchase tickets from the kiosk situated on the bridge before entering the
Centaur building to gain entry through the turnstiles. Once inside, we purchased a race-card each,
these were being sold by a young lad in the foyer area. “There you go, my lovely,” he said, as he
handed me the booklet. That made my
day!!! We were also
given a flyer containing details about the Showcase ‘experience’. After
visiting the loo, we located the cash-point machine within the Centaur
building, as Lesley wished to withdraw some money. Having descended the stairs, we exited onto
the walkway to the back of the grandstand before going down the steps to
reach the Parade Ring. Lesley went to
purchase drinks too; I asked for a hot chocolate (or should that be a hot
Choc!) and she ensured that it was topped with cream too! Both the
race-card and the flyer informed us that, if we waited by the Arkle Statue at 13:00, we would be taken to look at the
final fence in the company of a top jockey.
Always keen to participate in race day activities, we decided to do
just this. It would have been possible
to enter the Parade Ring and visit the Weighing Room before 13:00 too, had we
not been running a little late. Never mind, not only have we been to the
Weighing Room, but also into the changing room during our visit to walk the
course with Choc in December 2008!
Choc was in no hurry that day, as racing was abandoned! During the
Showcase fixture it would also have been possible to have our photograph
taken holding the Cheltenham Gold Cup had we wished (or read about it at the
time). A large group of
people had gathered by the statue ahead of the visit to the final fence. One of the officials collected us and led
us down across the concourse, through the passageway beside the Lawn Bar,
across the lawn and through the exit gate onto the racecourse. The underfoot conditions were okay, despite
me wearing a pair of heeled shoes; not stilettos I hasten to add. The group gathered around the fence, and it
was announced that Hennessy Gold Cup winning jockey, Mattie Batchelor, would be with us shortly. It was bound to be an amusing interlude in
the company of the joker of the Weighing Room! Mattie soon
arrived and, during the course of his conversion, someone asked him what it
was like to ride over the Cheltenham fences.
“I don’t know”, he joked, “I always close my eyes”. His tips for the day were Frankel, who was
having his final career outing in the Champion Stakes at Ascot and Mad Moose
in race 2, a Handicap Chase.
Evidently, following his appearance on The Morning Line, he’d picked
up a number of gardening jobs. Once completed,
we returned to the Parade Ring. My
shoes had fared okay, dampness does noticeably mark them but they always dry
very quickly. I do receive lots of
compliments about this particular pair of shoes; I suppose it is because they
are very ‘girly’! Choc was due to
ride in the second, fourth and fifth races today. Soon the horses arrived ahead of the first
race and we waited until they had left the Paddock before we headed
underneath the grandstand and out onto the lawn to find a good vantage point
at the ½ furlong marker. Lesley and I
walked through the passageway beside the Lawn Bar, having got a little
disoriented on this occasion because we were chatting! Normally I’d head through the passageway to
the right of the Tote office. It was very
noticeable that the course-side rails were covered with thousands of tiny
money spiders. But it was autumn I
suppose. We didn’t lean against the
rails, but the arachnids still got everywhere; many in Lesley’s blonde
hair! Anyway, the
starting gate for the first race was halfway down the home straight, with
that and two full circuits to travel.
It seemed an unusual starting point, but I guess that is because no
long distance hurdle races are run on the Old Course during the first two
days of the Festival! The horses had
cantered up the walkway in front of the stands before heading down the course
and re-entering the gallop for a short distance to reach the start.
Then
they were off; the white faced Brass Tax leading the way. He was followed by According To Trev, Rendl Beach, Talkonthestreet, Minella For
Value, Our Vinnie, Benefit Of Youth, with Roving Lad bringing up the
rear. The runners travelled at a
steady pace, almost Indian file. Benefit
of Youth flattened the fourth hurdle, the last in the back straight, then
stumbled and fell after clearing the next flight. Both the horse and his jockey, Aidan
Coleman, were fine. Turning
into the home straight with one circuit to go, Brass Tax still held the
advantage from Rendl Beach, According To Trev, Talkonthestreet, Minella For Value, Our Vinnie and Roving Lad. Rendl Beach, the
mount of AP McCoy, took a narrow advantage at the 9th flight; still in touch
at the rear of the field, Roving Lad fell at the 10th. There
was no change at the head of affairs over 3 out but, following an error two
out, Rendl Beach relinguished
his advantage to the ridden along According To Trev;
a close third, Our Vinnie also blundered here. Sam Twiston-Davies’
mount led around the final bend and set off up the hill to the line. Irish
raider, Our Vinnie, was challenging strongly for the lead as they approached
the final obstacle, but he lost valuable ground following at error at this
flight. It seemed that According To Trev now had the race sewn up but Our Vinnie rallied,
closing with every stride. The winning
post came just in time, the winning distance was a
head.
We returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the
placed horses arrive back. This race had been named in
honour of Edward Gillespie, Cheltenham’s Managing Director, who was due to
relinquish his role shortly. Edward
had spent 32 years in the job, his first Festival being 1981 when Little Owl
won the Gold Cup. To mark his
departure, a presentation was made to him, a number of jockeys heading out of
the Weighing Room to pay their respects; Choc being one of these. It was three cheers and applause all round;
but I felt I was unable to take a photo of my favourite jockey, as he was
hidden from view within the crowd for much of the time. As Choc’s mount in the next
race, Divers, is trained by Ferdy Murphy as opposed to Alan King, he was
legged up on our side of the Parade Ring.
This enabled me to take a couple of close up photos before he set off
down the horse-walk. Choc was sporting
the well-known colours of the Let’s Live Racing syndicate. Lesley, having ‘met’ the Martin Keighley trained
Havingotascoobydo during last year’s Open Day at the yard, decided to put an
each-way bet on the horse. The
start of the next event was in the mid-course chute; upon exiting the walkway
leading from the Parade Ring, the horses cantered across the course and along
the all-weather strip around the top bend to reach it.
Then
they were off. Or at least all but
one; Mad Moose refusing to set off with the field. Sam Twiston-Davies’
mount had looked a little mulish when circling at the start, so it had been a
possibility that he’d dig in his heels at the point of departure. The
field was led away from Finger Onthe Pulse. Prominent were Easter Meteor, Nadiya de La Vega, Tartak and
Triangular. Irish representative, Campbonnais, who had been tracking the leaders made a bad
blunder at the second fence and lost his position. Choc was in second from last position
around the far bend; his mount hitting the first in the home straight and
almost launching his rider into space.
Choc ended up briefly on the horse’s neck but he was soon back in the plate. Easter
Meteor led the way as the runners headed up the home straight on the first
occasion, closely pursued by Finger Onthe Pulse and
Nadiya de La Vega; these two sporting the green and
gold colours of owner JP McManus. As
is his preference, Choc kept to the inside line, around the top bend gaining
ground on those outside him; however he was not particularly fluent at the
first fence in the back straight. Having
blundered twice previously, Bobowen made a further
error 4 out and was pulled up by jockey Barry Geraghty. Camponnais had
been pulled up two fences earlier.
Choc was still persevering with his mount but was well behind and
tailing off. Finger
Onthe Pulse, Easter Meteor and Nadiya
de La Vega were still at the head of affairs as the runners headed down the
hill towards the final bend. Havingotascoobydo loomed up on the outside of the field 3
out but, having been off the racecourse since last January, his challenge was
short-lived on this occasion. Having
turned into the home straight, Easter Meteor, Finger Onthe
Pulse and Nadiya de La Vega jumped the penultimate
fence upsides. Finger Onthe Pulse was the first beaten, the other two going on
and clearing the last in unison. The
mare drifted towards her rival under pressure but galloped clear to win by 2½
lengths at the line. A
win for the only mare in the field.
Now 6, she’s grown into her frame; she was very gangly as a 4-year
old. Choc and Divers completed,
finishing last of the remaining runners, in 17th. Despite
fading after 3 out, it had been an excellent comeback run from Havingotascoobydo, the horse having broken its back in three
places the previous January.
We returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the
placed horses arrive back. Having weighed in and removed his silks and
helmet, Choc exited the Weighing Room, standing on the terrace area for a few
moments before crossing the horse-walk which leads from the pre-parade ring
to join colleague Richard Johnson who was chatting to his wife Fiona. She was with their two young children and
was accompanied by Choc’s ex-wife, Meally, and son William.
After a few minutes, Choc put William upon his shoulders and carried
him into the Weighing Room before returning him to his mum a short while
later. The horses had already left the Parade Ring ahead
of the next race and, once Choc had returned to the Weighing Room, I managed
to tear myself away and we walked beneath the stands to view the event from
the tarmac area above the lawn. The horses had already reached the starting gate,
which was located at the far end of the home straight.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Hi Note, from Baby Mix, Captain Sharpe, Dodging Bullets and Thegondolier; Captain Sharpe and Dodging Bullets both
keen. Hi
Note and Baby Mix had set up a clear lead over the remaining runners as they
passed the stands. Heading down the
back straight, both the lead-disputing Baby Mix,
Dodging Bullets and Thegondolier were taken wide of
the other two runners. Ruby
Walsh pushed his mount along to close on his rivals as they headed down the
hill; Baby Mix far from fluent over 3 out.
