Stress!
Today I found another bill which had managed to escape unpaid. By found, I mean we got the debt-collection-warning-bill. 80 quid on the debit card and that at least is avoided, but I’m beginning to think we need some different method of bill payment. 78 quid also seems a bit steep for uh, 1 month. I’d go check the reading, but I don’t have a fucking bill. Grrr.
It’s a bit of a scary time at the moment. Scary, frustrating, good, fun, bad stressful….
With the money situation, I suppose, actually having remained static – insofar as I worked for half my bloody holiday just so that I could…. spend it all on repairing Rebecca. So, my attempt to get back into credit with Lauren failed somewhat (I had hoped that I’d end up paying her rent in advance, not in arrears, as I seem to constantly be).
I had kinda hoped to buy the paint to do up my bike, and maybe the gear to get the welding done. But nooo.
Noooo.
I don’t quite know how I’m coping. I’m faced with a huge disaster of monsterous proportions. Rebecca’s engine is dead. Dead dead. Not, as I hoped, a bit dead. But seriously, not taking the piss, dead dead dead. Two cylinders are now screwed. The entire cylinder head appears to have been suffering from serious overheating for a long time, hidden by the fact that the one bit of engine that coolant was really flowing through is right by the damn thermometer.
I need a new engine, and 700 quid is the cost of a rebuilt one, so that is just not going to happen. A second hand engine, from uh, Liverpool, seems to be my best current option – but it’s a 1300 engine (which I’d like) but um, may require work to fit. What the fuck do I do? I don’t know. I’m still panicing if I’m honest. I’ll just have to see what the guys at the MMOC suggest tonight.
Is it wrong to covet someone elses MZ? I have MZ envy.
Oh, and watch the film. The film’s not wildly, wildly exciting (but it does feature an MZ) but the music is terribly terribly cool.
It’s not actually cold you understand, just cool.
But if you spend an hour and a half washing 2 cars and a bike then suddenly it really does become quite cold. Distressingly Lauren’s Fiat, which I gave a quick wash (all the washes were really a lick and a promise (which doesn’t mean much coming from me…. when it comes to washing cars…. not a reliable person)) came up really nice and shiny, wheras Rebecca, well, she looks barely like she’s been washed. ‘cept the wheels.
Although that’s partially my desire to leave the coating of oil on any parts coated with oil, and my lack of-botheredness about washing the wings which are due for replacement more than just a wipe with the sponge.
The bike however was a nightmare. It’s not been washed for… more than a year. Possibly more like 2 years. The rear alloy wheel, which was once silver was black. Completely black. Black like the night. The exhaust, which is chrome, in places, was black. Everything was filthy, really filthy, or very very dirty.
Despite my best efforts, the fact that it was really really cold when you got wet meant that after about 2/3s of the rear wheel I gave up on that. I think I need some alloy wheel cleaner. Scratch that, I *know* I need some alloy wheel cleaner. A hell of a lot of it. But she looks a lot better. The top box is also somewhat filthy still, the oil seems to be nicely ground in to it. Still, if I locate some enthusiasm and give it another wash in the near future I should be able to work towards cleanliness in stages :-)
So, uh, been a little while since I posted….
A week, actually. During which I’ve… been sick. I’ve actually been way better, the day after the 37.7 deg temperature I started to feel better, not like ‘going back to work’ better, but significantly better. I guess it’s like most fevers, they hit a peak of awful and then you start to feel better.
I am so tired. So very damn tired.
My entire body and soul ache with the sheer effort of being sat upright. Every ounce of me is worn out. Why?
(more…)
So, I got my car back today.
(more…)
Poor braking efficency, osr wheel… They’re fixing that and the light which died between here and the test centre (rear numberplate bulb). Feh.
….that petrol absolutely reeks?
I started my mog yesterday, and after going to the filling station noticed a distinct smell of petrol; assuming that it was just me treading in some (I’ve had that happen before) I didn’t really worry about it. Not, at least, until I was on the way home from shopping and got that distinctive wiff again.
But today I started the mog and a few seconds later (as I pulled off the drive) thought “cor blimey, there’s petrol leaking somewhere” and sure enough the pipe twixt pump and carb was spurting like a little baby petrol fountain.
So I guess I’ve got a bit more in the world of ‘things to do before my MOT test’ than I thought :(
*mutters rudely about modern components and wanders off*