Friday 4th November to Saturday 12th
November
Saturday 5th November
Yesterday morning, with Dale having taken the
Alfa in for a new gearstick, we walked into the town and, as I suspected, down
came the rain. We’ve walked up there on many a morning since we arrived here,
but have never been subjected to rain. It had to happen on a day when we didn’t
have the car.
Anyway, our wee pooch was not amused. He
hates the rain. But, since we had no option but to walk up there, then he had
to get as wet as we did. Shame!! The trouble was, he kept trying to turn around
and head back to the boat, which can be a pain in the ‘arris. Eventually though
the rain did stop, but not until Alex was well and truly soaked. So, now that
we have the car back, albeit with a still floppy gearstick, we might take a run
over to the Garden Centre and buy him a coat. He does need one anyway for when
it’s really cold on the stern deck when we’re cruising.
Today is the worst day of the year for dogs,
and our Alex is just as prone to problems where fireworks are concerned.
However, since we’re on a marina and quite a distance from bonfires and such,
perhaps it won’t be too scary for him this year.
Now, our car; which Dale took into his garage
yesterday. We had hoped that he would have replaced the gearstick but, when he
returned with the car yesterday afternoon, he had to admit that this part of
the job had not been completed.
Apparently, the removal of the old gearstick
is something of a nightmare and, having taken the trouble to check this out
online this morning, I can see why. I have found quite a few people out there;
most of whom simply wanted to replace the bushes around the base of the
gearstick; who have had problems with this.
Among the listings for this problem, I found
a blow-up of the whole gearstick assembly and, as Dale reported yesterday, it
does seem impossible to replace the gearstick from inside the car. Dale hasn’t
had to do this job on an Alfa 147 before and was surprised to see that, instead
of simply opening the gaiter and removing a few bolts, he will have to remove
part of the exhaust pipe, because the
only way of removing the gearstick is from underneath the car, and the exhaust
pipe is in the way.
It’s no wonder that Malcolm shied away from
getting involved in this problem. Even the bushes around the base of the
gearstick are a problem to replace. I’m concerned that Dale thought it
necessary to replace the whole gearstick, and not just the bushes but, now that
he has a new one, he might as well go the whole hog. He’ll take the car in
again on Monday morning, but I am concerned as to the final cost of this job.
Had I known the problems he would have, for what should be a straightforward
task, I wouldn’t have asked him to carry out a service as well.
There’s no chance of me buying a different
car this year now. But, the Alfa is a joy to drive and will be even more
enjoyable once the gearstick is changed.
Sunday 6th November
Today we will sit around after taking Alex
out and collect the Mail from the office and then come lunchtime, we’ll walk
into Market Bosworth and enjoy an hour at the Rising Sun. Of course, we’ll then
have to walk back, by which time I’ll probably be busting for a pee. Bu that’s
probably too much information!!
Monday 7th November
Well, that’s another weekend over, and a very
pleasant one it was too.
First off and just after breakfast, I asked
Wifey when the papers would be delivered to the office. Sadly, since the office
doesn’t open until 10 am, the papers aren’t available until about 10.30, so,
off to the newsagents in town. Well, we’ve had breakfast by 8 am and there’s no
way I’m sitting around for 2½ hours.
So, with that done, we had coffee and set to
reading. A short while afterwards, Dale knocked at the door and asked if I minded
leaving the car job until Tuesday. Apparently, he was double booked for an MOT
on Monday, so he was a bit pushed. Well, that’s no problem, so the car will go
in tomorrow instead.
So, after a bit of a chat with Dale, I’m
convinced that the gearstick can only be removed from underneath the car.
Anyway, although I had assumed that this
additional expense would put paid to us purchasing another car this year, Wifey
assured me that we’ll still be able to do so. However, with the Road Tax due at
the end of December, we need to start a proper search now, and then, once the
car is sorted, we can go looking for something much newer. Still not sure
which, but I’m leaning towards a SAAB 9-3 or 9-5 Aero. This is the turbo model.
There are some around that are well within our price range, so it’s just a case
of finding the right one.
More on this later.
Tuesday 8th November
We drove over to the Morrison’s yesterday and
called into the garden centre on the way back. We were intending to buy a coat
for Alex, because in colder weather, when he’s sitting on the stern deck whilst
cruising, he does tend to shiver. However, on second thoughts, we couldn’t see
him tolerating any of the coats we saw. Some had a Velcro strap under the chin,
and he certainly wouldn’t have liked that too much. Another had a zip under the
chin and, again, we couldn’t see him enjoying his hairs snagging in that. So,
at least for the moment, no coat for doggy.
