Warm feeling

Drove to the National Restoration Show at Stoneleigh where the Jaguar was on display on the Practical Classics stand. Had a hell of a job driving between stands to get into position.

Decided to work on the car on the stand. Replaced the broken air intake actuator in front of an audience.

Driving home I experienced the heating system with full vacuum for the first time ever. It's amazing. The actuator can be opened and closed by degrees and the variable heat control has been restored. Fantastic.

Lucky find at Stoneleigh

Went to Jaguar Spares Day at Stoneleigh and found a new old-stock air intake actuator for just £7. Bargain.

Back in action

I have been using the Practical Classics MG Midget for the last few weeks, so the Jaguar has been neglected of late. Midget went to the NEC today, so the XJ is back in action.

Running repairs, but not to mine

Drove to the Beaulieu Autojumble in the rain. Jaguar on display at the Practical Classics stand. Gave it a good wash when I arrived. Many people recognised it and came to talk about it.

Bought a couple of spare headlight switches, which was a good thing because I burned out another on the way home on Sunday night. Terrible weather but a lot of fun with News Editor Nigel Boothman's Rover playing up. Fixed wipers with hawthorn twigs and finished just as the rain stopped.

Oil change

Changed oil at the workshop. Replaced the very tired-looking Millers Classic 20/50 semi-synthetic with more of the same. New filter, too, but had to re-use the O-ring because I couldn't pick it out of its seat.

It's not leaking and the car sounds much healthier.

Cop out

Used hire car for Goodwood Revival. Shame on me.

Near miss

Gave a talk at the local MG Owners Club meeting. Parking outside the pub, the handbrake cable gave way and the car rolled backwards into a main road, right in front of a new Mercedes, which missed it. Nobody hurt, just embarrassment. Blimey.

Started first time

Jaguar started first time after three weeks standing in lots of rain. Washed it and polished out all the streaks.

Home!

Car is where I left it. Phew.

Meanwhile...

Monterey, California. Drove a Ferrari 250 GTO - uncomfortable, noisy, smelly… and fabulous! Missing the XJ6, though. I think she would be appreciated here.

Hard-earned rest

Fly to San Francisco. Car to sit for three weeks.

Long rest coming

RS200 arrived for our trip to the Le Mans Classic. Looks like the Jaguar won't get to go overseas this year.

Classics on the moors - Heartbeat country

Up early with coffee and toast while I detail the car again. We got caught in showers coming up to Yorkshire yesterday. Meguiar's Quik Detailer Mist and Wipe is brilliant for this kind of job.

Arrived at Goathland station around noon for the North Yorkshire Moors Railway Vintage Vehicle weekend. Classic cars on display at each station along the beautiful preserved railway line. Spent an hour or so chatting with the very friendly, hospitable organisers before heading off to Grosmont.

Grosmont is where my dad was born and he worked on the railway in these parts, so it's a sentimental journey for me.

We left Grosmont for Egton Bridge then on to Rosedale, grounding the exhaust downpipe on a particularly savage moorland road that just catches out the suspension - slow down! Up the imposing Chimney Bank and on to Hutton-le-Hole.

The Jaguar is really running sweetly and only that irritating vibration at 65mph and the lack of overdrive to spoil things. She might even be up for the Le Mans Classic next weekend if we have to.

North again

Got up early to prepare the car for the trip north. Wash, towel dry, sprayed tyres and cleaned interior using Meguiar's car care products.

Replaced the speedo with a similar reconditioned item I'd picked up at a Jaguar Spares Day a couple of years ago for just £15.

I also rigged up my 240V inverter to run from the cigar lighter. I bought the inverter online for about £35 and it's perfect for powering the mains adaptor for my laptop computer. This allows the kids to watch a DVD (Stitch! - The Movie) while Laura and I listen to Jonathan Ross.

New speedo and odometer work perfectly. Heading north on the A1 we hit queues at the roadworks near Newark but the temperature gauge held steady, despite the fact that the viscous coupling on the fan still hasn't been replaced.

New blood

Practical Classics's deputy editor Ben Field and I drove out to the Practical Classics workshop to change the oil.

Rolled the Austin Devon project car off the ramp and stuck the Jaguar in the air. Dumped the hot oil and removed the filter housing. Cleaned up the housing and inserted the new filter bought at Beaulieu in May. It wasn't possible to fill the housing with oil due to its horizontal mounting and slow -turn bolt securing. Left the rubber seal in place because it was hard to get at. I've kept the new one in case it starts leaking.

Poured in 8.25litres of lovely golden Millers Classic 20/50 semi-synthetic oil. Ben removed the coil/distributor lead and I cranked the engine to get oil moving again. Dipstick level perfect.

Started the engine and watched for the oil warning light to go out. Pressure gauge needle rose steadily. Engine sounds much quieter.

Rattly engine

Drove the kids to swimming lessons and thought how rattly the engine sounded. Back at home I added about a litre of water to the header tank and filled the overflow tank halfway. Is that core plug leaking again? No sign of it.

Oil level is good, but it's very black.

Overdrive's out

Put car on axle stands to check the overdrive. The switch is OK and so is the feed through to the solenoid, so that's where the problem is – the electrical actuator at the back of the gearbox. The wiring gets warm when the power is fed to the solenoid, so I've disconnected at the unit and the switch on the gearstick.

Don't miss the odometer!

Going to meet friends at the Birmingham branch of the Classic Car Club. They're heading north in a beautiful Mercedes 350SL for a few days. I'm going to see them off and chat with the CCC guys who often help us at the magazine.

Nice gentle drive but overdrive has stopped working again. May be the faulty switch. Must check it out.

On the way home on the M6 the odometer rolled over to 00000 again. That's 200,000 recorded miles with one engine rebuild around 170,000.

Road being straight and traffic being light, I grabbed a snapshot of the speedo, only to discover the odometer had stopped at 00000! Even a significant mileage reading can make something go wrong!

Need air!

Family business attended to (Mum's out of hospital), I must head south. But not before a quick visit to Ikea in Leeds for some shelf brackets, oh and another half dozen conversations with talkative Yorkshiremen who seem to live life a little more slowly than I'm used to and will chat about the Jaguar for ages.

The ventilation has packed up and it's still hot and sunny. I fix the vacuum-driven vent flap in the Ikea car park and make a mental note to throw some Swarfega in the boot with the water and old towels.

The M621 swings past the football ground at Elland Road and it almost feels like a relief to see that it's still there. After the drama and crises of last season it felt like Leeds United had been obliterated rather than merely relegated. Make a mental note that Ikea is just two minutes from the stadium. Women can happily while away the duration of a game in Ikea, can't they?

It's been a 350-mile weekend and the Jaguar has performed beautifully.

Soul food

I've always had a thing about the longest day, and try to do something special.

Put two hours of Emap-related work in before leaving Barton-le-Street at 11am. Warm and sunny. I recently bought the boxed set of Steely Dan's best-known tunes and I've saved that for today too.

First stop, Huttons Ambo and the 'swing bridge' my dad took me to when I was small. The footbridge over the River Derwent is little more than steel cable and railway sleepers and swings dramatically when you cross.

Next, Kirkham Priory. My mum was born in one of the railway cottages and I used to swim in the river and totter across the fast-flowing weir as a kid. Really beautiful.

Then I headed up through Westow and Leavening and on to Thixendale. I was surprised how many memories were associated with old-girlfriends. It's a mark of my age that I'm only now appreciating the drive through this scenery for the uplifting experience that it truly is. Back in my teens I was obviously too randy to notice. Was that all I used to do?

No. I used to ride motorcycles around Burdale Quarry. After hiking to the mouth of the old abandoned railway tunnel, I climbed up into the quarry itself. It's 25 years since I used to ride a 250cc Ossa around that quarry, but I remembered every climb, jump, turn and dip as if it was yesterday.

My route of reminiscence took me to Fridaythorpe, Millington, Huggate, North Dalton and Middleton-on-the-Wolds. Shocking memories of a mis-spent youth bring a smile at every turn. This kind of trip is really good for the soul.