Fall In, Fall Out, Fall Down
O Tesla of absolute beautifulness, how I love thee. I saw the new Model X Tesla as I was on my way from Chiswick, and thank God I was not at the wheel and crashing into the Hogarth roundabout. What a beaut! And yes, I want one. Stat. The photograph does not do it justice, believe me. That car is fierce. The next day, I was on Chiswick High Road and I overheard a conversation between a guy in his 30s and his son who looked to be about 5/6 years old. There was a Ferrari 458 Spider stuck in the traffic jam and the little boy was goggle-eyed with excitement. I heard the guy explaining to his son that the car was just for show-offs and that the owner was only seeking attention. I was very tempted to call out this po-faced ignoramus. That is not as dangerous as it sounds, it was Chiswick; the most that would have happened is that he would have given me a lecture about global warming and offered me some kale and/or quinoa salad 🙂 OK, the owner of the car did not cover himself with glory, what with his H1 5EXY numberplate but come on, what a car! Just because it was being driven by some juvenile delinquent does not negate the fact that it is a superlative example of automotive engineering. My inner (OK, outer) petrolhead wanted to hug the car and whisper endearments to it (yes, I am aware that I have some ongoing issues), and take that boy from him and show him round Bugatti and McLaren showrooms. I hope he is not condemned to a life of knitted hemp sandals and Kia Picantos. No offence to Kia but it sure ain’t an Aston Martin DB5…….
It actually got me thinking about nature vs nurture again. I was recently listening to Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s music and falling about in giggles at the song ‘Zombie’. This is the one single piece of artistry that ensured I was never going to join any military or para-military organisation. I would have spent my military career on permanent latrine duty because of insubordination. Order! Halt!! 🙂 Early exposure to Fela and Bob Marley pretty much unleashed my inner anarchist and I never did find my inner conformist after all that. Walking past Whitehall and Downing Street and seeing the army on the streets of London feels really surreal. Anarchist or not though, maximum respect to the Armed Forces and Emergency Services guys and gals. I’ve lived through a serious fire and I cannot get over the bravery of anyone who runs into a fire, or that of someone who runs towards the sound of gunfire and explosions. Irrespective of what I may personally regard as casus belli or not, there is no doubting the courage of soldiers in the same way there is no doubting the appeal of Ferraris even if you would never buy one for environmental/prudence/sanity reasons.
By the way there are 93 secondhand 458 Spiders on AutoTrader. The cheapest is £169,000. Yes, I checked. 🙂 Now, who would pay £169,000 for a secondhand car? Or indeed, a firsthand car? There’s crazy, and there’s KERRAZY. I also saw a turquoise Lambo Aventador in Beauchamp Place on the same day. It did not look as wrong as it sounds. I think I need therapy. Have a terrific week.
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