I am very keen to write up about our recent big Road Trip to Alabama and Tennessee, but as usual, I’m too bogged down in other stuff.

The highlights of the trip were fantastic and more than compensated for the various discomforts of travel, but I will have to leave those for later commentary (with photos). It has to be said that the last and longest leg of the journey from Memphis to Houston was the worst. The first leg (Houston to Mobile) was not much better! I think 4 hours’ driving a day (with children) might be my happy limit.

Unlike some people, I am prejudiced in favour of the South. I’m not sure why, really. It’s a prejudice I have held since I was at least in my teens and was only cemented by my last seven years’ regular reading of Maclin’s blog. I have decided that the things in the South which I don’t like, are not usually because they are Southern. Mostly they tend to be general American things, but I will not bore you with my dislikes. After all, this is not my native land and no-one likes to hear their homeland being criticised by outsiders. I will say that as far as Southern things go, I do feel a bit suspicious of grits – but I’ve never tried them, so can’t tell you if I like them or not! Suffice it to say that no part of our travels served to harm my view of the South, but Nick tells me it increased his regard for the place.

Mobile, AL