Walking in the Shadows

International Day Commemorating Air Crash Victims and Their Families

2026-02-20T07:05:00.004+00:00

Another reading cartoom

2026-01-05T19:54:00.003+00:00

This came from the Guardian newspaper... And it sums up my reading challenge on Goodreads...

Karen

Music plays
In my head
Heard that song before
Met some people in my life
But they weren't the real deal

This sums up my reading...

2025-12-27T10:53:00.016+00:00

Karen

Music plays

In my head

Heard that song before

Met some people in my life

But they weren't the real deal

Santa ditches reindeer

2025-12-24T21:09:00.000+00:00

I found this whilst scrolling through the Top Gear website, and it did make me laugh – especially as it hits home about range anxiety on an electric vehicle.

Enjoy.

Karen

Music plays

In my head

Heard that song before

Met some people in my life

But they weren't the real deal

Santa ditches reindeer for electric sleigh, now stuck at broken charge pointSaint Nick’s pledge to go net zero backfires as e-sleigh now inoperable

Santa Claus is stuck at a broken electric charging point at a service station somewhere in the Midlands, sources have revealed.

The jolly, bearded present-giver recently made a pledge to reduce his carbon footprint after his traditional, reindeer-powered sleigh was deemed to have fallen foul of Euro 6 emissions standards.

However, his replacement electric sleigh featuring a quad-motor powertrain and best-in-class 1,000kWh lithium-ion battery is now stuck at a defective charge point in an undisclosed location just outside Birmingham.

‘Get an electric sleigh’, they all said. I went for the fastest, most powerful one I could find, able to go from 0-60mph in 2.9 million wishes time, which – I was assured by the manufacturer – made it the fastest electric sleigh ever built.

“I’d done most of the North of England in one swift hit – the acceleration off the line was really quite breathtaking! – at which point it showed 1,000 miles of range left.

But then I hit some cold weather and despite going easy on the throttle, the range suddenly dropped to 34 miles. I stopped at a charging point but of the four installed, three had those godawful SUVs parked in the bays. All of them were fully charged.

“The fourth charger was a 7kW lightweight that didn’t even work. Now I’m stuck with nine different charging apps on my phone, a flat sleigh and a boatload of presents.

“Ho. Ho. Ho.”

Onlookers later reported Santa attempting to exchange a number of boxed gifts for a service station meal deal, though he was turned away for insufficient funds.

Taking a swipe at an author...

2025-09-13T11:02:00.003+00:00

It’s not often that a book review in a national newspaper annoys me... But this review from The Guardian on Tuesday has managed that.

I’m currently reading The Secret of Secrets, and yes – I had it on pre-order. It’s light and fluffy, with enough action to keep it ticking along. But weapons grade nonsense?

That’s harsh. I admit, like my previous read – Robert Galbraith’s The Hallmarked Man, it does help if you’ve read the other books in the Robert Langdon series, otherwise it’s a tad confusing.

But, if you've read the other books, then you know what Dan Brown's writing style is, and if it's a style you enjoy? Good luck to you.

Personally, I like Salman Rushdie’s comment...

If you don’t like a book, read another book. If you start reading a book and you decide you don’t like it, nobody is telling you to finish it. To read a 600-page novel and then say that it has deeply offended you: well, you have done a lot of work to be offended.

And that is the best way to look at a book - *not* describe it as weapons grade bollocks.

Time to call this quits – I want to learn what The Secret of Secrets is....

Karen

Music plays

In my head

Heard that song before

Met some people in my life

But they weren’t the real deal

The traps are appearing....

2025-07-13T12:11:00.001+00:00

It's hard to believe that the little sprouts that were in my pot now have tiny traps.. And looking closely at them, it's possible to see the differences in the traps.

I know that when I got the seeds, I was told that there would be different varieties in the seed packet, and I have to admit that I was hoping to see if I would get something slightly unusual.

