I was looking for a photo of clear winter days, as a requiem to the cold snap that's just finished. But I couldn't find one. So here's a road picture instead.
Last week I was heading up the motorway to a rendezvous in the Midlands. It was a cold and frosty afternoon. I got caught up in the aftermath of a fuel tanker falling over on the M5, which meant that the motorway was closed for hours and hours, and alternative routes were either choked with traffic or dangerous with ice. When I finally escaped at Tewkesbury, I cut across country through the Forest of Dean and went home.
Had another go the next day. Made it this time. Here I am with a Nice Cup Of Tea at Hopwood Park services. I'd packed my emergency gear, you see.
O look, here's a clear wintry photo, and something I wrote while driving up the motorway on a clear wintry day. It started as a haiku but then sort of spilled over.
Full moon still,
Black crow bobbing in a big sky.
I can see
Every twig in every tree.
Coo its not been a good start to the year for the M5 has it? I'd known about a car transporter turning over on the 8th but not this fuel tanker one... sounds dire!
ReplyDeleteFull moon howl,
Black dog laughing at the big sky
I can hear
Everyone sign into their beer
;-)
I meant sigh... its that poetic license... I suspect I need to re-take my test...
ReplyDeleteLast time it happened, I had early enough warning and came off at Gloucester and went over the Cotswolds, which added two hours to the normal journey time but was very enjoyable, and infinitely preferable to being stuck in a queue.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if mine's expired? -I've got an HGV one -Hardly Good Verse
:-) Emergency Tea Making Equipment is essential. I was just writing how buying a nice red teapot cheered me up today.
ReplyDelete(Don't ever have a cuppa while in America, for 8 years I've suffered luke warm Liptons, with 'dairy creamer' in it...)
My new red teapot
Cheered me up no end today
Hot tea again, nice.
Sounds as bad as France, though in France you can get decent coffee.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I once got a decent cup of coffee at a service station earlier this year. Maybe this is one of the spin-offs of having it staffed exclusively by east europeans...
Nice haiku. It reminds me of my joy at a new pair of specs once. Hod that thought...
It warms the heart of an ex-pat to read the names of towns like Tewkesbury. Remembering the last time I was in England I appreciate why you carry tea making supplies with you. What's in the tube?
ReplyDeleteWe can get Tetly Draw string tea which is expensive. Or Irish tea from the Comptoir Irlandais. I'm down to my last few bags of Yorkshire tea. Our Christmas market lady keeps a supply under the counter which keeps us happy through December and most of January.
I first knew about Tewkesbury from John Moore's books, written in the 30s, and I was reluctant to actually go there in case it spoiled my image of the place. Then I went, and it didn't spoil it. Mind you, seeing nose-to-tail gridlock all the way out of the town to the motorway did tarnish the image a little... at least I was going the other way...
ReplyDeleteThe tube contains condensed milk. I first found it in a supermarket in Spain (leche condensada) and thought it was such a brill idea and bought loads. Then I discovered that it is easily available in the UK too, but I'd never noticed.
Oooo.. I do love that road picture.
ReplyDeleteSo much so, here's a haiku!
Metal mouths yawning
Icy teeth on slick faces
Wake up calls, "thud! thud!"
How rude! No warm espresso!
Thanks, SR! You realise I've now re-jigged the way I see cats' eyes?
ReplyDelete