Triumph Motorcycles and a Guinness World Record - what more could you wish to hear in a single sentence?

The fact that it was raining didn't stop us from participating in our Triumph Dealer's attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest parade of Triumph motorcycles. Three hundred and sixty two motorcycles became "officially amazing" on the 19th July 2015. It was the weekend of my birthday and coincided with the Staffordshire Bike Show - so my birthday present was a weekend in the 'saddle' with my hubby and a day spent with my daughter and her boyfriend to add to the pleasure. We've known the folks at Staffs Triumph for years and wanted to support them - not that it was any hardship!

I was surprised by the strict guidelines which needed to be followed in order for the record to be legitimate. On no account could any bike stop - otherwise it couldn't be recognised as a parade. Also there could only be a certain gap between the riders - a tricky thing to manage when riding with hundreds of other bikes. We had to wait weeks and weeks before we knew that the parade had been successful and the record officially now belonged to Staffs Triumph.

After the official parade was completed (thank you to all the helpers and Staffordshire Triumph staff for all of your hard work in preparation and on the day) we parked up and spent a happy day walking around Staffs Bike Show. Because it was my birthday weekend it meant that I was unlimited in the amount of styrofoam coffees, nibbles and goodies in general. (Billy and I met at art college, by the refectory vending machine, and the relationship has continued to be built over the institution of multiple tea breaks - one bonus of working from home.) It was great to just wander around; browsing, chatting and bumping into old friends as we walked.

The only question hanging over the day is - why did it take us so long to get around to ordering our certificate?