Well, looking at the traps (the ones I could see) it does look like I did manage to get at least one unusual variety... I think I may have this one:

Dionaea muscipula Conquiscator

But until the little monsters grow a little more, it's hard to tell....

So, all I can do is wait and see - and keep the little monsters happy.

Back when I things move a little further...

Karen

Hold on there's a new way a comin'
Looks like it's arriving tonight
There's no more hiding or running
There's no more walking on ice

A sprout at last...

2025-06-02T11:52:00.047+00:00

Well, I failed to keep the weekly updates – simply because there was no action... I did read that it could take a while for signs of life, and that kept me going... Especially whilst I’ve been off sick with a lower respiratory tract infection.

But I thought I saw something in one of the pots yesterday, and today has confirmed it – there is a sprout.

A sprout - not sure what it is yet - hopefully a VFT!

This is in the peat option - there may be a sprout in the peat free, but due the green colour of the growing medium, it's hard to see...

The growing media after 6 weeks - the peat medium is the top of the image- the peat free option is the bottom. Supplied by Wacks Wicked Plants.

I have to admit, the sprout did make me think of the Terry Pratchett / Neil Gaimen book – Good Omens – The nice and accurate prophesies of Agnes Nutter – witch.

“He had heard about talking to plants in the early seventies, on Radio Four, and thought it was an excellent idea. Although talking is perhaps the wrong word for what Crowley did.

What he did was put the fear of God into them.

More precisely, the fear of Crowley.

In addition to which, every couple of months Crowley would pick out a plant that was growing too slowly, or succumbing to leaf-wilt or browning, or just didn’t look quite as good as the others, and he would carry it around to all the other plants. “Say goodbye to your friend,” he’d say to them. “He just couldn’t cut it. . . “

Then he would leave the flat with the offending plant, and return an hour or so later with a large, empty flower pot, which he would leave somewhere conspicuously around the flat.

The plants were the most luxurious, verdant, and beautiful in London. Also the most terrified.”

I freely admit to thinking of this quote when I checked the pots – but wasn’t quite cruel enough to read it to them...

Karen

It’s the time to make your play

Take the rose today

It’s the time to have your say

Take the whole bouquet

Have no regrets and don’t keep hanging on

Now all your yesterdays are gone

A busy day

2025-04-21T15:26:00.013+00:00

It's been a busy day... Baking and planting. The planting doesn't really show - the Venus Flytrap seeds are tiny!

Venus Flytrap seeds - image courtesy of Hampshire Carnivorous Plants

So, I've planted them after standing the growing medium in the pots for 36 hours in rainwater as per the instructions.

The growing medium after standing in rainwater

The seeds have been scattered across the serface - now comes the waiting game... The seeds can take anywhere from 10 days to several weeks to grow, and it's pot luck as to which variety of VFT I get. Not that I mind - I love the challenge of growing the seeds...

I seem to have the knack of getting awkward carnivorous plant seeds to grow... I can get Sarracenia seeds sprouting without problems - but I guess leaving them in the 'fridge for 6 months in damp sphagnum moss does the trick... I know it's a long term project, as these plants don't really mature for 4 / 5 years - but it's worth it.

As for the baking - three lots of biscuits. Triple chocolate cookies, vanilla biscuits and sweet mix spice biscuits.

Triple chocololate chip, Sweet mix spice and vanilla

They're easy to make, and I know what's in them, so there are no nasty nuts to worry about for me.

Ah well, time to call this quits - I want to listen to my audiobook.

Back when I get chance...

Karen

It’s the time to make your play

Take the rose today

It’s the time to have your say

Take the whole bouquet

Have no regrets and don’t keep hanging on

Now all your yesterdays are gone

Trying to grow Venus Flytraps from seed

2025-04-20T10:04:00.005+00:00

As those who know me well know, I love my carnivorous plants. But, there's one problem... The government is looking to ban peat from being used in compost.. And my monsters grow in.... Peat.

But one nursery Wacks Wicked Plants is offering Venus Flytrap growing kits - in two versions. Peat (the normal growing media) and peat free (the new variety growing media).

