The old car was retrieved from the garage last Monday afternoon, where it had been languishing. With a leaking petrol tank, it felt safer to leave it there. I emptied it when I got home, discovering nine-year-old petrol receipts, a pair of Gordon’s winter gloves, masks from the Covid era. Then I decided not to hoover it, reasoning that when it was traded in, they’d be looking at the car itself, not the grit on the floor.
St Fergus across the fields
The next day, Tuesday, was a momentous day, for it was the day to drive down to Inverness to collect the new auto. It was a slow drive south, with dawdling drivers and caravanning caravans, and a multi-vehicle pile-up which slowed traffic considerably. At the dealership, after a brief wait the necessary paperwork was taken care of, and with nary a glance or final farewell to the old car, I was introduced to the new. I’d spotted it as I arrived, right by the doors. ‘Sunset orange’ turns out to be ‘brick’ or ‘terracotta’. The salesman walked through some of the car’s features, and then it was time to drive off. “Are you scared?”, he said. “Yes”, I squeaked, though probably more apprehensive than scared.
By now, I am getting the hang of it. The adaptive cruise control is useful, though not on bendy roads. The ‘heads-up’ display is also handy – it’s a projection on the inside of the windscreen of essential information like speed limit and travel speed, and means you needn’t glance at the instrument cluster. There’s a sunroof, automatic wipers, wireless phone charging. One of the features I like best is the cooled seats. I’m not sure exactly how they work, but becoming hot in regions the air conditioning can’t reach is a thing of the past.
Car knitting
Figuring out how to charge it has been an adventure too. The first time, I stood in the windy supermarket car park trying to get it to work. Eventually unplugging and replugging the cables seemed to work, and perhaps also some patience. Waiting for the phone, chargepoint and car to communicate with each other isn’t instantaneous. I was disappointed to come out from the supermarket to find that the car still had hours until fully charged. All part of the learning curve – the charger wasn’t one of the superfast ones. I’ll be able to charge at home eventually, but in the meantime, I’ll take it to a chargepoint and either wait or find something else to do for several hours. I’ve started some car knitting for the waits – a pair of socks, which are small, portable, and easy to pick up and put down.
And this is what it looks like
The first half of the neckline is now done on the gansey, knit up to the shoulder and bound off together with the back. The other side is well under way and should easily be completed by next week. And then, the sleeves. These will have a plain section followed by a band of netting like the bottom of the yoke. Then it’ll be plain sailing down to the cuff. Can’t wait.
Love your new car! What a “spirit lifting” colour! Great for any weather and occasional! Well done! X
New cars are a grand experience. I hadb’t heard of cooled seats, only heated ones. They make sense, but I can’t imagine how it’s done.
That sock yarn is pretty!
I am pleased to see you knitting socks from the toe up. As God intended.
Of course. Is there any other way?