The old folks at home

I made a trip this weekend to see the folks back in Essex. The main thing that strikes me when I return to the south east is the volume of traffic and people - how do they all fit into that tiny corner? And that's without visiting London! The M25 is the usual nightmare - just sheer weight of traffic slows everything down. People are also much ruder, mainly because they don't have time for common courtesies that are generally maintained here in Devon. I was also disappointed that the petrol was no cheaper at the pump than I had been paying here (it usually is). Prices varied from 106.9 down to 99.9 - in fact it was 107.9 on the M4. When will this be sorted out? It was certainly good to return to the peace and quiet of the Devon countryside - even though there is a lot of mud about!