Broadlands, Breakdown, Burger Bar

Jackie and I set off late this morning in our apparently healthy Modus, bound for Broadlands in Romsey.

When younger, our King Charles III was very close to his Great Uncle Louis Mountbatten whose home this was.

On 27th August 1979, their relationship was ended by an IRA bomb. Details of the event can be found in:

https://www.history.com/news/mountbatten-assassination-ira-thatcher

The verges of the drive into the estate grounds were today lined with floral tributes to Queen Elizabeth II, who died two days ago.

What we had not realised when we decided to feature the flowers was that Broadlands was also the venue for The Romsey Show which was taking place today.

As we crawled up the road past our target venue, in the vicinity of which, with traffic nose to tail, there was no possible parking space, rather a lot of clutch pedal work was required – perhaps too much. We reached a roundabout some few hundred yards up the road, turned round it, and began to retrace our wheels. Suddenly there was the sound of a loud bang. Not from the car behind which had been trying to push in. But from beneath Jackie’s foot. The clutch pedal was flattened and not about to pop up again.

We had come to a halt on a double yellow line in two lane traffic just off a busy Romsey By-pass roundabout on the worst day of the year we could possibly have chosen.

The RAC gave us an estimated arrival time of 270 minutes. Jackie opened her puzzle book. I walked back down to Broadlands where I took the photographs first featured in this post.There a very kindly Volunteer Steward did his best, by telephonically interrupting his wife in a meeting about the event seeking anyone on site who could help. Signal was bad and this gentleman persisted in his efforts whilst at the same time managing two lanes of traffic entering the estate and herds of pedestrians wanting to cross the lines.

There wasn’t anyone available.

I staggered back to our car. Two other helpful passers-by asked if we needed anything, but they were not mechanics.

The first picture of the Modus bears a Burger Bar sign. After about an hour, Gary, sole operator of his outlet in the grounds of the Romsey Town Football Club, left his post to offer us hot drinks on the house.

Here Jackie expresses her pleasure.

The facility for the football club was very well attended, even though there was no match in progress. It is easy to see why.

Gary also left his customers to manage to drive our car onto the club premises in order to get it off the road.

Every half hour or so we received updates from RAC assuring us that on this very busy day they were doing their utmost to get someone to us. Have I mentioned that my phone battery was declining rapidly?

In fact, Ian, our next Good Samaritan, arrived half an hour early, fixed the problem in minutes, had a pleasant conversation with me, and followed us half way home.

Finally, of course, we must not forget Saint SueW, without whom I would not have been able to post these pictures.

Fortunately Jackie had prepared tonight’s dinner before we left this morning, so we were able to enjoy her wholesome beef pie; boiled new potatoes; crunchy carrots; firm cauliflower and broccoli; and meaty gravy. with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank Calvet Prestige Côtes du Rhône Villages 2021. The young family ate later.

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  7. The Mountbatten assassination, I recall, ended now-King Charles’ close association with a mentor with whom he was very close. I don’t recall how he was related to the Windsor’s. Prince Phillips’ uncle?

    So you drive a Renault Modus? I regret that French cars never seem to take off over here in the US. The last Renault to sell here, briefly, was the Renault 5. Before that, the Renault Dauphine. Each model had one owner in this town.

    Citroën and Peuget had very brief runs here, too. I personally like French cars and regret not buying a Peugeot 504 when I left the US Army in 1972. The US Government would have brought it back to the USA for me since I was a Spec5, the rank equivalent of a three-stripe Sergeant. I also thought the Citroën 2CV would have been fun, if even less practical for driving for the East Coast to Western Nebraska, where I live. A 1623 mile/2612km drive in a 2CV would have been an adventure, though!

