November Cold and Other Matters

 Friday. 4.40 p.m. I have developed a rather unpleasant cold. I don't think I've had a cold since the 1990s, but certainly not in the time Carol I were together. I have kept to myself and didn't go to the 5th session of The Prayer Course at the Oaktree Centre yesterday evening. It's just a matter of letting it run its course, but as I write this it seems to be clearing up. I'm almost certain that I picked it up after being locked down due to the pandemic for the past eighteen months or more.

Sunday. 9.25 a.m. The cold is still hanging on. I'll just have to let it run its course. I'm not going to church this morning, more concerned that I would spread it to others than how I feel. Actually, it's just a runny nose and a cough, but that's all. I had far worse. I may get some honey and lemon to drink. A classic actor's remedy for a cold or laryngitis.

I've been out with Alfie twice. We discovered that it was chilly, but there is a somewhat watery sun. Alfie loves the leaves that are strewn along the path as we approach the crossing onto Oldbrook Green. A lot of noise from fireworks last night. Alfie's not reacted one bit. He doesn't seem in the least bit bothered by them, although the largest explosions made me jump. Almost sounded like bombs going off.

Monday. 7.25 a.m. It's cold out. I'm glad I've got extra layers to put on. Red-rosy sky. What does the old proverb say? 'Red sky at night, shepherd's delight. Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning.' I think it's quite accurate, so we'll wait and see what sort of turn the weather makes. I just hope it's not too cold, windy, foggy, or icy.

Tuesday. 8.15 a.m. It's actually quite sunny and mild as I write this. Goodness! Can it be real? Is it connected to climate change? Probably. Possibly. Just another balmy day.

The wretched cold has run its course. I think the fact that I kept to myself for the past few days has paid off. I still have a bit of a cough, but that's nothing compared to a runny nose. I did have a bit of a temperature at one point, but that's settled back to normal.

7.35 p.m. I have finally finished the book 'The Thirties,' By Juliet Gardiner. It's a hefty tome of some 750 pages, and I can't believe I've been reading it since July! Only a few pages a day, so it's no wonder it has taken so long. I've just started 'Hamnet' by Maggie O'Farrell. I'm only one page in and I'm really enjoying it.

Saturday. 6.30 p.m. I didn't know whether to post this, but after seconds of thought, here I go. A few weeks ago I had a phone call from the undertakers who did Carol's funeral. Had I considered what I wanted to do with her ashes? I have been racking my brain for almost the last three years since she passed away. I didn't know where to scatter them. I had considered Whipsnade Zoo because it was one of our favourite places to visit. But I had to consider whether ZSL, who operates the zoo, would allow this. I had considered Dunstable Downs, just below the zoo. I hadn't done anything about this matter, until after the telephone call, when I was out walking Alfie around Oldbrook Green. In a sort of light-bulb moment, I thought of Salcey Forest, which was somewhere we visited regularly to walk our dogs. Then I thought, I had better contact whoever manages the place to ask if they would allow this. I thought it was important to ask permission as some places didn't allow the scattering of ashes. I found their email address and sent an email off and waited for a reply. I eventually got a response and was told it was okay but I mustn't dig the ashes in. I texted Daniel to tell him what my intentions were and to let his brother, Sam, know. I didn't get a response, so I found his email address and emailed him, repeating what I had put in the text message. I got an answer after several days in which he said if I let him know when I was going to scatter his mother's ashes he might be able to come down to be there.  On Tuesday I went on my own to Newport Pagnell to collect the ashes from the undertakers, Masons. Not something I was actually looking forward to, be it went well enough. I arranged the 10th November (last Wednesday), which gave him more than enough time for Daniel to sort out having the time off work and also plenty of time to get down here in Milton Keynes (I wanted the scattering to be around 2 p.m.) But I heard no more so went ahead, having asked my friends from Church, Mike, and Margaret, to go with me. So, that is exactly what we did last Wednesday, driving all the way to Salcey forest and I found just the perfect place to scatter the ashes. It was very peaceful with very few people around which probably wouldn't have been the case if we'd gone on a Saturday or Sunday. Margaret read a Bible passage and Mike said a prayer before I scattered the ashes and later I took a photograph of the site which I later sent to Carol's parents in Bournemouth. We then went to the cafe for hot chocolate and then drove back to Milton Keynes. The weather was perfect, with no rain, which might have made the proceedings somewhat difficult. Having been there quite a few times in the past, we had found it to be very muddy, but now most of the paths have a decent surface to walk on and the roads and car parking areas are similarly surfaced, making life far easier for all concerned.

