The sun was out, and whilst a chilly nip remained in the air, the weather offered an ideal opportunity to take my car for the first run this year.

Having not started the car for over 5 months, I was expecting a bit of a tussle! I pulled the choke out to maximum, made sure that I didn't touch the throttle and twisted the key. Seven seconds later the engine caught and the beast roared into life and as usual, after a long lay off, fumes belched from the tail pipe in an effort to hasten 'global warming'. There was a moment when I thought that the Environmental Agency would come and arrest me, but as the engine warmed the air cleared and everything returned to normal.

Georgie donned her head scarf, gloves and coat and hopped into the car whilst I was already togged up in my flying jacket and baseball hat. Off we set towards Beachy head and Birling Gap. It wasn't long before we had our first wave from an appreciative passing car which is one of the pleasures of owning such an iconic car.

Whilst we only intended to drive around Beachy Head, we were enjoying ourselves so much that the route was extended to Seaford, then over to Beddingham and then back to Eastbourne via the A27. In most part the journey was not a scenic route but I wanted to avoid any wet puddles and dirty roads! Nevertheless, when we got home we still had a smile on our faces!

End Mileage 85,398 (36 miles)