Wifey is not happy with her current vacuum
cleaner. For one thing it’s very old; purchased when we bought the boat. For
another thing, it’s not very efficient and seems to leave more behind than it
picks up, especially where dog hairs are concerned. And, for another thing,
it’s far too noisy in such a confined space.
So, in looking around for a suitable
replacement, we’ve been considering the rechargeable G-Tech Multi, Hand held
model. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find any reference to the noise
(decibel) level of this machine. I also haven’t been able to find the noise
output of our current cleaner, so comparing this with other models is
impossible.
Now, looking at the Shark rechargeable; which
seems to come apart for easy storage; this runs at about 82 decibels. According
to a chart I also found online, this equates to normal background traffic
noise. This is a common level for many vacuum cleaners.
If the G-Tech Multi is reasonably quiet, this
is what we’ll go for. It runs for about 20 minutes on a full charge but; and
it’s a big but; it takes 4 hours to fully charge. Hmmmm!! Any suggestions
folks?
Today, finally, the Alfa will be fitted with
it’s nice, new gearstick. Perhaps I’ll be able to enjoy driving it again, at
least for the short while I’ll be keeping it. Some people might suggest I
should have traded it in before replacing the gearstick? And they would be
right. But, in all honesty, I couldn’t pass it on with a floppy gearstick.
Silly me, I know, but one thing I am not, is a con man.
This morning, in this really crisp and cold
weather, we’ll walk up to the village for the Mail. We’ll then wait and see the
final cost for the car service and gearstick replacement.
Friday 11 November
Wednesday and Thursday were pretty much of a
muchness here at Bosworth, so no real need to report our days. Although, Wifey
did, finally decide on a new vacuum cleaner, and that turned up yesterday. It’s
a Bosch and, thank goodness, it’s much quieter than our old one and, what’s
more, it easily picks up dog hairs. Wifey is chuffed and so am I, if only for
the quieter motor. When I say quieter, not only is that the case, but it also
draws less power; 800 watts, compared to 1800 watts. So, Wifey will be able to
hoover up when we’re out cruising, just so long as she has the engine running.
The old cleaner is now in the car, ready for
disposal at the local tip. But, the nearest tip is at Barwell, and they are
closed Thursdays and Fridays, so it will have to wait until Monday, because
those places can be really busy at weekends.
Now, I’ve been chuntering on of late, about
trading in the Alfa. I’ve been dithering between Jaguar, Mercedes and SAAB.
Well, after careful consideration, we’ve decided on a SAAB. Despite the fact
that we’ve spent so much on replacing the gearstick and having the Alfa
serviced, we still think it best to trade it in. Of course we’ll lose money
but, in all honesty, I couldn’t pass it on in the condition it was in. So,
we’ll suffer the loss.
On Sunday morning therefore, we’ll be test
driving a SAAB 9-3 1.8i Linear SE. I was reluctant to even consider a 1.8
litre, because I know they have a cam belt rather than a chain. However, the
nice man at Evan-Halshaw has checked with the service record, and the cam belt
on this particular car, was changed only 15,000 miles ago, so it should be good
for many more miles yet. By the way, for less that £2,000 we could be
buying a 2007 SAAB that has done less than 100,000 miles. Assuming I can find
no problems on the test drive.
This morning we’ll be paying a visit to our
local butcher, and probably doing some other shopping.
Saturday 12th November
Shopping over yesterday morning, we repaired
to Shiralee for our coffee and biscuits, and then, after reading the paper and
tackling the puzzles – not very successfully – we decided to contact our car insurers,
Bradford and Bingley; with whom we’ve been insured for about six years; and
find out what a SAAB 9-3 would cost to insure. I very nearly fell off my chair
when I was told the cheapest they could do was over £800.
£800 is more than double what we paid last
year, even taking into account our monthly payment method. Anyway, after
checking what would happen if I went elsewhere for my cover, I was told that I
would not incur any penalty. In fact, if I were to take out alternative
insurance on Sunday, when we will be viewing the car, I would receive a rebate
of about £19.
So, after rummaging through the alternative
insurers listed in Compare the Market.com, we found that Liverpool and Victoria
will insure this car for about the same as we have been getting on the Alfa.
What puzzles me is, why can’t B&B find
that insurer? After six years as a regular client, with no claims or accidents,
what have I done to deserve being cast aside like an old slipper? Ah well,
onwards and upwards!!
This morning we have rain, so doggie will
have to wait until it stops for me to take him out. He won’t mind though, as he
hates the rain.
Tomorrow morning we have a car to check out.
But, for now, I’ll post this and wish you a happy weekend.
Dave, Sheila and Alex.
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