Hi Note led around the final bend as Baby Mix faded. Dodging
Bullets made his challenge as they approached the last, jumping the flight
slightly ahead of the mare and pulling away up the hill to win by 8
lengths.
We
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the placed horses arrive back. Choc’s ride in the
next event was Hold On Julio. Once he
had been legged up on the far side of the Parade Ring, we set off to find a
good vantage point beside the ‘spidery’
course-side rails. The
start of this race was in the home straight, the horses heading up the
horse-walk in front of the stands before cantering down the turf and
re-entering the lower section of the all-weather gallop and exiting close to
the first fence. The distance of this
race meant that each fence was jumped twice, with the final fence being
negotiated on three occasions.
Then
they were off. But Carruthers
had been left at the start. It
appeared that Mattie Batchelor had not been ready;
he held up his hands in exasperation.
It wasn’t deemed to be a false start, so the race was on ... Festival
Cross Country winner Balthazar King led the way, from Prince Tom, Fredo, Galaxy Rock, Inside Dealer, Qianshan
Leader and Billie Magern. Choc aboard Hold On Julio travelled on the
inside, in mid-field. Wellforth was jumping
noticeably poorly and was pulled up before the 8th. The Kim Bailey trained Darna
fell at this fence. Blues And Twos
took a heavy fall at the 9th. The
horse got up okay and walked slowly away, perhaps a little dazed. Balthazar
King continued to lead from Fredo, Galaxy Rock,
Prince Tom and Exmoor Ranger. Hold on
Julio received encouragement upon landing over the uphill fence. As the horses headed down the back straight
for the final time the backmarkers began to lose touch. Galaxy
Rock flew over the 16th fence and, as a result, took the lead, remaining ahead as
the field travelled downhill, Balthazar King now in second. Hold On Julio cleared 3 out a little slowly
when in third position; but he responded willingly to pressure to close upon
the two leaders as they headed around the final bend. AP
McCoy’s mount still held a narrow advantage when making a slight mistake 2
out, permitting Balthazar King to lead once more. The latter gamely held off the challenges
of both Galaxy Rock and Hold On Julio to triumph; the distances one length
and a head.
We
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see Choc arrive back. He unsaddled his mount, spoke with
connections and returned to the Weighing Room. The
Qipco Champion Stakes took place at Ascot today,
superstar Frankel having his fourteenth and final career outing before
retiring to stud. Cheltenham broadcast
the race at various points around the racecourse, including upon the big
screen situated near the winning post, opposite the main grandstand. We had headed down to the course-side rails
early, in order to watch the race.
Frankel won the race, and ended his career undefeated; spontaneous
applause breaking out from the National Hunt crowd as Frankel crossed the
line. Lesley
placed her second, and final, bet of the day upon Opening Batsman in the next
race. This was in honour of her late
son, Steve, who was a keen cricketer. The
start of the next event was in the mid-course chute; upon exiting the walkway
leading from the Parade Ring, the horses cantered across the course and up
along the all-weather strip around the top bend to reach it. Ambrose Princess, who evidently can be a
little temperamental, was led around at the start away from the remainder of
the runners.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by the aforementioned Ambrose Princess; she held a clear advantage over
Fruity O’Rooney, What An Oscar, Hi George, Cucumber
Run and Medinas.
The latter travelling in Choc’s favoured
inside berth. Now This Is It was at
the back of the field. Heading
up the home straight on the first occasion the order was Ambrose Princess,
Fruity O’Rooney, What An Oscar, Hi George, Medinas, Cucumber Run, Handy Andy, What A Steel,
Sangfroid, Barlow, Captain Sunshine, Bondage, Mister Dillon, Defence Of
Duress, Opening Batsman, Rolling Aces, Big Easy, Battlecat,
Valento, Queiros Bleu, Scotswell, Hidden Identity and Now This Is It. Travelling
up the hill away from the stands there was no change at the front or the rear
of the field; Ambrose Princess retaining the advantage and Now This Is It
still ‘wagging the tail’. Mister Dillon was not fluent at the 6th
flight; Cucumber Run was taken wide, Medinas
tracked the leader and was travelling well.
