My first car

AYR 462B. The only number plate I can remember from all my previous cars was the first. A red Triumph Herald Convertible, very similar to the photo above, except mine had black seats.

I passed my driving test at the third attempt in 1966. The BSM centre in Chiswick did not seem to provide the same instructor for each lesson. The same year my grandmother died and left £2o0 to each of her grandchildren when they reached 21 years old. I was the only one old enough at the time to receive the inheritance. This helped me to buy my first car.

I had thought about a new Mini or Hillman Imp, but on the forecourt of a nearby garage, I found a two year old Triumph Herald, and with only 6,000 miles on the clock. I was nervous that the clock may have been wound back ( as that was not unusual in those days) but the dealer said they hadn't and suggested that I contact the previous owner and gave me their details. It turned out to have been the wife's car and "she had been no further than London Airport". I guess the unworn tyres and immaculate engine were a giveaway.

So I became the proud owner of a very nearly new, highly desirable convertible. AYR462B.

131 Songs - Number 32

Number 32 - Virginia Plain by Roxy Music

There was one band that Mick and Terry (see Number 31) did encourage me to listen to and that was Roxy Music. If there is one record that reminds me of the early 70's in Peterborough it is this. Brian Ferry was fortunate ( or very clever) with his choices for the original line up. Andy Mackay, Brian Eno, Phil Manzarena and Paul Thomson made the instrumental backing what it was. Absolutely brilliant. And my first concert for years took us to see them when they visited the town around 1975. By this time Brian Eno had left, so I missed Roxy at it's best.

131 Songs - Number 31

Number 31 - Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd

Well, after the last song, I thought I might as well do this one with the same title. And also something similar with the two bands, the decline of original band members Peter Green and Syd Barrett. And this time it took me until 2001 before I appreciated their music, although it has to be said, not all. So I missed their hey day, again in the 1970's. (What a lot I missed in that decade - although I still don't get the bands that my colleagues in Peterborough, Mick and Terry, used to follow. Led Zeppelin and Yes are beyond my understanding).

It is Pink Floyd's 1975 album, of the same name as the chosen song ,that I really like. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" was very nearly my choice, especially being the homage to Syd Barrett. And "Another Brick In The Wall" still moves me.

131 Songs - Number 30

Number 30 - Wish You Were Here by Fleetwood Mac

I was a latecomer to Fleetwood Mac, in fact I cannot remember listening to "Rumours" until the mid 1980's. But once I heard it, I was as captivated as those who choose it as the best album of all time. And so I ended up with most of their back catalogue. I could easily have chosen Peter Green's "Man of the World" from their early recordings, but my favourite member of the group was always Christine McVie. And I have to get past any number of albums from the 1970's until we reach "Mirage" from 1982. The last track features this wonderful Christine composition.

131 Songs - Number 29

Number 29 - Hotel California by The Eagles

I didn't buy many LP's in the 1970's, so the ones I did have were played over and over again, mostly using my headphones. Some Elton John, Roxy Music and ELO and that was about it. There were some classic albums I missed out on, but I caught up with them years later, as later songs in this series will testify.

This album reminds me of Peterborough, the parties and bbq's in the back garden. The drive to work was seven minutes, so I was able to get home at lunchtime. My first job as a Senior QS and early promotion to Area QS as one major contract turned quickly into four. Playing squash after work (not very well) and on the ladder at the club.

There are other tracks on the album which I probably prefer: "The Last Resort" and "Wasted Time" come to mind. But "Hotel California" does have that iconic and unsurpassed guitar solo. And were we not fortunate to have LP's. The covers on a CD cannot compare with a 12 inch picture.

131 Songs - Number 28

Number 28 - Before the Deluge by Jackson Browne

I only really became aware of Jackson Browne in 1986 when "In the Shape of a Heart" from his album "Lives in the Balance" was played on the radio. So I bought the LP and some of his earlier work, and the same year I went to see him at The Hammersmith Apollo. It was the best of all his concerts including those at The Royal Albert Hall in 1996, 2003 and 2009, the last where I took the above photo.

I now have all his 13 studio albums on CD or vinyl, and I could have picked any number of his songs. I could not decide from "For a Dancer" and "Late for the Sky" having once thought that his (co-written) version of "Take It Easy" was a shoe-in. And then there is many people favourite "The Pretender". And although it did not make it onto the "best of" compilation, I have always had a soft spot for "Before the Deluge".

The new beds planted

The weather last week was glorious and very mild, especially after what has seemed a long cold winter. Temperatures even reached 17C on Thursday. So it was time to start planting the new beds. I had about 15 perennials that I had bought in the Wyvale sale in the autumn, a couple from the Tatton Park flower show and some other pots of cuttings taken from the garden.

The old borders at the back had to weeded and the existing shrubs fed and mulched. Finally my edging tool came out to trim the edges to the new beds. The Alium bulbs I planted in the autumn are sprouting nicely, but it will some time before the perennials start to grow. And there is still room for a lot more plants, so it does look a little bare at the moment. We shall see what it looks like in the summer.