Goodbye Bluebird

Bluebird, when she was brand new in 2016.
The bird on the right was a lot older.

Bluebird, my trusty Hyundai I10 had clocked up nearly 90,000 miles since I bought her in 2016.  I realise that, by modern standards, that's not a particularly high mileage, but she was also beginning to drink oil, needing a top-up every 3000 miles or so.  Again, I realise that that's not particularly serious, especially when I recall some of the bangers of my youth, which needed a drink of oil with every other petrol fill-up. Nonetheless, there was every indication that Bluebird was getting tired, poor thing, and that her best years were behind her. Which was a shame, because I'd become very attached to her over the past eight years; undoubtedly the best car I'd ever owned.

So it was that thoughts turned to a replacement.  I have never liked large cars, which seemed to rule out EVs.  The range between recharges of the small ones is not great - especially on cold winter nights with headlights blazing and the heater running.  So how about a small hybrid?

On April 10th S-- had a follow-up hospital appointment in Cirencester. 'Why not make a day of it,' we reasoned, 'and look for a new car?' Two models appealed; the Renault Clio and the Toyota Yaris. 

According to Google, there was a Renault agent near Chippenham, about 40 minutes' drive from the hospital - only it was no longer selling Renaults! "We're a Hyundai garage now," explained a sales assistant who didn't even have the courtesy to stop prodding his smartphone." The Renault agency has moved to Trowbridge."  So on we drove for another 15 miles... but it was worth it, as the Trowbridge site had a Renault and a Toyota dealer (both actually division of the same company).

We test-drove the Clio first. It drove effortlessly and I loved the automatic transmission. However, the large casing above the rear view mirror felt intrusive, making me feel 'hemmed in'. I also felt somewhat intimidated by the large computerised information panel (too much information?), though I would doubtless have got used to it.

Photo courtesy of Autocar

Anyway, to further our exploration we discussed a deal with the salesman. Ooo... the necessary 3 year loan would take a big chunk of our monthly income, though it was affordable. We thanked the guy for his time, said that we would think about it, and departed to a nearby pub for lunch.

One hour later, filled with steak and chips, I sat in the driver's seat of a Toyota Yaris Hybrid. My immediate impression was that, despite being about the same size as the Clio, it felt more roomy. It's hard to know why as, like the Clio, there was still a casing of sorts behind the rear view mirror, though the information display was more modest.  It was every bit as easy to drive as the Clio and I thoroughly enjoyed my test drive, taking it rather further along the Westbury road than I had first intended. 

What really clinched the deal, though, was the lower cost all round; the same deposit, more for Bluebird and lower monthly repayments over the same period.  We had only come exploring (or so we kidded ourselves) but by 5-o'clock the deal was done.

We took delivery on May 1st, by which time I'd come up with a name for her - appropriate for a 'whiter than white' car, I felt.  Persil.

The basic instrument display is nice and simple but, as befits a so-called 'environmentally friendly' car, there's also a mass of Eco data available at the flick of a switch.  I think this one means that I'm rather better at starting than stopping!  

The view under the bonnet is daunting.  I recognise the windscreen washer bottle; the rest I'll happily leave to the experts when Persil has her 10,000 miles services. I wonder where the electric motor is?

Rebirth

If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. So wrote the St Paul to his Corinthian friends a couple of thousand years ago. Over the past year or so I've definitely learned the truth of it.

Don't misunderstand me; I continue to be in reasonably good health, but back in March 2023 my beloved S- was found to be in need of a replacement hip joint. Over the following months our physical activity gradually waned, until all that could be attempted were gentle and not too hilly walks of about 4 miles, with coffee breaks half way round.

I could have gone for longer walks by myself, and in retrospect perhaps I should have, but was happy to accompany the one I love on modest rambles in the forest, where we live. Consequently, and almost imperceptibly, my own fitness declined and my weight inched upwards.

S- finally had surgery on the 25th of January, then embarked on the long road to recovery, walking as far as the 1st lamp post on day one... the second on day two... resuming a little work after eight weeks... longer walks after ten weeks.  Now we're back to six mile rambles (with no coffee breaks) and every prospect of hitting the Offa's Dyke trail again next year.

A couple of days ago Facebook reminded me of this post, written in May 2017 after a glorious Waterfall Walk from Pontneddfechan, written only a few months after hitting my Slimming World target of 11st:6lb. It would be good to look that slim - and that fit - again, so I've put myself back on the Slimming World plan, with the determination to lop a stone off my weight and get back to where I should be.  This time I think I can manage it without enrolling with Slimming World; I have S-, who has even more determination than I, to keep me on the straight and narrow.

Last Monday we drove to North Nibley, near Dursley, for a 6 mile walk that included a stiff climb onto the 'edge' beneath which lies Wotton-under-Edge. Here are a few photos.

Our walk book told us to look our for these Strip Lynchets, which are the remains of ancient hillside field systems. I'm grateful for the note, for otherwise I would have dismissed them as signs of natural erosion, or slippage of the topsoil. They're marked on the OS map.

This stand of trees on Wotton Hill was originally planted to celebrate victory at the Battle of Waterloo, then replanted in 1897 and 1952.

From Wotton Hill we joined the Cotswold Way to the Tindale Monument, which has featured in this blog before.  Follow this link if you're interested - https://aboutangiekay.blogspot.com/2019/02/across-water-tyndale-monument.html. From there it was a short, steep descent back to North Nibley.