Taking the media out of the boxes (very helpfully labelled so I knew which was which) I placed them in the supplied pots and labelled them, thinking I wouldn't know which was which... But that hasn't been the case.

The media is visibly different. The peat based compost is the dark brown with the usual perlite mixed in.

The peat free? Well I am glad I knew it was compost. It looks nothing like the compost I am used to when repotting my monsters... It looked like someone had emptied a bottle of bleach over the compost.

I’ve labelled the two pots so I know which is which once they are fully hydrated and will plant (ok carefully place) the seeds on the top once the compost is ready... Then let the experiment begin!

Growing media - peat with red lables, peat free with green

The pots are standing in a saucer of rainwater in a minimally heated (frost proofed) south facing conservatory, so light won’t be an issue as these seeds need lots of light to sprout...

I’ll update on a weekly basis and give my honest (and hopefully) unbiased opinion. And no – Wacks *didn’t* ask me to do this – this is my interest in my beloved monsters...

Time to call this quits – got to go and work on my other passion... My car.

Back with updates tomorrow – the planting!

Karen

I gave no thought to wisdom

It all but vanished in the haze

This fragile hand of fortune

Had changed and turned it all to grey

Death of a legend

2024-01-12T18:41:00.004+00:00

I got home this evening, and Mum mentioned that one of the founder members of one of my favourite rock bands had died... Then she said it was Magnum.

I went onto Magnum online, and saw this:

The lead guitarist of Magnum. The statement read as follows:

From the Clarkin family:
On behalf of the family it is with profound sadness that daughter Dionne is sharing the news of the passing of Tony Clarkin.
Following a short illness, he died peacefully surrounded by his girls on Sunday 7th January 2024.
“I know that Tony has touched so many people through his music in so many different ways. I don’t really have words to express what he meant to me right now as the grief is too fresh.
As many of you know Tony had a great affinity with animals. It is the family’s intention to set up a charitable trust in his name to aid this cause, further details to follow. Please do not send flowers or cards, as he would have much preferred expressions of sympathy to go to charity in this way.
It was a privilege to call him my Dad.”

“I didn’t look to live forever”

The world is a poorer place with your leaving Tony. You were a true gent.

Karen

I know if I could live forever
Nothing would change to better
Nothing would change at all

Secret Santa - bang on!

2023-12-15T12:34:00.004+00:00

It's the time of year I used to dread at my previous company... The dreaded Secret Santa. Because it was very rare that I actually got anything I liked... Think I only managed it 3 times in the 18 years

I was there.

But not here. Both times the gifts have been bang on for me - last year was a "Voodoo doll" - and don't mind admitting that gets used when someone really annoys me.

This year - perfection. I'm known for my love of Carnivorous plants (my computer background is a Heliamphora specimen that I saw in Kew Gardens (The Princess of Wales conservatory has a collection of carnivorous plants I would have sold a very good friend for glue to have!)

So, this year I wasn't too worried... But opening my Secret Santa left me speechless. Simply because it was the *last* thing I expected....

A pair of socks. Not just any socks - they're from Dolly Cool....

Yes - they have Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors. And considering I grow Venus Fly Traps, they're perfect.

So all that remains for me to do is say "THANK YOU SECRET SANTA"

Ah well, guess I should call this quits - I'm on lunch and need to eat.

Back when I get chance....

Karen

I gave no thought to wisdom
It all but vanished in the haze
This fragile hand of fortune
Had changed and turned it all to grey

Cameras replacing mirrors blamed for spider housing crisis

2023-09-13T19:21:00.003+00:00

I make no apologies for posting this - it's had me laughing when not much else has made me smile recently.

Enjoy.

Karen

When things never happen like you wanted
Dark nights always keep you in the shade
Some words would be better left unspoken
No joke there’s a price that must be paid

‘No one thinks of the little guy' says friendly neighbourhood spider.

TopGear.com's roving correspondent, Cory Spondent, with his mostly incorrect exclusives from the world of motoring...

