Dragstalgia is a festival of historic Drag Racing which takes place at Santa Pod and has a mouthwatering lineup of traditional racing. It includes Fuel Altered, Wild Bunch, Outlaw Anglia as well as numerous vintage Nitro cars.
The first one was last year and somehow I missed it ... and so I was determined not to this year!
We booked weekend tickets with the plan to make a weekend of it but as the weekend got closer the forecast looked typically suspect. We'd already been to the pod three times this year and each one had been disrupted by the awful summer we're having.
A call to the Pod on the Friday morning confirmed we wouldn't be camping - they actually recommended NOT to camp with children! In truth Santa Pod hasn't recovered since Big Bang and with every shower the place floods again.
Still, we were prepared this time and with it being only 30ish miles from home we could easily make it as two day trips. Saturday had a poor forecast, but it was expected to clear in the afternoon. Perhaps we might even get some racing?
We arrived in rain. The dragstrip was being cleared but there were huge bow waves coming out the front of the tractor!
The next few hours were taken up with wandering about the pits and Alfie jumping in puddles.
But he was having fun so it was all good!
By early afternoon our friends Claire and Jody had arrived and so at least the downtime on the track gave us time to introduce and catch up. There was also Santa Pod's first ever beer festival! ... with FOUR beers. Rubbish!
By late afternoon the rain had passed and the track was dry. We found some seats in the grandstand and spent some time watching the racing. Alfie loved it, especially when the cars were being guided back to the startline after their burnout. He was mostly seen stood up with his hands in the air moving from 12 o clock to 3 or 9 o clock depending on where the Back Up Girl was indicating.
A shower late on in the day put an end to the action and it threatened the end of day Jet Car and Cacklefest. Thankfully things still went (roughly) to plan and we were treated to the sound of 15 drag cars all simultaneously fired up on the strip. It was immense!
Sunday was just perfect. The sun shone, we were in great company, and we had roaring V8's to watch all day! ... oh, and the little bar at the top of the bank opened. Newcastle Brown never tasted so good!
And Alfie got back onto Back Up duty!
Lunchtime came and we had a wander around the pits.
Before Alfie dragged Claire onto the trampolines!
The afternoon was spent just chilling on the bank watching the racing. Do Sundays get better? I think not!
Alfie couldn't get enough of it!
Here's a few other shots from the weekend, and the full album (of nearly 100 photos) is here. I took a load of video over the weekend which hopefully I might find 5 minute to edit and upload.
The quality of the cars and the racing was first class and one things for sure now - we won't be missing Dragstalgia 2013!
With Tash now working (and particularly because it's just a six month contract) we wanted to take the opportunity to continue with our aim at one day emigrating to New Zealand.
The whole process can be very long and drawn out, and one thing we realised over the past few months was that you really are on the back foot (in terms of looking for work from the UK) if you haven't got a Visa application at least in progress.
The first step is to submit an EOI (Expression of Interest) which you do online. This 'scores' you and is their system for deciding who to let in. 140 is the cut-off for 'guaranteed acceptance' and we knew we hit that mark.
So finally last night we got round to submitting our application. Its cost about £250-£275 but it does mean we've finally got the ball rolling down the 'proper' channel!
Very exciting ... now we just need to sit back and see if we get accepted!
The day Tash went back to work I noticed Esme seemed to want the toilet. But even with breakfast done she still had a clean nappy against her bum though.
Now we'd noticed some time before that she always seemed to poo when in her Bumbo, and with Alfie in the early stages of toilet training we had purchased a Bumbo toilet seat. It was really so we knew he was comfortable as he didn't seem very comfortable on plastic pottees ... although that might have been because he tends to try and sit on them sideways!
Anyway, knowing we had the Bumbo seat I stuck her on it. (she's gonna hate me for this photo in years to come!)
Its clearly obvious where this tale goes ... my six month old girl used the toilet. Amazed at her success I continued to put her on the pan after meals and its worked wonders! I can count the number of dirty nappies I've had to change in the past three weeks on one hand. She even wakes in the night (and wakes us) if she needs to go! Sure, her nappies are still wet, but considering this is a girl with the ability to shit up to her armpits I am over the flippin' moon about this development!
And Alfie? Sometimes he follows suit, he likes to join her on his pottee in the bathroom occasionally. Mostly he's still at the stage where he shouts "Dada, pooooooo!" whilst simultaneously launching his now removed dirty nappy down the hallway.
