Volvo S40

As I said in Stuff posted back on 13th December, I am now a Volvoist, a Volvo owner and it's time for some comment on the subject. First, I never thought I'd ever be a Volvo owner / driver - that's for the elderly and / or safety obsessed, not me, I'm not one of them, am I?

So I am surprised that this little car which was bought simply because it is came over as an honest little car is actually a pleasure to live with. Like most cars it has bings and boings to remind the forgetful that seat belts have to be worn, that doors have to be shut, and all the stuff that stupid people forget / ignore. But these are much more friendly than their German equivalents. These start off nice and quiet, the volume building as you go, not shouty-shouty like those in the Mercedes and VW I have owned. The rear parking sensor is usable and even picks up kerbs, in fact everything is pretty well sorted and refined for such a small family car. The central console has a menu that controls the computer controlled functions of the car which I find really easy to use. The windscreen has a quick clear function which works well and the driving position is so comfortable. The sound system is really good too, easy to set up, program and adjust to suit for personal preferences.

So it is easier to list the things I don't like. The nearside mirror has a very poor field of view so it is just as well it is electrically adjustable (and that is easy to use). The rear screen could do with a wiper to speed up clearing it. The boot could be a bit bigger (actually, quite a lot bigger, it is small) and there is very little storage space in the cabin. The Pirelli tyres are quite noisy so I will soon be replacing them.

After the 2 bigger and much more powerful diesels this 1.8 petrol has taken a little getting used to (and I think I'd like a diesel version even better). The fuel tank is half the size, and consumption is roughly 10 mpg less than the bigger cars which means I am filling it up on a more regular basis - but at least each fill costs so much less at roughly half of the 2 diesels. We have done a couple of long trips in it and they were both trouble and pain free, so rather unexpectedly I am enjoying being a Volvoist. Suzie is happy to drive it (she would not drive the Passat which she hated with a vengeance) and Andy has given it his seal of approval (first time he's done that since I sold the Honda Accord) saying it is better than both the German cars I've owned. They were good examples of their marques but I agree with him, it is, I am surprised!

Aprilia Shiver 750 GT

Saturday 5th January saw me pile all my riding gear into the boot of the car and drive over to Staffordshire Triumph for a test ride on this pretty little 2009 Aprilia Shiver 750 GT with just 6,400 miles under its wheels. I had been watching the bike on eBay, BikeTrader and MCN classifieds ever since selling my Deauville (i.e. all over Christmas and New Year) and was set on buying it if it was as good as the pictures and rode as well as it looked.

Tiko spotted me the moment I arrived - it is so nice to be met by a friendly and cheerful grin when you are looking to spend a load of dosh on a major purchase such as this. We chatted as I sat on the bike in the showroom, there was no rush, no pushy sales pitch, and eventually I got my gear on, signed my life away on an insurance waiver form and Tiko brought the bike out of the showroom, got it gassed up and tyres checked.

It has been more than 7 years since I test rode a bike and so I was full of trepidation, plus, I don't know my way around that part of the country that well. So tentative best describes my setting off. No need for fear, this was a well prepared machine that rode as well as it looked and the sound from those under-seat exhausts was glorious. I felt I was sitting a bit high, on rather than in the bike but boy, I was grinning insanely as I rode through urban streets heading out towards the A500 where I was looking forward to a blast. And it was a blast, but not the sort I was expecting. Acceleration was fabulous, far better than anything a Deauville could deliver, but as I went past 60mph I started to feel the full blast - on my chest. The aerodynamics of the fairing was directing all the wind straight onto my chest to the point where I felt I would probably be happier on a naked version of the Shiver. Two junctions down the A500 I came off, round the roundabout and blasted back off up the way and back to the showroom. This just confirmed the earlier impression - great bike, fabulous engine and accompanying sound track but the aerodynamics are all wrong.

Sitting down with Tiko we did some sums as I had a think... but at the end of the day I wasn't convinced. The fly-by-wire throttle was new to me and I'd probably get used to it. It isn't practical and options for luggage are limited and costly. I'd need heated grips, hand guards and a chain oiler for practical reasons. This was all starting to add up to more than I wanted to shell out.

