Hello everybody peeps 
I was given the opportunity to take part in the big New Years Day parade in London today as part of a group of cars representing the Ace Cafe. I didn't actually realise just how big it was going to be until I read an article in a paper over the weekend that said last year there were half a million people lining the route! Oh, please car don't fail on me!
We gathered at 10 at the London Eye...
We moved across to where all the floats/bands/displays were got in order on the North side of the Thames at about 10.30 where we then watied for a while. And a while longer.
And then we waited some more.
Eventually at about 2pm we were finally underway...
Past the Houses of Paliament,
Up Whitehall,
Around Trafalger Square, up to Piccadilly Circus and then the wrong way down Piccadilly towards Green Park.
It was a pretty bizarre experience as I've cruised round central London a lot in the past but I've never been quite as much the focus of attention. Fortunatly the car survived though it got pretty hot as we kept stopping and starting and only went at a snails pace when moving. I also knew that if it stalled for any reason it would need cranking by hand (with a handle through the bumper that is) to get it going again as the dynamo wasn't really charging in any useful way. It saved my blushes!
I was given the opportunity to take part in the big New Years Day parade in London today as part of a group of cars representing the Ace Cafe. I didn't actually realise just how big it was going to be until I read an article in a paper over the weekend that said last year there were half a million people lining the route! Oh, please car don't fail on me!
We gathered at 10 at the London Eye...
We moved across to where all the floats/bands/displays were got in order on the North side of the Thames at about 10.30 where we then watied for a while. And a while longer.
And then we waited some more.
Eventually at about 2pm we were finally underway...
Past the Houses of Paliament,
Up Whitehall,
Around Trafalger Square, up to Piccadilly Circus and then the wrong way down Piccadilly towards Green Park.
It was a pretty bizarre experience as I've cruised round central London a lot in the past but I've never been quite as much the focus of attention. Fortunatly the car survived though it got pretty hot as we kept stopping and starting and only went at a snails pace when moving. I also knew that if it stalled for any reason it would need cranking by hand (with a handle through the bumper that is) to get it going again as the dynamo wasn't really charging in any useful way. It saved my blushes!
[*]
The whole route (about 2 miles) was lined with spectators and in some places half a dozen deep.