The rise of cameras replacing wing mirrors on EVs has triggered a housing shortage for spiders, it is claimed, with the number of eight-legged stowaways in sharp decline.

Cameras - which are typically sleeker than traditional mirrors in order to cut aerodynamic drag - don't offer enough surface area on which to anchor a harmless-yet-unsightly cobweb.
Wide-angle lens cameras also tend to be entirely sealed, meaning spiders have nowhere to hide while you dismantle the web on your 1.0-litre Corsa that will be entirely rebuilt by tomorrow morning.
"I thought the advent of auto-folding mirrors was bad, but this situation is much, much worse," explained a spider, who asked to remain anonymous. "It's getting harder and harder to find somewhere to live.
"Manufacturers don't seem to realise we need simple, affordable housing, not this luxury stuff that only the top one per cent can buy. Where are my hundreds of eggs going to hatch?"
"Eventually we're just going to have to move into your car proper: under the seats, hanging from the headliner, inside the instrument binnacle,” it added, before whispering:
“We could be anywhere. Like the sound of that? Huh? No. Now spec that Ioniq 5 with real mirrors like a respectable human being and we'll consider the matter closed."

The wheel bearing - AGAIN

2023-05-26T15:29:00.002+00:00

What was I thinking? Those idiots that serviced my poor little 208 in September last year have made a real mess of my car. The driver’s side wheel bearing has now been replaced, but it looks like they managed to make a real mess of the car.

I was asked if I had any suspension work done… Yes – when the idiots allegedly dealt with the passenger side wheel bearing and wheel hub. Well, it looks like they fitted the wrong one to the car. So, it’s got to go back to the garage that has replaced the driver’s side bearing and get the passenger side sorted out.

The garage is going to strip the car down and take lots of photos for me, so I can blast Peugeot customer service about the idiots – and I will *never* let them near my poor little monster again.

The so-called main dealer here in Banbury is a garage I would recommend – TO AVOID LIKE THE PLAUGE.

I’ve still got work to do, so I’ll call this quits for now.

Back when I get the chance / my temper has improved….

Karen

Like a broken wheel stops turning

You ain't going nowhere

Now you've got to heal that burning

Or you ain't got a prayer

Like a broken wheel

The verdict? A wheel bearing.

2023-04-26T17:57:00.006+00:00

I've taken the monster to AJ Automatics and the verdict?

A bloody wheel bearing. Not the gearbox torque converter as I feared. The difference? A repair bill of £250 instead of £2500.

Tony was a real gent and explained that the noise is coming from the driver’s side front, and apparently, the torque converter on the Monster is on the passenger side.

He said that some garages would take advantage – tell me that they could sort the gearbox issue for £1000, then sort the wheel bearing. Result? No noise and a large bill.

So, it’s back to Banbury Autos to get that sorted out. Part of me wished that AJ Automatics were closer to home, but now I know where they are, it’s a garage to keep safe in case of gearbox emergency.

Ah well, time to call this quits – my kindle is calling me.. I’m nearly finished Ben Macintyre’s wonderful book – Operation Mincemeat.

Back when I get the inclination to put my kindle down...

Karen

When things never happen like you wanted

Dark nights always keep you in the shade

Some words would be better left unspoken

No joke there’s a price that must be paid

The snowflakes strike again….

2023-02-21T20:05:00.004+00:00

I make no apologies for posting this – it comes from the Independent newspaper and sums up the whole mess that the “woke” brigade are trying to cause. As usual, I’ll put my thoughts / comments at the end of the piece.

