A CANTERBURY TALE..

Some months ago I bought a new car.  Prior to that I went back to the dealership from where I had bought my previous two cars, only to be told that they had changed dealership and were no longer selling the make of car to which I had grown accustomed.   I was directed to another dealer, this time a large nation-wide company on the other side of town.

They seemed generally disinterested, despite the fact that I was in the market to buy a new, top of the range model.  They took my contact details promising to get in touch, but a few weeks went by and I heard nothing from them.  I came to the conclusion that large nation-wide companies were probably like that and therefore what I needed was a smaller, preferably family run concern who might provide a more personal service. 

I trawled the county and found a smaller, family run dealership an hour`s drive away in Canterbury.  So I went down there, had a chat with them, had a test drive and bought the car I had been looking for.  I was impressed with the quality of service, the attention to detail and the personal interest shown in what was, after all, a significant transaction.  So far, so good.

Now I have been very pleased with the new car but it`s the little things isn`t it?   Like the fact that one of the screws holding the rear number plate inexplicably sheared off and, more recently, the cable which releases the `flap` securing the fuel cap broke, which meant that I had to use BluTack to keep the number plate in place and to keep the fuel `flap` closed.   So today I went back to family-friendly dealer who apologised for the inconvenience and fixed the problems with a refreshing cheerfulness.

Trouble is, I don`t see much of Canterbury - bastion of Christianity, Cathedral city, UNESCO World Heritage Site, originally Cantwareburh (stronghold of the Kent people,) home of Kent County Cricket Club, birthplace of famous people such as Christopher Marlowe (there`s a theatre named for him,) Orlando Bloom, Fiona Phillips no less and David Gower went to school there.  Canterbury also has the inevitable trading estate, populated by all the usual suspects - Currys/PC World, Marks and Spencer, KFC and more car dealerships than you can shake a stick at, including my family friendly one.

Maybe next time, I`ll explore what the city has to offer beyond the confines of its ubiquitous trading estate.   I`m sure a certain Mr. Chaucer would approve.