Disclaimer: I don't hate kids.
I happen to own two of them myself, but by God, do I DESPISE the school run.
I don't know what overzealous traffic fairy emerges from the tarmac at that time of day, but it seems everyone loses their minds.
Including people's ability to park.
Combine that with the narrow roads of the UK/Europe, and you've got yourself a sh*tshow.
Cars line up against the kerbs like crooked jaws, just one distracted driver away from an insurance claim. Kids dart out between the gaps. Lollipop ladies waltz across the congested roads with their STOP sign in hand like it's a Gucci bag.
Then there are the general motorists who clearly don't want to go home that refuse to give way and ease some of the bottlenecks.
Uh! It's purgatory.
So much so that I have a rule (which, admittedly, I broke today as Master Liam and Master Nathan threw a wobbly as we left soft play):
No going into town between 2pm and 4:30pm.
Perhaps they're different in the leafy suburbs, but here in Greater London, school runs are the epitome of Satan's arsehole.
Thank God our boys aren't yet of an age where we need to compete with this madness, but give it a few years…
**shudders**
Anywho, whilst sitting in that gridlock today — horns blaring, engine idling, a lollipop lady still strutting her stuff — I did what any self-respecting fantasy author would do:
I listened to an audiobook while the boys finally zonked out at the back.
For the nosey ones among us, I'm currently listening to What Fresh Lunacy Is This?: The Authorised Biography of Oliver Reed.
A good read so far.
So much so that I've also got the paperback.
But such are the perks of audiobooks.
You can listen to them while stuck in traffic wishing your life away, or during the dead hours of work, or even while your skin soaks up the lavender bath bomb you got last Christmas.
They've also been absolutely valuable to me whilst I battle the last remnants of this poxy virus.
In any case, you might be pleased to know that Books 1-6 of The Divided Region also come in audiobook.
To learn more, go here:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/TDR-Bundle
DJJW