DIARY – KEMPTON PARK – LANZAROTE HURDLE DAY
SATURDAY 12 JANUARY 2013
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Choc
returns to the Winners’ Enclosure having
finished 4th in the Lanzarote Hurdle Is he cold? It’s 4
degrees with a brisk chill wind; snow is forecast within 48 hours. Today was my second
consecutive visit to Kempton Park, my last trip to the races having been to
attend Boxing Day’s King George VI fixture.
Also, notably, with this visit, the racecourse would become my most
visited venue, with 24 attendances.
Although I expected Cheltenham to reassume that mantle before the
season was out! I decided to set my
alarm for 06:00, as I wanted to watch The Morning Line (with special guest
Aidan Coleman) before I set off. And,
I also needed to pop into my local Next store to return an item of clothing
too. I showered, washed and dried my
hair and ate a breakfast of toast and croissants. Then applied my make-up before the
programme began. Expecting rain,
which didn’t materialise, I had decided it was purple anorak weather. As always at this time of the year, I wore 3
thermal vests, two of which were long-sleeved. My cerise cardigan, black frill-edged BHS
cardigan, new purple fleece, long purple cardigan and black fleece
gillet. That’s 8 layers plus coat! As I don’t really possess any high-necked
tops (because they don’t look good with big boobs!) I decided to wear two
scarves. My pretty flowered River Island one, which is a soft brushed
material, and my turquoise Katia Big Bang scarf too. And, as you will learn, later in the
afternoon I was very pleased that I’d worn the first of these! I wore a pair of brown leggings, with 40
denier tights beneath, and a flouncy knee-length handkerchief skirt. I also wore my black M & S Thinsulate
boots. I was currently
using my black shearling Next handbag, because its very roomy and I can fit
the kitchen sink in; although my shoulder probably doesn’t thank me for
it! But it is an across the body bag,
so isn’t as uncomfortable as it might be.
Jewellery, I recall, was my Chaotic Rainbow ‘Magic Branches’ necklace (a recent purchase) with a pair of
sterling silver Next drop earrings. I never wear studs, and rarely hoops, but
I love drops. I set off at 09:10,
driving to the local retail park. I
had decided not to take the road around a housing estate on the edge of St
Albans because invariably I’d see a magpie.
However, before I’d even reached the roundabout where my alternative
route began, I saw one. Damn. As a result, I decided to re-route via the perimeter
of the housing estate after all, hoping to see more of these black and white
birds ... I saw a further two.
Whew! Whilst in Next, I
took a look around the racks to see if I could find a replacement item for
the one I’d returned. But, instead of
another jacket, I bought two skirts!
Then, because I still had a few free minutes before I needed to set
off to Kempton Park, I walked across the car park to reach the large M &
S store which is also based at the same location. I took a look
through the Per Una section; but I thought that everything looked frumpy on
this occasion. Close by was the
accessories section ... and I noticed a flowery turquoise scarf which I
couldn’t resist. Plus a pack of three
40-denier tights – in black, grey and purple.
It’s a shame they don’t do triple packs of just purple tights! I love their dark purple tights; the black
are very useful too but, for some reason, I don’t like plain grey
tights. So I wear those for work. I also bought a pair of patterned tights,
and two pairs of individual bright purple tights. I’d not seen the latter before; they also
stock turquoise, pink and blue. It was just before
10:00 when I set off for Kempton Park.
I joined the M25 at Junction 22, which is very close to the retail
park. My journey took me around the
anticlockwise carriageway to Junction 12, before joining the M3 and heading
towards London. I left the motorway at
Junction 1 to travel along the A308 in the direction of Hampton Court. I noticed that the signage on the M3 has
been changed, it no longer suggests vehicles destined for the racecourse leave
at that junction; the arrow now directing cars to continue along the
carriageway, presumably to take the same route as on Boxing Day. My well trodden route
took me past the main racecourse entrance before I entered the gateway
further along and proceeded up the driveway to leave my car in the free parking
area. It was 10:35; gates opening time
being 10:45, with the first of seven races off at 12:20. Having arrived
early, I decided to sit in my car for a few minutes, to consume the four
cheese submarine rolls I’d brought with me.
