It's been very up and down over the past few days. Mostly because of Kenny, diminishing before us but still himself. We both visit daily, it's the least we can do, and the difficulty we find is nothing compared to his own or that of his family. He's not in pain and is wonderfully looked after, I hope his mind is preparing him to leave us.
Having had a lot of fun with the lamppost and the Landrover (darlings, I've been asked so many times, I've finally checked and it's a Freelander ES TD4, 2001, automatic, diesel, 84,750 miles, leather upholstery, FSH [I know what that means], PAS, RCL [huh? - no, genuinely, I've no idea] and so on and so on...) - anyway, I've got an insurance quote that I'm going to accept because I've done a whole lot of boring checking online and sometimes the thing to do is actually to ring up the people you already insure with. I'll take a picture, but I haven't got the car yet so it won't be for a few days.
I broke a chunk of tooth off last night and, rather marvellously, was able to see the dentist today. Less marvellously, he says it had better be crowned. Oh bum. Yes indeed, it will be expensive (please hope that I don't need a root canal filling which will cost an extra £280. My roots are splendid, so surely not). However, I've got the money in the bank, even though I hadn't planned on spending it on a tooth. Other porcelain, possibly. Sensible things, certainly. Although I have already committed to two holidays and a couple of nights away already this year - thank goodness I'd already committed, because otherwise good sensible common sense might have crept in, and where's the fun in that?
Never mind, I'll drive less. You can save so much by getting on your bike. Except energy, of course. There's not too much of that going spare in February. Although it's warming up and there are lots of flowers in the garden. Chin up, darlings. Never say diet.
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22 comments:
I can't bring myself to tell you all the problems that Freelanders of that era have. Sorry.
My cleaner has had several (she lives in the middle of nowhere and needs it for access and for her husband's business). I recently persuaded her to buy something smaller. She is delighted with the savings she's making. It's not her old one is it? If it is, wait until it rains... and er, it probably won't stay in gear...
Sorry to hear that Kenny is lingering so horribly. Poor man, poor his family, and poor you.
No, it's not. I'm going to get a friend to check it out before we buy it - I don't want a small car, we've got a small car already. I can't have anything smaller than my Mercedes estate. Unless I have the small car and the Sage has the big one, but I go occasional long distances and he goes frequent small ones, so it makes sense.
It's time for dear Kenny to go. I do pray that he will soon. He diminishes daily.
You have my sympathy for the broken tooth.
I've had a lot of dental work. So much so that my dentist, his wife, and ex-wife all drive Mercedes with leather interiors!
I'm avoiding the dentist (have a sensitive tooth so I know I am being silly), avoiding a diet (need to lose weight again so this is also silly) and and eyeing out my bike with trepidation.
And I don't want to get old. *sigh*
Oh my darling, how difficult it is watching someone you care for fade so quickly, but not quickly enough.
And what a pain (in the bank account, not to mention the mouth) about the crowning glory. That's no fun. No fun at all.
lol @ lx.
Yes, I agree this is the hard bit of the winter now, the signs of spring are there and it's horrid and cold and bleugh. I want it to be Spring and warm soon. Like tomorrow soon. Patience was never my strong point.
I've also been putting off dentist visit. Getting a new netbook seemed more important.
It is very hard seeing a special person slowly dying. Please give Kenny a kiss from me next time you see him. He sounds like a wonderful friend.
It's so heartbreaking about Kenny. It must be a very good thing for him and Muriel that you two are there and one can only be grateful that he's not in pain.
And teeth too! Not fair. I hate spending money on teeth but it has to be done. Fingers crossed that you don't need the root filling!
I always feel so much admiration for the staff who work in hospices day in day out.
Ah - so you've not bought it yet?
OK then, here goes, things that often go wrong with Freelanders of that era: gearbox, differential, wheelbearings, leaks when raining from all over, electric windows, central locking, head gasket, prop shaft, warning lights repeatedly going off for no reason... etc etc.
I'm not an expert, but I have second-hand experience of five of them. I'm sure you'll see what I mean (and more) if you do a Google. Plus, generic parts aren't made much, so you're forced to go with LR prices.
People are selling these very cheaply (I mean a couple of hundred quid for this age) due to their unreliability, high VED and their general 'undesirability' in these green times. There are lots around, and no-one wants them.