Whilst I''m on the topic of toilets and bums and such I did something quite accidental the other day that I had to photograph. At some point on the day of Tasha's first day of work both Esme and Alfie ended up wearing matching nappies. I'm dead against sticking kids in matching clothes but there was something about this that I found quite sweet.
This summer sees the 2012 Olympics being held in Britain, and in true 'must build up the hype' style the Olympic Torch is being carried all around the country to give the public a chance to catch a glimpse of this famous flame.
To be honest the whole thing is somewhat diluted in my eyes. The torches are bused around the country and there are hundreds of torches being used. I guess I think there should be just one torch which actually gets relayed all the way across Europe from Greece to then light the Olympic Flame when the games kicks off next month. Anyway ...
Last Sunday (8th) was the day the Olympic Torch went through Letchworth. Not ones to miss out on the opportunity for a thorough drenching we decided to head out into the British Summer (also known as monsoon season in more tropical climates) and see what all the fuss was about.
Knowing that the roads were all going to be closed off we opted to cycle across the greenways into Norton which was where the route for the day started. With the kids loaded into the trailer (and us loaded with waterproofs) we set off on our short cycle.
They may not like it but I bet they were glad we zipped up the front!
And amazingly we arrived with them both looking like they enjoyed the trip!
And then we waited ...
and waited...
And finally it arrived. Proceeded by so many buses and trucks and Hi-5'ing Policemen. I actually videoed the whole thing ... but had no idea the whole procession would take nearly TEN MINUTES!
With that done we headed home. The journey home seemed rather quiet and our suspicions were proved correct when we got back to FTC. Alfie just will not sleep until he is so tired he'll drop off in the most uncomfortable of positions!
It became quite clear early on in the month that I was going to struggle to blog and would therefore rely on a monthly roundup to summarise all our adventures. This came about largely because we've been pretty busy, but also because its been Euro 2012 and so every evening when I would think about blogging has been filled with a football extravaganza instead!
The month kicked off with a four day weekend to celebrate the Queens Jubilee. Tasha's parents and Ammie visited and to set the tone for the month it rained. There was a pageant along the Thames with all manner of handraulic and motorised boats making their way along the predetermined route. I'm sure there was a lovely atmosphere in London but I'm pretty happy that we were sat indoors eating roast chicken watching it on the telly box! Needless to say, Fred brought his camera although every shot seems to be of one child or the other so I'm kinda lacking atmospheric/family shots ... that said, they would only be of us sat around the TV or table so hardly edge of your seat stuff!
We had plans for the following day (which was Monday 4th) but they were quickly shelved when we realised how grumpy Alfie was! And so we made the decision to visit Shepreth Wildlife Park, a day out a little more focused on providing kiddie entertainment. To a degree it worked, and we had a lovely day out with the highlight definitely being the bats who were far more active than the last time we visited. Esme might disagree, I think her highlight was lunch!
The following weekend Bill and I managed to get a days fishing squeezed in. It was Bills birthday and we had hoped for a long chug out deep to try and bag us a Tope or two ... but the weather had other plans and we spend the days leading up to the trip watching wind speeds and just preying we'd be able to get out fishing!
Come the morning (an early start as usual) and the sea in Brightlingsea harbour was eerily still.
With the weather looking OK we decided to get a chug on. Not to go quite as far as we'd hope as we knew the winds were going to pick up, but we wanted to get deep enough to give us a chance of Rays and Smoothies.
It was hard graft when we got out there though, and even with a really proactive approach all we bagged was a single Whiting! With the winds picking up we decided to head back to get some shelter up the estuary and head to the much fancied 'bass spot'. Anchor down, we got some baits out and hoped our luck would change!
And how it changed! All I can say it that is simply 'went off'! We must have had 11 fish in just a few hours, the icing on the cake being us both finding ourselves with rods bent doubled!
Thinking back, I think that's the first time it's happened since we were about 17 and were fishing the small carp lake in Boreham!
A week later (Sunday 17th) was Esme's Baptism. And with it being pretty much 5 years since Tash and I got married we took the opportunity to renew our vows and have a bit of a knees up!
We'd booked the village hall in Ickleford, baked a whole load of cakes, organised some ladies to deck the place out, and so we put on a lovely afternoon tea to the backdrop of 50's tunes as recorded by ourselves of Radio Ichiban. It was absolutely lovely, and now my daughter won't be eaten alive by the devil. Unlike me.
Esme really did take centre stage, with her and little Anna having a right little conversation whilst all the other young-uns crowded round.
A massive thanks go out to Bill, Michi and Cat who are her Godparents. I know you will all be wonderful for her!
On the last Wednesday of the month Tash went back to work. After a few months of being unemployed she bagged a job working for Thomsons in Luton. Its a perfect location, just 12.5 miles from FTC and uses back roads that no-one else touches. When we knew she was getting the job I rode the journey on my bike, and then again a few days later in rush hour to see how it was. With her being keen on a bike for a while and now having secured a job within cycling distance we went out and bought a bike to celebrate. She's now the proud owner of a Trek Skye SL disc. Its an awesome bike, I just hope it has the gears to get her up the hills!
Funnily enough on the day Tash went back to work I already had plans. And that was for Bill to pop up so we could finish the car port! Mel very very very kindly stepped in and offered to look after the kids whilst Bill and I got cracking. A foolproof plan until we awake on the Wednesday morning to find Alfie with a really heavy cold and simply far from being himself. Mel was prepared to give it a go though and so I dosed him up and dropped him off along with Esme. I didn't think Bill and I would get too long to make progress but Alfie made it through to the afternoon which was long enough for Bill and I to get the remaining framework up, fixed in place, and joined to the back of the barn.
The next morning was my first full day with both Alfie and Esme on my own. Not something I was particularly worried about. Alfie was still under the weather and Esme isn't much bother. It all changed by mid morning though when a routine trip to the supermarket was abruptly halted by Alfie throwing up all over the inside of the Benz! It was a bit like that scene from Desperado, he threw up "everywhere except in the fucking glass!" And so it was that I was presented with my first real challenge as a professional Dad of two - how to get both a baby and a toddler covered head to toe in his own vomit out of the car and into the house...
On the whole it is going very smoothly though, although I find moments like this all too rare!
And so onto the last day of the month, Saturday 30th, and it was time for a road trip out to Wiltshire for Nathan and Rhianna's wedding. We left early, took a pit stop at London Colney to grab me a new suit jacket and trousers, and were still the first ones at the church!
It was another gorgeous day. Rhianna looked amazing, Welsh didn't scrub up too bad, and even Alfie stayed semi-clean until midday.
The ceremony was at a gorgeous little village church
and afterwards we all made the short trip round the corner for the reception.
It was a gorgeous venue that came complete with children's entertainment/death trap.
We found our table and had a lovely afternoon. There was even homemade Sloe Gin! - yay! Tash forgot to bring ours home though - boooo!
And of course, there was a cake to be cut!
As is often the way with these type of events Alfie, now fully fueled and recharged, decided it was his turn to be centre stage. He took a right shine to a little girl of maybe 6 or 7 years old and decided that a) he must hold her hand and b) he must lead her around at every opportunity. Poor girl, she was very good and patient with him though. The DJ kicked off and it was time for the first dance - something Alfie thought was for him. He belted across the room to grab the hand of this little girl and do his best to drag her onto the dance floor with him!
What else happened? Well it rained. Like all the time. The most rain in June since records began apparently. I am just hoping it all clears by the time the Gathering ticks around in August!
June was also the month where Esme's character really came bursting out of her. It is very clear that a) she likes her food, b) she can sure take care of herself and c) she definitely has her mothers temper!
And Alfie has really stepped up to the plate playing big brother. He has even been know to share toys, do things that he's been asked, and even say the word 'yes'!
Right, so what have I missed out from events at FTC last month?
Well it was a big push on the household D.I.Y front.
The development of the chooks learning to high jump out of their run and the torrential downpours highlighting failings with the old temporary chicken roof pushed me into some serious coop renovation.
And so the old roof was removed;
A new framework was built;
And the new roofing sheets were screwed down;
After then digging out the bog that had become their run I gave them a nice fresh coverage of bark to scratch about in. Don't they just look overjoyed!
With the chickens now safely tucked away I set about finishing the raised beds and getting the remainder of the gravel down - which I'm pleased to say is now pretty much finished, and we even have a picnic bench in place!
The other big development to FTC last month was the kids bedroom. It was decided that the spare room was to become the kids bedroom and Alfie's room the spare room.
This was the spare room, which had become something of a dumping ground. But that's the same for everyone, right?!
And so with the room emptied the underlay went down
And then the flooring, which Alfie absolutely loved ... as you can see.
And with the boy asleep in his new abode Tash built up the room for his awakening in the morning.