At one point I glanced across at the racecourse and believe I saw
Barry Geraghty completing a walk of the course; I couldn’t say for definite,
as I was parked close to the grandstand, not close to the racecourse. Having put on
additional layers to wear and my boots, I locked my car and walked around to
the main entrance. I had three hats in
the car but, as it was quite blowy, I decided against wearing any of
them. Besides, since my hair has been
cut short, its my ears which get cold. I’ve now put my black and pink dappy
hat in my car for future use; that will keep my ears warm and cover my grey
hair too! I might have seen
Choc’s car parked on the far side of the main car park ... but I couldn’t be
100% sure of that, as I think I need new contact lenses! Anyway, I paid £16 for a ticket at the main
desk, and £2.50 for a racecard at the kiosk just inside the entrance. Strangely, as I was waiting to pay for the
racecard who should pass by me but Barry Geraghty himself, possibly heading
for the car park; and he was dressed in his jogging gear! As the tables and
chairs outside the grandstand were damp following overnight rain, I decided
to set off through the ground floor and exit into the betting ring before
climbing up the steppings of the grandstand itself. However, it was colder on this side of the
building, with a chill wind blowing in from the east. I remained there for a while, before
returning to the area to the back of the Parade Ring ahead of the first
race. Alan King had six
runners at Kempton Park today, and four at Warwick. Choc had five riding engagements, because
Alan was to run two horses in the feature race, the Lanzarote Hurdle. I remember the 1974 Champion Hurdler
Lanzarote, and his sad demise in the 1977 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Today’s feature
fixture was Warwick, their big race being the Classic Chase. Both Channel 4 and Racing UK had an outside
broadcast team at the West Midlands course; there was no TV presentation from
Kempton. Choc’s first ride of
the day was aboard the filly, L’Unique.
They’d previously been successful in a Mares’ Listed race at Aintree
on 08 December. Once the horses had
left the Parade Ring, I headed around the side of the grandstand and down to
the course-side rails. I arrived in plenty
of time to see Choc canter by aboard L’Unique. The starting gate for this race
was at the far end of the home straight, with this and one full circuit to
travel.
Then
they were off. The field was led away by Shamrocked.
L’Unique travelled on the outside of Watt
Broderick, the two greys Deia Sunrise and Vibrato Valtat bringing up the rear. The latter made a
small error and stumbled slightly after the first. The runners made
their way up past the winning post; the only one which was truly settled was L’Unique! The
runners headed down the side of the track, Deia
Sunrise having pulled his way up through the field to now dispute the lead
and then go on after the third flight. The Paul Nicholls trained runner
was a few lengths off the pace, rapping most of the obstacles as he went. Deia
Sunshine and Shamrocked shared the lead around the
far turn, L’Unique travelling well in third, Watt
Broderick less well in fourth, Vibrato Valtat still
in rear. L’Unique
was travelling so well that, as they cleared the fifth hurdle, she jumped
into the lead, Choc permitting her to go on as Shamrocked
began to struggle. She was soon followed through by Vibrato Valtat, who had made up ground on the outside of the
field, then came Deia Sunrise, Watt Broderick and the
weakening Shamrocked. Having
cleared the third last, L’Unique entered the final
bend pursued by the Paul Nicholls runner three lengths adrift; the others
having dropped away completely. Choc stole a glance over his left
shoulder to see where the opposition was. Entering the home straight,
Vibrato Valtat had possibly gained a length, but no
more. Choc
steered his mount to the nearside rail, crossing in front of his rival; Harry
Derham more animated now. L’Unique
was more fluent clearing two out, her jockey giving her a couple of mild taps
behind the saddle which encouraged her to extend away from the grey. Having
cleared the last well, unlike his clumsy pursuer, Choc rode L’Unique out to win by 8 lengths at the line. In
second, Vibrato Valtat finished 50 lengths clear of
the tailed off Watt Broderick, with Deia Sunshine 4th
and Shamrocked 5th.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see Choc arrive back; my route taking
me down the steps beside the main grandstand, around the side of the building
and along the concourse to reach it.
Having arrived back, Choc unsaddled, spoke with connections, had his
picture taking with the horse and then returned to the Weighing Room. En route, Clerk of the Course, Barney
Clifford, accosted Choc; he wanted to find out what the winning jockey
thought of the going. There
was a fairly large puddle just behind the space reserved for the winner. Each time L’Unique
was led around, she deftly side-stepped to avoid putting any of her hooves in
the water! Once
the three runners had left the Parade Ring ahead of the next race, I set off
to find a vantage point beside the course-side rails. The starting gate for this race
was at the far end of the home straight, with this and one full circuit to
travel. The horses therefore cantered
down past the grandstands to reach it.