Critics reject changes to Roald Dahl books as censorship
Critics are accusing the British publisher of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s books of censorship after it removed colourful language from works such as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Matilda” to make them more acceptable to modern readers.
A review of new editions of Dahl’s books now available in bookstores shows that some passages relating to weight, mental health, gender and race were altered. The changes made by Puffin Books, a division of Penguin Random House, first were reported by Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper.
Augustus Gloop, Charlie’s gluttonous antagonist in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” which originally was published in 1964, is no longer “enormously fat,” just “enormous.” In the new edition of “Witches,” a supernatural female posing as an ordinary woman may be working as a “top scientist or running a business” instead of as a “cashier in a supermarket or typing letters for a businessman.”
The word “black” was removed from the description of the terrible tractors in 1970s “The Fabulous Mr. Fox.” The machines are now simply “murderous, brutal-looking monsters.”
Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie was among those who reacted angrily to the rewriting of Dahl’s words. Rushdie lived in hiding for years after Iran’s Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989 issued a fatwa calling for his death because of the alleged blasphemy in his novel “The Satanic Verses.” He was attacked and seriously injured last year at an event in New York state.
“Roald Dahl was no angel but this is absurd censorship,’’ Rushdie wrote on Twitter. “Puffin Books and the Dahl estate should be ashamed.’’
The changes to Dahl’s books mark the latest skirmish in a debate over cultural sensitivity as campaigners seek to protect young people from cultural, ethnic and gender stereotypes in literature and other media. Critics complain revisions to suit 21st century sensibilities risks undermining the genius of great artists and preventing readers from confronting the world as it is.
The Roald Dahl Story Company, which controls the rights to the books, said it worked with Puffin to review the texts because it wanted to ensure that “Dahl’s wonderful stories and characters continue to be enjoyed by all children today.”
The language was reviewed in partnership with Inclusive Minds, a collective which is working to make children's literature more inclusive and accessible. Any changes were “small and carefully considered,” the company said.
It said the analysis started in 2020, before Netflix bought the Roald Dahl Story Company and embarked on plans to produce a new generation of films based on the author's books.
“When publishing new print runs of books written years ago, it’s not unusual to review the language used alongside updating other details, including a book’s cover and page layout,’’ the company said. “Our guiding principle throughout has been to maintain the storylines, characters, and the irreverence and sharp-edged spirit of the original text.”
Puffin didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Dahl died in 1990 at the age of 74. His books, which have sold more than 300 million copies, have been translated into 68 languages and continue to be read by children around the world.
But he is also a controversial figure because of antisemitic comments made throughout his life.
The Dahl family apologized in 2020, saying it recognized the “lasting and understandable hurt caused by Roald Dahl’s antisemitic statements.”
Regardless of his personal failings, fans of Dahl’s books celebrate his use of sometimes dark language that taps into the fears of children, as well as their sense of fun.
PEN America, a community of some 7,500 writers that advocates for freedom of expression, said it was “alarmed” by reports of the changes to Dahl’s books.
“If we start down the path of trying to correct for perceived slights instead of allowing readers to receive and react to books as written, we risk distorting the work of great authors and clouding the essential lens that literature offers on society,” tweeted Suzanne Nossel, chief executive of PEN America.
Laura Hackett, a childhood Dahl fan who is now deputy literary editor of London’s Sunday Times newspaper, had a more personal reaction to the news.
“The editors at Puffin should be ashamed of the botched surgery they’ve carried out on some of the finest children’s literature in Britain,” she wrote. “As for me, I’ll be carefully stowing away my old, original copies of Dahl’s stories, so that one day my children can enjoy them in their full, nasty, colourful glory.”

Now I grew up reading Dahl – he was one of my favourite authors as a kid – along with Tolkein and others. My friend's children (who are 20 & 21 respectively) have grown up reading his books and are perfectly happy adults.

One is an apprentice at JLR and the other is a second year student at the University of Birmingham.

The trouble is, if we pander to these precious few who seem to think that children can’t cope with reading such things, we are going to raise a generation of little princes and princesses who cannot cope with the real world.

Salman Rushdie, summed up this feeling rather well…

Nobody has the right to not be offended. That right doesn't exist in any declaration I have ever read.
If you are offended it is your problem, and frankly lots of things offend lots of people.
I can walk into a bookshop and point out a number of books that I find very unattractive in what they say. But it doesn't occur to me to burn the bookshop down. If you don't like a book, read another book. If you start reading a book and you decide you don't like it, nobody is telling you to finish it.
To read a 600-page novel and then say that it has deeply offended you: well, you have done a lot of work to be offended.”

