Rutland Autos

I think it only right to credit where credit is due. There is one business in Oakham that does a good job for the people that employ it's services and that is Rutland Autos. It is a wonderful garage and treats it's customers with care, respect and offers great value for money.

They are really good.  Phone in with a five minute job and as long as is five minutes they won't charge you labor. They just order the part and fit it for you. That has happened to me twice. They have never over charged on labour and they are realistic about how long it takes to do a job. The estimates are good and very competitive and they don't do work that doesn't need doing. They are so good in fact that if you are going away or need your car the next day and they have started a job, they will stay late to finish it for you how ever long it takes. 

Other garages are good in area, like Ashwell Motors, who I have used before, but Rutland Autos are the best. If you have a problem with your car and you are in the area turn to them first.

Yellow Van People

Yesterday, just as I was going to pick the Emily and Catherine from school, the car immobiliser decided to activate and the central locking failed. Although I could get into the car using the key their was no way of starting it. A quick look on the internet suggested a new battery in the key fob might be in order, so I popped to town on the bus, got a battery and the shopping and returned home. Unfortunately, it wasn't the battery so it was back to square one, so I decided to leave it until this morning given the weather and the fact it was dark.

After more research in the evening I found a number of causes of the problem many very expensive while the most common fault was rather cheap. As I went to sleep I hopped it would be the former, but to make sure I got it right I decided to call out the AA given I have home start for just such problems. Handy when the nearest garage is miles away.

As always I was very impressed by the service the AA provided. I decided to phone them after the morning rush and they where with me within thirty minutes just before half past twelve. Soon the man was looking for the fuse box in the engine bay and quickly found the blown fuse in the central locking system. The only question then remained what caused it to blow in the first place. Using the knowledge of countless years he started looking in the flexible hosing that contains the wiring in the tailgate and he was spot on. Some of the wires had become exposed and had caused a short circuit. He repaired them, and within ten minutes at most I had a working car again and it hadn't cost me a penny and I even got a spare fuse if it goes again. 

I can't say how pleased it wasn't anything else. If the car was off the road than I can't get Lucy and there is know way I can afford to get her on public transport. There isn't even a bus as far as I can tell between Oakham and Leicester. Thankfully everything ended well for a change, lets hope it continues that way.

Misty Friday

It was an slightly earlier start for everyone this morning. The car had gone into the garage to have parts and the supplier had sent the wrong parts and the car was still in Ashwell Motors. It turns out the correct parts were far more expensive than the ones they sent but because it was their mistake the supplier aren't going to charge the difference for the parts quoted. All the same it meant that Emily and myself had to get the bus into Oakham in the morning and we had to make sure we were there well in time.

With packed lunches made and breakfast eaten Emily and myself headed out into the day and what a misty day it was. From the school in Langham you couldn't see the roundabout down Burley Road. It was the second morning in a row that had started out this way but today it didn't look like the sun was going to burn through the mist like yesterday. As we waited for the Bus some school children were getting on a coach all dressed as refugees. Emily had a grand time talking to them as they passed she seemed to know nearly everyone of them. Unfortunately we had a long wait at the bus stop but it couldn't be helped given the weather I guess. The bus was late and so was Emily to school because of it. For me it just meant I had less time to kill in Oakham before I went to pick up Lucy.

I haven't really looked round Oakham for what seems a long time. I go to the supermarkets there but not really the other shops there, it just doesn't feel right especially in the morning. So it was odd to be there at that time of day. I thought about going for a pot of tea at the Castle Cottage tearooms but in the end I just looked around and looked in a few of the shops before heading off to wander round the Church, where I lite a candle to the ones I have loved and lost and it was off to the park. The park is so different on a misty morning, gone are the children full of joy to be replaced by the sound of the occasional crow calling it's mate in the distance. It seems a far cry from those lazy days of summer when it full of people enjoying the sun. All the same it was still very lovely just in a different way. 

Before too long I heard the bells of the church chime the quarter to the hour and I set off to get Lucy. Having no car wasn't going to stop me seeing Lucy, nothing would. Lucy, like Emily and Catherine, means the world to me as you might have gathered by now. There was a bit of confusion about the car seat, I missed something in a email when I replied last night, but that was soon sorted. I apologised for not seeing it and off we went. I was so pleased to see her and with her car seat in one hand and her hand in the other we set off to catch the bus home. 

I had never been on a bus with Lucy and I'm not sure how many buses she ever been on. I'm guessing not many. She seemed quite excited as we walked together. She was telling me all her news and what happening with her. I love they way she just chats away now. All to soon we were waiting together for the bus. Every time a bus arrived she wanted to get on it and asked if it is ours. This went on for sometime as four buses arrived before the number nineteen. When it did arrive on we hopped and we were soon heading home. She loved it and was soon peeping out of the windows as I held her saying when do we ring the bell. As she got off she said thank you to the driver and a waved him and the bus goodbye, It was so lovely when a lady that got off the bus commented on how sweet she was. I know that, but it nice to hear it from someone else too.