    Reply

    1. Interesting knowledge of French cars, Doug. Jackie swears by her Modus, which has run well – second time round the clock – for 13 years. She is not looking forward to ever having to change it. Also that you knew about King Charles and his father’s uncle. Thanks very much

      Reply

      1. When stationed in Kaiserslautern, then-West Germany, many of the Germans I knew drove Renaults and Peugeots. Of course, there were Citroën 2CV’s around, as well as some of the fancier high end models. They seemed fairly exotic since the only French autos I’d ever seen before were that Renault Dauphine GT driven by the father of a friend of mine and a Citroën DS driven by the mother of a classmate whose father had been a career military officer who apparently was stationed in France before DeGaulle took the country out of NATO. Both were pretty interesting cars. The Renault had a sunroof, which was rare in those days and the Citroën did those crazy hydraulic suspension things that had high entertainment value for a kid. They had an animalistic quality, with all that stoplight posturing! The weird styling, with that single spoke steering wheel, made the Citroën DS more an alien spaceship than a 1950s-1960s car! They still stand out as pretty avant-garde on many levels. There was someone in Kaiserslautern with a new 1970 Citroën SM that was a treat to see up close, too. I regret never meeting the lucky person because I would have loved to talk with him or her about that car.

        I’m with Jackie on cars. Why trade a car if you like it? I drove a 1992 2005 Chrysler LeBaron coupe till 2005. The person who bought it from me drove it till he died two years ago, and his widow was able to sell it last year to the next person! The VW Golf Sportwagen I own now I really like, and I can see driving it till I drop dead or have to stop driving.

        The Mountbatten assassination actually was big news here because of his royal connection, his illustrious military career, and that he was the last viceroy of India.

        Reply

  8. Oh, my! What a day! 😮
    YAY for all the good helpers and nice encouragers! Sometimes in our frustrating woes, we meet the nicest people and/or it gives us an opportunity to be nice to others we encounter. 🙂
    YAY for Sue! She has always helped me with my WP issues! 🙂 ❤️
    Jackie’s got the right idea…when things take an unexpected turn in the day…keep smiling! 🙂
    (((HUGS))) and glad you got home safely to a delicious meal! 🙂

    Reply

  15. Your mention of your battery losing ‘oomph’ made me wonder if you carry a power bank, like one of these. I have two, and each is capable of recharging my phone and/or iPad multiple times. Since my own unfortunate experience with auto troubles, when the car wouldn’t start and I couldn’t use the car charger, I’ve never traveled without them. And, of course, they’re quite useful when the power goes out at home. If need be, I can use one of them to power a rechargeable fan for hours — useful post-hurricane.

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  21. My worst nightmare! I am surprised those in charge wouldn’t have tow trucks on-hand for such an issue. I am glad you were able to get your vehicle back on the road and get yourselves home to enjoy Jackie’s supper.

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  23. How terribly frustrating. Whenever I drive to Melbourne and go over the West Gate bridge I am alway anxious about having such a similar mishap. Luckily a haven’t. But I do have a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach just thinking of your situation. However, if it was possible to bottle some of Jackie’s obvious calm sense of wellbeing in the face of such a situation you could make a fortune.

    Reply

  24. Oh my, what dramas! Though clearly you and Jackie took it all in your stride and focussed on the goodness of those who tried to help rather than the frustrations of being stranded. I’m glad you finally got home safely to that delicious dinner.

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  25. Saint Sue! Haha, thank you for that. 🙂
    Jackie’s smile is just lovely. I’m glad the day didn’t turn out too bad after all.
    I never realised that Broadlands was in your neck of the woods.

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          1. Our flight delay to London caused us to miss our connection to BZN. Had to spend the night in Denver. 😌 Not home yet! Ugh!

  35. Ohhhhhh, Derrick, I felt so bad for you and Jackie. But, I was very impressed with how you seemingly kept your head about you and managed the whole affair with great help from helping hands. Look at Jackie’s big smile. It renews one’s faith in our fellow man to see how these people reached out to help. Does your car need some mechanical adjustment, now?

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  37. Oh for goodness sake. A car never breaks down when it’s convenient, does it? Great stories of all the kindnesses, though. Jackie looks wonderful. Now I realize how much she must love coffee!

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  38. These are the kinds of adventures that make for a good story later, but can be quite trying as they play out. Jackie has a winning smile, and you’re surrounded by helpful souls. I’m glad you made it back home to a good meal.

    Reply
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