18th January 2007

We’ve spent the past few days trawling around what felt like every car dealership in the county. After much tyre-kicking and bonnet-lifting, Jamie has finally bagged himself a new set of wheels, thanks, rather conveniently, to our next-door neighbour! Ian, who works as a sales representative for the local Ford dealer, was kind enough to offer his wisdom when we stopped by his showroom for advice.

By sheer luck (or fate, depending on your beliefs), they had a Peugeot 106 on the forecourt, an ’02 plate with just 25,000 miles on the clock. Sadly, it was well outside Jamie’s modest savings. Enter Ian, stage left, who casually mentioned he could buy up to four cars a year at cost price and offered to do just that for Jamie. That generous gesture knocked a whopping £1,000 off the price, putting the little Peugeot just within budget. Jamie is now happily tootling about in it, much to everyone’s relief. Thank you, neighbour.

Of course, the insurance is extortionate (as is tradition for first-time drivers), so he’s paying for that in bite-sized monthly instalments; think of it as a financial rite of passage.

On the rugby front, my Colts side took on Worcester at an away fixture at the weekend and, although they put up a decent scrap, we narrowly lost in what was a very tight match. I suspect they were slightly starstruck by playing such a well-known club and didn’t quite bring their usual fire. Still, spirits weren’t too dampened; we commiserated with style well into the small hours. I emerged with a hangover so potent it may have registered on the Richter scale.

Sarah, meanwhile, has made us all proud by scoring an ‘A’ in her maths GCSE mock. To celebrate (or possibly recover), she’s off to Charlotte’s for the weekend for some much-needed teenage downtime.

Sue’s been feeling a bit under the weather all week, no doubt in protest at the relentless rain we’ve been having. As for me, I was rudely visited by the Winter Vomiting Virus. One night of utter misery later, I was forced to take a day off school (entirely justified, I assure you). I’m now back on my feet, though still eyeing anyone with a potential passing stomach bug with deep suspicion.