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Mizzley, wizzely, drizzely stuff, it never rained heavily but it never stopped either, so after a quick meet up in Matlock, we drove straight into a road blocked with an accident. 3 point turn, nice in a Westfield with a roof on, and we took a road up to Lea, past Willersley Castle and back down to put us 1 mile down the road on the other side of the accident. We were not supposed to do a run around today but it was not unpleasant and we soon arrived at The National Stone Centre to display the cars. Andrew presented us with our present that he has made, a weather vane with a green Westfield on. Designed and hand made by Andrew, it is a wonderful and very thoughtful present which will take pride of place on our house. In the Blue Lagoon Cafe the feasting began with lamb casserole and crusty bread, followed by birthday cake, then jammy cream scones for us and tarte au citron for Andrew, burp, excuse me. 3 hours later we reluctantly headed for home having enjoyed the party atmosphere in the cafe, good car chats and laughs. Glen won a £5 gift voucher on the pass the parcel. For the journey home the drizzle lingered on but it was cosy and warm in the car with the roof on. A great big whopping thanks has to go to Andrew today for driving all the way to meet us and then bringing a prezzie too.

Fixed that for you mate

For what it’s worth I’ve owned 3 Westfield’s over 21 years two CEC one BEC. Each car had different characteristics in terms of power delivery and handling. If I could put all the best bits of 3 cars into one I’d make a fortune!! I therefore don’t see the issue with both being in the same class. Time in the car outweighs what gearbox you run in my opinion. Also having done SS events and other championship events the thing that makes the SS less appealing is lack of cars on the day competing and the number of classes. Oh and the fact as so few have entered class E the last few years I’ve won a basically one horse race and am not eligible for a pot! I think the changes are positive and will gain momentum for more people to register. for the avoidance of doubt in the BEC I’ve beaten CEC but they have also beaten me. Ambition and talent go hand in hand with gearbox and tyres.

2020 Silverstone classic starts here. 31st July - 2nd August. (assuming that the F1 doesn't change and we will know early December and it didn't last year) We are registered for the Silverstone Classic, 2020. As a member you can now access the fantastic Car Club Display Package (two adult admission tickets and an infield car display pass). Our club’s dedicated code is 2020CCD084. You will need to enter this code and your car details when prompted to do so at: https://www.silverstoneclassic.com/buycarclubtickets. (Westfields only please ) Super early bird packages are £99.00 + 1.95 booking fee and this is for three days for two people including infield parking for your Westfield. This works out at £16.50 per person per day.....Not too bad. Camping is £49.00 per adult, children are a bit cheaper. Not sure at this time what the early bird prices will be but I guess an extra 10% Important Dates:- Super Early Bird Car Club Display Packages will be available from Friday 25 October until midnight on 31 December. From 1 January the usual Early Bird period will be in place until 31 March after which the Standard price applies. Car Club Display Package sales will end on 31 May, allowing us to plan the infield and finalise all car club display locations in good time before the event. Car Club Display Area You will be advised of your designated display area at the end of June when Silverstone has had the opportunity to position the clubs according to the numbers of cars booked, power requirements and structures being erected. Please note that clubs are not guaranteed to be in the same position as previous years as Silverstone like to offer the spectators variation each year. Next year is the 30th anniversary of the classic so should be a good one.

Yep. Still on. Raining here but never mind! Half hood on and leaving at 9.15. Two roads closed on route due to flooding but it just adds to the challenge. See you there!

Absolutely unbelievable achievement. Some don't like him but you can't take away what he has achieved. Well done Lewis #44

Don’t forget, it’s the Cheshire & N. Staffs area meet this Thursday, 7.30 pm at the Golden Pheasant, Plumley.

I should be able to get over for an hour.

Last year I bought a Keis heated vest and now I have the Keis heated glove liners. They can be used independently to each other or you can plug the gloves into the vest. They can both be powered from a car cigarette lighter type socket or from a battery. I went out last night for an hour or so to try the battery and it was lovely to not have cold hands plus all my torso was warm. I had the the heat fluctuating between medium and low and I still had power in the battery when I arrived home. Today I went out with the power coming from the socket and it was so lovely to be out with no coat but I was so comfortable in just a jumper over the vest. I bought a pair of XXL Sealskinz bike gloves and I wasn't sure if it would be too much wearing two pairs of gloves but I didn't feel restricted at all and I could operate everything in Buttercup comfortably. There was not too much heat either and my hands didn't become sweaty With the battery I have the best of both worlds as I have constant power from the power supply, plus heat from the battery if I want to get out and walk. The battery fits inside the vest in a little pocket and you just attach the cable that is built into the vest. The gloves plug into little sockets under the armpits. The cables are just the right length for my arms and I couldn't feel the cables in my sleeves. You control the heat with the built in controller that is in the vest. Well with the money in my opinion and so looking forward to trying them when it gets colder.

my wife is a head veterinary nurse, making the arrangements was easy, plenty of contacts, the vet came to our home, hell they even lit the candle back in the office reception

The DVLA retain the IAC when you apply for registration so not having one is the norm.

I've just done a tiny bit of research. In 2016, In class A2 only one driver competed. In class B2 3 drivers competed, but only 1 did 10 or more events. In class C 4 drivers competed, 3 of whom did 10 or more events. In class D only 2 drivers competed, only 1 of whom did 10 or more events. In class E 4 drivers competed but only 1 did 10 or more events. In class F there were more competitors, but only 1 did 10 or more events. In class G 3 drivers competed, but only 2 did 10 or more events. In class H there were more competitors, but only 3 did 10 or more events. So doesn't that show that there were too many classes? There were 4 classes in which, in that year, if a driver did a full compliment of 10 or more events you were virtually guaranteed to win your class for the year.And if the classes had remained the same, it would only get worse as we have fewer and fewer competitors taking part.

Belated MHR you old fart

Further to what Jez has just posted, I was eligible to enter class B this year but was persuaded by Keith and Martin to stay in D. Had I gone in B I would have finished 4th overall instead of 8th(?). But B was very empty and I had a good scrap with Martin and Keith and enjoyed it more than I would have being in B.

@IanK (Bagpuss) Sport 250 Silhouette you kindly provided used on banner for our stand at the Bath & West showground last weekend. Keen eyed observer even recognised it was a 250, did ask where the seats were though!

All the bits are there...

I have looked at the boot warmers and the heated trousers too. you can buy the adapter from Keis to power them all up. I think it £12.00 from memory.

My wife is a vet. She has always said that it's the worst part of the job. You only become a vet if you love animals, and want to do the absolute best for them. Sometimes unfortunately that is the best thing, as upsetting as it is. I can tell when she's had a bad day the moment she walks in through the door - it affects the vet too. We've got two dogs - one young, one old. I'm dreading the day coming, but enjoying every day of their company up until then. Hope everyone is doing ok.

Lots of valid and balanced points for/against the new set of regs. However... The regs are decided and set in stone pending MSA approval. Lets see how they go for a season of racing and resume discussions next October with the benefit of hindsight Generally we are making hypothetical cases that may play out differently in reality. Anyone who made points now, for or against, that turn out to be correct are welcome to say to me "I told you so" at the 2020 awards evening 🤣

The following morning, still very bleary eyed from the night before, we got the cars packed up and set off. Google decided to take us down one of the worst dirt tracks I've driven on to date, only to discover it was a dead end and we had to go back. It was so bad that both me and Chris, at the same time got the idea to keep 2 wheels on the grass for a smoother surface. Unfortunately, Croatia decided that wasn't OK, as they'd nicely camouflaged some bricks in the grass every 20 or so meters. I'm sure it would have looked comical from outside to see both mine and Chris's cars launched into the air in synchronisation when we hit a brick each, but it didn't feel good from inside! Fortunately, no damage was done to either car and we could carry on. At this point I had pretty much reached my limit with Croatia and was just short of skipping the day we had planned, but Chris was a little more patient and I didn't want to wreck it for him. We made it to Plitvice early, but it was already packed full of people. Fortunately we had booked our tickets in advance so could walk straight through, although we were immediately stuck behind people on the narrow boardwalks. I did my best to get as many photos as possible without all of the people in, but if you Google "plitvice lakes tourists" you'll get a taste for what a lot of the walkways were like. We took a slightly Convoluted route around though, which took us away from the large crowds for a good portion of it. The views were absolutely beautiful, although it was overcast and I'm sure it would have been even nicer on a sunny day. The relentless nature of the trip had been catching up with me a little over the week leading up to this, so we had booked 2 nights in a hostel (yep, 2 nights in one place - madness!) in Ljubljana so that we could have a down day, and honestly it couldn't come soon enough for me after the night before, so after Plitvice, we drove straight there. Literally the second we crossed the border into Slovenia, the world seemed to become a happier place though. The sun came out. The roads improved, and it just seemed happier. We got to the hostel, showered and went straight for the bar to relax for a bit before dinner!

