February 2006

[Sweder]

Best of luck for tomorrow, Andy.
My good friends SP and Tim (Tom) did their level best to prepare me for Brighton in the traditional manner. I left the house last night full of steely resolve, determined to limit the damage to a couple of pints. I got home several hours later full of Guinness and mystery kebab meat. I suppose you could say I've measured my commitment to running and come up a few metres short; but there again, it's a lot more fun this way.

On a happier note my morning sojourn into town yielded a potential stylus source. Last year I inherited a marvelous old fashioned stereo from my Uncle Reg, complete with vinyl record deck. I'm scouring the nation to replace my forever lost collection of Stranglers LPs (particularly keen to find Black & White - my dubious claim to fame is my voice appears on the free EP that accompanied the first few thousand copies. One track, 'Tits', was recorded live at the Hope & Anchor, Islington, and my distinctive cry can be heard clearly amidst the 200 or so sweaty youths bouncing along to the track).

But this is putting the cart before the horse - what I really need is a new stylus. The existing item is, to quote the helpful chap in Octavia Records this morning, 'well and truly buggered'. He thinks he knows where I can score a replacement and has promised to reach out to his contacts.

This whole exercise could prove costly. As he scoured his dog-eared Stylus Library I gazed around the store, only to see a whole other room dedicated to classic vinyl. I shall return.

Anyway, the point of the post was to wish Andy (and all other racing forumites) a better weekend. May the wind stay at your back; it's certainly at mine this afternoon :o