CHECK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WRECK YOURSELF!

There's nothing more humbling than having dental work done. Think about it: you could be the most achingly cool person in the world, always stylish, oozing effortless charisma, permanently well-presented and graceful, yet at some point in life you'll find yourself in a dentist chair, with your saliva stringing from your mouth. Your plaque flying everywhere, and drool running down your cheek into your ear. It's not a good look and there's nothing you can do about it. It was back down to earth with a bump for me after my fancy five-star DJ gig feeling like a rock star, after losing a filling while chewing on a vegan protein bar which I’d requested on my rider, while in my dressing room.

Clearly I needed to ‘check myself’ as that sounds like the most unhumble scenario ever, yet it was completely true! And nothing keeps you grounded like having several numbing injections in your mouth, then having to go about your day with a droopy face, drooling away while you wait for it to wear off. They said it would last about two hours, but I was still dribbling after 7! Of course I had to bump into that handsome local personal trainer I have a massive crush on while in this state, darting across the car park at the back.

Determined to power on with my day, I went straight to the Pilates class I was booked on to. You know it's bad when the instructor says “Are you sure you want to be here?” while I'm about to start planking. I'd like to say breaking my femur has toughened me up, but in actual fact I now can't tolerate any pain! I'm done with it. Having used up my lifetime supply of balls. So yes, I cried at the dentist and a Pilates burn is the maximum of my threshold. To continue keeping it real, I went to check out the new Lidl and managed to drop a punnet of blueberries which ricocheted EVERYWHERE down aisle 2. Then attempted to sip an ice coffee through a straw and that didn't go so well either.

Dental disasters aside, once patched up it was full steam ahead to the next race weekend, next presenter gig and my first flight since surgery... that was after being a passenger on a super car breakfast drive, where we set off at 5:00 AM in a Ferrari F12 to rip through the Derbyshire dales at sunrise, in a massive convoy to fried egg baps at the end. Suddenly I was back to rockstar life! Then humbled once again by my Vauxhall Corsa hire car to drive to Snetterton, while Pedro (who needs a service) rests.

I also need a service as I'm due my follow up with the hormone doctor and Endocrinologist. Yes, that is as expensive as it sounds! But the good news is I finally heard back from my GP about the blood tests. They're willing to do them on the NHS, after reading the bizarre list of tests I require as proposed by the endocrinologist. As I've said before, no one can work out what's wrong with me or how my bones and hormones got THIS bad, but they're now thinking it's all to do with my pituitary gland... if it's not and we end up back at square one, I'll seriously start to consider whether I'm an actual alien and should submit myself for some kind of paranormal research. There are times when I do feel superhuman though! The fact my bones have knitted back together and when I’m pressing 20kg one-legged  on the leg press, with physio Jeff. Or when I’m on the reformer at Pilates doing some mad moves! When I suddenly realise my leg is bending ever so slightly more when I climb into bed, moving less like an OAP. I still forget sometimes and try and do things that my body can't yet do, only to be abruptly reminded when it just won't go there. I liken this to driving the hire car and momentarily forgetting it isn't a Porsche, when flying into a roundabout at 55mph. I did this several times on my way to Snetterton, but eased off when I saw a horrific amount of roadkill. Dead Badgers, baby deer, birds and everything in between. That was a bit traumatic. Even more than driving a Corsa.

We're whizzing through the season and I can't believe we've done 3 rounds of touring cars already! I was out of the skort and back to the pleather pants for this round as the weather was NOT kind!

Thunderstorms to be exact, which added a sense of peril to the day while we stood there in full-on thunder and lightning, holding metal poles, waiting to go out onto the grid. Shout out to our new driver Bobby Thompson who made an incredible WSR debut in his sensational lilac BMW livery! (Think purple heart emoji)

I managed not to get electrocuted by lightning, run over any wildlife and even wore my strappy heels for a race one although soon realised they were a few millimetres too high for my problematic knee to handle. Another moment where my body says NOPE! Not quite ready yet! I've got two more missions to accomplish this week before the big current goal I’d set my sights on: flying to New York for my birthday and cycling round Central Park! First stop though was a day's filming for Kia with the new Picanto! Delightfully this presenter job saw me travelling to a studio up north- not down south for once! It made my heart burst to be back in front of a camera with car and flex my autocue muscle again. Even though my heart then sank slightly when I went to squat down to talk about the grill and my leg went “Nope!” when I got midway. But hey- we still got the shots!

All that was left for me to do then was pack and dig out my sexy anti-embolism stockings from hospital to wear on the flight! I should be fine as long as I got an aisle seat to keep stretching my leg. But disaster struck the day before during online check in where I was automatically allocated a window seat, with no option to change it as I had booked through a third party travel agent. Noooo! I can't be crammed in a corner, stepping over the person next to me every half hour! Literally straddling them for an uncomfortable amount of time, while I struggled to reposition my leg. I'd have to get my Angel mum on the job. I was heading into my first birthday without her. A year to the day since I found out she had three brain tumours and everything changed. I was an overflowing jacuzzi of emotions bubbling over on my birthday eve and morning of. As I reflected back on everything that had happened to me on this last lap around the sun. Before you ask - yes, I did start crying into my iced coffee at the airport and once again it was not a good look! But at least I didn't bawl my eyes out at the check-in desk while pleading for an aisle seat. I got one by the way, although I was accidentally given someone else’s boarding pass, only realising when I sent a picture of it to my friend asking for my flight number, and she went “Who the fuck is Daniel?” Oh yeah, good point.

I never found him, but it did cause chaos at the gate. Like a game of ‘Where's Wally’. Only now it was ‘Do You Know Daniel?’

As I sit here writing this in the clouds, thinking about the magical European city breaks I did with mum on my previous birthdays, I never did get her to venture to America with me. But as I glance at the empty plane seat next to me, I know that’s hers.