323.
Well then. Today didn't go quite as planned. In fact it was an adventure, a very expensive adventure that I could quite do without. Let me explain as calmly as I possibly can. I met up with Gavin for a coffee. Rather than sit bumping our gums in the comfort of the Tesco cafe, I suggested that we take advantage of the fact that I had the car to go somewhere photogenic. You see, I've had my new camera for a few days now, and I haven't had a chance to give it a good workout. So, full of joy, we squeezed Gavin's bike into the back and set off in the general direction of Auchterhouse. The weather closed in on us, so our photo opportunities were severely restricted. It didn't help matters when we discovered that the main road to Newtyle was closed, forcing us to double back on ourselves and reconsider our options. We decided to head to Blairgowrie, and were moving in that direction when we noticed that there was a great deal of rain and mist ahead of us. We passed Pitcur Castle, when I, as driver, unilaterally decided to turn down towards the Ballo Glack, Abernyte and on towards Inchture in the Carse of Gowrie. The last time I was at the Ballo Glack, the warm sun was shining (well, it was July). This time, it was misty and wet. Still, bad weather doesn't make a place any less interesting - just colder, darker and wetter. It was not the best choice, and, combined with my inability to stand up straight without leaning on a walking stick, I never really gave myself a chance. I hardly took any photos, and of these only one turned out reasonably well. So, wet and dejected, we got back into the car and carried on our way. As we joined the dual carriageway at Inchture, the engine suddenly died. The car coasted to a halt in a bus-stop layby, and refused to restart. Luckily, Gavin had his mobile with him, so I called home and got Linda to call our trusty mechanic, Deke. Despite being busy, Deke eventually rescued us, immediately diagnosed the problem (broken timing belt) and towed us back to his garage (and that was a scary experience that I am in no rush to repeat) before hitting me with the bad news (no car for a week, and big bill at the end of it). Long and short: miserable weather, no nice photos and a broken-down car. I wouldn't blame Gavin for never coming out to take photos with me ever again. Hell, I wouldn't go out with me!