Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Little Green Machine

Next month, it's been a year since I got Little Green Machine... the day before ANZAC Day actually. How brilliant is that?

And how fast did that year go?  

I'm amazed at how much I have done with my car.  From the day I received as a birthday gift from my Dad - who spotted it at a car yard at Stone's Corner - to now, I've found a lot of joy in this little car of mine.

It's been to a few good markets, taken me shopping, had one flat tyre, taken me to Brunswick Heads and back once and to Brighton and back a few times.  And all my friends love the colour, how it runs and I do love the stereo system... very, very much... which has caused my folks to nickname me 'the noisy one' instead of 'hey, our daughter's here'.

I've been catching up with so many things that I've missed out on doing over the past 20 years that I am still working on that bucket list of driving places.  I know that sounds strange, but when you've had health issues and you have to stop driving for a while, you tend to miss out on a lot of things.

I used to go ice skating at Acacia Ridge a lot when I used to drive the Celica, it was a joy for me to do that about once a month.  I used to go to the movies once a fortnight (on Tuesdays because they were cheaper) at the Hyperdome, and I would catch the most recent films.  Then, there were my trips to Stone's Corner to buy clothes that were one-offs, great styles and cheap.  

Once I gave up driving, I couldn't do any of that without adding in hours of being on a bus and bus fair... and man, that cost a lot of money!  Now?  The money I'd put into bus fair goes into the petrol tank and I don't have to wait for a bus, I just jump in the car and drive to my destination and home again when I'm ready to come home.

I didn't truly know how much I missed having a car until I had to get a cork for the terrarium in the living room and I used the GPS to get myself to Bardon - over near Mt Coot-tha.  Once I was there, I ended up having a very nice lunch at the restaurant, taking my time coming home; making it a full day out - I mean why not?  I didn't have to catch the bus.  I wasn't rushing to get to Garden City to beat the last bus at 8:15pm.  There really wasn't any hurry to be anywhere... this was when I really didn't worry.

The longer I've had my car, the more freedom I've felt.  And there's been days where I didn't want to go anywhere... not because it's not sunny, or there was a book sale, or I had a box filled to the brim with donations... I just didn't feel like going anywhere and stayed home and did some housework, read a book or cleaned out the car.  I know it was there, but there is no real need to jump in it all the time just because it's there.

I have total respect for other drivers... unless they don't have any for me.  And within this year, I've decided to buy myself a dash cam for the car, so if I am in an accident, it's all caught on it for insurance purposes.  

Today, though, I was over at my folks' place to get some work done on the paintwork.  You see, I had gone to Brighton to visit my niece, Riley, when, on the way home, I was behind a truck which had something flying and flaking off the back of it.  At the time I didn't know what it was and went around it, but when I arrived home, there were minute black flecks of crap all over my windscreen, all over the bonnet and on the supports and side mirrors... yuk!  So, today, Dad and I got some turps and rubbed it all off the car, then washed it.  We chatted about polishing the car, and he gave me some MacQuarie's Polish for the car and an applicator.  When I got home today, I waited an hour or so for the car to cool off and then rubbed the polish into it... now it looks wonderful!

Well, I'm expecting my rego renewal in the mail soon, and it'll be without a sticker... so, it'll be good to actually be able to afford my own rego on my car - for the first time in my life.  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

2 comments:

  1. It's great to have own independence isn't it? I have driven a car for over two decades now. There are odd times I use public transport to go to the city or southbank. Car parking is expensive these days.

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    Replies
    1. How true... however, this past year has just zoomed by, hasn't it?

      And I'm still catching up with my bucket list of things I want to do with my little green machine... :D

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