Also - check you can get in and out OK with your hips... one of the Nice Ladies had to sell hers after her hip replacement as she found it too uncomfortable to get in and out.
Sorry to be so negative: I'd jsut hate to see you make a horribly expensive mistake without knowing what you could be letting yourself in for. Other, better, options are available...
eg from a reliable source (look at the forums for the real horror stories) http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/land-rover/freelander/hardback-1997/
and
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/owners-reviews/land-rover/freelander/hardback-1997/review/5628/
5 years old, and problems then...
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/usedcartests/208571/land_rover_freelander.html
If I wanted to buy the least reliable car, that would cost me the most to maintain and run, that I could, this would be my choice, really.
Sorry, I'll leave now.
What does BW think of her broomstick?
BW is very happy with her broomstick, Rog, and is a good and helpful friend.
I've done a fair bit of searching myself, BW, and it seems to depend very much on luck, whether you have a good or bad car. We are getting it checked and it has a full service history, so we can see if there has been anything in the past to give concern. I do appreciate the problem of design faults, having been caught that way before.
If it turns out not to have had any big problems, then I reckon it's likely to be okay - a design fault or something resulting from poor manufacture should have shown up in 10 years, 6 of them in the ownership of our friend.
My hip is fine now, I only had to check whether I'd be able to get in when my other hip goes. It'll be sensible to change to an automatic so that I don't have a clutch once my left leg gets dodgy.
Thanks for kind comments about Kenny. And my tooth.
... you have been warned ;) ;)
I do also think that it's not a terribly good example to be setting the kids at school - driving around in a gas guzzler - 35, if you're lucky and do long journeys, to the gallon. Cleaner BW, who does mostly under 10 mile journeys, says she never got more than 30 from any of the 3 she's had over the years. It's not the price of the root canal treatment you'll need to worry about!!!
Why do you want one?
And Rog - while my Magic Broomstick is brilliant (it runs on fresh air and never breaks down or needs any maintenance) the 5 year old Clio broomstick is a heap of shit - the nearside headlight has now gone 4 times in 60,000 miles... if we had to take it to a dealer, it would be £170 a time to change it as the front skirt has to come off. It has an tiny oil leak somewhere in the engine that even the main dealer can't locate. The climate control compressor has gone. It will be getting traded in very soon (we can't bring ourselves to sell it privately as we normally would, knowing all that is wrong with it). On the other hand, my 11 year old 206 (2 litre turbo diesel), with 100,000 on the clock, is brilliant, just like the 205 before it, which did 180,000 miles in 11 years without problem. And it does 63mpg :)
Root canal treatment! No thanks. Had it once, never again! Pull the bugger out!
Sorry to hear about your friend Kenny. I watched my mother depart in a similar fashion just before Christmas - not top of my list of pleasant experiences.
If there any speed bumps in your locale, then I would consider a 4 wheel drive vehicle to be essential!
I have biked to work today, so I feel that you should be suitably impressed.
Ah, but I've seen your bike, Sir B. Big motorised job.
P.s. And I was certainly impressed by it.
Darling BW, I spend my declining years trying to be a bad example to everyone. Watching me pedal painfully up the hill to the high school is enough to put the youngsters off bikes, for a start.
Sorry, Sir B. My parents were lucky that way, one died young of a heart attack and the other keeled over the day she was put on morphine. Lingering is a bugger and all we can do is be there as much as we can for them.
Pushbike or bike? Much hinges on the answer...
"Darling BW, I spend my declining years trying to be a bad example to everyone. Watching me pedal painfully up the hill to the high school is enough to put the youngsters off bikes, for a start."
No, what that says to a teen is, "If that old dear who's Chair of the governors can get around on a bike, so can my mum, my gran, and everyone else."
That is a very good example to set.
That's all good.
Mike - I have a new bike now. A smaller one (admittedly, it is quicker). Doesn't look so impressive, but is easier to keep clean.
Z - It's not a pushbike (although I do push it out of the garage). Does this new information lower your opinion of me?
If it gives them a laugh, that's all I ask for!
Sir B, you're high in my estimation and I cannot see that changing. After all, you're married to Liz and she has excellent judgement. Today, it's too wet and windy for me to want to get on my pushbike in any case.
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