So, in summary - I have this final thought...

LEAVE OUR BOOKS ALONE!!!

Back when I calm down - after I've read something that will give the woke brigade a touch of the vapours - Diddly Squat: 'Till the cows come home.

Karen

Keep your night light burning
I'll come through the wind and rain
Keep your night light burning
I'll be with you once again

Waiting for the main event

2022-12-10T21:30:00.001+00:00

Theia

2022-12-10T20:17:00.001+00:00

Billy Watman

2022-12-10T19:33:00.001+00:00

Not sure about this.... Might grow with lustening....

In the Mill

2022-12-10T19:06:00.001+00:00

In the Steel Mill... Welcone to the Cosmic Caberert is playning.

A Christmas display, and more plants.

2022-10-29T13:29:00.003+00:00

Not something that I usually like to admit... But this display at Melbicks Garden Centre really caught my eye...

Unusually for me, I really liked the displays. They weren't the usual artificial trees loaded with decorations that they were trying to sell - although they were there.

And yes - as usual, I "rescued" two more carnivorous plants - Sarracenia hybrids. The best bit (for me) was the fact that they were reduced - as in well under half price, and had a reasonable chance of survival.

So, I have now placed them in a tray of rainwater in their usual winter quarters (an unheated greenhouse) so that I can acclimatise them to "normal" growing conditions ready for planting outside in the spring. Then they can munch the local insect population to their heart's (and pitchers) content....

Ah well, I need to make sure that the rest of the monsters are ok - winter is coming and I need to ensure that they are protected enough to go through the colder months ready for spring.

Back later...

Karen

See the night sky super nova
Chase the cold moon passing over
Start the dragon's fire to smoulder
On a storyteller's night

December is coming…

2022-10-23T12:50:00.001+00:00

I’ve been promising myself a reward for getting myself back to some semblance of fitness once my back was sorted (after a fashion), and was going to go and see Magnum at KK’s Steel Mill in Wolverhampton for their 50th anniversary / Christmas show…

Only that didn’t quite happen, as one of my friends decided to book it for me… How do I know this?

Simples. I got told when I met up with them for my birthday and was given a birthday card...

OK – nothing unusual in that... But it contained something I didn’t expect – ticket confirmation for the show on December 10th…

To say that I was speechless was an understatement. That was the last thing I expected, and to be honest, it should be a cracking event. 50th anniversary *and* a Christmas show?

One of my gig t-shirts will be lovingly dug out of the wardrobe and the Bah Humbug Santa hat will also make an appearance.

After all, it is near Christmas….

Back when I can get over the shock…

Karen

Music plays
In my head
Heard that song before
Met some people in my life
But they weren’t the real deal
40 days
40 nights
On that spinning wheel

The monster is back

2022-10-03T14:12:00.000+00:00

The monster is back – and has been washed / valeted (something that Arbury used to do as standard on a service – another thing I don’t like about the Banbury stealership).

The guys who brought the car back were nice enough, but it would have been nice if this had been sorted properly in the first damned place.

Suffice to say once bitten, twice shy. And as I have said, if the monster needs anything doing that is *not* covered under warranty, then it will go to a local garage - one that doesn’t charge premium prices for a less than budget service.

Back later

Karen

I gave no thought to wisdom
It all but vanished in the haze
This fragile hand of fortune
Had changed and turned it all to grey

Waiting for the monster. Again

2022-10-03T11:57:00.001+00:00

Well, the little monster is back with the dealership to sort out the screw up with the ABS sensor – that they caused. And driving into work, I found something else the ABS sensor damage had messed up – my cruise control.

I have to admit that I am starting to wonder if the extortionate price that the stealership (sorry – dealership – no – I was right first time) is really worth it.

