Thursday, October 20, 2005

Harrogate to St Albans

Before we leave Harrogate, Jan manages to squeeze in a 3 hour hair do. No different to what she has done in France, except France is a third of the price. But what do I know? Mum puts on the perfect farewell lunch, smoked trout, parma ham, pickles etc., before we wend our way south, down the M1, to St Albans, Jan's home town. Just above Leicester there are roadworks and it's the only time that I have ever witnessed cars travelling at exactly the mandatory speed of 40 mph. If you look carefully at the warnings they tell you that your average speed will be measured. Cameras note your number plate at the begining of the works and again at the end. If you exceed the average of 40 mph through the roadworks you get a ticket. Clever or what? It certainly kept the traffic under control and it really works. In fact it is very difficult to keep your speed down and I bet lots of cars get booked.
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We hit St Albans where Gwen, Jan's mother in law from her previous marriage (her husband Garth died very young), makes steak and kidney pie, yum, good old fashioned English grub. Unfortunately, we now have to endure the third and smallest bed of the trip, smaller even than a standard double. What with the dip in the middle, I find myself hanging on to the side so as not to roll towards the middle and disturb Jan. I needn't have bothered, because Jan can't sleep either, so we read lots and doze fitfully. Not my idea of fun and it's at times like this, that you long for your own bed.

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