L881 VLB – RIP

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My utterly trusty Nissan Sunny has finally gone on to be an organ donor. The engine could have lasted for many more years, but it’s been an age since the rev counter worked. The door locking mechanisms play a symphony at random moments. The shock absorbers are giving up the ghost. The wheel bearings object noisily to multi-storey car parks. The windscreen wipers and washers are finding it all too much. The ventilation system showers the unwary with leaf fragments… my Very Lovely Beast (VLB) has come to a natural end.

The upside is that Chicago daughter’s small Peugot, stabled for 3 plus years in our garage, can now sit in the drive, releasing a fine large dry area of shed space.

I am comforting myself with the smell of lilies and the sight of the Hydrangea Paniculata Pink Diamond  (it turns pink as it fades).DSCN8154 DSCN8155 - Version 2 DSCN8156 And I’ve just discovered that the hedgehog in the pot is sort-of visible (though not posing very helpfully) in one of my photos. Pity about the embarrassing state of the back door. DSCN8152

 

 

Random happy day

It is cold and not very inviting outside, but I am happy to walk to the Post Office with another book order from Amazon. On their UK website it mostly shows as out of stock. I have posted 14 copies to them altogether. They can have as many as they want, I just wish they’d order them in time.

Outside spring is knocking on the door. Primroses are out, snowdrops emerging and the cyclamen, planted last year and a gift from my childhood home, are already flowering.

DSCN6904DSCN6902 - Version 2DSCN6907 - Version 2At lunchtime we walked our Christmas tree through the village to the local zoo, where the DSCN6909 - Version 2 lions are unable to resist them.Screen Shot 2015-01-07 at 15.25.49

This afternoon there were loud road-drilling noises on the road in front of our house. On investigation we discovered two very cheerful men from the Council busy digging out and spot filling some of the gargantuan potholes in our road. It really needs (needed four years ago) a new surface, but anything is better than nothing. After some joking, we took them a cup of tea and biscuits.

When one of the men returned the tray, he asked if I would be interested in selling my Nissan, Sunny. Now this is a battered, venerable (L Reg, 1993-94) workhorse, that goes on passing its MOT year after year and does all the heavy mucky jobs as well as getting me to Lindy hopping and other delights. It is scratched and dented, held together with gaffer tape, and grows moss around the windows. This guy collects these cars! I had to turn him down as I plan to run it until it eventually dies (which might be after I go, at the present rate).DSCN6916

Tonight I have a book group meeting to discuss Dear Lupin: Letters to a Wayward Son by Roger and Charlie (the son) Mortimer.