The joys of motoring.

I have on occasions mentioned the delights of being a passenger in the car with the management.

Occasionally though I get the chance to return the favour. Sometimes too we are in a bit of a hurry. Now, many years ago I did some suplemental driving training with a chap who had done a driver training course in Hendon.

Hendon for the uninitiated is where they teach Police driving instructors and he was a qualified police instructor.

It's a shame they do not offer this type of training to the public as it's a type of driving that is not only quick but very very safe.

It also means you cannot half get from A to B in a little time.

So running late I deployed the "system of car control" and away we went to take Tigger to rugby. The Xantia is not what you would call a quick car, but it's no slug either. The suspension is a bit soft and gets caught out occasionally. The engine is a real gem and within it's rev band it is eager and lively.

So of course off we jolly well set. Nice open B roads, good visibility and decent surfaces. Then over the top of the mountain, down the other side, still nice sweeping bends then into narrower sections, short straights tight bends and junctions. Lots of jinking to get the right position. Accelerate hard, brake hard.

Point of Maximum vision.

Course Mirror Signal Brake Gear Accelerate..

The managerial chat seemed to be fading. She was quiet, introverted even.

Unusual for her.

The pitch of her voice was going up.

Round the corner and wipe it all off. A bus going the same way as us. Was that a sigh of relief from the passenger seat?

For some reason she was keen to go to the pub after we dropped Tigger off. She would normally have beer, today for some reason it was whisky, was that a slight tremor in her hand.....

R