June 14, 1981... a momentous occassion, or so some might say. Others, on the other hand, would just shake their heads and chuckle in that faintly condescending way that so infuriates most of us.

Yes. I'm now 28. Yay. Can you tell I'm positively glowing with enthusiasm about this milestone?

Anyway, enough of that, I don't do journals that often for just this reason. They're never very interesting. *Insert ironic chuckle here*

So, what's going on then? Well, Monty and I survived the London to Brighton, with nothing more than a minor oil leak and a collapsed rear suspension cone to show for it. Despite driving 400 miles on zero hours sleep through torrential rain, good times were had by all. Himley Hall had a seperate Concourse area this year... so we didn't place, but we did get a few moments on national TV! *Grins*

Oh and it was Monty's official 21st Birthday on June 15th too - that being the official release date of the Designer, if you're wondering. His actual birthday is August 8th. The Mary Q Crew, my newly formed Designer Owner's Club, is planning a celebratory convoy around London ending at the Quant shop to mark the occassion. Following that, we're going to be doing our first club display at International Mini Meet 2009 to celebrate the Mini's Golden Anniversary in August.

Didn't manage to get many pictures of the events we were at after all as I was too busy driving! Maybe we'll have some to show from Cannon Hill and possibly even a new shiny!

Well, didn't I say Monty and I were up for a bumper year on the show circuit? *Grins*

Tomorrow sees us at Himley Hall in Dudley (about 45mins across town from home), taking a priveledged position on the British Mini Owner's Club 'Limited Editions Only' display stand...in the running for another trophy most likely.

And next week, we're doing the BIGGY. London to Brighton 2009!

The London to Brighton Run is one of the major events of the show year and sees a convoy of around 2500 Minis gracing the roads between London and Brighton sea-front in one of the largest single-marque convoys in the country. The National Press (TV, Papers, Magazines) are going to be all over the parade...

That's not all though, Monty has been selected to represent his year (1988) in The First 51! Now, The First 51 are the parade leaders, leaving London first ahead of the other 2000+ cars. Each car is a perfect example from its year...and there's a car for every year of production since 1959!

Let me tell you, THAT is a MASSIVE feather in my cap! Out of all the cars entered, Monty is the best for his year! Quite an accolade!

The added bonus is that when we reach Brighton, we'll be on our own special First 51 stand, taking an even more important place than all the show and shine displays put together!

Photo diary to follow, of course! *Grins*