123,456

In the grand scheme of things, this is trival. Still, it's not something seen every day, and I'm guessing it's rarely caught on camera!

Yes, my car Fiona has done 123,456 miles. Actually, a bit more now, because the shot was taken during the first stage of yesterday's journey from Sussex to the Welsh Borders, on the A272 west of Wisborough Green. And not while driving along. I was on a straight stretch of road with nothing following me, and pulling in for a few seconds to take the photo was an entirely safe thing to do, and inconvenienced nobody.

I knew of course that 123,456 miles was coming up, but my attention was wholly on the business of driving with a caravan in tow, and I was relying on my eyes somehow registering that this magic mileage total had been reached. They didn't let me down. It's funny how often I do notice major mileage totals as they come up, palindromes for example, and certainly every one of the 10,000 mile totals in the past - the most recent being 120,000 miles. I make a point of noting down where it happened. It's almost something of a sport. At the very least, an interesting record of where Fiona was at these moments, over the years.

My eyes notice many other things like this - unusual car registration numbers, for instance. I may be awful at arithmetic, but I can't deny that my brain is wired up to recognise significant number (and letter) patterns when I see them. Perhaps patterns in general.

Whether such an ability is of any practical use is, of course, a matter for speculation. Oddly enough, I have no enthusiasm for crossword puzzles, sudoku, or any kind of 'what comes next in this series of numbers' question that might be asked in a quiz. Mathematics, pure or applied, is a fascinating but extraordinarily difficult-to-grasp subject so far as I am concerned. Which is a pity, because I must be intelligent enough to master the essentials, and I certainly dislike appearing ignorant or stupid. But I have no facility with numbers, no understanding, only this curious ability to see patterns.

I've often wondered whether I'm a little bit autistic. But since I am fully aware of other people, and have no problems imagining any impact I might have on their lives, I think not. Just somewhat self-obsessed. As many people are, who choose to live on their own.