A strange one. Shortly after Sunday mornings postings went up I reached some kind of breaking point... for the first time since I moved up here, I really felt that lack of a local support network and reached a point that I suppose combined isolation with stress, fatigue and a few other kinds of negativity. I was screwed, breaking point was reached, I could go no futher. I had to do something, but there was no steps I could take, or could face taking, and I was bouncing off the walls, so I reached for the phone.

Now, I don't believe there's any kind of world plan going on here, or anybody big looking out for me, but the random text that I fired of the "if I don't get out of here within minutes I'm going to go apeshit" variety, went to Biro Jules up the road in Hull for no reason in particular other than she knows me ,why I'm stressing, and I've not bent her ear to boredom on it. Expecting nothing in return; bugger me backwards if she didn't text me back within a minute with a solution kicking off in half an hour. Flying display at her works, free available ticket; folks who know me from other places will know I like me hairyplanes...

So, grabbed a camera already fitted with a 300mm telephoto, and my 500mm lens to boot; jumped in the Mirthmobile and headed for the Humber bridge. Ten miles up the road, the car begins to lack acceleration, the temperature guage goes through the roof, a layby is sought and "the man who can" is called. At this point I'm convinced the oil system's gone kablooey so call in the bad news, but Jules says that the flying doesn't start til 4 after all - this is good news, even if the car is dead, I can get a tow home, leap on the bike and not worry about the enormous repair bill until Monday. Roadside assistance arrives in very good time, and to my great suprise it turns out to be a simple roadside fix... coolant problem, expansion tank isn't doing what it should. A quick fix, a quick test and the funbuggy is back on track again. Updated ETA texted, and off we go again.

Arrived on the Northbank, rapidly discovered that my lens selection was not entirely appropriate and spent the rest of the day trying to take pictures with a 100-300mm zoom that would have done better with a 28mm wide angle. Also inappropriate was my choice of clothing; balmy indian summer sort of hot day, the rest of the world is in shorts and TShirt, me? Army surplus trousers, black shirt and big boots. Hey ho. Met up with Jules and her fella, can't believe I'm the first of t'net to actually meet him in the flesh. Smashing bloke, they go ever so well together. Got a good feeling about him... I normally go with my gut instinct on people nowadays. If I don't like a person for a reason I can't quite place, they generally turn out to be shits six months later. This one's a good'n and they go together smashingly, dead chuffed for her 'coz she's a lovely lass who deserves some funky luvvin' goodness. Had a very nice stroll around the airfield site having a butchers at what goes on; it's the site of the former Blackburn Aircraft factory and they're very on the ball historically so they've got things like a 1932 B.2 biplane in running order, as well as building the replica aeronautical insanity from the turn of the century that Branson was mad enough to strap his arse to; plus a beautiful big Buccaneer on the gate.

Good flying display if you like Hawks... as it happens I do. Firstly the RAF's display bird for the season with the special paint job turned up and did his throwing about of aeroplanes thing rather nicely. Then the Arrow's turned up. Always impressed by the way their commentator times his speech to their arrival by the second. This years display is as good as I've seen, in (eeeeek) years of going to airshows; I've rattled off more film on them than I care to mention, but it's all digital these days so I can muck about and experiment a bit more, and I did with good results. Might post a few if I can work how how it goes.

Anyways up, to conclude... took Jules and #02 son back to her pad in the funbuggy, to be met by her chap who'd also just arrived, drank copious amounts of tea and took pictures of her pussy. That's the cat. Four legged domestic feline. Mucky reader, wash your mind out.

As I was on the north bank, decided to take a stroll along to Spurn Point to take sunset piccies on the bird reserve. As it happened, couldn't find my way there, so I went to some other marshy area of nothingness and did it anyway, then went home to look at a map to discover where I went wrong. I'll go again later in the week. Got home to a phone call from a lass I know down south, who is in over her head with bloke problems and needed to yak. Made a nice change from my own problems I guess, and I'm very good at sorting out other peoples for them. Two hours seems excessive though and I must confess by the end of it I was almost ready to take a contract out on the bloke just to make it go away.

Anyways up, that's the end of one of the weirder and less predictable days since records began, saved from being a pit of hell by really good people. Massive hugs due to Jules, one of lifes truly good eggs - a bloody lifesaver this time x x x.