Then
they were off; starting about 20 yards behind the tape. The Donald
McCain trained Kie led them away, following by Tetlami and Escort’men who was
pulling slightly in rear. The hood wearing latter was not fluent at the
first fence; good jumps were made by all three at the second. However,
odds-on shot, the Nicky Henderson trained Tetlami
stumbled badly having cleared the third, almost unseating Barry Geraghty. The jockey lost his nearside iron in the
incident, struggling to regain it for a number of strides, holding his
stirrup to enable his foot to be put back in. Strangely, he seemed to have a
bigger problem regaining an iron than many of the other jockeys who I’ve seen
experience the same problem! Anyway, by the time the runners had
reached the top bend, he was back on an even keel once more. Despite
this incident the order remained the same as the runners headed down the side
straight; Kie a couple of lengths clear of Tetlami, followed by the held-up Escort’men.
Kie flew over the open-ditch, all horses jumping
and travelling well. The horses then galloped around the far turn,
straightening up to face the line of 4 fences, the third of which is another
open-ditch. Kie
continued to lead, Tetlami now a little closer, Escort’men still in rear. The former jumped the
open-ditch particularly well, with Barry Geraghty
encouraging his mount as they headed into the final bend. Tetlami, having responded to his pilot’s urgings, was
upsides clearing 3 out, and then went into the lead heading towards the
penultimate obstacle. Henry Brooke gave Kie a
slap with his whip in an effort to remain competitive. Barry
Geraghty’s mount, having cleared two out, extended
his advantage and jumped the next and final obstacle fluently, unlike on the
previous circuit! They galloped on to win by 6 lengths easing down,
Barry Geraghty glancing behind to check on his
rivals as he did so. Kie completed in 2nd,
with Escort’men filling last position, as he’d done
throughout the race.
I returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the
horses arrive back. It was soon time for Choc’s
second ride of the day, aboard Hold On Julio.
Alan King had decided to run him in a Novices’ Hurdle in the hope of
rekindling his interest following a poor round of jumping at Ascot in
December when he unseated Choc as a result of an error in the back straight. The start of this race was at the beginning of
the side straight, with two circuits to travel. The horses cantered directly to the starting
gate having exited from the walkway.
Then
they were off. The field was led away by Dunloughin,
Atriptomilan almost upsides. Behind, five
abreast, were Kaysersberg, Westaway,
Portrait Emotion, Hold On Julio and Buck’s Bond. Cloudy Copper was held
up in rear; Atriptomilan slightly dived at the
second flight. Choc was aware that the better ground was to the outside
of the hurdles track today and he rode all his mounts over the smaller
obstacles accordingly. The
chestnut, Dunloughin, held a half-length lead
around the far turn, the runners soon straightening up to face the third
hurdle. All the runners jumped this flight well, the exception being
Hold On Julio who had a disagreement with his jockey about the take off point
and hit it; as a result the reins were pulled through Choc’s
hands, resulting in him re-gathering his knitting as they continued.
Fortunately he’d lost little momentum and only a length or two. Atriptomilan held a very narrow advantage over the next; the runners soon
headed around the bend and into the home straight on the first
occasion. Cloudy Copper close up in rear. The horses spread wide
across the course as they headed up towards the grandstands; Hold On Julio
nearest the standside bar one. Having rapped
the top of the second of the hurdles in the straight, Choc gave his mount a
slap down the neck to encourage him along. The
field then set off into the country for the final time; the eight runners
still spread across the track. At the far bend, the first runner to
show signs of distress was Portrait Emotion, a gap now opening up between him
and the remaining runners. Over the next flight, although being ridden
along, Dunloughin continued to hold a very narrow
advantage from Westaway, Hold On Julio and Buck’s
Bond. Cloudy Copper was travelling well behind these. Atriptomilan now dropped off the back of the group, with Kaysersberg
being strongly ridden along and in danger of losing touch. Then Westaway hit three out, and immediately lost his
place. Heading into the final bend, Cloudy Copper had advanced through
the field to dispute the lead with Hold On Julio; the former travelling well,
Choc animated aboard his mount. These two had drawn a few lengths clear
of the toiling Dunloughin, Buck’s Bond and Kaysersberg. Again
Choc brought his mount over to the standside
rail. Cloudy Copper was two lengths clear over two out; a tired Hold On
Julio hit this flight. Richie McLernon’s
mount was now in command, he cleared the last and ran on to win by 2¾ lengths
from the Alan King trained runner who stayed on close home. He, in
turn, finished 20 lengths clear of the 100-1 shot Dunloughin.