So I walked away. I'm still thinking about it as I write this up 4 days later. I just love it's looks and the one I rode had been spoilt and had obviously lead a sheltered life. It had braided brake lines, rear hugger, belly pan and fender extender. It is immaculate in the true sense of the word and I still want it. But it doesn't fit into the role I have for it. For a blast around some Alpine roads it would be superb, but the ride there and back would be sheer hell.

A life lived

Wednesday 2nd January - the only thoughts we had were for the cremation service for my father at 1 o'clock that afternoon. With mother we had done our best to arrange a celebration of dad's life. Suzie and Angie were in charge of getting the food prepared for the wake. I'd been with mother to the undertakers to make sure she got the service she wanted for dad, and had been with her when the reverend Bates had called on his fact finding visit so that he could say a few words. The music, hymns and prayers were all chosen, family contacted and along with a few friends invited to the ceremony. Directions had been issued as few of those coming know their way across Derby to the Markeaton Crematorium where the service was to be held in the small chapel.

Angie and John had been first to arrive, not surprising as Angie was helping Suzie, and John soon got a call to go and be support to our sister Chris who was staying at the bungalow with mother for her few days in from the USA. Most folks were going direct to the crematorium, so we set off in good time to make sure we were there when the hearse arrived.

And everything went smoothly. We all ended up in the right place at the right time. It was a simple service but fittingly for father it was a brass tacks, no fuss celebration of his achievements, his life and our memories of him. When it was done we all convoyed back round the ring road to our place for the wake. It was good to have a family gathering, just a shame it was for another death in the family (the last one had been my mother's mum nearly 6 years earlier).

Since then we have had a few phone calls from those who attended - all positive about how well we had balanced the event and the day, a fitting tribute to a man struck down by Multiple Sclerosis, a debilitating affliction that robbed him of his retirement and condemned mother to spend her retirement years as his full time carer. As mother so candidly put it - he's had nearly 30 years of hell, he has been to hell and back, hopefully now he is in a better place.

RIP Dad.

More damned rain

Saturday 22nd December saw the completion of the sale of my Deauville. The surprise was not that it sold but that when I went to the shed to reveal a cleaned and waxed, shiny example of the breed what I found was a dripping wet example. The shed roof was leaking and badly.

So when Sunday morning dawned bright, clear, breezy and dry I was off like a shot down to B&Q for a couple of rolls of roofing felt and some tacks to hold it down. What followed was a race against time and mother nature as I laid down 2 layers of felt, one running up and down, north to south and the other across from east to west, each dutifully overlapping to make further ingress of water more difficult and less likely.

And that has worked nicely. However, a foray into said shed today revealed that while that piece of DIY has had the desired effect, the south side of the shed which gets the worst of any blast that is going as it faces the prevailing winds - well that is now letting in water in a way that is just not conducive with protecting the contents from the elements. So it appears that further DIY is called for, but it'll not get done while this rain persists.

Damn and blast!

Goodbye 2012

Yet another year is ticked off and like those that preceded it the year had its high points and its low points but few exceptionally notable points. Somehow we have all managed to retain full time employment which means that we have been able to buy those things we have wanted, socialise with our friends and take the holidays that enticed us to places we'd not visited before. We have managed to save for the future and clear most of the debt that we had taken on in previous years.

Both our boys - now young men - have been fortunate in their career choices. Mark survived the purchase of BMI and secured a job within British Airways which saw him having to fly out to Tokyo as part of a small team consulting with Japan Airways on a collaboration piece. Andy was rewarded for his decision to take up an apprenticeship with Rolls Royce in Derby by being selected for a role in the Maintenance Division which he absolutely loves, and being recognised as a craftsman without having to complete the full 3 year term of the apprenticeship.

But 2012 has definitely been the year where Suzie and I have given up ever larger chunks of our time to others. Getting away on holiday together has really been the only time when we have had time to ourselves and while we have continued to function well as a team we need more time for us.

