he called me ‘darling’, the bastard
About 3 weeks ago I toddled down to my local gym, only to find it inundated with people. No park. So I eased the car up onto the pavement. No it’s not legal and yes, the crippled car parks were all taken.
After passing all the young men trying to give me some kind of pamphlets, and after being so polite “no thanks” I began to get irritated when I heard one of them make that kind of “ohhya” noise that means “Suit yourself you old bag”.
So, I tried to make a complaint and was sent downstairs. The complaint forms had all been taken into the event so I had to walk past more people trying to give me pamphlets, nearly tripping over several children to grab the complaint forms.
By this time I was getting a bit more irritated so I filled out complaint forms and exited, only to find that the car in front was leaving. Just as I began to ease off the pavement an SUV decided to enter. It backed really close and since my car still carries the signs of the last time an SUV backed into me I tooted the horn.
The smarmy fellow got out of the car and made some indistinguishable hand gestures. As I drove away I called out “You just needed to let me out first” and he replied “There’s plenty of room, darling”. You may be able to guess my retort. Not polite.
So today I went to the Argentinian day at Te Papa, and after the fellow at the entrance was unable to tell me where the tango stuff was and I tripped over several small children and the coffee took ages to be made, I was a bit irritated with myself for losing the exit ticket to the parking lot.
The mature fellow wandering around was extremely helpful, getting me a ticket for the exact amount rather than making me pay the $20.00 ‘fine’.
So I felt better and I’ll tell you what I thought of the Tainui exhibition too. Next post.
Celebration
I celebrated the two years since my operation (the one that stopped the excruciating pain but caused me to become a cripple) by going to the Wailers concert in Porirua and taking the cripple sign off the back of my car.
It’s also one year since I drove again (using my left foot).
The concert was fun. Hikoikoi, the local Petone group, were a wee bit off key perhaps? but sweet and Katchafire were all professional sound with a great saxophonist. It was good to know most of the songs and they got the place rocking, er…….. moving.
The Wailers were pretty cool: a young woman (can’t find her name) was all energy but her version of Turn the lights down low…lacked something. Perhaps it was that sultry tone in Marley’s voice. The encores Buffalo Soldier and Exodus were good final songs.
The crowd was a mixture of ages and colour, with a tendency to be brown and have dreads. Nice mellow atmosphere and even a chance for a bit of a dance. Everyone knew all the words to all the songs, so we sang along too.
It was also the celebration of the opening last year of Porirua’s Te Rauparaha arena.
It’s been, as they say, a wee journey.
I guess it’s been a wee journey for the Wailers too.
That damn’d left foot
Those of you who know the story may be as amused as I was to see the speeding ticket that arrived in my post today.
First ever – honest. And yes I am a responsible adult.
Is Xmas really so fabulous?
Welly weather has gone wet but the garden has produced a lot of stuff…found the first courgette today.
The flaxes are superb and attracting the tuis (at 5.am)
FlaxFlower
It’s four years since Lyn died
Lyn
Although to be fair there are a few engagements and catch ups for next week which’ll be grand and of course the Xmas barbie will be wonderful and a chance to catch up with the wandering nephew….and we are not doing presents but sigh….think I’ve got the pre-Xmas blurchs. Today one of my closest friends ( well an executor of my will anyway) left Welly for Auckland.
AND the consultant today tells me that the foot may never heal and that we have pretty much had our 300 days of possibility. Looks like sticks in Italy.
Ah well at least I can drive and the garden is looking so good we are holding a birthday party in it this weekend…
Just have to get thru Xmas….sigh.
Does driving improve Quality of Life?
Well yes it does. While it was nice to meet all the shuttle bus drivers….it’s even better to drive alone with stereo volume up really high. BlueMazzie, I discover, has a very very good stereo and the six stacking CD player makes life very pleasant. I’m replaying some of the CDs that young Tim has given me over the years……Of course it’s Antony that I like to sing along to and the Roots of course, but John Legend is cool for a singalong too. (I’ve just realised that PDA stands for Public Display of Affection not some hand held device for receiving messages (what does PDA stands for? Palm…..) So yep it’s pretty good.
