Belated Sunday Musings On A Wednesday

~ beetleypete

I have only just realised that I didn’t post any Sunday musings on the 23rd. I must be slipping! So here are some midweek ones instead.

—————————————————————————————

Having just got used to our newer car and starting to enjoy it, a sudden crop of warning signals appeared on the dashboard as Julie was driving to work one morning. This naturally alarmed her, seeing a large orange spanner, an orange exclamation mark, and text advising of some kind of pollution problem. So she rang the dealership. They said it was safe to drive, as the warnings were orange, not red. Then they booked it in for the next morning for diagnostic inspection. As Julie had to go to work, she took her old car, and I drove the newer car to get it checked. They examined it while I waited, and declared that it needed a part in the exhaust sytem that controlled the exhaust emissions pollution. They could fit one in thirty minutes. Fortunately, the car is still within its short warranty period, or the bill would have been almost £350. As it is a parts-only warranty, I still had to pay £44 (plus tax) for labour. We have only had the car for seven weeks, so I am hoping we don’t see any more orange lights for a very long time.

—————————————————————————————–

Talking of cars, Ollie is now starting to use the folding steps to get into the back. On a trip to the Vet yesterday, he ran up without too much coaxing. But we still have to stand either side of him, or he will leap off the steps sideways. But no amount of cajoling will make him use them to exit the car, He still insists on jumping down.

——————————————————————————————

The Vet pronounced that Ollie’s ear wax problem is greatly improved. One more week of ear-wash, and she doesn’t need to see him again for this issue. As it was a ‘return visit’ with no presciption necessary, we got a ‘discount’ on the fee. It still cost us £30 for her to tell us that though.

——————————————————————————————-

I hope you are all having a good Wednesday, wherever you are.

——————————————————————————————–

63 thoughts on “Belated Sunday Musings On A Wednesday”

  2. Pingback: The Last Sunday Musings For April | beetleypete

  7. your troubles with cars are universal. On a similar (sort of), I bought a lap top only to have the “gray screen of death” appear. It happens, they say. A lemon in the production line. Sigh. I have to take it back and figure out a new solution. My days are busy and the inconvenience of working with technology and malfunctioning is a constant nuisance. I hope your car will be alright.
    The money is aggravating. I can’t believe how expensive EVERYTHING is.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. We’ve gotten those orange warnings occasionally on our new truck but so far, they’ve not been anything that required work. It’s alarming at first. And trying to find out what they mean by rummaging through the thick owner’s manual is no small feat! Hopefully you won’t get any more that cost you money.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. (1) According to Goldilocks, it’s actually Sunday on Kepler-452b. So your post is timely.
    (2) Roy Neary was told by his alien friends that they dread seeing orange lights flashing on their spacecraft’s dashboard. It’s a long way to the nearest shop, which they refer to as a distant encounter of the fourth kind.
    (3) When it comes to getting in and out of a car, it pays to train a dog one step at a time. For Ollie, the income is easier than the outcome.
    (4) Does the vet take a private helicopter from her castle to the clinic?
    (5) Today, I plan to enjoy the sunny weather on Kepler-452b. Nothing fancy, of course. When it comes to outdoor activities, I’m pretty much down to earth.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. At the moment, we both have to stand either side of him and hold the steps against the car, Don. Once he gets his real confidence, I will ask Julie to take one on her phone. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  12. I just tried to leave a wise, caring comment and WP got rid of it. To have lived so long in this world and understand so little!

    All I was doing was echoing other friends’ relief that Ollie is OK and dismay at new car faults & costs.

    I admit that I can’t drive, would be shocked by flashing orange spanners, miss the convenience of London transport and amenities and am ill-equipped to live in a country town where I feel at once more cut off and more involved….

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. I’m echoing your other friends’ comments in relief that Ollie is OK, and think it is a good sign that he insists on making exits in his own way.

    On the other topic, I admit that I can’t drive, would be indignant at orange spanners flashing at me in a newly bought car, miss the convenience and stimulation of London, and am not equipped to life in a country town in any way….I’m at once more cut off and more involved….(Is that a dichotomy? I’m never sure.)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

        1. It is rare to get low water warnings since the inroduction of electric cooling fans. Unless the radiator is leaking, of course. I remember when the fuel gauges were so unreliable, my dad used to physically rock the car to see if he could hear any petrol sloshing around in the tank. 🙂
          Best wishes, Pete.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

  17. Those warning lights are a good thing to have, I suppose but it is alarming when they come on. It doesn’t seem fair that you had to shell out money already on your new car. On the other hand, I don’t know how dealerships survive. At least not here. They have so much inventory lying around and the cars are out in all weather. Same with farm vehicles. I just don’t get it. Glad to know Ollie’s ear is better. Vet bills are a sore point at the moment and we have more coming up…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. The fault with the car would not have affected any performance, just allowed the exhaust to emit slightly more pollutants. I suppose that’s another price we pay for ‘clean air’ these days.
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Like

      Reply

  18. Cars are such unpredictable pieces of machinery.

    I am glad Ollie is much improved. I wonder why he does not care to walk down the steps? I suppose it looks more precarious to him.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  19. I did the same as you a couple of weeks ago, Pete I completely forgot about Thursday Thoughts it was only when I did my weekly roundup that I realised…Pleased that Ollie’s ears are ok now and fingers crossed you get no more orange lights I am so pleased we don’t need a car here and the transport is great or I walk…:) x

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  22. I am so glad that I have no use for a car … I had one once and it was nice but it was a handful of headaches for the leasing agency — I am so thrilled to hear that dear Ollie is doing so much better both with his ears and with his new enter and exit device.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  26. With regards to cars. I stopped driving over 30 years ago when I returned from the States where I felt as if a car was attached to my body!!! I don’t miss it one bit.
    I used to say that if I heard a bad sound in the engine, I simply turned the radio up. It worked like a charm:)

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I could happily live without a car if I had stayed in London. But in a small Norfolk village, they are essential. Local public transport is more of a myth than a reality.
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Like

      Reply

      1. Since I returned in 1993, I have designed my life so that cars are not needed…i.e. living inlaces where everything is within a quick walk. I am in Hampton (part of London ) a three minute walk from train station and a good bus service. …

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. I know Hampton well. You have good access to public transport there. We have around 3 buses a day that stop near the village, and then continue for 4 miles into the nearest town. (Dereham) Unfortunately, the last bus back to the village is before 5pm, so staying any later requires driving home. We did know all this before we moved here, but as my wife is 10 years younger than me, she preferred the quieter village life over ease of transport. In the future, she may have to consider moving once she is alone here.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

          1. Yes, Hampton is a good place to be…I can get everything I need within a short walk…including busses and trains. On top of that everything can be delivered to my door…including my art supplies. When I lived in Crickhowell in Wales, a small market down…I could walk to everything in the town including 13 pubs……but transportation was not good….. We live and learn.

            Liked by 1 person

            Reply

All comments welcome

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.