[Donunder]

Well yesterday's Fish and Chip Festival at Brunswick Heads provided me with another killer drive home. The 2013 event was a scorcher but yesterday's drive home was ridiculous. Even leaving an hour or so earlier didn't help matters.

The 38C heat was bad enough but being caught in a walking pace traffic jam for kilometres along the notorious Eleanora stretch and then dropping down into the cauldron at Nerang where the temperature typically rises three or four degrees magnified the distress. Fortunately Craig and I dropped into Leigh's place at Coomera and demolished his Gatorade supply, and then it was slap on even more sunblock and get ready to face more heat on the way home to Brisbane.

On thankfully arriving home half an hour in the pool and two jugs of iced water helped restore some feeling of normality, but having been caught out twice now, in spite of a 4am start this year to try to avoid the oppressive conditions, next year I reckon I'll try to book a cabin in the caravan park, retire to the beer garden for the afternoon under the shade of that big ole tree and make the journey home in what passes for cool in Qld at this time of the year early next morning.

Having said all that however, the day--apart from the bloody awful heat-- was a great success. Having an early breakfast instead of lunch should have meant a pleasant earlier drive home but the weather put paid to that idea. I enjoyed the drive down in the company of Jeff Troy and Brad with Leigh in my passenger's seat (Craig was stranded in Byron Bay waiting for me to deliver his riding gear so he could ride his Ducati back --- long story!!!) and it was nice to see Brad's Pace car out on the road, looking and sounding very much the part. Thanks to the organisers for their hard work, and to Wazza who sprang a free brekky for all of us courtesy club funds. There was an impressive roll-up of cars and Peter and Ann Beehag had the biggest grins of the day with their soft top firmly affixed. Congrats to Fordy Troy and Wazza for collecting the silverware.

See you there next year.