Signs of Spring, MoT and Crazy Cyclists

We've had the car booked in for it's MoT. At the O.K. Garage at Peartree Bridge, the grid square just over the other side of Marlborough Street. It was supposed to be there at 8.30. No problem with that, as the sooner the car is done the better as far as I'm concerned. I have to drive out of Eaglestone by going round the circular route and leave next to the shops. I then have to turn left onto Chaffron Way, as I have met with a queue of traffic going right (which is the route I have to take) and then round the roundabout and return onto Chaffron Way and then meet more traffic queuing to get onto the roundabout on Marlborough Street. I just wish most drivers would respect other road-users, and not insist on driving right up my rear bumper, in an attempt to get me to speed up or just get out of their way. It's quite nerve-wracking. Other drivers are under the impression that they don't have to stop when they meet a roundabout and merely continue on without any need to stop and wait for other road-users to go through the roundabout. Anyway, I continue on and come off Marlborough Street where there's a sign for 'Marina' and the OK Garage is a short way off the road. I can't drive straight into the carpark as there are several cars in the way, so I wait until they've moved. When I do eventually drive in I have to leave the car in a position which is obviously blocking other vehicles but then, once I've been in to tell the reception that I've arrived with the car, they have the car keys so they can drive it so that they can do the MoT. I'm told it might be ready by 10, which is fine by me. I don't see the point of waiting, as it's only a relatively short walk along the Redway back home to Eaglestone. I had the presence of mind to bring my G.T.N. spray with me, concealed in one of the very convenient pockets in the sleeve of my fleece hoodie. It's quite a cold and windy morning and the cold brings on a mild angina attack, but a couple of sprays under my tongue and a few minutes pause in my walk relieves the slight pain in my chest.

There are definite signs of spring as I walk along the Redway. Quite a bit of blossom beginning to come out. It's white and I think it's probably may. Also, buds coming out on a lot of the trees and buses and the grass looks a good deal greener.

I have to move out of the way as a couple of cyclists come straight at me. They might not be intentionally aiming themselves at me as I walk, but it seems like it. One, dressed in the brightest and most gariest green imaginable, with a blinking light-thing on his helmet. You wouldn't miss him in a fog and very easy to see, but to me he just looks very amusing, Lycra, the full bit, helmet and gloves. It must cost a fortune, and he looks so serious. EVEN got this little camera on his brightly coloured helmet to take a lovely video to show his friends on Facebook or whatever. But be keeping the shareholders of Halfords well and truly happy and living in the style they rather enjoy. Must have spend several hundred pounds on all this gear. These people don't seem to realise how crazy they look. You wouldn't get me into Lycra at any price. When we were at Salcey Forest on Sunday morning, as we sat and drank our hot chocolate outside the café, a group of middle aged men turned up with their bicycles, clad in Lycra, helmets on heads (although some did carry them). So, this is what they do on the average Sunday morning? "Where are you off to, dear?" one wife to her husband. "A long ride out into the Northamptonshire countryside. Be a couple of hours. Have the lunch on ready for when I get home." Or words to that effect. No likelihood of them actually going more than a couple of miles up the road. Just sitting and eating a sausage roll or two, together with a nicely-filled baguette or bread roll, with a cup of coffee and a few bags of crisps and then off to a pub to drink a couple of pints of best bitter. No actual time-trials on their beloved bicycles at all, just an excuse to get out of the way of the children who are charging around the house making all sorts of noises which wifey spends her time in the kitchen preparing the potatoes for roasting with Yorkshire Pudding and roast beef etc etc. Mind you, I don't expect any of that lot had a little camera on their helmets to show the wives at home where they've  REALLY been. But no doubt they'd have a satnav which might conveniently give a trace of the route they've cycled.

A little later in the day . . .

