Silly Green Car ..Getting Closer ?

After a splendid morning sitting with a large friendly cat on my lap whilst I read the Saturday Times Magazine and she purred and we watched the rain and tried to BirdSpot ( too wet ) , followed by coffee and cheese scones en famille at Kirkharle courtyard gallery Kirkharle Courtyard, Kirkharle, Northumberland, Creative Arts Centre plus Coff I hurtled home in my recently -repaired -by -the AA ( another faulty coil pack ) -car with plans to do a bit of this and that in prep for the Day Job ( strictly against my principles but sometimes needs must ) and when its pouring with rain and the dog wont play out , well whats the harm?

And , suddenly , there on the panel that orange light is on again and I pull in to the Silverlink shopping outlet and the whole world is there trying to park . I smell burning and fear I am overheating and try to park but there are no spaces and no where indeed to pull over safely so finally I stop where I can , in the aisle between spaces where I can , put on my flashers , open the bonnet ( to see if I am on Fire ) and get back into the car to call the AA .

The traffic is wall to wall and even without me tempers are frayed but really I have few choices . It should be fairly apparent that I have not merely stopped to brush my hair or read a magazine or call my auntie in Brighton . But despite the fact that I am either on the phone , under the bonnet or scrutinising my car manual , I am not popular and there are men rolling down their windows and shouting insults and offering advice ( though it is not the sort of advice suitable for a cat minding blog , really ) . The women confine themselves to shaking their heads in disdain at me .

When I suggest calmly that we might all be in a lot more trouble if my engine blows up , they look ready to explode themselves . Indeed it is the fact that I have no choice that keeps me calmand at times fairly amused . I am causing no danger , and I really cannot go anywhere , as the AA man himself confirms upon arrival , parking up his massive truck and causing even further obstruction and asking me " Really , can't some people drive round things ? What is the problem here ? "

I am safely home now , as is the car , but the orange light is still blazing . The fault is still showing , though undiagnosed , the AA man not having the requisite Diagnostic Equipment ( Tomorrow they will return if I call them back ... ) and I am thinking , that much vaunted Silly Green Car that I dont really want but Nat thinks I should have is coming ever closer and my eight year old not so trusty big car has maybe had its day .

How will we fold Alice's long spindly legs into the back of a tiny mini type car though ? I wonder how the garage will feel about a greyhound test drive ?