So, I had an awesome weekend, somewhat longer than intended, but awesome all the same.
After work on Friday I piled into Brick and with great speed ran to the first traffic jam. Several traffic jams later (and about 2 hours), I got off the M25 and onto the M11. Normally that journey takes less than an hour. I can’t say as I hugely enjoyed battling through the M25 traffic, but once I hit the M11 things went somewhat better, and I finally pulled up outside Kathryn’s house at about 1900. Piling back in the car we headed onward (or more accurately, backward) to Lauren and Chrissy’s whereupon a good time was had by all.
I sometimes forget how lucky I am to have the friends I do, but I truly am a lucky girl; Kathryn was introduced, Thai food was obtained, UHF watched, and a small black cat entertained. Having got to bed really quite late, we woke up and spent the day playing games and wandering round a beautiful bit of park/woodland/lake. Finally, we sat down and watched a mixture of Grand Designs and then Dr Who. That third episode of Dr Who – Really very good indeed.
It was a really, really enjoyable day. As night drew in, Kathryn and I hopped back in the car, I prayed to the god of Vauxhalls and we set off. See, on the way the ignition light which for the past few days had flickered on at idle – well, it went from flickering on to full on glowing at idle and occasionally flickering on at other times.
So I was hoping that at the times it wasn’t on, it was actually charging – unfortunately, hope doesn’t charge a battery, electrons do. And there weren’t a lot of electrons going *in* to the battery. Having had to switch to the ‘spare’ battery (which I have now discovered is as dead as I was beginning to suspect) we limped to 29 miles from Kathryn’s house at which point the engine decided it had done it’s bit, and we were quite definately not going any further.
Much effort later, the RAC declared the alternator dead, and that there was no-where suitable they could take me; a friend of Kathryn’s collected us, and I rung work and admitted that I would not be in today due to my car’s complete and total desire to stay in a service station.
Normally, or at least historically, this would have lead to wailing, gnashing of teeth, swearing and kicking the tyres in a ‘curse you, you swine!’ kind of way, but somehow I have chilled out and just curling up with Kathryn seemed a more appropriate response. I suspect I was pissy; at least a little; but there’s no use crying over spent money.
Mostly I seem to have become fate’s bitch, my car won’t go anywhere, I can struggle and fight, but it won’t get me anywhere; better to accept my situation and simply attempt to move forward.
Of course it doesn’t *always* work like that :-)
But what was nice, was that today I woke up next to Kathryn, and that made me start the day on a high; I found the alternator; I had the best taxi journey ever (with a guy who appeared to have done every job, and who had travelled the world, and was just waiting to head off abroad again); I changed it without too much hastle – although I cheated and let the RAC guy I’d called tighten it and the bolts – I’m glad I booked ahead and called them because the battery was way too flat to start the car. And then I headed home.
I am now wrecked, but attempting to find it in myself to change the coolant which does, it must be said, look atrocious. On the plus (plus) side, I see Kathryn again on Wednesday.
On the minus side I may have to cancel my trip down to Bristol, I don’t know that I can afford the petrol now :(