So what for 2013? Well it starts with father's cremation service on 2nd January, and with that out of the way John and I will have to cover off the legalities that are his stipulated by his Last Will & Testament as British law dictates. After that there is the on-going caring for mother but 2013 will be a year where we do more for us and less for others. My Deauville has been sold and I will be buying a newer motorbike to fill that gap in my life (not sure what it will be right now). Suzie will be 50 in March and we will be marking that with a trip (with friends) to China. Mark plans to buy his first house with his girlfriend while Andy's girlfriend starts the 2013 by collecting a Mini she has put a deposit onto replace her failing Ka.

So we have plans, they represent a change in direction, and we can say Goodbye 2012 as we welcome in 2013. Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2013 brings new light and more than a glimmer of hope into your lives.

End of journey

This morning I had an early phone call to advise me that my father had passed away peacefully at 04:55. The day has been spent ringing round to family advising them of the final release of father from the grips of multiple sclerosis. His body was taken to surgery at the QMC to meet his request that his body be used for medical research into MS. He is now laid at rest in the funeral director's parlour. Death certificate has been procured and will be registered tomorrow. His room at the home has been cleared ready for the next resident. Utility companies have been contacted. Ditto banks. Cremation service date/time agreed and booked for 13:00 2/1/13. Phone calls made advising family. And the wonders of probate start on Friday.

Stuff

Because the focus has been on father, I haven't had much time to post updates on other things that have come and gone over the last month, so here is a brief run down.

I visited the Motorcycle Live event at the NEC in Birmingham, taking a Thursday off work and meeting up with some friends off the DeauvilleUK forum. A great day out that allowed me to get away from the pressures of life and just be me. Found and bought a new helmet which Suzie is going to give me as a Christmas present. And some winter gloves. Loved the 2013 Aprilia Caponord - it looks brill but doesn't have shaft drive that is so important in the adventure bike market so it won't out sell the BMW R1200GS or Triumph Explorer. The old version didn't sell well outside Italy and this could go the same way.

Mark has made a business flight to Tokyo for British Airways - time will tell if he has to go again. Meantime his car has failed it's MoT so that now needs sorting. Nothing serious but a pain right on Christmas - more expense.

Andy has now taken possession (shared with some mates) of a lock-up from which he can start working on his project car and do the servicing of family members cars.

Suzie is very busy at work and has been told that her job is not at risk of redundancy - others have not been so lucky. He little car continues to do well. She and I spent a weekend with Mark & Eleanor at their place near Staines, visiting Oxford Street in London and the Winter Fair in Hyde Park in a packed 2 day visit. Good to see them doing so well for themselves and obviously comfortable in their relationship.

Meantime, I have sold the VW Passat and now have a Volvo S40 1.8 in metallic black (the trip to Staines was it's first long trip). I love it, nice little car. Why did I sell the Passat? Simply because my employer has changed the expenses policy and now any journey over 100 miles (return) has to be done using a hire car, so the Passat would continue to cost me in repayments on the loan and depreciation while earning no income. Solution - sell Passat, clear loan, buy a smaller car with the money left over. Why a Volvo? Because of all the cars I checked out it was the nicest on the day.

And I have put the Honda Deauville up for sale - it is time for a change as I have had it for over 7 years. At the moment the primary candidate for replacing it is a 2004 Aprilia Caponord I have located for sale in West Sussex, but I have to sell the Deauville first....

The cycle of life

It's not good , but, that's life. Dad is going down hill and it looks very much as if he is coming to the end of his journey through Multiple Sclerosis. From diagnosis we were told the best he could expect was 30 years assuming that it ran it's course and wasn't accelerated in any way. And that is where he's at.

Recently he has had a trip into A&E because of a chest problem, but was sent back to the nursing home after a few days. Since then he has been moved onto liquid medication because his mouth is constantly sore and painful, making the tablet form hard to take. These last few days he has been on liquid foods as well, and liquid food supplements but he is starting to refuse to take them because he doesn't like the taste.

Visiting him is painful. Much of the time he no longer recognises us when we visit. Rarely acknowledges that we are there and his talking is stinted and muted, a whisper at best and rarely coherent.