Kaysersberg completed in 4th.
I returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see Choc
and Hold On Julio arrive back. The third placed horse, Dunloughlin,
caught sight of the racing being broadcast on the large screen to the rear of
the Parade Ring. He appeared to be
fascinated, his ears pricked, and showed reluctance to be led around by his
stable-lass! She was amused. Perhaps TVs should be installed within
stables so that horses can watch the racing and be inspired!!! The starting gate for the next race was in the
far corner of the track, the horses exiting from the walkway and cantering
directly to it.
Then
they were off. The runners were led
away by Midnight Haze, from Manger Hanagment and
Wessex King. Cruchain and Triangular were at
the back of the field. The horses cleared the first two fences
well. A number of swans had congregated in front of the open-ditch;
these waddled out of the path of the oncoming runners as they approached the
fence. Heading
up to home straight on the first occasion, the order was Midnight Haze,
Manger Hanagment, Wessex King, Five Rivers, Niceonefrankie, Triangular, Bally Legend and Cruchain. Triangular was jumping more slowly than
his rivals and his jockey, Barry Geraghty, was already niggling
him along. Midnight
Haze continued to lead as the runners headed past the winning post with one
circuit to go. Five Rivers reached for the first fence down the side, dust
rising from the birch as his hind-legs touched the fence. Triangular,
who continued to jump less fluently than the others, remained in rear. Heading
around the far turn, Midnight Haze held the advantage over Manger Hanagment, Niceonefrankie,
Wessex King, Bally Legend, Cruchain, Five Rivers
and Triangular. The runners then
progressed down the back straight; Wessex King jumped the 11th awkwardly and
soon dropped away. Having taken closer
order, Cruchain hit the open-ditch and was then ridden
along. Manger Hanagment
led over 4 out, Five Rivers then taking over at the head of affairs as they travelled
around the final bend; Niceonefrankie and Bally
Legend closing the gap as they reached and cleared three out. The latter then went on, Five Rivers now under
pressure and receiving reminders. They
jumped two out; Will Kennedy’s mount fell, leaving Niceonefrankie
in second position. Cruchain although hampered when Five Rivers fell, now in
3rd. Niceonefrankie
had closed to within a length or two of the leader by the last, but Bally
Legend was more fluent, being driven out to win by 2¾ lengths. Cruchain
completed in 3rd, with Manger Hanagment 4th. The winning jockey Ian Popham’s
second victory since returning from a pelvis injury earlier in the week;
which was a repeat of the same damage 18 months earlier. Five Rivers and Will Kennedy were fine
following their fall.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the placed horses arrive back. Alan
King had two runners in the following race, today’s feature event, the Lanzarote Hurdle.
Choc would ride the giant chestnut Araldur,
with stable conditional Peter Hatton claiming 7lbs aboard Secret Edge. Once
the horses had set off down the walkway, I went to find a vantage point
beside the course-side rails. The starting gate for this race was in the far
corner of the track, the horses exiting from the walkway and cantering
directly to it.
Then
they were off. Captain Sunshine had
been led in at the start, the forward momentum causing his handler to fall
over as he released the horse! The
runners were led away by the confirmed front-runner Loose Chips, from Lamb Or
Cod, Son Of Flicka, Buck Magic, Victor Leudorum, Secret Edge, Bear’s Affair, Rigidity, Oscara Dara, Trackmate, Romeo Americo, Araldur, Topolski, Black
Thunder, Uncle Jimmy, Oscar Prairie, Captain Sunshine and Sircozy. Heading
up the home straight on the first occasion there was no change at the head of
affairs, the runners spread across almost the entire width of the racecourse
due to weight of numbers. The horses
then progressed down the side of the course, Loose Chips still holding the
advantage. One of the competitors
flattened a flight at the next set of hurdles, possibly Captain Sunshine,
certainly not Araldur as stated by the commentator! The long-time leader held a two lengths
advantage as the runners headed into the far turn. Having
entered the back straight, a number of competitors began to struggle and drop
off the back of the main group, these included Oscar Prairie, Son Of Flicka and Trackmate. Loose Chips still led, from Buck Magic; Oscara Dara was cruising on the
outside of the field, although he kicked the orange protector strip off the
top of 3 out. Araldur
was close up too and travelling okay.
