Town mouse on satnavs

The disappearance of the satnav from his car leaves Clive enjoying using maps instead

Town mouse; country life
town mouse new
(Image credit: Country Life)

A few weeks ago, I was about to get into the car when I noticed it had been left unlocked. Everything seemed to be in order except for the satnav. Had it been pinched? Or had I taken it from the car, at the end of some weary journey, intending to update the device on the internet? I might very well have slipped it into a pocket.

I didn’t want to believe it had been stolen: it would’ve meant buying another one. On the other hand, I was running out of pockets to search. The other day, however, my wife reported that the police had called. Out of a plastic bag, they produced our satnav. A local reprobate had been caught, his flat had been searched, and the device had been found among the haul. The police had tapped in ‘Home’ and had been led to our address. They were pleased to have solved a crime, even before it had been reported. But then they took the thing away again, because it was now evidence.

I suppose we might see it again in a year, if it isn’t lost in the court process. Strangely, however, I’m enjoying its absence. I love maps. I feel like a member of Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet when the Leaderene was abroad: I fear the return of the bossy voice.

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Country Life

Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.