[Mick O'Malley]

Yesterday's sortie in the A352 was to the Gloucester Goes Retro Festival. Last year, I was parked two or three cars back from the front, so this time I left home even earlier and secured pole position just before 0800. Within half an hour the street was filling up with a good selection of 50s vehicles.



I wore my 'gentleman racer' white boiler suit, shirt and tie, and cheesecutter cap again which nicely complement the car. The downside was that, after four months in shorts and T shirt, nine and a half hours in the blazing sun on my hind legs was something of an ordeal. Once again I was busy all day fielding queries and lifting small children in and out of the cockpit for photocalls - the driver's door now has more fingerprints than the central criminal register! I was flattered to be told a few times that mine was the car of the show: I redirected these people to my friend's Alfa Romeo engined Lenham, it's such a gem. A really good day out, apart from the heat prostration.

Regards, Mick