Secret Edge had begun to drop back through the field by this stage. Loose
Chips had been collared by Buck Magic as they headed into the final turn and
soon faded. Oscara
Dara now in second position, from Bear’s Affair, Araldur, and Romeo Americo. Barry Geraghty
steered his mount toward the stand-side rail, Romeo Americo’s
jockey deciding upon a route up the inside of the hurdles track. Oscara Dara and Buck Magic crossed two out in unison, Romeo Americo a very close third, Araldur
in 4th. From the rear of the field, Captain
Sunshine had been weaving his way through runners and soon came to mount a
challenge. However, having taken 4th
place, he tripped and fell upon landing over the last. Araldur had to
sidestep to avoid the flailing hooves.
There
was another scary moment for Barry Geraghty when
his mount made an error and stumbled on landing at the last; as a result he
had to be driven out strongly to stay ahead of the chasing pack. He won by 3½ lengths at the line. The 100-1 shot Romeo Americo
held off Buck Magic by half a length.
A further 5 lengths back, Araldur claimed
4th. The 9/2 favourite, the Paul
Nicholls trained Black Thunder completed in 5th, with the second Nicky
Henderson runner Bear’s Affair in 6th.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see Choc arrive back. Instead of heading to the nearside where
the winner would be unsaddled, I walked around to the back of the Parade Ring
so as to get closer to Choc and his mount!
Choc had folded his arms across his chest as he was led in; he looked
cold. He glanced up at the big screen hoping
to see a replay of the race. He then
dismounted and unsaddled Araldur; both owner David
Sewell and himself again viewing the large screen. He then set off for the Weighing Room. Choc’s ride in the next
race was Stoney’s Treasure. Once he had been legged up aboard his mount
and had set off down the walkway to the course, I headed around the
grandstand, up the steps and down beside the betting ring to reach the
course-side rails. The venue seemed
very quiet today; hardly any busier than a weekday National Hunt fixture in
fact. There were very few punters who ventured
down to the rails in the area close to the fences. Although, as had happened on previous
occasions at Kempton, there were punter/photographers taking pictures with
their fancy zoom lense cameras. My poor little Olympus camera seemed feeble
by comparison. I
think it was at about this time that I decided it was far too cold not to
wear a head covering; although quite sheltered behind the grandstand, when
standing around the Parade Ring, it was a far different story when standing
beside the course-side rails. So I
took my River Island scarf from my neck and wrapped it around my head
instead; it wasn’t completely wind-proof, but a great improvement on no
headwear! The start of this race was at the beginning of
the side straight, with two circuits to travel. The horses cantered directly to the
starting gate having exited from the walkway.
Then
they were off. The runners were led
away by On Trend, from Handtheprizeover, Brackloon High, Golden Chieftain, Mush Mir, Baile Anrai, Stoney’s Treasure, Kingsmere
and Prophete De Guye. On
Trend had a two length advantage as the runners headed into the far bend,
Mush Mir gaining on the leader and taking over as the horses jumped the first
in the back straight. Choc was
travelling on the outside of the field aboard Stoney’s
Treasure; in last but one position, Golden Chieftain got a little close to
the open-ditch. Heading
around the bend into the home straight on the first occasion, Mush Mir led,
from On Trend, Handtheprizeover, Golden Chieftain, Brackloon High, Kingsmere, Baile Anrai, Stoney’s Treasure, with Prophete
De Guye in rear. No
change at the head of affairs, nor the rear, as the runners travelled up
towards the stands. On Trend took a
slight lead around the turn, as he was to the inside of Mush Mir and was
taking the shortest route. He
continued to lead as the field headed down the side of the track, Stoney’s Treasure jumped slightly awkwardly at the next
fence, Choc administering a tap down the horse’s neck. On Trend blundered at the open-ditch and
received a reminder from his jockey Andrew Thornton; having surrendered his
lead for a few strides, he soon took the advantage once more. The field was
still closely grouped as it headed around the far turn; only Prophete De Guye slightly
adrift of the other runners. On
Trend and Mush Mir continued to vie for the lead as the field headed down the
back straight. Golden Chieftain, on
the outside of the field, blundered badly at the 13th fence and dropped to
the rear of the field. He also hit the
next, the open-ditch. Stoney’s Treasure had also hit the 13th; he received
reminders but soon began to weaken. Mush
Mir led into the final bend from On Trend and Brackloon
High; they were followed by Kingsmere and Baile Anrai. Brackloon High
joined Mush Mir as they jumped three out, On Trend still close up in
third. The former was ridden to take a
one length advantage over two out and had extended it by the time he reached
the last, although he did hit this fence.
