Walking in the Shadows

Random musings from Warwickshire on life in general... Things that make me laugh, make me cry, things that wind me up beyond all endurance - and everything in between.

I won't back down...

Occasionally, you hear a song that sums up a mood, and this Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers song has done just that for me.... It's called I Won't Back Down

Well I won't back down
No I won't back down
You can stand me up at the gates of Hell
But I won't back down

No I'll stand my ground, won't be turned around
And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down
Gonna stand my ground...
And I won't back down

(I won't back down...)
Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out
(And I won't back down...)
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won't back down

Well I know what's right, I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin’ me around
But I'll stand my ground...
And I won't back down

(I won't back down...)
Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out
(And I won't back down...)
Hey I will stand my ground
(I won't back down)
And I won't back down...

(I won't back down...)
Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out
(I won't back down)
Hey I won't back down
(And I won't back down)
Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out
(And I won't back down)

Hey I will stand my ground
(And I won't back down)
And I won't back down
(I won't back down)
No I won't back down...

As this sums up my mood for today, I thought it was rather appropriate for the start of today's posting...

Guess I should think about doing some work, but I'm suffering from TNFI, and it's not even 09:00 yet...!

Karen

I've been watching, I've been waiting
In the shadows for my time

Somethings always make me smile

And these Garfield cartoons are no exception:






Karen

I've been watching, I've been waiting
In the shadows for my time

Getting a haircut in a dying city

I went into Coventry on Saturday with Mum for a haircut, and as my appointment was 11:30, it meant that I had time to wander 'round the shops.

Fine in theory, but in practice, not really a good idea. The city seemed to be dying, and the city planners don't seem to be interested in reviving the heart. I know they have all these plans to revitalise things, but whether anything comes of it remains to be seen.

The main shopping centre (West Orchard) has quite a few empty shops, and moving away from there, things seem to be getting worse. There was a time when Hertford Street and Corporation Street were vibrant with shoppers, but not any more.

People seem to be reluctant to go into the city and it needs something to drag people back into the centre, and away from places like Banbury and Solihull. Primark has gone part way to helping bring people back, but there is still a distinct lack of appeal for most shoppers.

As for my haircut, well that was great fun. Because my hair was so long (I'd left it about 6 months before I got it cut, due to various reasons conspiring to delay me) I had the cut done first, followed by the colouring stage.

As I've gotten older, the grey has started to show through my hair, so Paul (my hairdresser) suggested a semi-permanent base, followed by the highlights. If it was anyone else who'd suggested this course, I would have been very sceptical but Paul has never tried to push me down a route that I would not have been happy with.

The results have been well worth the time that I spent, and am now a lot happier as my hair was driving me nuts (and it didn't help with my beloved calling me Fluffy.) But, I guess that comes with the territory...

Guess I should call this quits - I'm supposed to be working...

Back later, I guess.

Karen

I've been watching, I've been waiting
In the shadows for my time

Investing in a new car

As mentioned in my previous entry, I've bought myself a new car - the Peugeot 207 Sport. I will admit to having fallen for this car, when it first came out and my 206 was coming up for three years old, meaning MOT testing time, and the start of large servicing bills.

So, I decided to go and see what was floating about deal wise, and I will admit that I was quite taken with the deal that I was offered by by local Peugeot dealer, whom I had bought my 206 off. The deal was sealed with me being given a free paint / interior guard coating (it's supposed to keep the paintwork in good condition and keep the crap on the interior trim to a minimum).




That was fine, but I should have realised that things weren't going to go smoothly for me... Especially when I had to keep chasing to get a build date for the car! The date kept getting later and later, and I was starting to worry that I wasn't going to get the car by the end of October!

Somehow, I managed to get the date and the car arrived at the PDI centre in Corby. All well and good, until it came to the registration number... I'd been allocated a registration number, which I'd passed on to the insurance company, and I'd got all the paperwork to prove that the car was insured so that the dealership could get the car taxed and ready for me to collect.

