"Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car." - E.B. White
My first outing behind the wheel was the day after my epiphanous medical release, when as usual on a Saturday morning we headed off for Kelvin Grove market, only this time I was in the driver's seat. It was like I had never been away. No stalls, no kangaroo clutches, just smooth sailing with only the occasional inadvertent windscreen-wiper moment coming up to corners. Turning the wheel was OK if a bit of a stretch and changing gear was a little twingy, but any slight discomfort was more than outweighed by the pleasure of rediscovering the expression of 21st Century freedom that the motor car represents.
Still not up to heavy porterage, I had to leave trolley and pram manoeuvring to the more able-bodied once we were on the ground, so I kept an eye on Lyra as we worked our way around the usual suspects - Krazy Justin, Herbal Heather, Stanthorpe Mark, Spuddy Max, Terri Tea and Roost Krista amongst others - with stop-offs to hug lamp-posts, munch on tomatoes, sample apples, drink coffee and eat chinese dumplings in our two-hour free-parking-deliineated slow-whisk which all too often represents our Saturday morning.
Eloise served at the Unwaxed Apple stall, we chatted at the Herb stall, traded cheap innuendo with the Spud Man. Our vegetables were purchased efficiently leaving plenty of time for the coffee and catering activities. Lyra climbed up next to the free-standing electricity substation to sample the delights of static induction.
And I drove us home again. Contentment. Then to top off, I dropped Nicole at work, and drove Lyra around a bit to get her to sleep.
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