UTILITY RIP OF

People ask me what its like having a newer car got to admit it is good but at a great expense it is not free I pay instalments for the privilege and  I do not own it it is not mine until it is paid for in full ,and  the chances are it will be changed before that day comes. And then I will then be financing another motor which I will never own . Over the years that  I have been driving and owning cars I have paid back thousands  of pounds in car finance  and in road tax and insurance  repayments and repair bills. The amount I have spent on new tyres and batteries and the exhaust systems , not to mention the M.o.t bills on cars older than three years and then there is the cost of fuel I won't even dwell on that I reckon now it is around £1250 minimum each year , if I could claim the v.a.t  back on everything I guess I would have enough cash to buy a new Jaguar F type .

I have booked two weeks of annual leave in October I am off the first two weeks hopefully the weather is half decent and we can get out and about .

Cant believe the length of time we have to wait to see season eight "Games Of Thrones" hope it is worth the wait .

I was in credit with my gas by £220 and a similar amount in credit for my electric I cancelled the direct debit a couple of months ago and not made a payment I am still in credit by £35 and have re-set the direct debit up for £30 less then what I was paying at what stage was they going to reduce my payment and give me back what I had over paid , who else is paying for gas and electric before they even use it no wonder they make so much money if everyone is in a similar position then they owe millions in refunds.

COASTAL

SATURDAY
Went over to Borough Bridge to pick up a pine cabinet it is to go next to my chair it is solid pine at cost £50 well worth it I re- polished it once we got it home and it is looking good as new  .
I Bought a D.A.B radio for Helen it was from Sainsbury and it as a flora design and you can do up to  ten preset stations and for the price of £40 the sound is really clear .

SUNDAY
Drove to Whitby via the A1 it took over two hours I didn't mind it was a sunny day we parked at the Abbey and walked down it was £6 for six hours on the pair we had prawns , crab meat and crayfish tails later we had fish and chips the Magpie fish restaurant was closed they was queuing for the take away shop we went to Hadley's which where as good .I doubt we will go to Whitby again to be honest it is quite boring nothing changes there was loads of people the crowds in parts jostling each other too many prams and dogs on leads I want to go to Spurn Point and Withernsea two places I have not been to also I would also  like to go to a Welsh coastal town .

After walking back up the steps to the car park we drove to Filey it was late afternoon parking was not a problem we walked down more steps to the beach and walked along the beach to the far end eating ice cream they where quite a few swimming in the sea and the life guards was still manning the sea .We would have been best coming here first than driving to Flamborough head or Brunswick Bay.

MONDAY BANK HOLIDAY

Washed the car  , and bought fresh pizza from Asda and went to work for a change it was a sunny bank holiday .Completed season seven "Game Of Thrones" what a cliff hanger it just gets better .

SIGNED SEALED DELIVERED

At High Noon I went to  the  Skoda car  dealership and it is now all signed up and the deal is done and dusted . I drove it out of the show room after completing all the paperwork and  I am now the legal owner of the car a gleaming white Skoda Fabia 1400 SE TDI and so far it is a great car  I think I even prefer to the Nissan Juke I had from new this also has stop and start a D.A.B radio along with cruise control , and it is a lot more quicker and a nicer driving experience than the Fiat which is what I expected , but saying that fair dues the Fiat 500 if bought  new and looked after would be a great little run around I think I got ripped off buying the one I had from  Piccadilly dealership  but that's all water under the bridge now it is someone else's problem .

I pay upfront each month for the yearly servicing package I need to keep up with the servicing also it includes the  M.O.Ts  starting  next year .Filled it up the dealership put £25 in and I put another £25 in the tank was full I even remembered it is a diesel and not petrol .

BYE BYE 500

Waxed the grandfather clock and the table and the key box all polished and shining looks good have a feeling Helen wants them doing darker rather then the antique pine she wants them rustic pine oh well more waxing and rubbing need wax on wax off .

The service light came on the dashboard yesterday driving home a little amber spanner telling me to get it serviced the trade in is still on for this Friday I just want to get rid and get  a new motor .

Thursday and Friday off work roll on the end of my shift tomorrow ten o clock and four days off .

Wednesday today I drove to and home from work hopefully for the very last time next time I go to work I will be in the new car .

THURSDAY
I have to go down to the car dealership and sign the paperwork for the finance for the car that I pick up tomorrow at midday .
I vacuumed my car out and polished the interior for the very last time got to admit , it is looking neat.
Anyway hopefully this Friday at noon  it is bye bye 500 .

