I just had to have work on my car. It had lots of problems with corroded brakes and break pipes, plus my old mechanic has retired. So I don’t think I got as much support as we have had for the last twenty years or so. My car is pre 2000 so parts are hard to get.
It’s worrying because I don’t think I will be able to afford to have it fixed again next year
It also has several advisories that show that there will be similar problems or worse next year. I will have to think outside the box. Really I think I need an automatic, I want to stay safe on the road.
Are there things you try to practice daily to live a more sustainable lifestyle?
We have an old car, it’s about 23 years old (not as old as the morris in the painting), we can’t afford to replace it. But don’t really want to because of all the resources locked up in it. We only drive short distances now and did less than 1000 miles last year. I rarely have to fill it up with fuel. For local trips we usually walk. It’s a struggle to carry things, but it’s exercise.
I have a bike but I’m too wobbly to use it. But it may well be given to a charity so it can be reused, it would be good to give it to a good home. You only have a short window of adulthood to be adventurous but as you get older it gets harder. My mind is mostly fine but my body is getting worn out and ill.
Apart from that we planted a lot of trees on our garden which have become mature over the years. I’m sure that must offset our carbon footprint. We try and grow some fruit and vegetables too. We also try not to use much gas and electricity. We rarely buy clothes or shoes…..
I could go on. I don’t feel deprived. I’ve never flown and don’t want to and I rarely travel more than the occasional 80 miles to visit relatives. I hope all of this is a good way towards living a sustainable life. We could do more, we try.
Argh! My handbrake seemed to be slack so I took the car in the garage today. What was going to be a simple job turns out to be worse than we thought. The brake calliper on one side has been leaking brake fluid. The problem is the car is old, so parts are hard to get hold of. If they put the calliper back together it might fail and if I’m on a hill, or even just driving it I could run into someone! So the car is staying at the garage till at least Monday!
I guess I just have to be glad that it’s held this long and I haven’t had a bump in it! Phew
I have got my car back! Finally after a week of waiting for it I can breathe a sigh of relief. But among all of the hassle I realise how anti public transport I am. I think it’s because I’ve used buses and taxis in the past, and I don’t know the routes or timings for the buses, and often when I’ve ordered a taxi it hasn’t turned up. One time I had to walk home from hospital because there were non available. Also since the pandemic I try to avoid groups of people, so buses worry me.
Having a car is a freedom and a curse. I walk less and don’t cycle anymore because I have one. I don’t know what to do if we have to get rid of it. The car is very old and it’s like an old pair of shoes, if it needs repairing I have to pay out because I can’t afford to replace it with another (second hand) one. But at least by keeping it we are not wasting new resources.
Plans, don’t make them! The mechanic was ill yesterday. He’s a lovely chap, and really helpful. But he can’t help being under the weather. So yesterday he said ring today and the car should be done. Unfortunately it isn’t. He fixed the problem with the earthing of the starter motor but today when he tried running it, it was very feeble. It’s worn out basically. So now he’s ordered another one for Friday but he can’t say when it will arrive. I explained ideally I need to go somewhere tomorrow, but as he said he has no control over the deliveries. I have to accept this (the world does not revolve around me). I’m just thankful it’s getting done.
I haven’t bothered to wash the car for months. I hardly drive it unless we are going for a walk round Westport Lake and that’s only a few miles. Why?
Covid, keeping away from people.
Fuel costs, I’ve only filled it up about six times in a year.
Walking to the shops. I’m slow and shaky but the car is not needed.
My shaking arm, its uncomfortable to drive.
So I was deciding whether to wash it, but I found this little mound of moss. I think I will let it be. Let nature take its course. After all I can always get a bucket of water on it. Its old and hard to get parts, but it’s a good car.
We have an old car (no not this one) but parts for it are getting harder to find.
I had to have a new drivers side inside door catch because the old one snapped. We couldn’t get the right one so had to wait for something similar from Latvia. I picked it up from the garage and the door was a bit stiff, I got home, locked the car but when I went to open it later it wouldn’t unlock, in the end we got in by unlocking the passenger door and leaning across to open the drivers door from the inside. We took it back to garage and they oiled the catch and took the surround taken off as it looks like it was catching on it.. Fingers crossed….I don’t want to scrap the car because of it..
Mallaband-Brown 