This is my car. Friends will tell you that I am not a "car" person. I categorise by colour. I once spent ages in a scrap yard looking for Nissan Micras, I needed to replace an indicator arm on my own car. The only way I could find them was to locate a small car and then find the badging on it, not so reliable a technique in a scrap yard, when often they've been removed.
So, when I became sole owner of a car with no man around to do things, it was quite problematical. Yesterday was no exception. My car wouldn't start. I knew it was the battery as Lou and I had had to push it off the drive to bump start it the day before, what I'd thought was a temporary problem turned out to be a fatal one. Fortunately our kind postman ..... by the way, I did shout thank you very loudly as I sped off down the road leaving you gasping, panting and in danger of being run over by approaching vehicles ..... gave me a push and I made my way to Kwikfit to get a replacement battery.
Fifty pounds later I arrived at the car wash. It is the only one I dare to use. When I first got a car I had to have intensive therapy to use a car wash, not to mention several sessions of pneumatic tutoring to use an air machine. I like this particular car wash as it has a real man who takes my money and washes my wheels and then tells me when and where to stop. I also need to point out that prices have risen somewhat since this picture was taken!
I am getting better with cars. As with anything, when one has to do it, it results in a growth of knowledge and, more importantly, confidence. Like blogging really .... I don't post very often because I feel that what I think is of little import. Underneath it's maybe a lack of confidence in expressing views, thoughts and ideas to anyone who happens to be reading.
I had no idea batteries cost fifty quid. Yikes!
I guess that means I am not a real man.
Posted by: AndyC | December 21, 2004 at 13:00
Well, they probably don't if you can fit them yourself and go to a nice cheap place ....
Posted by: Liz Marshall | December 21, 2004 at 18:17
There's a place you can go where they'll give you a brand new one for £5 if you let the blokes who work there beat you up for fun. It's called Assault & Battery - I'll give you the number if you're interested.
Posted by: Jason | December 23, 2004 at 11:52
The car wash ritual. Oh god - it's been two months since I became solely responsible for my own car and it's becoming very heavy to drive on account of the layers and layers of mud attached to the bodywork. Andy took me in his car the the dreaded Car Wash and he showed me how to drive up to the lines and where to stop in his..but..but...but...you will know Liz, just how bloody scary this prospect is. Driving in there alone and hoping that the car is where it needs to be and wondering what if it's not and the radio aerial gets ripped off - or worse - what if it knacks the nice man's car wash machine...or what if it gets stuck and I have to be rescued by burly firemen and and and hey this car wash idea ain't so bad after all :-)
Posted by: Jac | January 01, 2005 at 16:49
Must be one of Andy's ministries .... has he done the air machine with you yet? lol
Posted by: Liz Marshall | January 02, 2005 at 00:56
Air machine? Hell - that sounds very....pneumatic...and even more scary:-(
Posted by: Jac | January 02, 2005 at 21:45