I'm supposed get the best service as the car has gone back to the stealership where the technicians allegedly know what they are doing. If that’s the case, then how the hell did they miss that the wheel bearing hub was damaged, and then damage the ABS sensor?

Now all I have to do is see if they keep to their agreement to get the car back to me this afternoon – Mum has her COVID-19 booster this afternoon at 16:15, so it will be a bit of a rush if she has to head to Banbury because those bunch of jokers messed up. Again.

Equally, if I had known how bad the stealership was here in Banbury, I would have bitten my tongue and stuck with Arbury – even if the service “reception” leaves a lot to be desired.

But, I have 12 months before the little monster needs servicing again, and if it *does* need any work – I will find somewhere else to do it – I am *not* risking my little monster being off the road for 5 days again.

If this had been a 1-day job (ignore the initial part failure – that happens) I wouldn’t be as angry as I am. But this has turned into a complete fiasco due to some idiot not doing the job properly – and I paid top price to get the “expertise” that is allegedly offered by a Peugeot dealership.

Time to call this quits – I am due off my lunch in a couple of minutes and need to rinse my mug out.

Back later

Karen

I gave no thought to wisdom
It all but vanished in the haze
This fragile hand of fortune
Had changed and turned it all to grey

It's a good thing I don't work in Burton Upon Trent....

2022-09-30T21:02:00.001+00:00

Because the dealership I had the misfortune to take my beloved little monster to, couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery.

I was expecting to collect my car just after 12:00, but a phone call earlier today put paid to that. Ok - they would drop the car off to me at work...

16:20 and I get a call... I jokingly ask if there is another problem... Only to be told yes - the car will need to go back to them on Monday.

I have to admit I was speechless. Especially when I was told the reason why...

When the new wheel hub was being fitted, they managed to damage the ABS sensor on the wheel. Great. As if I haven't had enough trouble since the car went into them.

I was reassured that the car was safe to drive, albeit I would have no ABS, or traction control - meaning that I would have to seriously re-adjust my driving style when it came to braking.

What they *didn't* tell me was that my dashboard would light up like a Christmas tree, and that I would get multiple warnings and chimes as the car told me that the following issues were going to occur (and these are just the ones I can remember!)

The service light on
Engine warning light and error messages
Hill start inoperative
TPMS system issues

To say that I am furious is an understatement. The drive home was probably the slowest I have ever been on that road as the weather was diabolical - heavy rain. Just what I needed with the car having brake issues.

The dealership has said that they already have the part and will collect monster from work on Monday. I won't be charged as it was their fault and will top my fuel tank off as well.

Whilst I appreciate the guesture, I would have preferred that they had sorted the wheel bearing (and found the issue with the wheel hub) without all the stress and hassle this has caused me.

Yet again, it is a weekend where we will have to use Mum's car as mine is out of comission. Again.

Ah well, I am going to try to relax and de-stress this weekend, ready for all the hassle to restart on Monday.

Back when I need to rant again.

Karen

Spin like a wheel
I fall down to my knees
Don’t you know how bad that feels
It hurts when you’re in need
Never forget
Never regret

Walking in the Shadows

International Day Commemorating Air Crash Victims and Their Families

Another reading cartoom

This sums up my reading...

Santa ditches reindeer

Taking a swipe at an author...

The traps are appearing....

A sprout at last...

The growing media after 6 weeks - the peat medium is the top of the image- the peat free option is the bottom. Supplied by Wacks Wicked Plants.

A busy day

Trying to grow Venus Flytraps from seed

Death of a legend

Secret Santa - bang on!

Cameras replacing mirrors blamed for spider housing crisis

The wheel bearing - AGAIN

The verdict? A wheel bearing.

More problems with the car

The snowflakes strike again….

Waiting for the main event

Theia

Billy Watman

In the Mill

A Christmas display, and more plants.

December is coming…

The monster is back

Waiting for the monster. Again

It's a good thing I don't work in Burton Upon Trent....