Consider Noddy

Regardez vous le petit voiture!

(old photo- camera not co-operating with today's photos)
(looks heluva lot worse these days...)

Isn't it a charming, gallant vehicle (pronounced VEH-ik-el) albeit a tad battered? And taking into account that it has been serving owners since 1999 its doing a reasonable job, especially since it had it under parts welded together a year ago.

If you had this extremely personable car-person under your NCT scrutiny would you not just give it a pat on the bonnet and sign it off with a smile?

Well obviously the inspection guys didn't fall for its character either- NOT, I hasten to add, that they recommended it be dispatched forthwith to the great scrapyard in the sky...BUT they did point out a flaw which they would like seen to before patting it on the bonnet and signing it off with a smile.

Back track briefly to late last week and a friend was helping me clean Noddy ready for the inspection. I was fretting about the state of the tyres, thinking they would fail the NCT whilst scrubbing away at a year's worth of accumulated mould on the sides and roof. Laughingly W. remarked, 'Don't scrub too hard at the rust as its probably all that's holding it together!'

Ha-ha-ha...

Fast track to the end of the inspection next day and the guy tells me...'Well basically its failed due to the spreading rust which is particularly bad under the central door support...' Basically he implied that if I were to hit a pothole at speed, and we've plenty of those to choose from, Noddy would probably sort of concertina inwards with the bonnet meeting the boot. Now I'd love to see that, like a Muppet's mouth, you know?

So today Noddy is having his bum welded...again...not such a big job as last time though, and really, if Noddy was a dog I'd probably be wondering whether I should put him out of his misery, so between you, me and the dog, to say nothing of the car, I'm not fussed!

And Noddy is sniggering away to himself getting pampered to bits for a day before, hopefully, being patted on the bonnet and signed off with a smile..for another year....

Ho Hum! Another *#*#~>#<~* Day in Paradise...

This morning the Hub was up at 7am cleaning the Punto in and out in readiness for the NCT.
Well me ould ducks, it failed....boo hoo!
Not just failed, but broke down about five minutes after driving away from the Test Center! I guess it was just as annoyed as us!
So at 9.37 and a half the Hub phoned my Dad who came and rescued him and they got the sulking Punto to the Garage, where it was greeted with a howl of 'not you again!' I then drove in and rescued the Hub whilst our-Father-who-art-not-in-Heaven went home muttering about folks who drive cars which are past their 'best by' date.

I tell you its by the grace of God we are a two car family, well, and the grace of my family who pass their old cars onto us. So we still have wheels, but the Hub and the Punto are mad with each other!

(fyi- that's not my car in the photo!!!!!)

Monday noises...

This morning I was teaching at 10.40 so walked out the door at 10.20 to drive to school, a 15 minute drive and five minutes to spare. Hmmm.
Problem No. 1: my car was iced up including the windscreen. Deal with that. Drive down lane to main road, come round last bend....
Problem No. 2: a low loader was blocking the lane whilst decanting a caterpillar. All the time in the world they had! Talk about 'no hurry in Africa', there wasn't much hurry in Leitrim either! I suppose the wonder of it was that I was only five minutes late.
In school some of the little people insisted on making odd squeaky noises instead of singing, the same happened after break with 4th class, and now B is emptying the dishwasher with a whole series of squeaks, quacks, squeaky quacking and quacky squeaking. Did I miss something? Is today the Official Funny Noise Monday? Or would it be the effect I have on children....?

Did I mention that the school keyboard plug went up in smoke (literally) last week, so we are now dependant on pianos? As a result I have to keep asking teachers if I can use their room whilst they move their class to another piano-less one. Luckily there are three pianos between eight classes but its getting a bit embarrassing. A new keyboard adaptor plug must be bought!

After school I went over to the folks to catch up on their weekend news. Dad was delighted to have been at the Rugby to see Ireland beat the Springboks! He said if it had been less misty he and bro would have seen more! Mum and the sister went house-hunting in Dublin but it wasn't very successful. They seem to have had a good weekend together, and at least the folks travelled on the train which was running on time, unlike the buses.


Tomorrow my Fiat Punto has its NCT to see whether it is roadworthy for another two years. I have my doubts whether it will pass straight off...there could be a lot of bad words...please cover your ears at about 9.30am tomorrow?