A 'right picnic' at Donington and a proper picnic with the Morgan!

Some weeks ago we were looking forward to a week on the Norfolk Broads with a couple of friends on a 42 foot motor cruiser. Sadly this was not to be!

Helen and myself only reached the Donington Service area on the A50, about half way to meeting up with our friends in Thetford for the night, prior to taking over the boat.

We had stopped for a comfort break and the next thing I knew, I was underneath the right hand urinal in the Service's loos with a concerned lorry driver encouraging me to get up and live!
What a way for a man of my calibre to go!!!!

Anyway, to cut a very long story short, I ended up in the Royal Derby Hospital, where I spent two nights, having blood tests and scans that revealed a pulmonary embolism and a couple of other non life threatening issues.

The reason for my collapse has been referred to as postural change and micturition, which to the uninitiated means sitting down too long in a car and then peeing. Apparently it is quite common amongst old gits like me and as a result I am now going to be a slow laner and stop for a walk around every hour on long journeys.

As I bruised my coccyx when I collapsed it has meant that sadly, lowering myself into the Morgan's cockpit was out of the question for what has been weeks.....but today I managed it!

Morecambe Bay and Heysham Nuclear Power Station in the distance on the right

The prospect of a lovely day today encouraged us to once again drive into the Trough of Bowland where we spent two or three hours on the Duke of Westminster's estate, with a very pleasant Sicilian White and other 'goodies'.

The open road beckons.

As you will notice in the photographs we were sitting by a small tributary of the River Wyre, the gorse was in bloom, Marsh Marigolds bordered the river and we spotted a Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail and a good number of Lapwings, supposedly an endangered species, but thankfully not here. Not a bad way to spend a few hours, but you know, it ain't Summer yet in the UK, especially in the north, there was still a sneaky breeze which was very noticeable when the sun disappeared behind a cloud and amazingly, we noticed that many of the trees were still only just in bud.

Coffee at our first stop.

Let's hope that the effects of 'El Nino' will not be too severe and we can enjoy many more sorties in the Morgan.

A very pleasant Sicilian White in a lovely spot.

Incidentally, another vehicle has joined the Morgan in the garage, a 2009 Volvo V70 2.4D SE LUX to replace our ageing 2002 V70 with 134000 on the clock. The new one has a lot to live up to though, but I must say that after 12 years, the acquisition of another car has been quite therapeutic.......

.......and another thing while I think about it!

All my readers know that I have been highly critical of 'Top Gear' and was hoping that I would enjoy 'The Classic Car Show' on Channel 5..... Well I don't!..... It is too precious by half, with presenters almost as annoying as those on 'Top Gear'. Who is interested in Jodie Kidd driving down Route 66 in a Camaro and Bruno Senna charging around the Mercedes Test Track at Brooklands etc.,etc.,etc. Obviously some people might be, but I am not.

I am interested in vintage and post vintage classics. Cars that ordinary people owned, expensive or otherwise, such as, Morris, Riley, Lagonda, MG, Morgan, Vauxhall, Ford, Bentley and Austin, plus other fascinating marques, a subject that could fill a TV series ten times over... why does it have to be all about speed and supercars?

God help us if Jodie Kidd fronts the proposed new 'Top Gear'!!!!!!