I drove down the M74/M6 on Friday, possibly not long after some worthy had declared the new stretch of motorway open that finally joins the M74 /M6 to Carlisle.
http://news.careerstructure.com/article/view/north-west/18914345/m6-extension-opens-between-carlisle-and-guards-mill/
I’ve been slowly, slowly negotiating the roadwork’s there for several years as the new bridge was built and the road widened. I know lots of people believe more roads encourage more cars, and that’s probably true, but as a motorist I think safety is crucial and there is no doubt that the old road was not safe. To say nothing of a ridiculous anomaly between major cities.
http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/5069.aspx
What I noticed, was that the roadside has been planted with squillions of trees/bushes and that generally, it all looks neat, tidy and new. There are also some signs from the contractor proudly boasting that one million hours were worked safely. I imagine that is something to boast about, especially as these people are working in all weathers and with muckle big machines – so well done them.
Unfortunately, on the return journey, my car was not distracted by the speed and efficiency of this new stretch and still drove itself into the Gretna shopping outlet where its owner had lunch in between spending money. And just to prove that although I am utterly Bah Humbug! I completed part one of the compulsory pressie fest seeking. Now I just have to remember who I bought what for in the heap of bags cluttering up my hallway.
At least there is an absolute treat in store this evening at the book group pot-luck xmas dinner. I’ve prepared bean + nut roast with tomato + red onion roasted in balsamic vinegar and olive oil with rosemary (picked fresh from Sig Other's garden first thing this morning), with roast pumpkin.
Yes, it is all a bit ‘roasty’ but it means I can carry it ‘artfully’ arranged in one dish to go into the oven and (hopefully) this won’t spill out over the car in transit. The treat, is of course, that everyone makes far too much food, especially puddings and we all get to try different things. I usually find it rather intimidating as everyone else is such great cooks.
1 comment:
I think the first time I was on the M74 was when my then girlfriend drove us from Scotland to Wales in the early part of this century. For many years I'd been familiar with the A1, as my dad drove us from Lincolnshire to Northumberland to see my grandma. From my childhood in the 60s, when the road was single carriageway, occasionally bisecting poor villages, to latterly when it was for long distances a full motorway, the story was of steady improvement in road. But I was unprepared for the magnificence of the M74: a beautiful road, magnificently designed and engineered, in magnificent and beautiful countryside. Wide lanes, long gentle curves: lovely.
Of course, I had the easy job as the passenger, but I think it was great to drive on too. So I'm glad to hear the last section between England and Scotland is completed. Economically, conveniently and aesthetically a good thing.
Yet, I think cars and roads are enemies of good society: the noise, the smell, the fumes, the division of communities, the danger, the stress, the sheer unpleasantness and anti-sociality of it all - those little metal boxes allow us to divorce themselves from the rest of humanity.
Oh well, holding these contradictions in my mind just goes to show that I'm as human as the rest of us (I hope!).
The meal you prepared for your group sounds wonderful; hope it all went well.
Post a Comment