Freezing cold trip to the train station this morning – ice covered Jeep but still slightly more tempting to drive than the 1972 canvass-topped Land Rover parked next to it. Mainly because the Land Rover doors had frozen shut in the first serious frost of the year!

Watching the Wrangler defrost, I noted a few features which are becoming increasingly rare on modern cars. The first is an aerial – remember when every car had a whip of metal waiting to be broken off by a passing vandal?

Inside, there’s also a handbrake. Now, I long for the return of the handbrake because so many new models opt for the electronic version which seems to have a mind of its own most of the time and just isn’t as reassuring as hauling a lever upwards.

So I drove off with the Jeep handbrake engaged this morning. I guess that’s one of the consequences when you climb back into a vehicle with old technology. Still, I miss having something to grab in a crisis…