Graham, you agree that the Speed Series needs a makeover. Can you not embrace the change with a positive outlook? I for one felt the Speed Series was becoming stale and I suspect I'm not the only one. It needed more than a few tweaks here and there. I find the changes rejuvenating. I think putting BECs in their own class would be counterproductive, and I'm not convinced there is a significant overall performance difference when on the same tyres. They'll make gains in some areas and CECs will gain in others. I suspect the real difference is who's behind the wheel.

Old school NA engines all the way.

I've just got sorted mate, thank you anyway

They would make great Xmas pressies. i hope the stock levels are high in readiness Patrick

Second video from me: Afternoon session.. the slippery parts were less slippery! There's some exhaust flames on show.. they looked better from where I was sitting though. There's also a tin top that got a big slide on in Hawthorn.. Megane maybe? I then got a clear lap or two towards the end, when the green Lambo past me. I tried to keep up, but had to pull out when I noticed the coolant swashing around in the passenger footwell.. dam! I could have had him.. maybe..

yes - but at least I drive 😛

Better version of my flame thrower 😁

The photographer got the flames 😁

If it wasn't dark, I'd post a picture. The day started well, I took the car for a jaunt up to the fringes of the Big Smoke to visit my Mother. The return trip took me near the Dartford Tunnel of Love, or hate if you have to actually use it. Even at 2.45 on a Friday it was well and truly fubared, solid traffic on the coast bound A2 trying to get off for the tunnel and the M25 tailed back for miles. The idle speed rose to 2k for no apparent reason (a carb rebuild is happening soon) so I sat there in the steaming heat for twenty minutes until breaking free to pick up my route towards Brands via Darenth to pick up my 6' 15 year old son. We managed to get past Brands when the car got really hot and rattly. We pulled over and inspected the obvious and boy was it hot! The walk back on ourselves to the garage we passed gave the car a chance to cool down and us two to have a chat at normal volume. Having topped the oil and the water, it started fine and we carried on. Some five miles later we had to pull in again, more heat, a bit of steam and very rattly something mechanical. When it had cooled some we poked about and I figured that the thermostat had got stuck as the bottom hose was cool to the touch. Girlfriend was called and she turned up within 45 minutes, thankfully not to far from home. The tools she brought let me whip the thermostat out, it was definitely stuck shut. More water and off we went, until about 4 miles short of home so we parked up, crammed into her MX5 and came home. I made dinner, calmed down (apart from when I splashed water all over me when washing the wok) and let the poor Westy cool down again. After dinner, with quiet lanes and cooler temperatures we went to get it again. It started fine so I whizzed it home now thinking that the water pump had failed. There's a ton of other projects that must take priority but having found Burtons sell new ones I'll at least order one. If it's not that, then I'm not entirely sure other than a head gasket issue. Time will tell. Oh well. That's old cars for you.

Our eldest agility collie is 14 He suffered a couple of vestibular attacks (dog strokes) after the June heat wave of 2018 his back legs have slowly gotten weaker as has his appetite I rolled the ball for him down the garden on Saturday and after 3 times he just stopped and lied down next to it He can walk fine but his rear just collapses when he stops, even to eat Tomorrow he will only be getting chicken and steak tomorrow afternoon all the toys will be out Tomorrow nigh the vet is coming to the house Sorry not car related, just feeling sh!7

Sorry cannot join you . SWMBO is working🙁

I won’t make it now, so don’t wait for me. will look to make it over the weekend.

Funnily enough, I read this yesterday knowing I would be doing something very similar for my 13yro boxer Molly soon Unfortunately, it came a bit too quickly and this morning after she had a series fits I had to make that very decision. Today has been an extremely tough day. I feel exhausted, it was a very hard decision to make. **** I will miss her