Mister Dillon soon received a reminder; three runners, including the
grey Sangfroid under Wayne Hutchinson, were now struggling in rear. The
leader hit the flight located after the elbow, the 7th; Opening Batsman
flattened it. Having cleared 3 out,
Choc encouraged his mount to challenge Ambrose Princess and took the lead
over 2 out, where Now This Is It blundered when going well in 6th place and
did not recover. Medinas drifted away
slightly from the rails as he turned in, AP McCoy aboard Irish raider Bondage
taking advantage of this to nip up his inside and take a slight lead. However, the latter hit the last flight,
presenting Choc’s mount with a slight chance. But AP drove Bondage out to the line to win
by 2¾ lengths. Medinas’ over-girth had
become unbuckled or had broken during the race, for it flapped underneath him
as he galloped up towards the finish.
On the replay, it became clear that the over-girth had become loose
early in the race, visible as he galloped up the home straight on the first
occasion. But Choc said it did not
affect the result.
We
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see Choc arrive back. He unsaddled his mount, spoke with
connections and returned to the Weighing Room. The
starting gate for the next event was at the far end of the home straight; the
horses cantering up the horse-walk in front of the stands, before turning and
cantering down the turf and re-entering the gallop to proceed to the start.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by the keen Cavita Beta, sporting the well-known
colours of Ann and Alan Potts. Tornade D’Estruval to the
inside, a length or two down; in last place, Rajnagan
was jumping slowly. Heading
away from the stands, there was no change at the head of affairs. AP’s mount, Peckhamecho,
hit the first fence in the back straight, the leader making an error at the
next, which was the water jump. Peckhamecho took over the
lead at the 9th fence; Rajnagan, not jumping with
fluency, hit the final open-ditch.
AP’s mount continued to lead as the runners headed downhill; His
Excellency now making headway. Around
the final bend, Peckhamecho still held the
advantage, from Third Intention and His Excellency. The Tizzard’s
Third Intention took up the running and led over the final two obstacles and
he appeared to have victory in his grasp.
However, Tom Scudamore drove his tail
swishing mount up the far side rail, staying on well to win by 1¼ lengths.
We
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the placed horses arrive back. Whilst
the jockeys were being legged up ahead of the next race, Choc made another
appearance. He chatted to a couple of
female acquaintances over by the horse walkway leading from the pre-parade
ring, before returning via the terrace and steps to the Parade Ring. He spoke for a few moments with a guy he
knew, before heading across the main concourse. We set off to
watch the next event. The starting
gate for this race was at the far end of the home straight; the horses
cantering up the horse-walk in front of the stands, before turning and
cantering down the turf and re-entering the gallop to proceed to the far
end. Martin Keighley had a runner in
this race, the recent Fontwell bumper winner,
Creepy. I guess he got his name because his dam was
called Prowler!
Then
they were off. The field were
initially led by Creepy; Charlie Ruffles travelling to the stand-side of the
field soon took over in front, jockey Danny Hiskett
easing back the Martin Keighley trained runner as the horses progressed up
the straight. Fiddlers
Bid, Charlie Ruffles, Jazz Man and Creepy disputed the lead as the runners
headed down the back straight. By the
top of the hill the role call was Fiddlers Bid, Jazz Man, Charlie Ruffles,
Monkey Kingdom, Creepy, Ballyvogue, Tinelyra, favourite Southfield Theatre, Sizing Jo’burg, Luso’s Way, Key To The
West, Signed Request, Bowie, Separate Shadows, Minella
Fiveo, and Minella For
Party; Craiganee brought up the rear. Having
tracked the leaders, AP’s mount, Monkey Kingdom, took over at the head of
affairs three furlongs out; Southfield Theatre, ridden by Ruby Walsh, soon in
second position. Ruby rode him to take
the lead over one furlong out and he ran on up the hill to score by 5 lengths
from Money Kingdom. Creepy rallied in
the latter stages, staying on to claim 4th.
We
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the placed horses arrive back. Whilst
we were standing on the steps above the aforementioned enclosure, I noticed
Choc was ‘out and about’ again;
he’d met up with Meally and William once more. His son was very active, soon running off
into the empty unsaddling enclosure, his dad keeping close tabs on him as he
scurried about! The
final race of the day was the Greatwood Charity
Sweepstake for amateur jockeys in aid of the racehorse welfare charity. It also helps special needs children
interact with the animals to build upon their life skills. The
runners entered the Parade Ring early, as the event took place just 20
minutes after the Bumper. Once they
had set off to the start ... and Choc was no longer in view, Lesley and I
walked through beneath the stands, to view the race from tarmac area above
the lawn. The race was one mile 5
furlongs in distance, and started by flag.
Thus the runners were milling about in the area where the main circuit
joined the home straight. There
were 11 participants, the one of particular interest being the Martin
Keighley trained mare, Sky Calling.
