Baptism by fire! ~ Part 1

Today, my first day off from this confounded working malarkey and what happens? I don't imagine it's too hard to hazard a guess that Tilly has, in her inimitable way, had me up and out of bed since 05.30!! Bloody hell fire, that's only a half hour later than my weekday 'stumbling out of bed' time but apparently to small cats that is of no consequence, she would like company and so I have to provide it! Ugh....all I want is some sleep!

So how did my first two days alone on the road go? I think the best and most positive word I can use to describe them is 'interesting'!

My allocated van is no joy, in fact to say it is a disaster would probably be an understatement. The thing is an eyesore having seemingly had every panel and bumper make contact with a hard object at some point in it's history, and whether it's even roadworthy is very questionable! It's refrigeration unit I was told leaks a 'little', where in actual fact it creates a small internal waterfall, I have no heater in the cab and no fan, they should be there, they are in there in principle, they are just completely dysfunctional and as a consequence, on days like the last two where it has been cold and wet outside, the inside of my windscreen has been running with condensation!

The mechanics of this wonderful vehicle are no better. It sports a gear box that takes the strength of ten men to force into any gear, two tyres with very persistent slow punctures and a propshaft that is so past it's sell by date that it 'clunks' very worryingly and constantly and if I dare to put it under any load at all, screams like a stuck pig! This is all very well but kindly souls on the pavement and in other vehicles keep trying to draw my attention to it to warn me I have a problem....like I can't hear it for myself! It's reminiscent of a hoard of banshees screaming.....how could I miss it?! The brakes 'bind' and pull, the steering requires to be coaxed from permanently attempting to put me into whatever is on the nearside of me, the exhaust has seen better days and the windscreen wipers only have one speed.....very slow! Oh....and there is no water in the washer bottle, that shouldn't be a problem in itself but for the fact I can't find the bonnet 'pop' and no one else seems (despite this van having been there's for over four years) to know where it is!

How this vehicle made it's way through an MOT test is anyone's guess but I have to say that when I am hammering it along country lanes trying to adhere to my drop times I have little confidence in it's safety or ability to make it to my destination without coming to a grinding halt in some Godforsaken out of the way place!

Hmmmm, what can I say? This vehicle does not inspire confidence but it does if nothing else provide me with a daily challenge just getting it from point 'A' to point 'B'....a challenge is a good thing right??

~ To be continued~