The day before I was due to collect the car, I got a phone call at 16:30 from the salesman, to say that there had been a problem with the registration. The DVLA (in their infinite wisdom) had allocated my original registration number to another car. Which meant that my insurance paperwork was invalid, meaning no car tax, which meant I couldn't pick the car up.

To say I was unhappy was an understatement, but the salesman (Martin) was a real star. He gave me the telephone number for Peugeot insurance, and told me to take the 7 day option, just to get the car taxed, and then contact my own insurance company to advise of the registration change.

Both insurance companies were really helpful, and when I spoke to my own insurance company, I was advised that if the worst happened, then I was covered under them, as the excess on the Peugeot insurance was an awful lot more than mine!

So, I did manage to collect the car when I wanted to, and things appeared to run smoothly... Until I decided to overtake something on the way home. The overtake appeared to go smoothly, and I was quite happily rumbling home... Until the heating failed on the car. I started getting cold air blowing through into the passenger cabin, so I turned the temperature up - which made no difference.

By this point, I was starting to get worried, especially as the engine temperature was climbing rapidly... It turned out that I had a leak from somewhere in the engine, which meant that the coolant had been dumped out on the road, so I was not a happy person when I called the RAC.

The patrolman was a real gent, and towed me and the car home, as I said that I would arrange to get the car sorted in the morning. I called the dealership, and spoke to the service department, who advised me to call the AA and get the car relayed into them.

So, I called the AA, and the patrolman arrived, and found the problem! A clip on the main coolant hose had come undone, which allowed the coolant to escape. It looked like it had never been fastened properly, so could have come undone at any time. I was thanking my lucky stars that it hadn't happened at the weekend, as I was making a break for freedom with my beloved.

He connected the clip for me and filled the cooling system with water, which enabled me to drive the car very carefully to the dealership. Within 15 minutes of my arrival, the car was in the workshop getting sorted out, and the service manager was making profuse apologies, as was the salesman. It wasn't their fault - I was more unhappy with the fact that this clip had been missed by the PDI check.

So, the first month was somewhat eventful for me and the car... Which in true family fashion has been given a name. In this case, Ponto, as a tribute to the furry fiend.

Ah well, guess I should call this quits - I'm supposed to be working...

Back when I get chance...

Karen

I've been watching, I've been waiting
In the shadows for my time

Mea culpea

OK, so I failed miserably to keep the blog going. Partly because things were getting hectic (both in my personal and professional life) and I suffered a severe case of TNFI (totally no ******g interest).

So, a brief summary - I've been back to Madeira (and am escaping in September again) and have been lucky enough to find someone who means the whole world to me, and more to the point, has allowed me to relax enough and drop my guard. I've also bought myself a new car - a Peugeot 207 Sport 120... More on that in a later post...

Aside from that, Mum has had a partial hip replacement, and is now walking much better than she has been (i.e. seven and a half years ago since the accident). As for me, as I've said, I'm seeing someone who makes me blissfully happy, and helps me see that there is more to life than the playpen that I call an office...

Playpen. A good term for the office, and for certain members of staff. Including the one that sits next to me. She's so blinkered about life, it's not true. She's also of the misguided opinion that F1 is the be-all and end-all of motor sport and wont' even contemplate any criticism of Lewis Hamilton.

Don't get me wrong, he's a good driver, but he's been lucky. He's had a good car (i.e. reliable) and a good backup team. But what annoys me is that she just won't accept ANY negative comments and throws a real paddy when you try and say otherwise.

As you can tell, I'm not exactly a member of her fan club, and there have been suggestions that I bury the hatchet with her. I would do so, but I'm afraid that it would be in the back of her skull.

Ah well, guess I should think about doing some work, but I'm afraid I'm suffering from a severe case of TNFI....

Back later.

Karen

I've been watching, I've been waiting
In the shadows for my time