When we got home Lucy got on with playing between cuddles as always. She started on her tricycle in the family room riding it round and round and round. We put it in there the other day when we thought it might rain to keep it dry for her. Then it was off to the table for a while to do some drawing after she found some paper and a pencil sharpener. The only problem was we couldn't find a pencil and when I gave her a pen she tried to sharpen it. Thankfully I found one before the pen was ruined. There was a pencil down the side of one of the chairs. After doing some drawing we went to her room to play for a bit. Soon she was off in the toy cupboards finding all kinds of things to do. 

After lunch we headed out for a walk around the village. A few weeks ago we took George with us and she had a lovely time and we saw a pair of squirrels at the Church who George scared away. This time without George we thought we might get lucky and see them again but this time we hopped they wouldn't run away, but they were no where to be seen. We looked around the trees in the grave yard but nothing. Thankfully Lucy was not to disappointed and we headed inside the Church to have a look around. She loves it in there, especially the way the building makes her voice echo. She was soon putting the echo to the test. The Church itself was still all dressed up from the harvest festival, and although the flowers were past there best it was still looking lovely. Soon Lucy was piling the prayer cushions up on one of pews and making a tower out of them like they were building blocks. All to soon they came crashing down with fits of laugher from Lucy. Finally in the Church we went to play the panino, but for some reason it has disappeared which seems a shame especially if it is broken. She loves playing it. After the we finished in the Church we head down some of the village lanes looking at the houses and the birds that flew by before returning home. She was asking all kinds of questions.

When we got home I made a coffee before phoning the garage to find out about the car. As i talked to them the parts arrived and thankfully they said we could have it back soon. In the meantime Lucy spotted her bubble maker in the kitchen and I filled it with a soap solution and soon she was chasing around popping as many bubbles as she could with George's help before they both went off to play hiding seek as only George can in the long grass.

As the clock passed twenty past three Lucy asked about the girls for millionth time. She always asks where they are as soon as I pick up and again when ever there is a quieter moment in our play. This time I could say that Catherine will be home soon, and soon enough in through the door she came to big Lucy welcome before they went off to play. Emily meanwhile had called and she was heading to the bus station and she too would soon be home, however we were only going to see a fleeting glance of her as it turned out.

As it four approached it was time for Lucy's second bus trip of the day. This time it was off to Ashwell to pick up the car on the same bus Emily was coming home from school on. Lucy just about managed to give her a quick cuddle and a kiss as we got on the bus as I paid and Emily got off. Soon we were heading through the village and Lucy was looking out the window and amusing the other passengers with her chatter. She was in fine form. It doesn't take long to get to Ashwell and after a "thank you" for the bus driver and a wave. Soon we were waiting at the bus stop for the bus to leave so we could cross the road to the garage. 

Once at the garage we put her car seat back in the car and went off to collect the key. Pausing to look through the workshop window to look at the cars in the car and being repaired. She want to go in but I had to explain it not really a safe place to be if you are so small, but I did say we could go in the show room. Soon she was looking around the cars they had to sell there and I pointed to a soft top Mercedes and said that is what you need to buy Daddy when you grow up much to the amusement of the mechanic who came to give me the car key. It was well over forty five thousand pounds. Off we trotted to our car and we were soon heading home with new back brakes and free wheel bearings thanks to the mistake by the part suppliers. I must say I recommend Ashwell Motors to anyone.

When we goy home the house was full of noise. Charlie was here helping Emily clean her bedroom, well sort of helping. I think there was more fun going on at times than actually putting stuff away. All the same they had decided to tackle under the bed and they were determined to throw stuff away as they did it, which is always welcome. Emily and Catherine certainly have too much stuff in the room given they have a family room too. Meanwhile Catherine decided to play with Lucy in her room and stay out of the way. She hasn't been getting on too well with Charlie of late although a few months ago it was the other way round and she was Charlies best friend not Emily. 

With them all out of the way preparing dinner was a dream. I didn't have much time so not having little ones under my feet was a big bonus. We were meant to be having cottage pie but in the end there just wasn't the time to cook it in the oven. So it was mice, onions and carrots with mash potatoes and savoy cabbage. Thankfully the girls didn't mind too much and it made a change as we haven't had that in a long while. Nearly all of it was gone by the end of the meal and that is all that counts at the end of the day. 

