So, not having a car and living in a city is the way of at least some of the future, I expect. The zip car / on demand rental / city car club thing has been going for a while, and I keep thinking it’s something that we should consider. Or at least consider dropping our second car*. When Rebecca’s electric (oh, the dreams I have) we’ve discussed the possibility of not keeping Chester anymore (not in front of him, obviously). Rebecca is, however, some way off. And as previously mentioned, Chester is currently waiting for parts, so today I signed up for Hertz on Demand. The reason I opted for this is that they have the fun-‘n-funky option of picking up an iMiev and somesuch, but also a nearby collection point is B&Q.
However, whilst my ordinary approach is to work out roughly what I need, wander around B&Q and get the bits (ideally I’d wander around Bishopston Hardware, but I’m in a hurry, and B&Q is nearer). But obviously, only having a motorbike as a means of transport makes manouvering a 2.5m long sheet somewhat more difficult. Some might say it’s an unrealistic thing to suggest. Hence the van rental (and yes, it would have hung dramatically out of the back of Chester, but he’s used to it).
So, having carefully made a list (with only the one major flaw, at the moment, which I’m just having panicked thoughts about), I made a list on ‘Reserve and Collect’ only to find that the reserve/collect thing only works next day. Which is no help.
So I’m going to have to trundle to B&Q, wander round in my (hot) bike gear, load the van in my (hot) bike gear, unload it at home in my (hot) bike gear, and then head back to B&Q to take the van back so I can get my bike back, and ride home. Which all takes time from my bed and bookcase building. To top it all off, I’ve realised that I cut the shelves for the second shelf unit to the wrong size***. Which makes me doubly unhappy. Feh.
* In that imaginary circumstance where both vehicles were, say, working. Or even one of them, for that matter**.
** The second hand Volvo spares place are very nice, very friendly, and have singularly failed to manage to remove the spare front strut from the spares Volvo on which it currently resides. Apparently my order is blocked by various other vehicles which are on the hoist, being as it’s still on a poor old 340 that’s about to be rendered down for parts. However, our 340, which sports a shiny MOT and was in fairly much daily use, and is badly needed for ferrying parts back from the shops to build a bed, that is sat outside immobile because the much needed part is still on the car in the field. Gah.
*** Well, it would be the right size if the verticals were infinitely thin, but they’re not. This is because we went through a phase of thinking we’d just put the shelves up as shelves, not as a bookcase. Did I mention Augh!?