STRIPPING

On the way to a auction at York when the car we was traveling in a Land Rover Discovery , the cam belt broke not good , we think but hope that it is not terminal it would be ten grand for  a new engine and around four for a reconditioned one . The belt was only replaced a few months ago it should not have broke it was done on the year of car and not on  the mileage the garage that fitted it are to blame and  they need to step up with a new engine a twenty thousand pound motor ruined not good the cost of the engine is the same cost as the car I pick up Friday.

Finally made it to season seven of "Game Of Thrones" can't wait to watch the first episode .
Stripped our Grandfather clock which Helen stained and lacquered a few years ago it took me around six hours to get it looking how it looked like when we first got it , we also bought a coffee table with a side drawer in it from the same person we bought the tv stand off it was £25 another bargain .I cut the legs down so it was at a lower level it was a lot higher than needed we need to get some Briwax one of the best you can get for finishing off pine furniture , I hate stripping and restoring furniture .

SEVEN DAYS AWAY

Well one more week and  hopefully another seven days and  I can collect the new car it should have been totally valeted and has far as I know I get twelve months breakdown cover and roadside assistance not sure home start is included .It should smell like new even though it has done eight thousand miles it is has good as new to me anyway.Hopefully it will be a lucky car .

Tomorrow hopefully it is good weather we are going to an auction to get some more pine furniture  to go with the tv stand and corner unit

The unit below cost us only £40 and the one above a mere  £35 it is amazing how cheap you can buy furniture for if you look online at what people are selling , if we had bought them new both pieces would have been around £325 ,  Helen had to go  over to Keighley about an hour away  to pick the corner unit up ,and  it should have been fifty pounds but the owner was still in bed and she had to wait half an hour for him to get his arse out of Pj's and open up the shop hence a ten pound discount hehe.

SRATCHED

Nearly finished watching season five of "The Game Of Thrones " one more episode than its on to season six , I will finish the season off tonight I hope I have to admit it is gripping stuff and it is getting better .
This Friday I will cancel the car insurance payments and the car finance payments for the car I am driving now , the new car I pick up a week this Friday won't come out for another month.
Someone has scrapped the wheel arch of my car it is removed the paint it is not a scratch how it will affect the trade in a week this Friday I have no idea it is not that bad but is visible I don't know if to be upfront or try and hide it I can't see it making a big difference  if they knock a few hundred quid off but I will see next week .
Since writing this I am on season six of "Game Of Thrones ".

AMBULANCE TO A&E

No more six - two back to doing two -ten oh well it was fun whilst it lasted .
Looking forward to pay day on the 25th so I can go and pick the new car up for some reason I am more happy about taking delivery of this car than most of the other cars I have owned not sure why that is , it's only a second hand Skoda , saying that it as only done 8k miles is in mint condition and has manufacturers warranty still on it , plus it smells like a new car one thing it does not have is built in sat nav I still have never had a car with in built sat nav thank god for smart phones , I need to get a decent mobile phone holder I am not sure if I cannot mirror the google maps app to the touch screen smart link device , from the You Tube videos it looks pretty good hopefully my iPhone and iOS will be compatible .

The weather is still shite its raining again it is dull cold and wet it was that bad the other day I had to put the car heater on to stop the windows misting up looks like summer is over for this year.

THURSDAY
The weather is hot again when the sun shines it does mark living a lot better even going to work feels better still waiting for the settlement letter from my finance company for the outstanding balance for the Fiat 500 hopefully it will come in the mornings post .
Looking at a different lighting system for the aquarium it is L.e.d both daylight and blue it is at a cost of £200 but the L.e.d's should last years no extra cost for having to buy tubes .

FRIDAY
Two weeks today I should be picking up the Skoda Fabia and trading in the 500 . I had a performance meeting at work it went really good no complaints which is always nice .
Got home at Ten Helen phoned then Nhs help line on 111 and they dispatched an ambulance  Helen was complaining of chest pains , it came within a few minutes which was just after midnight an hour later I  was following them they did not have the Blues and twos on and they nor was they breaking any speed limit our destination Pinderfields Hospital where Helen was seen by a nurse and doctor getting blood tested  , and another Ecg done we got home just before four a.m , thank you to all the staff for great car and service , on the way home  stopping at the 24 hour Asda for a bottle of Gaviscon .