And whilst all that went on Esme largely focused on food. Weaning has begun, and instead of having her weight gain start to plateau it has continued to rise. My girls got proper rolls and creases!
It was only a matter of time until it happened. A stealth trip into Alfie's room in the depths of the night, I close the baby gate behind me on my way out only for me (in my not really awake state) to fail to realise the baby gate has not closed correctly.
Usually I would have placed money on Alfie having made straight for our room when he woke. But this is Alfie, and he rarely does as expected. And so this morning Tash and I awoke to hear the faint 'chink chink' of glass bottles downstairs. As Tash dozily wondered "can he get to any bottles in his room?" I was already off down the stairs to see what he was up to.
And what was I greeted with? Two (already) empty vokda bottles on the kitchen floor, Alfie sat on look-out with Harry under the stairs, and a kilo bag of caster sugar sat just outside their 'den'.
And it was then that I learnt;
PLUS
EQUALS
Its not often he starts his days with a shower, but today was one such day. And all before 7am.
It was many months ago that I spoke to Dawn and she said she'd really love for me to do the cake for Dale and her wedding ... but they didn't want cake, in keeping with the Mad Hatters Tea Party theme they wanted an array of biscuits and cookies.
So time passed, I had fleeting thoughts about what to do but kept coming back to the conclusion that macarons would be perfect for the occasion.
We were really busy in the build-up, and it wasn't until a few weeks before the wedding that I got to think about the finer details, and then the week before that we managed to do a few trial runs.
Oh yeah, and I'd never made macarons before! My first two attempts were complete failures ... not in the end result but in the fact Esme always needed attention and the macarons ended up being made by Tash! Although we were taking steps, we knew our piping nozzle was too small and the end results weren't quite as I was after.
And so it came to the week of the wedding. After discussions with Dawn we'd planned some choc chip shortbread and then a range of macarons. The plan was to design a range of macarons that tasted complely different to how they looked. And so as the wedding week kicked off we were facing making 200 macarons consisting of choc orange (dark choc shell and green ganache), rose (blue shell with white ganache), spiced (green shell and dark choc ganache) and finally a 'peanut butter and jelly' (white shell with pink decoration and peanut butter and jam filling).
With making 200 I quickly learnt how things should look and what I was searching for ... and I knew I wasn't happy. Everything on the net made them seem like some mystical baking challenge that can take years to perfect, and I even bought a wee book to help me!
I tried many things but I always felt my mixture was too thick and I ended up with too many 'nipples' on my shells. Plus the difficulty of learning what setting the oven needed to be at and precisely how long to bake for to ensure the perfect shell. There were just too many variable at this point!
Come Thursday night I did a load of reading on the net. I still wasn't happy and I felt my sugar content was too low and mixture too wet. I looked at loads of recipes and found a gem of information. It was recommended to use egg whites that were 24 hours old, or give them a quick blast in the microwave to slightly reduce the moisture in the egg whites. And so with a new technique and a new recipe I was confident all my problems would be solved. I was up at sparrows fart to hit the supermarket - and 40 eggs and endless amounts of ground almonds later I was ready to get going.
I'm pleased to say it worked an absolute treat and Tash and I spent the whole of Friday (the day before the wedding!) pretty much making all new macarons. There were some from previous days which were OK, but in general I was making them over again. With each batch they got better and better and I think the final peanut butter and jelly ones looked fantastic!
One thing I've learnt is that everyone has a different recipe and a different oven. You need to find a recipe that works for you and a setting/timing that works for your oven.
Step 1 - Stick your icing sugar and ground almonds into an electric mini grinder and give them a quick whazz.
Step 2 - get your egg whites in a suitable dish and nuke for 10sec at 50%
Step 3 - Get your electric whisk in action and go crazy on your egg whites until you call hold the bowl above your head and you don't end up wearing it. Or stiff peaks, stiff peaks is fine.
Step 4 - Add the caster sugar a third at a time until you have a really sweet glossy mixture.
Step 5 - this is where you add and any flavourings or colourings to your mixture
Step 6 - with a 10mm nozzle pipe your macarons onto a baking sheet loaded with some baking pacrchment. Shells want to be about 40mm in diameter
Step 7 - leave to form a slight 'crust'. Likely to be 30-60 mins. Basically you should be able to lightly touch the top and have no mixture picked up by your digit.
Step 8 - Get em into the oven - 11 minutes in your 150 degree preheated baking machine.
Step 9 - Take em out, let them cool a little, remove from baking sheet.
