Grounded

That just about sums me up at the moment. My little car went in for an MoT and service on Friday. We were supposed to collect it at 5.00, but the garage rang at 4.30 saying they hoped I was having a good day. Well… I had been until they told me one wheel was so badly damaged from potholes that it needed to be replaced. Not only that, but they didn’t have one in stock, so it’s going to cost more than twice what I was expecting and I will be without it until at least Wednesday. I’m grounded. Cooped up. My wings have been clipped and I have cabin fever. And it’s still only Sunday!

Seriously though, I did have to think long and hard about the expense. On the day I took early retirement, my husband said I would need a car to get about. I don’t think he anticipated that I would get about quite as much as I have done recently, but I can also run any of our animals to the vet in an emergency. I have a Smart car, which was a bit of a change from my last vehicle, a 1980 Series III Land Rover. I loved the Landy, but doing only 18 miles to the gallon, it simply wasn’t an option for retirement. Now I manage up to 85 mpg and because almost all the reserves and parking are free, it hardly breaks the bank. It’s the yearly work though and last year the suspension on both sides had to be replaced. The damn potholes around here have a lot to answer for!

So, I thought about giving it up, but I would miss the reserves so much. Not only the birds in the winter, but the butterflies and dragonflies in the summer. I meet all sorts of interesting people too and I’ve had no end of wonderful adventures. These photographs were taken during one such adventure and hopefully later on next week, I can start having many more.