Monday
It’s no easy assignment, taking a positive view of a week as terrible as this. The only viable approach seems to be to be thankful for the life you lead and make the best of your opportunities.
This, at least, is how I tried to tackle a trip to Morgan’s headquarters in Malvern Link, where (for one evening only) they had cleverly turned the new reception centre (cafe, shop, showroom and heritage hall) into a launch venue for 150 guests to view the new Super 3, the latest hugely enticing iteration of the company’s three-wheeler.
Two big positives made the trip worthwhile. One was seeing how densely this happy event was peppered with people who really care about these quirky cars (admirers, owners, dealers and a smattering of hacks). Second was how, despite its sale three years ago by the Morgan family to Italian investors, the company’s mission appears to be unchanged except that its talented, energetic and remarkably youthful management team now have backing to match their ambition. I hear that more good things are coming.
Tuesday
A surprising press release lands. Land Rover has found a new way of boosting its environmentally aware, off-road credentials by launching research that identifies 10 prime stargazing spots across the UK – as disparate as the Isle of Wight, the Cairngorms and a Norfolk holiday camp.
Astronomy is one of those rare hobbies, like birdwatching, that creates no noise or waste, but you need an absolute minimum of man-made light pollution to do it properly, so you must visit remote areas.
Land Rover has combined a wealth of valuable information together with some practical advice from astronomy expert Jenifer Millard on how to ‘do’ dark-skies observation.
Many of Millard’s hints are endearingly homespun: you will see plenty with ordinary binoculars; don’t forget your warm clothing. Best of all, she promises, what you see on your first foray will be different next time, because Earth will have changed position in the galaxy.
Land Rover has always been good at suggesting new pursuits with its cars, but this is one I would never have thought of. Stick “Land Rover best stargazing spots” into Google for much more.