| nt most of my childhood in a state of perpetual | | | | chauffeur dropping off my celebrity cargo at a |
| imagination. For so many wonderful years I would | | | | red carpet do. |
| live outdoors from the moment I woke up in the | | | | I had a whole host of toy cars, of varying sizes |
| morning to the moment I got called into the | | | | and degrees of fanciness. One of my favourites |
| house in the evening. I would wake up, clamber | | | | for the first few years of my life was a simple |
| into some disposable clothes, and head out onto | | | | little blue car. The paint had all chipped off from |
| the pavement, or into the backyard. Sometimes I | | | | numerous underwater excursions through the |
| would play with my imaginary horses in the back | | | | pond, down the slide at my local swimming poor, |
| yard, taking them for walks and feeding them | | | | or through the treacherous terrain of the rockery |
| imaginary grain. Other times my friends from up | | | | in the garden. I did repaint it with poster paint, |
| and down my street and I would be pirates, | | | | which didn’t have quite the dramatic and |
| sailing on a pirate ship made out of a rugs into the | | | | gleaming rejuvenating effect that I had hoped for, |
| jaws of a giant shark, or beaching ourselves on a | | | | and a few months down the line it had been |
| sun-drenched desert island. You could give me | | | | relegated forlornly to the toy bin in favour of a |
| anything at all and I could turn it into something | | | | newer and shinier model. |
| brilliant, exciting, and much like something from a | | | | That new model was a Ferrari F1 race car, which |
| fairytale. | | | | my doting mother had kindly picked up for me at |
| Of all the things I did, playing with my toy cars | | | | a local car boot sale. It was already well-loved |
| was probably my favourite. Whilst usually I | | | | (the toy equivalent of a used Ferrari, my mum |
| didn’t need any kind of prop to enter my | | | | said), but to me it was the most fun in the world, |
| imaginary paradise, full of exotic creatures and | | | | a beautiful shiny red car about the size of my |
| untold dangers, there was something about these | | | | hand. I would roll it around with me everywhere |
| cars that would make the whole process more | | | | that I went, even insisting on taking it to school |
| exciting. I could at turns be a super talented racing | | | | with me for show and tell. Some kids had teddy |
| driver, zooming around the track, or a learner | | | | bears of blankets that they would leave home |
| driver navigating through a city of video boxes. I | | | | without, whereas I in my infinite childish wisdom |
| could be a wild adventure driving my 4x4 through | | | | chose a toy car. It may not have been as |
| the deep dark depths of the jungle, or a | | | | comfortable, but it was probably more fun! |