Big Splash 2009

I was supposed to go to this last year, but for some reason I missed out. Nearly managed to go 0 for 2 this year as well, but luckily I was alerted after it got a bit of coverage on the Friday evening news.

Basically, there's a short ramp on the bank of the River Spey in Aviemore, and folks take turns going off the ramp and into the water, by bike, skis, snowboard, shopping trolley, whatever. Competitors (or "idiots", as they're referred to by the organisers) are then marked for acrobatics, splash-size, audience reaction, etc etc. It's not exactly the superbowl, which is probably why it appeals to me.

It was my first big trip since my car returned to rude health in July, and I got a respectable 69.2 mpg for the 350 miles. Not quite as economical as I was hoping for, but there's probably enough room for improvement that I'll one day get 70+ for a tankful. And it certainly makes it easier to save up for camera goodies; a quick bit of maths-on-a-napkin suggests my old Escort would have cost me £65 more in fuel for the 1500 miles I did this month. Hence why I'll be imminently reporting on some new gadgetry for my camera, woo-hoo!