I had a whole day at Shelsley today for the Vintage Sports Car Club practice day. So I arrived at 9 and the paddock was eerily quiet as they hadn’t properly started. But the smell was incredible – a mixture of bacon, exhaust and hot engines, it really was quite something and it seemed to be everywhere. I started the day with a cup of tea and a doughnut, then more tea and shortbread, then lunch, ice cream, more tea. That was pretty much my day. The weather went from rather awful and cold, to full sun and warm as the day passed. The only thing I couldn’t do was find a safety pin for a chap whose zip on his driving suit had broken. 

The star of the show was a 24 litre Napier Bentley which took off up the hill with an impressive amount of smoke and noise. It was a nice day out and I’m starting to get to know people. Now my invigilating has finished its very apparent that I can go days sometimes without speaking to anyone and that doesn’t do me any favours; conversations with the cats are a bit one sided.

Groovy Word of the day: miasma