Good things

I have an opinion about cars which I'm sure isn't shared by Jeremy Clarkson or Lewis Hamilton or anyone else really.  It's how you tell a good car from a bad car and it's this:  If other drivers of the same car wave at you when you pass them; it's a good car. 

Of course, others would say that's rubbish and it's all about acceleration, handling, engine noise, looks, equipment etc. but in the end all those things are unsatisfying.  There's always another car which is a bit faster or more exciting.  When drivers wave at each other, it's not just about friendliness, it's because of a shared experience.  For me, shared experiences are what life's all about. 

In the last week or so we've had snow, ice and freezing temperatures and the best thing about that is it's given everyone a shared experience.  So we talk to strangers, exchange stories, boast about who's had most snow and so on.  Most of the time we're so disconnected from each other that this just doesn't happen.  It's a shame that the shared experiences most people have tend to be bad ones - freezing weather, freak hurricane, banking collapse... 

Boaters wave to each other.  Not just to be friendly but because they both share a secret, something most people don't know.  They are connected because they know the other has been through all the same things, the good and the bad - but mostly the good.  I've been living aboard for around a month now and I'm beginning to understand that connection, that camaraderie which boaters have.

Especially when the the weather has been cold enough to freeze a penguin!

My journey back from Braunston to Birmingham took four days and encompassed just about every emotion you can think of.  Nervousness, joy, stress, contentment, elation, exhaution, I could go on...  Thank you to everyone who contributed: Deborah, Callum, Cubie, Emily, Ian, Anthony, Beth, Syd, Saima, Clare, Pete, Alys, Holiday and especially Jane.  I really wouldn't have got here without you.