Cars and petrol......

My next car..........????

The exhaust fell off my car today ~ well that is not totally true ~ the back part came down, so it was hanging on for dear life!!! There has been a clanking noise coming from underneath for the last few days and I have been meaning to have a look under the back and see if anything looked 'clanky!!' ~ not that I would have the slightest idea what I was looking for ha ha!!

Anyway ~ this morning I pulled into the carpark at the school and one of the other Mums (who had followed me in), came over and told me that my exhaust was hanging down and 'bouncing'.....after a quick look I realised that this would be the clanking (I can't work out how I hadn't noticed it myself!!!). I dropped the kids at school, and headed to the garage to get it looked at. I hate my car going to the garage ~ it always ends up meaning that my bank account gets a shock. Everytime it goes in for a service ~ I sit all day, waiting for the phone to ring (with the bad news).....Anyway ~ I got to the garage and got out and walked over to the mechanic ~ who asked how he could help, I pointed at the exhaust and said I thought I had a problem with it ~ he agreed and told me to give him the keys and he'd have a look. I stood back while he put it on the ramp and had a look. There was a bit of oohing and ahhing before he came into the waiting area and told me that the bracket at the back and something else (that I couldn't quite catch) ~ had come off and would need fixing. I nodded and he proceeded to go back out and started to fix the car. About 10 minutes later he came in with the keys and told me it was all done. I started to get my purse out, when he said "No, it's OK there is no charge it was only a bracket and a rubber ring (I presume he didn't mean the kind you use in the swimming pool!!??) ~ and said not to worry about it..........I could have kissed him (obviously I held myself back ~ I am saving myself for Brad Pitt or Harrison Ford or someone like that ~ of course!!). I thanked him many times (I think he thought I was a bit mad!!), and left the garage ~ happy with the fact that another car disaster had been avoided and it had been fixed without costing a penny (yippee!!!).

Next I made the worst decision of the day and decided to go and fill up with petrol ~ WELL ~ there was a que about a mile long ~ and I had no choice but to sit in it, once I had pulled in!! (There is a strike being threatened this weekend by petrol tanker drivers , which seems to be resulting in some panic buying!!), I nearly fainted when I saw the price of the perol ~ it just gets more expensive every day. I filled up and got back in the car and had a moan to myself (I quite often have a moan to myself in the car ~ anyone watching would think I was a complete nutter tee hee!!)........

I have come to the conclusion that I am not going to be able to run the car much longer ~ if petrol prices carry on like they are ~ so have decided that the way forward may be to invest in a horse and cart!!! I think that the children would love to be clip clopping along the road every morning to the school (as long as it didn't rain!!) ~ BUT ~ getting to my Mums might be a problem, as she lives a 5 hour car drive away!! It would take us about a week to get there ha ha!!! I wish a horse and cart was the best choice ~ but obviously it isn't ~ so a newer car (can't afford brand new ~ so newish will have to do!!) ~ will be the answer, one with a smaller engine, which will be more economical on petrol.......I wish that I could afford the diamond encrusted car that I blogged about a few days ago ~ but unless I win the lottery in the next few months ~ that isn't looking likely (ha ha!!). I am hoping to make an appointment with the bank over the next few weeks ~ fitting it in is a problem when you have children with you all the time !! ~ and then I can start car shopping (no doubt I will like every car that is totally out of my price range!!).

Ah well ~ maybe oneday Harrison Ford will come and whisk me away in the diamond encrusted car...............dream dream!!!!!!