Got my Mojo back

Phew! Nice to drive a car with fully working brakes again...

No Cougar

No Cougar?

The brake pipe is in a difficult to access location i.e. somewhere in the car that's not quite under the bonnet so no car today. Other cars and methods of transport are however available but it looks like there will be no Cougar progress until later tomorrow.

Catastrophic failure

Catastrophic brake failure. No fluid left in the reservoir. Driving without brakes is an interesting and engaging experience and one that nobody should have to suffer for too long. I've since topped up the brake fluid and there is of course air and now a little pressure in the system, for the mean time. The car goes to the shop on Tuesday.

Just before the brakes died it had a pressure wash and a valet on Friday, shame it's not really up to being driven.

Car wash £4.85

I've been both busy and lazy recently, busy getting married (on Saturday 15th May) and lazy about doing anything at all to the Cougar other than using it as a willing workhorse. For the past few weeks I've been shopping, collecting, delivering and being a taxi for the big event. Now it's over and an almost as large clear up is underway and I suspect a new season of de-clutter. The de-clutter exercise may generate many more miles of the same. Life with all it's contradictory simplicity and complexity goes on on. Wouldn't have it any other way.

Today, between various utility runs I made it to a car wash for the first time in months.

More things

Not a real test of the Cougar's boot space but a useful illustration of bizarre cargo carried in this large and leaky space - £28.50 worth of Milky Bar Moments, don't ask me why.

Speaking of leaks the current sump situation is starting to look increasingly dodgy and I suspect that surgery will be required shortly. Currently domestic priorities dictate the pace and order of things so the Gulf of Mexico sized hemorrhage will remain untreated for a few days anyway, as will the forward facing slicks (that shouldn't be quite so slick).

Drips

And it lights up at night.

Finding oily, dripping patches in places where you regularly park your car can be quite disconcerting, it also starts a train of niggling thoughts and notions that leads to full blown worry. Worry leads to sleepless nights, overeating, blaming others and ultimately bad driving habits as your concentration is blown. So what of the drips? Well I could of course look and see if there are any obvious spillages from other vehicles, run a finger under mine and see what's what or just ignore it altogether and rake over the stained chippings. All of these are decent enough things to do - a better idea would be to get on with the now overdue service and so allow my mind to return to it's normal peaceful pastures. Common sense needs to prevail and will...in a few weeks.

Rabbit Hutch

Today I have a rabbit hutch in the back of the car. Delivery tomorrow.

Ford Alien

I was following this little Ka the other day and have decided that it's arse looks remarkably like an alien head (a grey except for the fact that it's electric green). Some Ford conspiracy, a designer's joke or my over active and (on this occasion) tired imagination?

For anyone geeky enough to be interested: The above photo was taken using my remote "turn button" reverse camera device discretely mounted on the cars front grill - ideal for all general purpose surveillance work, as used by all the world's finest secret and not so secret police forces.
To purchase one or to get more information click...somewhere but not here.

U.F.O.

Whatever happened to spacey, U.F.O. space-age design? Gone forever and replaced by boxy clones and spiky Manga cartoon shapes? Car design and development in the doldrums it seems, bound up by weird hybred bumps and undefined fashion styles. The details on the Cougar remain understated, almost bland but still striking. The mirrors look an odd shape, flat at the bottom and like a tear drop above with quite a small actual glass area. They are also rigid and designed to knock-off (not so keen on that feature) but they work, as a piece of design and from a driver's perspective. OK?

Quantum Entanglements

and a Krispy Kreme late breakfast.

Having driven up to Banff in Moray and then down to Portsmouth in about 36 hours utilising the theory of Quantum Entanglements to supplement the power of Ford I deserved something different for elevenses. When I did finally get to Pompey it was coffee and donuts. Not quite the normal high street bakery kind this time, more their imported American cousins drenched in sugar and full of strange (sugar based) ingredients, well maple glaze and strawberry syrup, both set at a new and vital level of intensity. The rush helped me concentrate on the road back up to Oxford and the dense and incessant traffic I encountered, doesn’t help if you stick religiously to speed limits unfortunately.

Clear skies?

As I came out of the house this morning to get into the car I had to quickly duck to avoid being hit by a chocolate gateaux, a portion of pork chops and a packet of crispy onions rings: fallout from Iceland.

She's a volcano

As the sun rose slowly in the far away East I woke, I got up, showered, dressed and stumbled out of the house to find my car completely untouched by volcanic ash - and safely grounded. There's a good start to any day.

I am however driving a little more gingerly than usual as I am fearful that any sudden burst of wilful acceleration and the ram of cool fresh volcanic air hitting the hot gasses in the various orderly and disorderly combustion chambers may cause large parts of my engine to turn to glass. The story thereafter will be one of crashing and burning. It's all too risky.

If the worst does happen I'll deposit the car at the bottle bank on the way home.