11th November 2002
Hi all,
It has been a sad week for me. Unfortunately I had to trade in my old car. Not just any car, but my first car.
Now there has been a fair amount of talk among my friends about when I should trade it in. Indeed it went beyond that, almost to the point of joyous wishing-away. Don't people remember what a first car means?
Memories. You build up a lot with cars, but probably more so with your first car. Of course mine took me to more than a few Palace games around the UK, to the point where I could make up my own version of The Justified Ancients of Mu-Mu's* "It's Grim Up North".
(* To anyone who never heard of The Justified Ancients of Mu-Mu, no, I haven't made that up. Search it on the web, they existed. They later became known as The KLF, a name familiar with those of us who came of age in the early 1990s. Moving swiftly on...)
So here's my own version...
Huddersfield (December 1998, lost 4-0)
Bolton (May 1998, lost 5-2)
Sheffield (April 1997, lost 3-0 to Sheffield United. October 1997, won 3-1 against Sheffield Wednesday)
Liverpool (April 1998, lost 2-1)
Birkenhead (May 2000, beat Tranmere 2-1)
Birmingham (May 2002, lost 2-0 to West Bromwich Albion)
Sunderland (January 2001, drew 0-0)
Newcastle (March 1998, won 2-1)
... are all in the North. It's grim up North.
And of course there are memories beyond that:
- My last night out with Neil before I moved to Scotland (which included us doing slow-speed laps around a park about twenty times, just because we could).
- Driving around Hampshire with the Povey brothers, christening the car "The Ladmobile" and letting rip with renditions of "Boom! Shake the Room" (starring Neil Povey with the "Well yo, are you ready for me yet?" lines).
- Driving home from anywhere, either following or leading a car driven by one of those Povey brothers, giving and receiving "Road Rage" gestures in turn.
- My drives to work in Surrey, an 86-mile round-trip from home, finishing on sunny Summer evenings with the window wound-down and the stereo up loud.
- A few trips between Hampshire and Lanarkshire, loaded down with suitcases, bedding, and other possessions (once via South East London, which coincided with Clinton Morrison's Palace debut).
- A few trips between Lanarkshire and Hampshire, loaded down with clipboards, kit and other things required for the Horndean Sixes.
- Countless trips from Law to East Kilbride before Lorraine became Mrs Dobson, and several trips elsewhere before and after our wedding.
- We've seen some of the beautiful places in Britain, and that little Nissan Micra has taken us to all of them, from Loch Lomond to the New Forest (actually I don't think that much of the New Forest, but for artistic purposes it serves well).
But 108,312 miles later, the journey has ended. From Elgin to Bournemouth doesn't sound quite the same as from John O'Groats to Land's End, but that is the extent of this little car's travels. It had been a faithful friend, and yes, I was sad to let it go. Call me irrational, call me sentimental - I'm guilty on both counts. That's what your first car means to you.
Have a good week!
Tony
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