I had expected to hear back from the garage regarding the MoT. I had been told that they would ring me around 10 o'clock. I hadn't heard by 11.30, so I decided to ring them. I had to find their phone number on their website so I had to go on line. I was told, when I got through, that the car had failed. Something called the 'coil spring' which is part of the suspension system. It was going to cost around £150. They had to find the part to fit in the car. The car was no use having back if it had to have work done on it and, without it's MoT certificate we couldn't legally drive it, so I told them they had better get the part and then fit it. So, once that was done, it was legal to drive with it's MoT certificate in place. Then there was the problem of the car's door. It has sliding doors. The passenger side door is fine. It works, using the remote, but the driver's side door has been faulty for some time now. We've just put up with it, but it's annoying, it doesn't work using the remote, or the controls within the car. We asked if the garage could give us a quote for parts and labour. As I write this they haven't come back on any of this, although Carol found something called an 'actuator' on Amazon for around £50. Don't ask me how this works as I have no idea. No doubt it's got something to do with the remote control system which opens and closes the door. I will come back and write up further on this matter as and when I have it. They may be able to fix the car this afternoon but it all depends on whether they can get the parts, but it may have to stay at the garage until tomorrow when they can complete the job. It really doesn't matter as we don't need the car immediately and it's only a ten-minute walk down to O.K Garage.

Later still . . .

I hadn't heard a thing from O.K. Garage. until around 4.50. Once Carol had come home I decided to ring them again. They were having problems with the car door. Something to do with some electrical device in the dashboard. I'm not sure exactly what it was or even what it does, but it's the thing that has been causing all the problems with the wretched sliding door. They would need to take off the dashboard cover. They would have it ready by 5.30, which I imagine was when they shut up shop. Carol suggested we walk down, taking Alfie with us. It seemed a good idea. After we'd had a drink of tea we set off down the Redway. Alfie was released from being on his lead and seemed in his element, running ahead as he always does. We came into contact with cyclists, two of whom I'd encountered earlier that morning. The bright green of one of their outfits making him stand out. Why is it that cyclists on the Redway can never slow down when they come to pedestrians? Nearly ran into us and one almost ran over poor Alfie.

We arrived at O.K. Garage and they had got the car ready for us. It has to go back tomorrow morning for around half-an-hour so they can find the correct part number for the electronic piece inside the dashboard and then the car can go back in a few week's time after I get my pension money to have the part put into the car.  We paid for the work the garage had done. £183 which included the MoT and the spring coil (still never heard of it.) So at least we had the car back and the overall cost wasn't as much as I had anticipated, fortunately.

We drove out of the garage carpark and then we discovered the car was low on petrol. By now the traffic was building up, as it was home time for most people. We had to fill up at the Shell station in Grafton Street. Carol drove the car and I had Alfie perched on my lap. A new experience for him, as usually when we take him out in the car, as we did last Sunday when we went to Salcey Forest, he has to travel in the cage in the back of the car. It was worthwhile as he sat still (up to a point) with me holding him tight with his collar. When we got to the Shell petrol station I handed him over to Carol to hold whilst I filled the car with petrol. Then we drove to the Brother's fish and chip shop in Eaglestone. I went in to order our food and Carol walked home with Alfie through Eaglestone Park. By the time I'd got the order and drove home, they had arrived at the house and had the plates and cutlery ready so we could eat immediately I got back.

A Walk In The Forest

It's been quite a pleasant morning. It was about time we took Alfie out for a walk. It was a toss-up between Salcey Forest or Rushmere Country Park. We decided on Salcey. Both about the same sort of distance from Milton Keynes. It's up the A5 towards Stony Stratford and out into the  Northamptonshire countryside. It was actually quite nice to get away from Milton Keynes for a couple of hours. Apart from anything, Alfie needed an outing, since Poppy died two weeks ago. He's an energetic little dog and really enjoys going out with us. I had to put the cage in the back of the car because he's a bit of a handful if he sits on your lap. He won't and as we've attempted this, it's better for us and better for him. He'll only get his lead tied up with the gear stick and it's frankly a safety issue. I had to sneak the cage out to the car without him noticing, as he soon picks up somehow or other that we're intending to go out and take him with us. I don't remember when we last visited this favourite dog-walking site, but it's probably a couple of years ago. Last time we went they were in the process of building new facilities such as toilets and the area around the café. Also, it seems they've managed to resurface a lot of the roads in and out and some of the paths have better surfaces, tarmac, which is probably better for wheeled things such as bicycles, baby buggies, prams and wheelchairs. The new toilet block is a vast improvement. We took Alfie for quite a long walk through the forest, meeting a lot of people with dogs. To be let off his lead and to run free was what Alfie enjoys most of all. We walk along at our own pace but he insists on running ahead and discovering all manner of nice smells and weeing up against virtually every tree and tuft of grass he encounters. Then he runs back to us and trots along at our heels and then shoots off again. It was quite muddy, which is to be expected, considering the time of year. If we'd had Poppy with us she'd have found the most smelly, gooey and thick mud to wade through. Alfie isn't so keen on water, thankfully. Poppy had a propensity for diving in to the nearest piece of water, be it lake, pond, river, canal or whatever. if it was smelly mud it meant we had to contend with not only cleaning her after an outing but it would lead to a muddy house, carpets, furniture, beds and so on. We walked into the forest, having parked the car, avoiding the most muddy places. Carol found a place in the carpark, but I saw that there was a large muddy puddle her side of the car, as it would mean, when she got out of the car, she'd have to walk in this mud. We'd come here a couple of years ago and parked the other side of the carpark and when we'd returned to the car to go home we found we couldn't move the car because we'd got stuck in the mud. It was quite some time before we could drive away. Funny looking back, but not so funny at the time.

