The Traveller was misbehaving, so I took the cylinder head off it and found a small but terminal crack. I've found a replacement in Dorset, and am borrowing a car to go and get it, and generally getting on with it. The whole job should cost me about £100, all in.Someone who dwells out there in People Carrier Land commented acidly, on hearing the news, "I thought at the time that you should have got a modern car". Hey ho. Different strokes. I chose this car because it was cheap to operate (no road tax, fully comp insurance for £98 per year, cheap spares, I can do the maintenance myself) ...and fun, of course. And so far it's done 25,000 miles with me, mostly up and down motorways. Ideally I should like to be working towards being car-free. Having a car is a bit insane, in the great scheme of things.
There are folk who get affronted by people being "different". The stepmother was the same. When I 'came out', she seemed to think that it was done to annoy her... it doesn't occur to them that they are the different ones, from where I'm standing. Fortunately, I'm not alone. So hurrah for people who just happen to be another flavour than vanilla.
Though I do like vanilla. I have a pot of vanilla sugar in the kitchen. It has its place. On apple slices, porridge, melted into a pan for Tarte Tatin- I made a really good one of those last week...
OK, mildly funny story from yesterday.
I picked up a repeat prescription for oestradiol valerate from the surgery, and dropped it into Boots the Chemist.
I called in later to pick it up. The young pharmacist, whom I hadn't seen before (most of the staff there are old acquaintances and v friendly) anxiously ushered me to a quiet corner and said that the dosage on the prescription was unusual. "There's a reason for that," I said. He looked more closely at me, and said, "Ohhhhh.... I understand". We smiled and parted.
So hurrah. And slightly boo.
Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams...
ReplyDeleteYour moggy is your heart's desire, Dru, and someone ought to be able to recognise that without poo-pooing it. Of course, it might have been an inadvertent poo-poo, but no-one should make a habit of inadvertency.
I, for instance, have an efficient modern car but it is not my heart's desire; THAT is to be a successful musician :-)
Suzzy
I have a modernish car, and satnav, too. We know exactly how useful that is.
ReplyDeleteAs for 'slightly boo', I know how you feel. I recently had a date with a very pleasant man who I met in my local. After a very pleasant evening I needed to get something out of the way before things...developed...and while he was walking me home I sat him on a wall and...
"Oh. I hadn't realised." Then he recovered a bit: "Although it did occurr to me tonight. But thanks for being honest." I still got walked to my front door, and was treated to a brief but engaging kiss. I assume he needed to check whether it made a difference. It did, and he quickly bid farewell and never called me again. So hurrah. And slightly boo.
Just this morning Olivier and I were discussing our dear little Renault 5. A lot of people seem to think they need a people carrier because they have children. We travelled to England with 3 children and everything we needed for three weeks in that little car several times. I'm sure when the world ends we'll be the ones better equipped for organising ourselves.
ReplyDeleteIt is starting to become fashionable to walk, ride a bike or take the bus here. The people who make the most noise about doing it now are the ones who thought we were daft in the past.
Menopause? ;)
I bus everywhere, but Robert has a car, which we use for weekend trips away, but that's really about it now!
ReplyDeleteBut with my bus pass, it's about $63 a month to go anywhere, (about 27 UK pounds) any time, as many times as you like, and that has to be cheaper than English busses! I think my mum pays that per week! Ouch.
Nice cars are fun though, you have to drive what you love, especially if you're not driving that far regularly.
I don't like vanilla anything really, I like it all in exotic flavours. ;-)
Not an inadvertent poo-poo, Suzanne, but I guess she has problems of her own and wanted to dump stuff on me. Sweetness and light, sweetness and light...
ReplyDeleteSlightly devilled, Rognon?
Fashion in cars is odd, isn't it, Anji? -thirty years ago yummy mummies were doing the school run in 2CVs; the 4x4s and people carriers they use now couldn't be much more different. The 'get out of my way I'm on the school run' attitude remains the same, though. Bloody menaces. We use a tandem. :-)
When I was recovering from something a couple of years ago and unable to use my bike, I took the bus up the hill to get home, Chandira. It cost me £2 for about half a mile. Bristol always did have expensive buses, but really. I bike it whenever possible.