Peace is the path to peace.

Magnificent ride home last night on the KTM from London. Left the M4 at the usual place, with dusk gathering and made it home just as the last of the light left.

The lanes were empty and the countryside beautiful. I spotted a lone white horse in a verdant shallow valley. There were foxes, pheasants, hares, rabbits, bats and birds of prey. The empty winding roads seemed to go on forever with a clear view and no traffic.

I’ve bought a helmet-mounted video camera for the next time…

Woa! There it is.

Back home now and all we managed to do was work, eat, drink and sleep. We saw the hotel, the office and the route between: not much of an adventure?

Yes, the adventure was all on the roads. If there’s light between two vehicles, someone will accelerate into it. That someone might be a pedestrian, a cyclist, a rickshaw, a car or a lorry. And the accelerator is apparently connected to the horn. This is probably all you need to know about driving in India.

On Friday, the Saab was treated to Hirsch sports suspension: stiffer springs and matching dampers all round, lowering the car 10mm.

A great decision. The ride remains comfortable but the car has taken on a whole new taughtness. After 2 years, my 9-5 Aero feels new again and for much less than a new one. This should keep me going while I prosecute my campaign to acquire an RS4 next year.

A track day at Bedford Autodrome should reveal whether this has made real improvements to the car at the limit. At Millbrook, the car spun away too much power on the exits, thanks to front-wheel drive, but here’s hoping the new setup improves matters a little: the car is at least lower and rolling less…

So, “Well done!” Hirsch. For now, at least, I thoroughly recommend their suspension kit.

It was time to relax and become a skydiver. So I did:

I sold my Hobie Tiger to raise funds and took my BMW K1200S to a track day at Cadwell Park. I drove to and around Spain and Portugal, holidayed and learned to jump. I came back to begin a Master Driver’s Course. After a week at home, Beth and I drove to the Italian lakes, where we sweltered for a fortnight. The Stelvio pass was a memorable drive.

Getting back, I passed the driving course and joined the High Performance Club which I recommend to anyone who cares about the standard of their driving, whatever they drive: Read more.

And now I find myself living and working in London in the week. An unexpected pleasure all round. If only the wife was handy…