It’s been one of those weekends.
On Saturday I had to take my car up to KwikFit to have the brakes checked. They’ve been making funny noises for a few days so figured it was time to do something about it. I drop it in, leave my number and Kat and I begin to walk into town. As we reached the train station they called to say the car would be about an hour, they were replacing all the discs and pads and that should resolve the problem. Nice.
So we have a drink and snack in Costa before getting the bus back up to Shirley, about an hour after KwikFit had called me. The car wasn’t quite done, they told us another 20 minutes and it would be. So we waste a little more time, about 45 minutes, in the library. Then we head back to KwikFit as they still hadn’t called.
The car still wasn’t ready. They said they replaced the pads and discs but the problem was still there and they were still looking into it. Then the guy walks away and leaves us there, not sure how much longer it’s going to be. With my phone about to die we left Kats number for them to call and decided (at about 2pm) that we would go to the football. Bit short notice really, but hey ho.
We get back on a bus into town again, approximately half way there we get a call to say the car’s ready. Great timing. After being mucked about all day we didn’t feel like going back, so we went to St Mary’s to enjoy the FA Cup match against Luton. It appeared that about half the people that went to the game decided to do so at the last minute as the queue for the ticket office was massive. We finally got to our seats having missed the first 8 minutes of the game and having no time to get Kat the pie I’d promised her.
Kat had never been to a match before and she was very disappointed that I’d chosen such a freezing afternoon and a pretty poor game as her introduction to the Saints. For someone who only really got into the game recently by watching Barcelona, I can see how she may have been a little disappointed.
She was nervous at first, due to a dislike of large crowds, but she got more into it after Rickie Lambert’s stunning free kick which warmed us all. I was quite surprised she recognised Kelvin Davies, albeit as “that guy I bumped into in Asda”, and after about 20 minutes she asked “Is he always offside?” in regards to Papa Waigo. It wasn’t long before she was moaning at Lloyd James’ short corners and telling me that everyone from Luton is a knife carrying ****. She also laughed louder than most when Luton’s Adam Newton failed to slot home into the open goal from 2 yards out. I think she’s picking things up quite nicely.
After the match we stayed behind, letting the other 18,000 or so fans get a head start so we didn’t get caught in the chaos. We walked to Ocean Village and had a lovely dinner at Chiquitos. Then it was a brisk walk to Town Quay, free bus back to the train station and another short walk home. On that walk home , as we were walking through the train station car park, a car full of young lads pulled up alongside us. One of them stuck their head out of the window and asked “Can you give us directions to the New Forest?” I resisted the urge to ask “which bit?” and pointed them to the main road, heading to Ashurst. Kat and I then began to discuss why they wanted to get to the New Forest, and what part of it they actually meant to go to! All in all it was a very busy afternoon.
Sunday started with Kat getting up early and heading out to work. A short while after she’d gone I showered and shaved and headed back to KwikFit to get the car. The good news? The pads and discs were under guarantee and the work they did cost me nothing. The bad news? The problem was STILL there and they were unsure as to the cause. On the drive home the ABS warning light came on. Brilliant.
Another job for me today was to get the washing machine working again after it packed up on us on Christmas Eve. I’d called the landlord and had no response, to today I decided to replace the fuse in the hope that was the problem. It wasn’t. I gave up and decided to do a little cleaning. I go in the cupboard under the sink and spot a socket at the back, turned off. I flick the switch. A small part of me dies. Now the washing machine works again.