Jockey
Nico de Boinville drove
his mount out to win by 1¾ lengths at the line. On Trend rallied to take 2nd from Mush Mir,
and Baile Anrai completed
in 4th. Choc had pulled up Stoney’s Treasure before 3 out.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the placed horses arrive back; but obviously
no Choc on this occasion. Choc’s mount in the
final race of the day was Turn Over Sivola; once he
had been legged up and was on his way to the racecourse, I set off to find a
vantage point beside the course-side rails ... although not before I’d
watched the completion of Warwick’s Classic Chase on the big screen. The Alan King representative, novice Godsmejudge, was collared close home by the Venetia
Williams trained Rigidin De Beauchene.
Alan had also remained in the Parade
Ring to see the completion of the race; and Choc had glanced up at the screen
before he exited the Paddock too. As
a result of the slight delay, I was only halfway across the tarmac in front
of the stands when Turn Over Sivola cantered by on
his way to the start. The starting gate for this race
was at the far end of the home straight, with this and one full circuit to
travel.
Then
they were off. The runners were led
away by Ivor’s King and General Ting; Forgotten
Voice took a very keen hold near the rear of the field. Heading
up past the winning post and setting off into the country, the order was Ivor’s King upsides General Ting, followed by Whitby
Jack, Laterly, Starluck,
Turn Over Sivola, Switched Off, Looks Like Slim,
Forgotten Voice, Cousin Khee and Barizan; the first two having set up a considerable
lead. The
runners were travelling at speed; Laterly taking a
crashing fall at the 4th flight. Both
horse and jockey were soon on their feet, the former chasing after the
field. Heading around the far turn,
Choc was in 5th place and going well. The
pace had slowed having entered the back straight, the remaining ten runners
now closely grouped; Ivor’s King still ahead, with
General Ting now alongside Starluck and Whitby
Jack. Ryan Mahon’s mount swept around
the outside of the field to lead into the home straight, from Ivor’s King, Starluck,
Forgotten Voice, Whitby Jack and Turn Over Sivola. Ivor’s King was
the first to fade away. Three
horses cleared two out in unison, Whitby Jack, Starluck and General Ting;
Choc steering his mount up beside the near-side rail, soon taking 4th from
Forgotten Voice, the latter’s early exertions now taking their toll. Whitby
Jack went clear approaching the last flight; he tapped the top of the
obstacle but galloped on to win by 3¾ lengths. General Ting and Starluck
jumped the last flight upsides but the latter fell, leaving Ryan Mahon’s
mount to collect second prize. Choc
steered his mount around the prostrate grey to claim 3rd ahead of the also
hampered Forgotten Voice. Starluck and his jockey
Tom Cannon we fine following their fall.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure for the final time today, to see Choc
arrive back. Having unsaddled his
mount and spoken with connections he headed back to the Weighing Room. I
waited until Choc has disappeared from sight before popping to the loo and
heading to collect my car. It becomes
a bit of a struggle though, when I’m wearing so many layers! I then exited the racecourse via the gate
nearest the free car park. One of the
stewards joked that I should do up my coat; I laughed and said it was okay,
because I was wearing 8 layers of clothing and my car was parked just a short
distance away. Weirdly he also made a
comment that it must take me ages to go to the loo when wearing so many
clothes ... I exaggerated and told him 30 minutes! Having
no more food to consume before departing, having removed my outer layers of
clothing and boots, I set off immediately.
Heading back towards the M3, the queue of traffic stretched from
Kempton Park’s main entrance to the junction.
It must have taken around 10 minutes to reach the roundabout; I was
then on my way. It wasn’t quite dark
yet but, by the time I reached home and being winter, it was. My
journey took me down the M3 to re-join the M25 at Junction 12. I then travelled in a clockwise direction
to Junction 22 before leaving the motorway to enter St Albans. On both the M3 and M25 there had been signs
warning of snowfall the following day.
I arrived home at 17:15. It was
raw cold when I put my vehicle away under the carport. After
a bowl of tomato soap and a piece of Black Forest gateau, I settled down for
the evening to write my blog, select photographs and upload them. It was just after midnight before I shut
down my laptop and turned in for the night.
Owning two water-bottles now, I filled both of them, one to rest my
feet upon and one to cuddle! I
decided to read a few pages of a fiction book before finally settling down
for the night, but I didn’t manage many pages, I was too tired. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz |
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