It also means that I have more social contact with acquaintances (supermarket, market) and can make movie appointments and get there unaided. I can contemplate the upcoming trip to Hamilton by driving car to airport car park, offer to take Lizzie back to Napier and, as recorded before, I can be the sober driver and take friends who have been sooo good to me about and around. And take young Georgie to the movies (yerch some teenager thing. We’ve agreed not too much shooting and killing). Visit the NewDowse before the great outsider exhibition closed and view the Wallace prize entries.
And I can carry my reusable shopping bags to the supermarket so be a better person. Oops that involves petrol. It’s great that petrol prices have come down just as I start to drive, but I am conscious of the increased environmental cost to my being able to drive. Ah, but like the rest of the country I guess I can just say…..nmp. For a while at least.
A variety of assortments
The car has been spotted at work.
car at work
It’s still anxiety making as I tread heavily on the brake going down the gorge…..and cautiously teeter into the petrol station (gosh the price keeps going down). I’m grateful for the sign I made for the rear window as it stops impatient drivers from tooting at me as I wait for EVERY car to go past before I edge out of the street from a giveway sign…but I’m getting there.
More importantly now the question is: what combination of votes shall I use on November 8th?
Sega sega
as the Greeks say. Or plus lentment if you’re of the French persuasion or slowly slowly for the English and perhaps he iti te haere if you wish.
Third driving lesson.
It’s ok.
I think.
Reflection
(re) Learning to drive is, I discover, an emotional event. Since my father taught me to drive all those years ago, then up and died ten years later, there are latent memories that surface. How he taught me to drive, what he said, the things he explained to me, how it felt – these all become significant. As opposed to my mother (who lived longer) whose approach was more….emotional. These memories surface, I discover, when you try to relearn something that has become a natural way of being for sooo long. I am aware too of all that cognitive dissonance that occurs and the emotional journey; fear, finding a mentor, finding helpful and supportive friends (thanks to those of you who told me you were ‘there’), conquering the fear, moving on. We just keep on learnin’ don’t we?
Dad then
The car?
Pink and grey Vauxhall PA. Column change.
I deleted the image ‘cos I was worried about copyright……you can see Vauxhalls here tho:
Image from http://staging.motorbase.com/vehicle/by-id/1029/
And hello to temporary cripple Marg. Hope the ankle clears up soon….
Garden
For those of you reading this to keep up with the garden (thanks for comments) here’s the latest.
For those of you more mechanically inclined, car is now parked in one of the parking spots but not the right one…..drove it today with instructor. Problem is, it reminds me of riding a horse (I know I know – ‘horse power’). It’s that sense that it has a lot of power and as soon as I let it out of the stable it wants to go……and as I have discovered it does (go).
Nicotine helps. (sadly). Thanks very much for supportive comments.
For those of you with a literary or world-wide awareness frame of mind I have just ‘done’ Algeria in Fisk’s book. Man oh man. I read, last year The Harbour (can’t find the link to tell you more) and that alerted me to the story of Algeria. Don’t know what to say. I still don’t understand the whole story but feel sickened that those kinds of things can happen to people and that anyone who knows about it doesn’t want to do/can’t anything. Colonial powers have a lot to answer for …but we knew that.
(a bit later) onto the Kuwaiti war now…..All that cynicism we had about ‘embedded journalists’ (not Fisky of course) – we were right.
So that’s a happy thought then, eh?
Scary stuff
Got up early and being a determined sort of gal went out for a drive around the block. Perfect…bit slow but perfect.
Got home thought I’d park car nicely ……..man this is sooooooo scary.
parked car
Thank god for extended family……Keith and Josie came to get car out and Gary helps with clearing it all away,
The image I realise does not make clear what happened: I was facing downhill and went to reverse into a respectable car parking place…..but when I took the handbrake off I put my foot on the clutch (yes that’s right the accelerator is not a clutch) and ended up doing a burn out on the lawn, a 360 degree turn narrowly missing the neighbour’s living room and knocking down the rhodo….scary.
-
- parked car
post script: driving lesson – went ok in instructor’s car. phew all good.
Need alchohol
I drove the new car home today…..and am a bit shaky from the accident I nearly caused when left foot hit the accelerator not the clutch (no that’s right there is no clutch)…..and the rapid speed from which I exited the car sales yard…..( no the accelerator is not the clutch) should I have bought an old dunger after all that only does 50 kms and well let’s see…not quite the celebration I envisaged…
new car