Further into the forest we came to the tree-top walk. I'm not good with heights. Never have been, unfortunately. We have walked right to the top of this structure, but I wasn't too keen today. It's quite a height at it's furthest extent. I'm not sure how high, but around the same height as some of the trees. We heard a rather off-putting creaking sound, coming I think from one of the trees nearby. They were swaying in the breeze. There wasn't the wind we had during the week, thankfully. I think the treetop walk would have been closed for health and safety concerns. We walked back to the car and I used the newly built toilets, a vast improvement on the somewhat primitive facilities that used to be here. We had hot chocolate, cream and marshmallows which was an ideal end to our walk and then returned home in the car. We had been covered very generously in mud, thanks to Alfie insisting on sitting on both our laps when we sat on a bench by the path in the forest. But it really didn't matter because everything can go in the washing machine.

Spring-Like Weather

For the past couple of days we've been experiencing almost spring-like weather. Carol was on Half-Term Holiday last week. She had to make a doctor's appointment early last week. We didn't go to the surgery on the Monday because from experience we knew that it was likely to be busy, with a long queue outside (I was only the second person in the queue the week before at around 7.45 a.m. when I'd gone to make an appointment myself.) So we'd gone on the Tuesday. It turned out that she would have to have a blood test, so had to go back the next day, at around 9.20 for that. 

The weather was mixed. Some days it was bright and sunny, whilst others it rained. On the Thursday we went to the Heart of the Shires shopping village at Weedon, which is up the A5. We had gone to another a few months ago, on the major roundabout on the A5/A43, just beyond Towcester, called Bell Plantation Garden. We'd had a nice meal in what's called the Plantation Cafe. But when we'd arrived this time we discovered that there was major roadworks on the roundabout. It looked as if they were widening the road and making the roundabout a good deal wider, putting in several new lanes for traffic. We have shopped in the Aldi branch which is nearby in the past. So we had travelled on until we came to the shopping village at Weedon. We'd discovered these places quite by chance as we've been up and down the A5 as it's a good deal less stressful than using the nearby M1 which is only a short distance away. There is so much more to see as you drive along the A5. There are several quite pleasant garden centres and shopping villages and you pass through a few really interesting villages and towns along the way, one being Towcester. Weedon is at the crossing-place of the A45 which goes on towards Birmingham, Warwick and Leamington Spa and is the way we drive whenever we go to Kenilworth Castle. The east direction heads towards Northampton and eventually Bedford. There are some really interesting shops and outlets at the shopping village, selling a range of items such as housewares, antiques, clothes and gardening items. We had a coffee in the cafe and then drove home slowly. Not an entirely over-exciting outing, but considering we hadn't been out all week it was quite a pleasant little outing. We did have a browse in the antiques centre but decided that most of what they had on offer was really over-priced. Our knowledge of antiques has been acquired as a result of watching such television programmes as Bargain Hunt, Flog It and Antiques Roadshow. I had never heard of Lalique, Famille Rose, or many of the more famous makers until I'd watched these shows.

