Working backwards

I seem to be working backwards this morning. There has been so much that has happened over the last couple of weeks that this seems to be the only way to keep some order in my brain. Also the most recent are in the top of my brain so I figure if I take off the top few layers of thoughts that the older ones will come up again.

The travelling to and from Norwich has been really interesting. M had to work on Friday, K had Friday off. So K and I drove up to Norwich on Thursday leaving M and the cats behind. As they had no one to mind the cats and it was a long weekend, the plan was that M would come up (down, across) to Norwich on Friday night by train and then K would head back Saturday night by train so that cats didn't starve to death. M & I would drive back on Sunday afternoon/evening depending on our mood. Plan worked really well.

M's train was totally late. Apparently there was a power surge or something that knocked out all the signals from Didcot, so he sat on the train for several hours while it was fixed and just as it got fixed there was another power surge and they all went out again. He didn't get in until about 12:30 a.m. Instead of arriving at 6:30 pm. So by the time he got there he was buggered. And this was after going back to work after being off for a couple of weeks.

Driving in the UK is an experience in itself. My first glimpses of the UK motorways was exciting and I've written a bit about it in English Countryside. The drive to Norwich was probably the longest drive I've taken since I've been here. Along the major highways, at regular intervals, they have "services" where you can stop, get petrol and a bite to eat. Some of them are quite small; others are almost like small shopping malls. In fact, I just discovered there is a whole website about Motorway Services which doesn't appear to have been updated in a while. It talks about best/worst services for 2007 but nothing more recent.

On the way up, K and I stopped at a "Little Chef" one. It was quite small, Burger King, Little Chef and another coffee/sandwich eatery. Toilets, of course, are a main target for long distance drivers.

I took a photo of the one M and I stopped at on the way back. It was a pretty big one, had a bookshop as well as the usual fast food places. I was cold so wanted something really warming so I went for hot soup and a toastie. I went to the counter to order, and was told that my toastie was in the fridge – over there – I thought about that for a couple of seconds and then realised that in good English fashion, the sandwiches were already made up. I went and got one and gave it to the lass to toast, and ladled out my soup – almost cold. By the time I got to the table, the sandwich was almost cold as well. So much for that idea.

These are some photo of the place. You can see a number of different places to eat, a book shop, plenty of seating and even a television to entertain travellers who didn't want to talk to each other or were travelling alone. Burger King (Hungry Jacks to Australians) even had a pay in advance with your credit/debit card where you made your order, paid for it and then went to collect it.

 

WH Smith in the background is a bookstore chain that you often find in train stations and sell sandwiches, cold drinks, packets of chips etc.

That, I think is where my toastie was waiting for me.

We have similar things in Australia, but not on the same scale as here in the UK. In Australia, mainly there is one main highway going from Point A to Point B with side roads which are local roads. Yesterday, we were on three motorways, and about two more major highways all linking in via roundabouts, large roundabouts.

All just very interesting to the intrepid little traveller.

Madeleine

Monday, 5 January 2009