I drove all night
Travelled up to see Mother the other week. Left late, so that the Friday night carnage, mayhem and hissy-fits on the M25, not to mention the traffic, had had a chance to die down a bit.
While there were fewer cars than at, say, rush-hour, there were a number of caravanners making their slow way to their destination. This was especially true on the M42 and the M5. The M42 is, after all, the Midland's answer to the M25 and the M5 is the Brummies gateway getaway to the south coast. So it was that many a saloon car and 4x4 was pulling a Tupperware tub on wheels in expectation of two sun-filled, fun-filled weeks in a field with a stand-pump, some overflowing bins and a view of the local hospital waste land fill or, as describes in the brochure, a caravan park.
Other big cars were not towing caravans, but did seem to have the entire contents of the household loaded in the back as they made their way to their holiday destination. A lot of these, especially posh 4x4s, had a blue glow coming from the back seats. Rather than the passengers doing a spot of arc-welding, it was in fact the familiar light cast by the portable DVDs mounted in the headrests or slung as portable units over the back of the front seats. So the miles get eaten up as the kids watch Finding Nemo while, in the front, Dad is watching his sat-nav screen. What must that be like for a motorway? An endless line and occasional junctions? Surely it would be better to navigate in the traditional manner, with an out of date map atlas, or even better a Little Chef map of the UK?
Wonder if sat-nav gets the TVX ten minute free view?
So you have the cockpit up front with instruments and navigation while the passengers enjoy a movie. Is this driving, or air-travel? When I was a kid all you had to distract you was boiled sweets and the occasional bout of car-sickness, now the little sods sit there and no doubt get served in-car meals and little packets of peanuts.
Still, I suppose it keeps them quiet. Yeah, and so does half a valium in their Ribena.
While there were fewer cars than at, say, rush-hour, there were a number of caravanners making their slow way to their destination. This was especially true on the M42 and the M5. The M42 is, after all, the Midland's answer to the M25 and the M5 is the Brummies gateway getaway to the south coast. So it was that many a saloon car and 4x4 was pulling a Tupperware tub on wheels in expectation of two sun-filled, fun-filled weeks in a field with a stand-pump, some overflowing bins and a view of the local hospital waste land fill or, as describes in the brochure, a caravan park.
Other big cars were not towing caravans, but did seem to have the entire contents of the household loaded in the back as they made their way to their holiday destination. A lot of these, especially posh 4x4s, had a blue glow coming from the back seats. Rather than the passengers doing a spot of arc-welding, it was in fact the familiar light cast by the portable DVDs mounted in the headrests or slung as portable units over the back of the front seats. So the miles get eaten up as the kids watch Finding Nemo while, in the front, Dad is watching his sat-nav screen. What must that be like for a motorway? An endless line and occasional junctions? Surely it would be better to navigate in the traditional manner, with an out of date map atlas, or even better a Little Chef map of the UK?
Wonder if sat-nav gets the TVX ten minute free view?
So you have the cockpit up front with instruments and navigation while the passengers enjoy a movie. Is this driving, or air-travel? When I was a kid all you had to distract you was boiled sweets and the occasional bout of car-sickness, now the little sods sit there and no doubt get served in-car meals and little packets of peanuts.
Still, I suppose it keeps them quiet. Yeah, and so does half a valium in their Ribena.
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