I’ve driven nearly 900 miles in the last four days - from Tunbridge Wells to Chichester and back, to Calais and back to procure the vino for the wedding reception (there is plenty and it is good, rest assured) and then to Holmes Chapel in Cheshire and back for the Four Oaks trade show. I trundled up and down the M6 Toll (waving to Brian as I went past his neck of the woods), observing that travelling at 75 or 80 mph consigns you to the slow lane, even though the limit is 70mph. If there were cameras at the same frequency as there are on the M25, the local constabulary could net thousands every day. And judging by the frequency of big rubber stripes on the tarmac, there would be justification for installing them.
I’m sure that there are lots of other utterly fascinating things I could tell you, but I can’t be bothered. But here are a few bullet-point observations:

• aren’t the streetlamps at Cité de l’Europe in Calais cool?
• I’ve had a filthy cold for the last few days. I seem to have given it to Hels.
• I love Jodrell Bank. I like the way that every time you drive past, the telescope is pointing a different direction.
• House sales and purchase seem to be progressing ok, although I’m being buried under requests for papers that I don’t possess. Thankfully, my solicitor seems to be on the case.
• If ever you are looking for a hotel in Cheshire, do not book the Saxon Cross in Sandbach. It’s crap - grubby in the extreme, with pathetic showers and mediocre service. Why do we do cheap hotels so badly in the UK compared to our continental cousins? (Not that I consider £50 PLUS extra for breakfast to be cheap!)

I’m pooped.

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5 Responses to “Driving pain”

1. Brian says:
   September 2nd, 2004 at 11:23 pm

   You should have popped in for a coffee on the way through.

2. Gert says:
   September 3rd, 2004 at 11:27 am

   Street lamps at Cité de l’Europe are very cool!

   Jodrell Bank is worth a visit. I wouldn’t go specially, but if you’re passing and have got the time, it’s nice for an hour or two.

3. graybo says:
   September 3rd, 2004 at 2:35 pm

   Brian - was short of time and full of germs, so thought better of it. Maybe next time?
   Gert - agreed!

4. Anna says:
   September 3rd, 2004 at 6:15 pm

   Don’t you think Cite de l’europe is a bit Disney like and a bit of a pain to get to from the south side - I also drove 1k miles last week as I drove a friend home to Nantes and came back a day later. Do you ever pick up hitchhikers as I always feel guilty it’s just me and the car when I’m travelling these distances…

5. Tim says:
   September 3rd, 2004 at 9:06 pm

   Anna - Haven’t you seen any of those hitchhiker/slash movies? I did once many years ago pick up a Red Indian hitcher in Arizona or Utah but he was not half as funny as an elderly Greek gentleman I picked up a few years ago on the north cicular. He was so grateful to me he promised me his daughters hand in marriage!