Thursday 20th January 2011

My first car was a Volkswagen Beetle.
Not a poncy one like you get these days, but a proper one; the one that Hitler had designed. Not the actual one, obviously, but the proper one all the same.

I had learned to drive in my mum's car, a Vauxhall Nova. It was a saloon, not a hatchback, and was the old 'B' reg. B378 AYB it was, not a bad car but not as nice as my first Beetle.
I had always wanted a Beetle and at the grand old age of seventeen I was about to get my first one. And what a beauty, cream coloured and immaculate condition. The bloke who was selling it obviously loved Beetles as much as I did and I think he was quite happy that someone like me was buying it. Someone who really wanted it and would love it and take care of it and have it forever.
It cost me 750 quid, which back then (24 years ago) was top rate for a Beetle, but it was a good one.
At four o'clock on that Saturday afternoon the sale was completed and I became the very proud owner of my dream car, drove it home with a big grin on my face, like I had a coat hanger wedged in my mouth, and I was the dogs bollocks then. This was MY car and it was the best car in the world.
Unfortunaltely at nine o'clock that very same evening I was being taken home in a police car, weeping like a small child, as I had just written off by beloved dream car after losing control on an 'S-bend' and putting it on it's roof.
Not good days, but I bought another one the following Friday, £90 and it lasted me six months.

Bit foggy today. Drove to Scotland this morning and it took me five hours, instead of the usual four, as I had to keep the speed down to around 60mph across the A66. The fact that 60mph is the legal speed limit across the A66 has nothing to do with it, it still slowed me down.
I have slowed down my driving these days. Too many speeding tickets I suppose. That and the fact I am getting older and more responsible (guffaw). I no longer drive like a 'Bat out of Hell', more like a 'Bat out of Purgatory' now.
It stayed foggy pretty much all day. Cold too. I don't think it got much above minus three degrees, as low as minus eight in Hamilton at 0745hrs.
At least I didn't get threatened with being thrown off site today. There's always tomorrow I suppose.

I've just noticed that the date above the date in the title is yesterday's date and the date below this date, the date in the title, is today's date.
No idea what that is all about.
edit: the date has changed and is now correct. Ignore previous paragraph.............