David, Vicky and Howard: May 2017

Wednesday, 31 May 2017

Narrow boats, Worcester: Wednesday, 31st May, 2017.

We've had some fantastic weather recently but now it's Post-May Bank Holiday

there's 2 things that tell us that the summer's almost here.

Narrow boats on the river and….um…..warm rain.

Lovely.

Friday, 19 May 2017

Croome Park walk: Thursday, 18th May, 2017.

Went for a walk around Croome Park with Roger in the morning.

Last time we did this the sun wasn't shining so it was nice to get

some photos of the park under some blue sky this time.

Very warm, very humid and very 'hay-fevery'.

Spot the heron.

Roger is on gate opening duties today.

Ah-tish-hoo!

The Malvern Hills to the south-west.

According to Fit Bit the walk we did around the park (there are several different ones) was 3.5 miles.

In total I (David) did 19,345 steps, 9.30 miles, and ten stairs over the course of the whole day.

Sunday, 14 May 2017

Blancpain GT Series: Silverstone, Saturday, 13th May, 2017.

10:45-ish.

Arrived at the circuit at 10:30 and we need a cup of tea but there are no outlets at Luffield.

The Blancpain GT's are on track to take our minds off our thirst.

11:00-ish.

Vicky is overwhelmed with relief that we have found a drinks outlet behind the grandstand at Woodcote. We were getting worried there for a moment.

Now we have something to wash down our cold buttered toast (you should try it).

11:20-ish.

Feeling much revived we continue on our trek to The Paddock and take photos of GT3's hurtling down the National Pits Straight as we do so.

11:45-ish.

After a cuppa tea at Copse we head for the Blancpain GT Sports Club paddock area where the likes of Howard Blank (USA) are preparing to do battle in the first race of the day.

Young Renault 2.0 Eurocup driver (we'll find out who he is one day) causes much mirth for both his team and onlookers as he manages to stall a paddock buggy and then takes ages to get it going again.

Mind yer 'ead son.

Christoph Ulrich (CHE) is squeezed into his Ferrari 458.

This one's got teeth!

Extra points if you can spot Vicky in the background taking a photo.

With all the GT Sports Club cars now on track we have a quick shifty around

the Renault 2.0 Eurocup paddock.

This is Daniel Ticktum with his Arden Racing Team car.

Henrique Chaves (POR) and that Ray Steknition-fella.

Robert Shwartzman (RUS) is one year older than the last time we saw him and he still looks too young to be a racing driver in our opinion and, obviously, that's the only opinion wot counts!

Howard wingin' it.

Americans love their basketball and Neil Verhagen is no exception it would seem.

12:10-ish.

The Blancpain Sports Club race is about to start and we need to get to Copse.

Vicky gets into taking arty jaunty-angled photos of stacked tables instead.

12:15-ish.

Young Aussie-fella, Zane Goddard, has come over to Copse to check whether the track is still damp after the drizzle that fell earlier and gets trapped in a conversation with an olde-fella about his past career back home before he came to our sceptred isle.

We ask him what it is like to take the Beckett's complex in a Renault 2.0 and he says he drops it down two gears and takes it flat out in 5th.

Hmmm, so Renault 2.0's have 7 gears. Didn't know that.

Learn summat every day, talking to people.

We wish him good luck for the future and then realise we have had such a good chat with him that we have forgotten to take any photos of the GT Club-thingy race. Oh well.

Off to The Paddock Cafe now for some lunch.

Pasty and chips for David.

Baked potato with tuna and salad for Vicky.

12:30.

Time to queue up for The Pit Lane Walk.

12:50-ish.

Hands on.

But who is it under the Audi GT3 and what's he/she doing under there?

13:10-ish.

A happy pit lane walker on a Pit Lane Walk.

Audi technician.

Dreadlocked Pit Lane Marshal.

Or is it simply extensions of her woollen hat?

BMW Technician in the garage…...

……..and in a team conga walk on the way to get some grub.

13:45-ish.

The Pit Lane Walk is over and after another cuppa tea we go back to the Renault 2.0 paddock to get photos of drivers getting into cars but, whoops, we are already too late.

So, instead, we marvel at the names of the drivers, like this one………

…………and, indeed, this one.

14:10-ish.

The Renault Eurocup race is on and this is the winner - Will Palmer exiting Aintree.

14:30-ish.

Heading towards the Lamborghini Trofeo Paddock now but someone

needs to stretch out her spine, evidently.

14:45-ish.

The eye of a storm - the Lambo Huracan powerplant.

Ferrari fan slowly being won over by The Huracan?

Surely not.

Spartan Lambo interior.

Typical Silverstone sky.

The threat of rain is always somewhere around but it rarely amounts to much.

15:00-ish.

About to leave the paddock.

Watch yer toes!

These cars have absolutely no turning circle.

Then off to the Paddock Cafe once again for tea and choc 'n' nuts.

Snickers for David and a peanut protein bar for Vic.

15:45-ish.

Two Koenigsegg please.

One each, after we've won The Lottery

(it's only a matter of time as long as we actually remember to purchase a ticket).

Nice McLaren rear end.

16:15-ish.

Blancpain cars are on the track now for their qualifying session.

This is the fastest car:

The Kaspersky Motorsport Ferrari 488 GT3 on The Wellington Straight.

16:30.

Back in the car park with tired and sore feet after all our walking and Vicky changes into her driving shoes for when she takes over at Warwick Services.

Fit Bit stats:

David -

13,671 steps.

6.45 miles.

14 stairs.

Vicky -

15k steps.

6.2 miles.

121 active minutes.