New isn't necessarily better

I drove the MG to work today for the annual company Vehicle Enthusiast Day. Dave was planning to take it in but he woke up dying of serious man flu.

Now ordinarily I don't drive the MG. It scares me. It has no power steering, no servo assisted brakes, no alarm when you've left your lights on, no radio, no CD player, no fifth or sixth gear, no wing or door mirrors, no central power locking, no air conditioning, no heated windscreen or rear screen, no seat height adjust, no parking distance sensors, no satellite navigation, no ambient temperature guage, no clock... you get the picture.

But today for the first time in years, I got behind the wheel and I loved it.

I drove with top down (car top not my top), and as a result looked more scarecrowy than normal for the day.

I fought the steering wheel and I got a workout from the brake pedal. I got cold hands and toes and my eyes were watering even though I was wearing sunglasses. I wasn't listening to the Today programme on Radio 4, I was concentrating on the sound of the engine to help me know when to change gear. I felt more generous to other traffic and was less stressed than normal. I arrived at work much more alert and awake than normal.

New isn't necessarily better.