two whales in a Ford Focus

Not much point passing your driving test if you're not going to subsequently go out and get yourself a car, so that's what I did last week. And here it is:

Having driven it around quite extensively for the last week I'm very pleased with it: nice comfortable driving position even for a 6'1" bloke, big boot, and the 1.6-litre Zetec engine is quite sporty. I mean, it's not a Ferrari, but then again I couldn't get my golf clubs in the back of a Ferrari, at least not without taking the engine out, which would be a bit counterproductive.

I should give a tip of the hat at this point to the good people at Globe Motors in central Bristol, who made the whole purchase process very painless, and generally gave a convincing impression of not being Frank Butcher - I would suggest they consider putting a splash more petrol in their cars before letting customers drive away, though. I noticed the petrol light was on and the gauge was on the bottom edge of the E when I started the car up, and, having driven no more than a mile and a half or so through some heavy-ish traffic to the nearest petrol station, the engine spluttered and died as I pulled onto the garage forecourt. Luckily I had Andy with me so he was able to give me a push for the last ten feet or so so I could fill up. At least I now know how much a completely full tank of petrol costs - about £62, since you ask.

I've also sorted myself out with a TAG for the Severn Bridge - basically a little plastic box that you fix to the inside of your windscreen behind the rear-view mirror, which then enables you to drive up to the bridge barriers and have them automatically open for you, without you having to interact with the surly plebeian characters in the toll-booths. It doesn't save you any money, but it's nice not to have to rummage around for change and, since, shamefully, even in the 21st century, they don't yet accept plastic (although they do on the M6 Toll - hey, I don't make the rules), it's a way of avoiding potential embarrassment if you happen not to have enough cash on you. Obviously you've got to remember to keep the account topped up, so I haven't completely eliminated the risk of being escorted to a cashpoint by the police, but I've done the best I can.