Taxing issues

I've just renewed my car tax - online. How fab is that? With just a few clicks of a mouse and a bit of keyboard twiddling, those clever people at the DVLA have ascertained that yes, I am the owner of a slightly battered, in-need-of-a-good-valet BMW, and that my insurance is valid and the MOT is up-to-date and that I can have a shiny new tax disc (sent through the post within 5 workings days).

Also, this scares me slightly. Big Brother and all that. By entering my car registration details (and the reference number on the Vehicle License reminder form) the DVLA have found me, found my car, checked that I am insured and MOT'd. All in the space of 3 minutes. Well, 7 minutes but only because I had to run out into the street with my Gromit slippers on to check the mileage. As the car is still parked outside Lydia's - Mike's mother has had to park at the end of the road on the rather dubious corner - and I couldn't find the keys, this took slightly longer than usual. But even so. I expressed my concerns to David who was more amazed by the news that I had actually remembered to renew the road tax without the threat of towing/fining/crushing.

You can do almost anything on-line these days: do your weekly supermarket shop, buy highly expensive electrical goods, find love, lose a fortune, reach millions of people in a single click of a mouse. David is never off the thing, I'm growing increasingly attached to it and Mac made me increasingly proud last week as he quite happily sat there in front of the Barney website and managed the mouse like an old pro.

However did we cope without it?