On Saturday we decided that the dogs needed a well-earned outing, and wanted to take them for a walk. As mentioned in earlier posts, it's quite a military operation as you have to be properly organised for these outings as Alfie, our Yorkshire terrier gets very wound up when he knows we're going out. Fortunately this time he didn't get quite so stressed out, but I had to put the cage into the back of the car without him seeing we doing it. It started out quite fine and sunny, but it began to cloud over as we drove up the A5 as we were going to Salcey Forest, somewhere we haven't visited in quite a while. It turned out that there was building work going at the carpark. It looks as if they are building a new visitor centre. The cafe which is there currently is only wooden, a sort of temporary construction. Also, it was extremely muddy as we walked along the paths, which didn't bother either dog, but when they jumped up on us we became extremely covered in mud. Not a real problem because our clothes could be washed easily in the washing machine later. But, again, it was a nice outing. No sooner had we got back home than the rain began so it was as well we went out when we did and had made the best of the day.

Easter Bank Holiday Monday: Walking The Dogs At Salcey Forest

Today was Easter Monday Bank Holiday, Carol's last day of the Easter Holiday. We had considered going for a swim at the gym this morning, but in the end we decided that the dogs would appreciate being taken for a walk. We haven't taken them out for quite a while, due mainly because of the weather. It was foggy when I looked out of the window and actually quite nippy. If we were going to take the dogs anywhere in the car we would need to take the cage for Alfie which was in the house and it was necessary to get it out without him seeing as he gets particularly overwrought (to say the least. He becomes like the Tasmanian Devil when he knows we're planning a walk.) I got the dogs in the bedroom and closed the door on them and managed to get out to the car with the cage and inside the back without Alfie knowing. But as soon as the dogs were eventually let out of the bedroom Alfie seemed to have some idea of what we were planning and started charging around the house, barking noisily. We wanted to take the digital camera and had purchased new batteries to put it it, but, during the recent cleaning, which we did prior to the house inspection, these batteries got mislaid. After some searching we found them and I managed to put them into the camera. It is absolutely no use having a digital camera with flat batteries. We have had rechargeable batteries for our three cameras, but they are not virtually useless and don't seem to hold a charge. I suppose they do have a limited life and being at least six years old I imagine they are at the end of their lives. I'm not sure how many times they have been recharged but that's not bad if that is how old they are, so buying a set of batteries that aren't rechargeable seemed rather a waste of money but we just wanted a set to allow us to use the Fuji camera. Carol suggested I keep Alfie while she got Poppy into her harness in the kitchen and it took me some effort to keep hold of him and he managed to scratch me with his claws as he was getting more and more excited, barking and making a lot of noise. Poppy is generally no problem to sort out with her harness, but Alfie . . .

We got him into the car and had next to get some change as the carpark at Salcey Forest isn't free and you need change to feed the meter there, as we discovered some while ago and this seems to be the norm at several of the places we take the dogs for walks, particularly Rushmere and the nearby     Park near Leighton Buzzard. We drove towards the A5 and went to get a coffee at the new drive-in Starbucks which meant we would have sufficient change for parking once we got to Salcey.

The sun was struggling to make an appearance and as it was now around 9 a.m. we thought that the fog would soon clear.

When we got to Salcey Forest the carpark was virtually empty. It seemed that our early start to the day had paid off. Being a Bank Holiday we had taken into consideration that everyone else would be out and about, particularly as it was a warm and sunny day.

Then we found that it was going to cost £3 to park the car for more than three hours. I went into the cafe which is near the carpark. Generally very good as we've been there in the winter months when it it open and have very nice soup on cold and frosty days. I had a £5-note and bought a packet of Polo mints and took it to the till to pay. The girl who was on the till said 'do you have anything less?' to which I replied that I hadn't and the change was for the carpark. Then another woman who worked in the cafe said 'we don't give change for the carpark.' Which seemed a rather stupid thing to say, because if they wanted customers, then they would need people to come in a car and if they couldn't provide change for parking, then people would drive off and not park and take their money elsewhere. I'm not bothered about paying for parking provided the money is used to keep the facilities maintained. The toilets at the site were closed for maintenance, and were replaced by temporary toilets, so I imagine money made from car parking went towards the cost of that, also, keeping the surface of the roads within the forest and the actual carpark in top condition. They can be very bad, and during one occasion when we went we got the car stuck in a very muddy puddle.

Anyway, we went for a very enjoyable walk with the dogs, and by the time we got back with them to the car the place had filled up with more cars and people, and lots of other dogs which our two made friends with.

