I had the misfortune to have my car ‘conk out’ on me yesterday evening – electrics disappeared. Definitely not good when darkness is falling. Fortunately, I have breakdown cover. I made contact with the provider and they told me somebody would attend in the next 75 minutes. One of our ‘codes’ is that we should get clear of the vehicle on the hard shoulder, getting on the safe side of the safety barrier if there is one. (The local highway police dropped in while I was sorting things out to reinforce the advice, informing me that not long before they had to attend an incident when an articulated lorry had left the road onto the hard shoulder because the driver had dozed off.)
Anyway, after 20 minutes of pacing backwards and forwards, I remembered I’d left my camera in the car so I thought I’d try to take some pictures. Unfortunately, the light levels were fading fast so hand holding was not a viable option. There were a couple of steps nearby so I sat on them and tried resting the camera on my knee and try to get some abstract shots. Not sure any of them work as such, but the experiment has provided some practical experience that I might not have had otherwise.
Oh, I was standing by the motorway for two hours until a low-loader came along to get me home. Luckily it didn’t rain and the weather was relatively mild.
—Stephen—
Stephen G Hipperson 