WASH AND SHINE DULL AND WET

SUNDAY
I Washed  the Fiat 500 maybe for the last time  I even vacuumed the interior and even polished the dashboard and the interior trim and to finish off I even washed the rubber mats and cleaned the alloys it looks quite nice bright white .
Went to Asda and bought a extra large tiramisu and a 2litre bottle of cider and a extra tasty chicken for Sunday lunch .
We never had the chicken Helen had a reading and after she had finished it was too late went out for fish and chips instead.

MONDAY
Last two days of doing six till two I guess it will be a while if ever I get asked to do anymore.It was fun whilst it lasted it is about a 38% boost to my wage packet and in these times it all helps .

Helen planted some box hedge privet both sides of the path once it grow and fills out should look good they are also evergreen but will need cutting and triming back to keep it t box size .

Booked the Thursday before and Friday the day I pick up the new car not sure why the day before two days off is better than one the Monday is a bank holiday which I will work .

Need to buy some Grease Lighting polish for the bodywork of the car to keep it toking today I don't think I have ever polished the Fiat I just use wax and polish all in one car wash the cheaper the better and some alloy cleaner .

TUESDAY
It's grey wet and cold looks like Autumn rather than Summer we have not had a great Summer with just a few hot days not exactly been cracking pavements .

ALL WHITE

Forget the bright yellow Citroen  I was looking at the other day because  today I got the credit I needed to sign the delivery paperwork  for a white Skoda Fabia Tdi with black grill  . It  is on a 65 plate , and it is  an ex demo car with just over 8k on the clock . But I can't pick it up until  the 25th of August which is pay day , for some reason it was priced wrong and we got it cheaper there was a switch over on the computer system and the price was wrong and we got it for £9991 £2k cheaper  than what it should have been priced at looking at prices of other Fabia's looks like they are telling the truth  .

I had quite a long test drive and it is a lot better than the Citroen Ds3 it is also a better built car .Although I do prefer the interior of the Ds3 .

I have also took out insurance in my name which is £605 for the year which is more or less what I am paying now as a named driver another plus  the road tax is exempt saving another £30 a year ,  and the 70 mpg a lot better than what I currently get with the Fiat.The interior is ok there is front and rear parking sensors and cruise control a Dab radio and air con on test drive it and it was very responsive it has stop and start technology  like the Juke  that I I had . I feel very fortunate to be able to get this car what it is like buying a Lamborghini or Ferrari I can only imagine ,  I am happy and delighted with the Skoda , saying that after three months it is just a car .We got a £3250 trade in on our old car which I am happy about we only had it a year will be glad to see it gone .

RAIN AND SUN

I had my friend fit the brake disc's and pads to my Fiat . Yesterday we went to look at A trade in we will get £3,400  against my Fiat and after paying the Finance off we will have £800 towards a different car test drived a bright yellow 2014 Citroen D3 it is £145 a month which is £20 a month more than what I am paying now ,and the  insurance is around £80 a year  more .

The trouble is these payments are over 5 years which is forever of course you always have the option of paying it off early but it is likely once the deal is stuck I be paying it back over the five years four years finance  would be around £180 a month which is more than I want to pay , I can't do any deal until the end of the month anyway but its decision time .

I work six at night till two in the morning today , then I have another two days Monday and Tuesday next week doing the same hours  then I am back to doing my normal shift of two in the afternoon  till ten at night .I want more six at night till two in the mornings please .

At least the brakes on my Fiat are excellent and one bit of the car is new I do realise cars and women are always going to cost but we have to have them .

The weather is raining and sunny the ocean rocks are still on the garden table getting washed by the rain and bleached by the sun looking good .

AUGUST

August is here already the year has flown by a lot has happened I think this year is working out a lot better then 2016 it is a lot more positive and nicer things are happening which is good .
Working my last week of doing six twos then back to normal not really wanting normal but I don't think any more are coming my way but never mind .

Took the car to get the rear end looked at they was too busy will have to book it in they say they can line all the wheels not sure they could that is the first thing they will do costing £45 if it works be the cheapest option yesterday getting my pads and discs done hopefully in the morning .

The Ocean rock is still getting cleaned by the rain and bleached by the sun it is on the garden table and it does look fresher cleaner and brighter than when we first got it.

The hip is doing fine healed incredibly well I have had no trouble since the day of the op what so ever and it  is good as new .