The hardest part of this for me has been choosing my four dinner guests; there are so many people I'd love to meet/dine with/talk to. I so wanted to include Isambard Kingdom Brunel and a few others, but in the end I came down to four guests I thought would compliment each other so I could just sit back and enjoy the conversation.

My guests are:

Winston Churchill: Historian, Leader, Bon Viveur
Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni: Leader, Warrior, Ancient Briton
Leonardo Da Vinci: Artist, Historian, Inventor
Captain William Bligh: Leader, Master Mariner, Warrior

My menu is:

* Seared Scallops, panceta wrapped and served with a salsa verdi
* Rack of Lamb stuffed with cherries and served with garlic spinach and glazed carrots
* Steamed Ginger Pudding served with a chocolate sauce

My table setting? A very simple oak board, set with silver cutlery and pewter trenchers. Candles for table lighting, simple electric up lighters for ambiance. Wines to be served from Italian glass decanters and served in matching glasses.

My evening would easily win the competition thanks to the sparkling repartee between the guests, the stunning comestibles and the relaxed atmosphere. The wine would flow, as would the after dinner cognac... success is guaranteed!

Okay, okay, I give in... you're right of course, I couldn't wait to get out for a test-drive!

In fact I'd probably be somewhere John o'Groats now if it hadn't been for the fact I'd arranged to Mum out for lunch today... so, first person to have a ride a my new jam-jar wasn't me dear old Dutch, it was me dear old Mam...

For those interested in such things... this is what I'd been waiting so impatiently for:

Usky's nice new Volkswagen Jetta

Finally.... after 6 months of patiently waiting... what seemed almost like a pregnancy... my new car has arrived!

I feel a bit like dancing now... singing at the top of my voice... celebrating with a bottle of the bubbly stuff...

Sorry Happy, I know you have months to wait for the stork to visit you...

I've been chatting with Pompeycaulkhead recently about Portsmouth's Funnel Tower ; apparently the locals refer to this as The Lipstick.

Pompey's comments got me thinking and yes, from the right angle I can understand the logic of that completely. Sadly I didn't photograph the tower from the perfect angle to get the 'lipstick' effect, but I hope when you look at this picture you'll see the connection too.

The Lipstick
click for big

So okay, Portsmouth has lipstick on its waterfront... sort of.