New car for old

A really hot day today with the sun shining very brightly.    It was interesting to reflect that today would have been my 28^th wedding anniversary if I had remained married to my first wife.  It was also interesting to reflect just how my life has almost certainly changed since those days.   I attended the Men’s breakfast meeting at Alderbury Bowls Club this morning where Bev, Dave and Shaz as well as two of the residents came along to promote their Morning Star charity.  A really good presentation with the breakfast money all being donated to the charity which must have raised well over £100 for the charity – an excellent result.  After the breakfast I went home briefly, picked up Thom and drove over to Chippenham to swap cars.  The journey was not a good one as the A342 between Upavon and Devizes was closed and I had to divert towards Pewsey and Woodbridge to join the Marlborough to Devizes road.  We arrived at Chippenham Motors a good half an hour late.  After dealing with more paperwork and getting the garage to put some fuel in the car, Thom and I drove to McDonald’s for a later lunch before driving back to Winterslow via Seend – a route I have come to know so well.  I managed 57 m.p.g. despite not being used to driving a manual after fifteen years of driving automatic cars.  This was the best I’ve ever got out of the Mercedes so I am hoping for better on a long motorway run.  This afternoon Sara and Mary were involved in the Cheerleaders Fete in the village hall where they made a fundraising profit of about £1,300 and so can now buy the tumble track they are saving up for.  I am preaching at Porton tomorrow and so spent a couple of hours this evening writing my sermon.  Sara read it afterwards and apart form a couple of minor glitches seems fine for tomorrow.