Cars, food and relaxation – the ingredients for a wonderful weeked!

What a wonderful weekend. Truly wonderful.

This was always going to be one of those weekends where you got a lot done. I always find that when you have an earlyish start (despite the trials and tribulations of dragging your sorry body out of bed) you actually end up having really enjoyable days because so much fits in. Such was the case on Saturday, where we were out of bed and in Coventry for my DREADED THEORY TEST before we’d even hit 9am.

Of course, the DREADED THEORY TEST came with its own little story. As a girl who last time took the wrong piece of paper with her (it turns out you can’t take your test when all you’re proffering is an old Practical Test certificate that declares that you failed), there was bound to be some kind of drama. This time round it was even better!

There I was, 15 minutes early, walking up to the doors of the test centre. There were a good few youths outside, looking (I assumed) like all rough Coventry youths look. They were a bit rough around the edges, but it was pre-9am, and they had probably been out the night before drinking. They informed me the centre wasn’t open yet, so I joined the queue, and waited patiently for someone to come and let us all in. At 9.05, 5 minutes after my test was meant to start, I was let in. Up we traipsed, and into another queue.

This is where it first started getting odd. I was one of only two girls there, and the other girl looked like she could take any of the guys there down with little more than a flick knife and a scary (very scary) face. I was waiting in this queue, and it just didn’t seem right – they’d redecorated since I was last there, perhaps. And then, as the two (frankly terrifying) young men behind me started comparing their sentences, the penny finally dropped. I was in the probation and community service queue. Me, and all the other criminals.

The moment I realised, I was out of there, scurrying like a rat off a sinking ship – and up into the building next door. Where, incidentally, the theory test centre was – and a group of young people much cleaner and less threatening! Thankfully, despite being late (I was next door, queueing with criminals, please let me take me test!”), they let me take the test, and even more thankfully I passed. I don’t like to do it without drama!

Anyway, once that was all over, we enjoyed our first pub brekkie of the weekend (and a few cheeky goes on the It-Box, money-draining bane of my student years). Then came an afternoon in the White Horse, a lovely pub in Leamington, where myself and the other vintage stall-holders tried unsuccessfully to hawk our goods at the passersby. The fair has recently swapped organisers, and it was a bit disappointing to have pretty much no footfall – but the opportunity to people watch, sit with the boy and try on my own clothes meant it wasn’t an afternoon completely wasted. Still, the moment we could scurry (scurrying, again, and twice in one day!) away we did, hopping in the Jag for a jaunt in the early evening sunshine through the ever-beautiful Warwickshire countryside.

An old photo of me and the Jag from last year... it was the only one I could find!

There really is nothing like driving for driving’s sake like this – up hill (well, this is Leamington, up gentle slope at most) and down dale. We stopped at the lovely windmill on Windmill Hill for a breather (although bitter wind prevented be-skirted me from actually exiting the vehicle), and generally enjoyed the feeling of being gazed at in a beautiful vintage car by admiring passers-by. Such exhibitionists!

As for Sunday, we were up early to go tot he local Hot Rod meet, but the event was something of a wash out thanks to the freezing rain and generally miserable temperatures. Still, we wouldn’t be deterred, and after another cooked breakfast we nipped into Coventry to have a look around the Coventry Transport Museum. If you live in the area it’s well worth a visit, as it is free and stocked with interesting things - although I’m not sure I would have been happy to pay! As it happens, the local Jensen Owners Club were there too, taking up the (wet and highly photogenic!) car park outside with prime example after prime example of my very favourite car. I’ve been trying to persuade Andy to by one of these beauties for a while now, so it was great to be able to drag him round and remind him just why he needs one!

My favourite cars, all in a row!

Prime examples...

And a bit closer...

After perving over the cars and getting wet and windy, we warmed up again with desert in a local pub, The Leopard - which was delicious! What a great way to round up a wonderful and busy weekend!

Just desserts