There was fifteen minutes after dinner for Emily, Catherine and Lucy to play together. They made the most of their last minutes together as always before it was time for their cuddles, kisses and goodbyes. Lucy left the house eating her sweet and she had another sweet in her pocket for her sister Mary. When she got back to Oakham she gave me a kiss and a cuddle and she was gone until Tuesday when she comes to see us again.

With Lucy back at her mummies it was time to set off to take Emily and Catherine to meet their mum at McDonalds on the A1. It would be the frist time that we did the trip in the dark for ages and not something I was looking forward to. Normally I love driving at night normally but tonight was different for some reason. Maybe it is I that know the road to well or just didn't want them to leave. Whatever it was the drive seemed to drag and it felt like it took ages to get home tonight. I guess I can be thankful for one thing at least I didn't have to drive as much as I use to in the past.

It has been a lovely day and I really enjoyed my trips on the bus with Lucy. It was nice to do something new with her that I hadn't done before. It just a shame that she not here as much as I would like and that something that is taking a lot of getting use to, if I can get use to it. I love them all so much I just wish they could be together all the time, although I know it is unrealistic. What us adults do is shameful at times. I think modern life makes us give up to easily when we need to battle through. It is all part of the consumer society, it is why our parents did so much better than we do now at holding a family together. 

At least I can try and forget all about children for the weekend and enjoy the promised weather.

Sunny Tuesday

What a wonderful sight the sun is first thing in the morning especially when you have Lucy coming to see you and, do you know what was even better today that it was lovely and warm too. Just what I needed to carry on the fun of the long weekend. 

It was lovely to see Lucy today and she was in top form from the start and although I missed her yesterday she made up for it straight away. Lucy was in top chatty form and gave me the biggest hug and "I love you Daddy". Something I will never get tired of hearing. As we left her mummy's house in the car she spotted Mary waving at the window and Lucy gave a big smile and waved back madly. It was so sweet to see and I couldn't help but join in the waving and smiling. 

We headed straight off for the park to make the most of the glorious morning sunshine. It was lovely in the park and a nice surprise to see some new park rides for the older Children. Of course Lucy wanted to play on them too and work her own way out of using of them as always. I let her play on them for a while until the bigger children came along and I thought it best that we go to the playground and let them use and enjoy them.

Once in the playground Lucy was off on the small climbing frame. Climbing up and down the ropes and ladders and sliding down the slides before she got me to go onto the roundabout and pushed me round and round. After a bit she was on, what I can best describe as, the stepping stones part of the playground and I was helping her avoid falling in the imaginary water by holding hand as she step from one stone to another. She was having great fun and was very good at waiting when people were in front of her. As always she tried everything including getting me to go on the seesaw with her. We both had loads of fun as always although when she went to the bandstand she commented on it not being good. I asked her if it was because Emily and Catherine wasn't there and she nodded. It was very sweet to know she misses them.

After we finished at the park we headed off for the supermarket. It was at this point that the dashboard on the car went completely blank. Just what you need when you are going along. I didn't have any idea of how fast I was going or anything really. I just had to go by the speed of the other cars. Once I got parked I checked all the fuses but they were all fine. There was nothing I could do except the shopping that had to be done.

As soon as we got to the entrance to the supermarket it was straight onto the rides for Lucy. I thought she would pick Thomas but he was snubbed in favour of a ride on Thunderbird 2. Must admit that I prefer the music on the Thunderbird ride so I was rather pleased. Once inside the shop we got all we needed for lunch, dinner and packed lunches for tomorrow which nearly forgot. On the way we drove very carefully. The dash still wasn't working.

When we got home I called the AA and they came out and had a look at the car for me. It would appear that the whole dashboard display unit has malfunctioned and they told me to contact the main dealer. Thankfully they also mentioned I might get the part for free if the car was the right age. Thankfully it was and now the part is on order and until then I will have to use the satellite navigation system to judge the fuel use and the speed. So now it just a question of waiting for the repair to be done. It makes a change to have some good luck after all that has happened over last few years. Even when I did have good luck back then, like when I found work, it all seemed to backfired big time. Let's hope this is the start of a new turning point and things will go my way for a change.

The problems with the car meant we ended up having a late lunch. Panini bread toasted and filled with bacon and lovely melted cheese. Thankfully there was enough cheese left over after Lucy had been eating it while I was making them. Everyone here loves them.

In the afternoon Lucy played with me for a while before went into Oakham to do some shopping and to look around the shops. One of the shops we popped into was "Fords of Oakham", Rutland's answer to a department store, to look at the toy's with Lucy. I thought she might give me some idea's for some Thomas the tank engine toys for her birthday at the start of November. She loves the toy trains in they have there and started playing with them straight away. I kept showing her things, but like most two year olds she wanted everything so I'm back where I started other than knowing she does want Thomas or at least train stuff. The last place we went was the clothes shops to pick up emily's school uniform for tomorrow. I know she going to be so proud of herself tomorrow when she starts her new school.