Blackberries and Dog-Walking

I have been picking the blackberries which we have on the bramble-bushes in our garden. There is a tangled branch along one side of the garden, which you have to negotiate when you are either pegging out clothes on the washing line or collecting laundry from the line once it is dry. These branches are really prickly and the thorns on them are lethal. Having collected all the blackberries which were in the garden, I decided to take a stroll along the Redway behind the house and pick some more. Carol thought it would be a good idea to combine my blackberry-picking excursion with taking both dogs for a walk. This sounded a good idea, but trying to get both dogs suitably equipped with their leads on (and, first of all, discovering where the leads were was a problem, but we managed to find them fairly easily.) was no easy task. The moment Alfie, particularly, realises we're going to take him for a walk, he gets so excited and begins to bark and carry on extremely noisily. Poppy, on the other hand, is not quite so vociferous, but can still get quite worked up. Nevertheless, we managed to get their leads fixed up (Carol has managed to arrange the leads so that both dogs can be walked together on a sort of 'Y' shaped arrangement.) and I was able to take a plastic box to put the picked blackberries in. We got out to the Redway, walking towards the canal, and along the path which runs around the back of the hospital. Before the path got to the main road, Marlborough Street, we crossed over the Redway and back into Eaglestone and let the dogs off their leads in the park. Surprisingly, Milton Keynes has many really attractive places to walk, and Eaglestone Park is rather a pleasant place to walk, particularly with dogs. There are a number of little bridges over running water and streams and wooded areas to walk through. Poppy just potters along enjoying the scenery, occasionally disappearing into people's front gardens for a sniff around, and at one point disappeared under a hedge and we didn't see her for quite a while. Alfie, for a little dog, has enormous amounts of energy. He can run for a long way, and is extremely well behaved, and always comes back to us when he's called. He didn't need much training to walk on a lead and almost always comes to 'heel.' He does, occasionally, get very excited and yaps rather a lot, but I think this is just because he enjoys being out and is allowed to run free. 

I did manage to pick a few blackberries, but not enough to make a blackberry-and-apple pie or maybe a crumble. I have a feeling that most of them have already been picked by other people. It doesn't really surprise me, as it's a free supply of food on most people's doorstep. In most cases, a lot of the inhabitants of Eaglestone have a ready supply of blackberries at this time of year, and have only got to go out of their front door like we have to get quite a good amount to make a really  tasty pie or crumble. I shall go out on my own again tomorrow sometime and pick a few more. Those we have got we put in the freezer and can be used during the winter months. In Morrisons the other Saturday they had blackberries on sale, which seems incredible when you think you can get them free by just going out and looking. It was something like £2 for a really small punnet. (Sorry, I don't think they use traditional punnets any more. These were in those clear plastic boxes so loved by supermarkets.)

We had to put the dogs back on their leads when we walked back through the estate. We got back to the house just in time, as a really heavy rainstorm came in with very black clouds hanging over Milton Keynes virtually as we walked in the front door. Both dogs seemed quite exhausted by their walk, and within half-an-hour of coming home were both asleep on the sofa! Poppy had several bits of twig caught in her coat which we had to pull off! Alfie seemed to avoid the twigs this time, but I remember the first time we took the dogs for a walk when Alfie was still a puppy (I think it was either Stockgrove Park or Salcey Forest, I forget which exactly.) he got really upset by the fact that he was picking up quite a collection of twigs and leaves in his coat as he walked along, and stopped every few yards and sat down to pick them out with his teeth. It really was quite amusing! I don't think he liked them for some reason best known to himself. Alfie can get very stressed about going in the car. It is virtually impossible to have him in the car so that he just sits on the back seat. He will just run all over the place and even try and sit on the lap of the driver, which can be quite dangerous. We have even attempted to have him sitting on my lap while Carol drives. The first time we tried this, we were going to one of our favourite places, Stowe Landscape Gardens near Buckingham. We were driving along the long, straight road which leads to Stowe, when Alfie was sick. We had to stop the car to clear up the mess, but after that we realised that it was going to be very difficult, if not virtually impossible, to take him out in the car, if he was going to continue with this behaviour. I'm not sure whether this is normal behaviour for Yorkshire terriers, but it would be very difficult to drive and have him creating in such a stressed-out fashion. We eventually purchased a cage from a pet shop, which was the right size for him to fit in, and would go in the back of the car. He does make a certain amount of noise, but I think he probably rather likes it and does eventually settle down and go to sleep once we are out on the road. When we stop, it's then he starts his noise. This has rather put us off taking him out with us in the car, which is such a shame, as he does enjoy his walks, but we think we're going to just persevere with him so that he gets used to car journeys.