She was ridden by Mark Caswell, former National Hunt jockey, who had
retired on this equivalent day, 25 years ago; his last ride at the track a
winner. He’d been riding out for
Martin all year. Then
they were off. He’d been well briefed
and hadn’t lost his skills over the years, challenging as the horses galloped
up the hill towards the line to beat Paul Nicholls’ wife, Georgie,
by a narrow margin. It was good to see
Sky win too, as on her last outing at Stratford she’d fallen at the final
fence, handing the victory that day to Choc aboard Henry San. Sky had taken a
while to recover, and this confidence boosting race was just what she
needed. And, having been run outside
the rules of racing, the win did not affect her handicap mark. I
think that if a horse falls during a handicap, it should not affect their
rating, even if they had been running an excellent race up to that
point. But I suppose that’s the view
of those associated with the horse and would not be shared by the betting
fraternity, because it would give the animal a second chance on identical
terms and thus affect expectations. With
many supporters, Sky Calling and her pilot returned to the Winners’ Enclosure
to much applause. I noticed that Choc
was in the Parade Ring as Mark was led by, chatting with Nigel Bunter, owner
of the Barbury Castle Estate, and landlord of Alan
King. Shortly afterwards he set off
across the concourse with one of his colleagues. It was my last sighting of him today. Martin
and Belinda Keighley were over the moon with the win and owner, Mark Allen, fulfilled
a life-time ambition of leading his own horse into the Winners’ Enclosure at
Cheltenham. Having unsaddled, posed
for photographs and weighed-in, it was time for the winning owner, trainer
and jockey to receive their mementos.
Each of the amateur jockeys took their turn to climb the podium to
accept a keepsake too. Once
the Winners’ Enclosure celebrations had drawn to a close, it was time for us
to leave. We popped to the loo, always
sensible before a long road journey.
Having taken a few minutes waiting to cross the busy Evesham Road, we
arrived back at my car; it was standing all alone in that particular area of
the car park. We took a few minutes to
each consume a couple of cheese rolls and a number of M & S chocolate
covered biscuits. Lesley has lost a
stone in weight; I wish I could do the same! We
began our journey at 18:40. Unlike
during the Festival, when route options are limited by the traffic police, we
turned left at the gate and crossed the Evesham Road, heading into New Barn Lane;
a sharp right took us into Prestbury Road, and a
left into Priors Road. Traffic would
probably have been okay along Hales Road, but I decided to head up Harp Hill
and into Greenways Lane; this bypassed any possible queue-related problems. We
then headed back along the A40 over the Cotwolds. As I was to drop Lesley off at her home in
Bedfordshire, upon reaching the outskirts of Oxford we drove northwards along
the A34, across the M40 interchange, and onwards to Bicester. We then took the A41 to Aylesbury, before
turning in the direction of Leighton Buzzard.
Unfortunately,
at this point, we got stuck behind a car being driven very erratically! Travelling at 30 mph in town is compulsory,
but between 30 and 40 in a 60 mph limit is very frustrating. The road winds between Aylesbury and Wing,
but driving at such a slow speed was ridiculous. I don’t think the driver could see very
well in the darkness, and was definitely suffering from glare, as they braked
every time a vehicle approached from the opposite direction. Then, as we passed through Wing, the driver
drove on the other side of the road to avoid parked vehicles, despite them
barely causing any obstruction whatsoever.
I was relieved when the car turned left upon reaching the Leighton
Buzzard bypass. Shouldn’t have been
out in the dark, me thinks. Lesley
told me she is now the proud owner of a year-old golden Labrador called
Max. She has kept dogs in the past,
and still has two cats, Scramble (male) and Twiglet
(female). She took them into her care
when a work colleague moved to Germany a number of years ago; this is Max’s
third home, the second owner having recently moved to smaller accommodation
with insufficient space to keep a dog.
At
20:30 I dropped Lesley off in her home village of Eaton Bray; it took me a
further 45 minutes to reach my own home.
The roads looked wet in Bedfordshire and, after reaching
Hertfordshire, it began to rain as I drove around the Redbourn
bypass; it was difficult to see at first, as the wipers smeared grim across
my windscreen. I
usually put my car away under the carport but, with the prospect of going to
Kempton Park the following day, I left the car on the drive; unloading my
possessions in the rain. Having not
eaten much all day, I wasn’t very hungry, so I just ate a buttered
bread-crust and a drink of warm milk before logging on to update my diary
blog and upload the photographs I’d taken that day. I
turned in at around 11:30. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz |
