I am starting to think that chopper is, more or less, a male version of Charlie. Okay, chopper might be slightly less pretty than Charlie, but his zest for life reminds me very much of my old university friend – the share the same kind of spontaneity, and the feeling that, around them, you never quite know what is going to happen.

What happened yesterday is a case in point. I was just settling in to a slow, lazy Sunday afternoon at home – I’d even checked what time Time Team was on – when our doorbell rang. It was Chopper, and he had come to, as he puts it, ‘kidnap me’. He had a mind to go somewhere in his car, although at that moment he didn’t quite know where. Those are, of course, the best sort of trip, so off we went, convincing chopper’s wife Ange to come too – it’s always a good idea to take someone sensible, just in case..

We headed out of London, south into kent. It felt good to see the fields again, and the countryside down there is beautiful. The only downside to it was that Lyn was not there to enjoy it with me, but Chopper’s car is too small for all of us and our two wheelchairs. Besides, I knew that she would be perfectly happy doing her music in her studio, and that this was a bit of a Lad’s afternoon out. Mind you, I think she will definitely be coming next time.

We decided to head for the seaside. We went to a town Chopper knew, but which I have forgotten the name of, and headed for the amusement arcade. There I did something I had never done before, but something which I seriously want to do again: I drove a dodgem! Holy crap that thing was cool. I used to think that wheelchairs are fun to drive, but that was nothing compared to a dodgem car. As chopper helped me out of the car, I tried to say, in my best Will Smith impression ”I have GOT to get me one of these!’

We then headed down to the beach. I don’t think I had been on a beach since I went to Newquay with my university friends. Chopper suggested I take my shoes and socks off and go wading, so I did. I walked deeper and deeper into the breakers, only to suddenly fall on my arse and soak my back. Laughing his head off, Chopper got me up, and we decided to start heading home. It had been an amazing, if slightly random, day, and time was getting on anyway. I got home a bit drier, rather tired, covered in the kebab I’d tried to eat in the car, but, above all, dying to drive a dodgem car again.