Yeovil to Naples by train

My son Connor at Rome Station

Up to Waterloo and across to St Pancras, we caught the Eurostar to Paris. But most exciting was the sleeper from Paris to Rome. Just my eldest son, Connor and I - we had a cabin to ourselves. And in old-fashioned style had our evening meal in the dining car. The waiter came round with a choice of main course - veal or beef. It wasn't terribly good and hugely expensive but the atmosphere was great. We sat opposite a couple from Mexico City.

It didn't look like there were any bunks in our room - you had to pull them out of the wall. But they were pretty comfortable. And the underneath the small table in the corner of our cabin was a sink. I wanted to show my youngest son the loo. You could actually see the tracks whizzing by down the hole. Crossing a railway line in France or Italy must be rather a smelly experience. And, of course there were notices to remind you not to loo when the train was in a station.

I collected the plastic film that wrapped our pillows because I thought it might be useful later. It was. I used it to wrap wet shoes when we were on the move. But along with the paper napkins, plastic water bottles, processed and packaged breakfast fare, as well as other disposables I thought the Italian trains needed an environmental audit. Clearly, it's a lot better than flying but there was certainly ample room for improvement.

We spent the day in Rome depositing bags at the left luggage place, once we'd found it. Wondered why there's not one at Waterloo because it's tremendously popular and very useful. Connor and I had small back packs for our week away but they seemed to weigh a tonne after you've walked around for a little while. It occurred to me that I could have done with even less - but looking at other people's luggage I wondered why we all feel we need so much. I helped one girl move her bags a few carriages on - and asked her if she was moving home. She said she'd been in Italy for several weeks studying. I think she must have also been shopping....

Another train to Naples. We had time to talk, to read, to look out of the windows. But it was fun. So much nicer than flying. No horrible airports with all their ridiculous rules telling you to put all your liquids in a bag and take your shoes off....

We're going on another train ride next week - from Yeovil to Avignon - three boys and me. I know they'll love the cabin and I hope we'll be able to see the track down the loo!

Family friendly films - a rant

This is a rant!

Why make a Batman movie that's not suitable for children - and show it all through the summer holidays? I have to admit that I haven't seen it but I've read enough to know that I don't want to - and I'm not very keen on my three boys watching it either. I'm getting some flak about that.... I used to enjoy Batman - the comic book 'splats' and 'whallops' were part of the charm. Surely modern film makers could update the format and still make it appeal to children and parents alike.

Actually, my rant isn't just about the Dark Knight. I felt similarly about the most recent James Bond movie - Casino Royale - which I did watch. The opening scenes had some poor chap having his head smashed on the sinks in a public lavatory - it was far too graphic for me. And then there was the scene where Bond was having his balls flailed. It went on for ages. I much preferred it when Roger Moore was playing the role a bit more tongue in cheek, even though Pearce Brosnan was far more attractive! (Daniel Craig is not my type...)

I don't think I'm alone in wanting to see more family friendly films. When we went to see Mamma Mia recently, the cinema was chock a block - we had to come back a second time to get in. And what a joyous film it was. Left the cinema feeling really good - although managed to restrain myself from dancing down the streets!

If film-makers want to make violent and menacing movies, they should focus on adult themes, rather than comic book characters. I'd like to enjoy taking my children to the cinema - rather than struggling to explain why I don't want to go and see what many of their friends are watching. Down with the Dark Knight.....

Car Troubles - Ford Ka Troubles

I’ve had a couple of prangs in my car recently. First, someone in a four-wheel drive reversed into me. They were trying to turn around because a lorry was blocking the road and they didn’t notice me nestled behind in my Audi A3. There wasn’t a lot of damage but the really boring thing was the time needed to sort it out.

Before the car went to the garage I’d manage to clock up a bit more damage. I was reversing down the drive at my son’s school because one of them had forgotten to check out. A nasty gate post rushed out and damaged the back of the car – number plate and lights. Another insurance claim – this time my fault.

Whilst my car was at the menders I was loaned a replacement. And that’s the reason for writing this. A small black bug-like car – the Ford Ka – was delivered. It didn’t have much space but I didn’t mind because I thought it would be quite fuel efficient. Not so! I was amazed at its thirst for petrol – I could almost see the guage going down as I travelled along.

I wondered if I was just imagining it. I thought that given its relative size to my Audi A3, it must be more efficient, so I decided to work out what it was drinking. About 40mpg – as opposed to 50 mpg for the Audi. That’s ridiculous.

Luckily, I only had the Ka for a couple of weeks before it went home to the garage. But I’ve looked it up on the Government fuel data website (www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk) and, assuming I’ve got the right model, my conclusions tally with their data. Both the Audi and the Ka are C rated for fuel economy – A rated cars are the most efficient. But the Audi wins out over the Ka.

I’ve thought for a long time that there should be government legislation forcing all new cars to do a minimum of 50mpg average. Apparently, this doesn’t happen because the car manufacturers say it’s too tough a target and that they need more time. I think that’s nonsense – if the legislation was brought in, manufacturers would invest what’s needed to make the change. And surely small cars should be doing a lot better than 50mpg…

Of course, it’s even worse in America, where the average mpg is pathetically low. Apparently, if they managed to get their average up to just 40mpg, they wouldn’t need to import any oil. I don’t know how accurate that ‘fact’ is but I suspect it’s not wildly off the mark.

What I’ve learnt from my prangs is that when it comes to replacing my car, I won’t be going for a Ford Ka – or any other Ford for that matter. If they can’t make a small car efficient, what hope is there for their larger models?

http://www.green-car-guide.com/ - Green Car Guide

www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk