New Car Pt 3: The headlong rush

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!

One minute I’m being all sensible and looking at my future, and the savings I’ll need, and the emergency fund for the unexpected, then I just happen to catch a hint of a glimpse of the car dealer’s website and there it is. It wasn’t there on Thursday, but it was there on Friday at lunchtime. Portent number one.

I happened to be going in the direction of the dealer after work anyway (no, really) so I decided to call in. On the way, I only seemed to see the same model vehicle on the road. Portent number two.

At the dealer’s, it turned out that the vehicle had just come in that morning, and they had just updated the website at lunchtime (portent number three) and the salesman hadn’t even seen the car. I took a quick look, had an attack of the tingles and booked a test drive for the following day.

On Saturday, full of suppressed excitement (I’m too old to get all childishly giggly and restless and obsessed – ahem) I took it out for a run and immediately knew it was the car for me. I played the negotiation game with the salesman but it was a pleasure as we were on the same wavelength and very soon we had a mutually agreeable cost to change. I have to say that it was a smooth process thanks to the people at Stratstone in Swansea. It was certainly the best car buying experience I’ve gone through.

I pick the car up at the end of the month. I can’t wait. I’m 7 and it’s going to be Christmas Eve for the next two weeks!

My Freelander (picture by Stratstone Swansea). I hope they remember the number plates.

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Pembrey

It’s my 80th posting, but you don’t see the country queuing up to have street parties for my Jubilee!

Rufus and I headed off to Pembrey this morning. We were both feeling tired so there was no mountain in our sights. Instead, a gentle walk on the beach and through the dunes. The weather looked cold and grey but it was deceptively warm once we set off on the Millennium Coastal path. I had to keep Rufus on the lead for a bit as there were a lot more cars on the cycle path than I would have expected. Eventually we came to the dunes and he was off.

We took it easy today; there was no rush and no hurry to be anywhere. Instead we strolled along the beach for a mile or so before heading back into the dunes and the outskirts of the country park. I sat on a bench to eat my lunch and Rufus lay down in the shade at my feet, after having drunk a bowl full of water. Rufus has his own litre bottle of water now, which goes everywhere. He’s good at drinking but will always try for food first. I’m going to have to train him to carry his own supplies, I think.

We passed a few signs on our walk. The classic one about no dogs on the beach between May and September but another one about not digging in the sand dunes. I think it does say a lot about our society that we have to have these signs. It used to be that common sense and supervision made the need for such signs unthinkable. What has this generation done to its kids?

And that’s my leave over. It was great, it went too quickly and I can think of a load of things I should have done but didn’t. Still, there’s always the next leave.

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