One of the regular quality control visits to a work in progress.
At last, the problem with my latest car has been resolved - or so they tell me. I pick it up from an out of town specialist on Monday.
My nearby colleagues almost made it clear that they were finding it a bit of a bore taking me in and out in the mornings, so for the last week I have been catching busses and walking half a mile to get to the workshop.
I said to one that I hate riding on busses and he responded by saying that he liked them. "They take you where you want to go", he said, and I replied that I knew that much already. Why would you get on a bus for any other reason? I suppose there are some strange people who would rather travel the length of the country by bus for pure pleasure, but I am not one of them. The worst thing for me is the waiting. Having to stare at a bend on an isolated stretch of the busy A4 for a quarter of an hour is extremely tiring. I don't want to have rely on anyone else's timetable but my own.
I once hitch-hiked from Surrey to the Scottish Highlands, and it took me and my girl friend (note the use of two words) over two days. We spent one night in a little rat-infested shed and one in a large field, then waited 12 hours by the side of the road until a van took us into Glasgow late at night. We were escorted out of town by the police, who dropped us off at the edge of the Highlands at around 2 in the morning. We were very grateful and I still believe I would have preferred that to a bus ride.
Can anyone guess where the title comes from?
Cobbett?
ReplyDeleteYes. He lived in the town where I went to college and set out on my trip to Scotland.
DeleteYour car took a long time to fix. I would not want to be waiting for a bus in rural wherever either. I thought of John Aubrey but see that gz is saying Cobbett. You would look a fine sight on a tall horse. The robin looks at home. Does he come to see you while you work?
ReplyDeleteI kept cancelling appointments because I thought it had been fixed, and a lot of garages did not want to do it because they didn't want to have to take out the fuel tank. When I rode horses some people did indeed say that I looked a fine sight. It went to my head. Yes, the robin turns up every day.
DeleteOne thing I always like when I visit England is public transport. People are so lucky if they have it. I wish I could catch a bus to town.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the public transport in Spain, plus a lot of other European countries. It's cheaper, cleaner and more comfortable.
DeleteI did not realize you've been carless all this time. Perhaps your little feathered friend should have been sent off to do QC work with the mechanic. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteMy chauffeur...
DeleteI used to be quite happy on trains, but they are no good for short trips except in London, and these days often involve spending hours on windy platforms.
ReplyDeleteIt has all changed, and not for the better.
DeleteA charming little inspector you have there. Do you pay it in crumbs, or does something else attract it. The finial is stone, not plaster, so the attraction is not there, I expect. I hope your car troubles are ended. I was carless for a couple of months last summer, when my daughter decided I was too old to drive. Eventually I slipped a few thou from the bank and bought a very old Honda. It seems a veritable little tank. I could only be carless by law.
ReplyDeleteYes crumbs. Car troubles are without end, but my immediate ones have ended - at cost.
DeleteLovely book - Rural Rides by William Cobbett about him and his horse tootling along in the South of England. Bett er than boring busses any day. (busses looks wrong with two ss and wronger(?!!) with one.) Help!
ReplyDeleteI too struggle with the appearance of busses with two s's, but that is - I think - the correct spelling. H.I. didn't believe me yesterday. My brother lived in Selbourne for a while.
DeleteLucky brother - it is a lovely part of the world.
ReplyDeleteYes it is. Some parts of Surrey are so well preserved and some are almost unchanged from thousands of years ago, despite the stockbroker belt.
Delete... although Selbourne is Hampshire - just - isn't it?
DeleteI would rather not have to focus on driving. However, I do hate to wait for public transport. Around these parts it can takes ages before a bus arrives.
ReplyDeleteYes, the waiting is a big part of why I don't like busses.
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