With having a late lunch I only cooked a early dinner for Lucy tonight. There was no point cooking for anyone else. She had fresh vegetables and a beef burger instead of the chicken I was going to do her. All the same she really enjoyed it although she missed the company of Emily and Catherine at the table. In fact she has missed them all day and kept asking where the were. On a positive note she did talk to Catherine on the phone which was rather nice to see and listen too. 

All too soon it was time for Lucy to leave dressed in her clean clothes. This time I determined she should arrive at her mummies clean and I made sure she didn't get dirty before she left the home, so just before we left we did some drawing with crayons which are far less messy than pens. On the way home she talked and talked and when I dropped her off I tried to get her to give her mummy a Lucy hug, but she marched right past with her sweets for her sister and she was gone until Friday. 

After I got home I started on the second dinner of the day, roast chicken potions in garlic butter and rosmary with new potatoes, runner beans and carrots. It was really nice to be cooking again, I really enjoy it and it makes the eating so much nicer. It is the personal touch that makes it special.

With the satellite navigation system fitted in the car it was time to go and fetch Emily and Catherine. I allowed loads of extra time to make up for the fact that I wasn't sure how much charge was left in it's batteries. I needed it for the country roads and villages, but once on the A1 I followed a lorry to regulate my speed. Slower than normal but at least I was sure I wasn't speeding past the speed cameras. Of course there was a downside we got home very late partly because of Emily's party that didn't finish to late and then the speed of the car which added an extra 15 to 20 minutes to the trip home. Never mind these things can't be helped. It was just lovely to have them back.

This was one of those special days when the day just goes just to fast. It felt as soon as Lucy arrived it was time for her to go home. Next time she comes she staying two nights and I can't wait to see her, but before that with have Emily's big day!

Expensive Trip to Melton

Another Friday with Lucy and this one turned out to be far more expensive than expected. 

Over the last week or so the brakes on the car have slowly been getting worse to the point that a scrapping noise could be heard from the passenger side of the car. Although it didn't seem to affect the braking to much it was clear that something was rubbing against the break disk. I thought it was probably a stone at first given the pads seemed to have some wear left from what I could see although they needed replacing, but it turned out to be far worse. 

The first part of the morning was spent on the phone getting quote to replace the worn front brake pads. Not my idea of fun but something that had to be done. Melton seemed the logical place to go and given the state of the brakes the closer the garage the better. Surprisingly the quota weren't too bad and I found someone that could do it the same day. I even found the parts to do the job again if only I had the time. 

We set off for Melton just before lunch carefully driving and avoiding using the brakes as much as possible. I was getting rather good at this as I had been doing it all week, leaving larger gaps and using the gears including first were ever possible. It is amazing how little you have to brake if you careful. The idea was to have lunch while the breaks were being fixed in the town. 

We soon arrived in Melton and the careful picking of the garage paid off. We were less than a  five minutes walk from the town centre. We dropped off the car and headed into town in search of some food. Gregs looked like a likely candidate for a sausage roll which Lucy loves and then off somewhere to park our bottoms for a drink while we waited for the call to say the car was all done. Turned out when call came it wasn't the sort of call I wanted. The first bit of bad news was that one of the discs had worn away, the next was that the parts were more expensive due to it being the larger model and finally that they weren't in stock and we would have to spend most of the afternoon in Melton waiting for them to arrive and be fitted. 

There was only one thing to do, go to the park for the afternoon and have some fun. A quick call to the school was made just in case we were late back to let Emily and Catherine know where we were and off we set. 

I hadn't been to Melton park in years and then only once to see Lucy's uncle Paul. It was lovely to go back there again after all this time and take Lucy. I can't even remember if she was born when I was last there. It was that long ago. She saw the park and announced straight away that it was going to be fun. She already eyed up the slide and ran there as soon as we were close. She particularly liked the rocking horse and had me riding it with her. As usual she made new friends by following them around and then order them and about. She had a lovely time playing on all the rides and walking round the park. Thankfully it was lovely weather for the park too and it was a great way of passing the time.

Eventually we got the call the car was ready and shock horror the cost of repairing the brakes. A small matter of £300 most of which were the pair of new double discs at over £100 each. But I guess safety is priceless and it was good to know we where safe and the new breaks were all tested. 

We managed to arrive back home just in time for Emily and Catherine to get home from school. In fact they were just walking down the walk as we arrived back home. Quickly they got changed out of their school clothes and it was out in the garden in the sun with Lucy. Ice lollies all round brought a smile to all of them and the y played beautifully until dinner.

All in all it was a nice day but an expensive one.