And it is affecting us all. Andy was especially close to his granddad and he is taking it the hardest. Mother has had no other man in her life since she was 16. He is still (and always will be) my father. But he is not the man we all know/knew and love/loved. A shadow of his former self it is pitying to see him just lying there in his bed. We try and ensure that classical music is playing for as much of the time as possible, he has always enjoyed it and we have to assume he still does.

The nursing home are doing as much as they can with their limited resources to make him comfortable. Some of the young staff are going out of their way to give him their time. He started his time there as such a happy, forever smiling, person and they have watched his condition deteriorate. It affects them too. He is not their father or relative but they feel for him and us.

Then somebody has to tell the rest of the family - give them an update on how father is and what is / is not happening. So that'll be me then. Last night I phoned his younger brother and elder sister (but not his eldest sister, as she is away with the birds too). Let me just say that I have had nicer calls to make. I try and stay detatched, realistic and matter of fact about it (it helps me to cope) but it isn't easy - he is my dad.

None of us know how long our time will be here on earth. We still don't know how long Arthur will be with us. But what we do know is that his time is drawing to a closure. His journey is ending. He will be missed.

But life goes on....

Young Drivers

Young drivers are in the news again, see BBC News where a load of figures are spouted and bandied about as if this is new news. It is not new news, and never has been. The young have only ever learnt how lethal a car is as a killing machine by pushing the limits too far. But it the government that is at fault, not the young drivers.

Why?

Because all the government insists on is that non-drivers have to pass a driving assessment called The Driving Test. This is monitored by the Driving Standards Agency, a government quango set up to monitor and enforce driving standards. The result is that driving schools only teach non-drivers how to pass the driving test. They are not taught how to drive. It is assumed that they will learn that once they have passed the driving test and are allowed out on the road.

And that is the problem, or part of it.

There are now driving theory and hazard awareness components to the test that have to be passed before the non-driver can become a driver. But none of these, nor the "training" that ensures they pass the test itself, actually teach anybody how to drive. Awareness or surroundings, reacting in a correct and safe manner to what is perceived, handling the vehicle in a "situation" should not be learnt on the road AFTER passing the basic driving test. That is all it is, enforcement of a basic minimum standard and IT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH for today's highly congested roads.

To become a motorcycle "driver" (i.e. rider) you have to undertake Compulsory Basic Training (CBT). This is followed by training and the equivalent to the car driving test, and then a progression through various sizes of motorcycle engine size and power outputs - effectively a motorcycle rider has to "earn" his/her stripes. So why is it different for car drivers?

Restricting young drivers to who they can take as passengers, or, how many simply is unenforceable. There are not enough policemen (or women) employed to make that work as an option. But making them start with a 2 seater car under 800cc before moving to a 4 seater car of up to 1100cc, then a 4/5 seater of up to 1500cc before allowing them to drive a car with an engine larger that 1500cc, with re-tests at each engine break - now that will result in the sort of results the government is looking for.

How can I be so sure? Because the statistics for motorcycle accidents and fatalities prove that it is an approach that has already worked. But, as there are so many more non-drivers that want to become drivers and who ARE voters then it won't happen because it will be seen as an election loser.

PCC Voting

So the voting is over, the votes have been counted and now the post mortem begins....

The voting process is reported as having cost £100m but only 15% of those eligible actually bothered to vote (for the record, yes I did and so did my wife).

Why did I vote? Simply because I cannot be shot down when I comment on the result for abstaining from the process.

Why did most people not vote? My view is a number of factors came together...

1. We (the British public) do not need another layer of bureaucracy put in place during a time of austerity which will deliver no additional benefit but will incur significant additional cost.

2. The level of additional cost will not be limited to paying a salary to the new commissioners, they will require administrative staff, and a whole shed load of facilities (office space with furniture, computing power, communications, and that's just for starters) and none of this will be cheap. When people are struggling to pay household bills and the government wants to reduce it's borrowing, why are we as tax payers being lumbered with this expense?

3. The choice of candidates - to say it was poor was an understatement. Most people received no communication about the candidates standing in their area. We got hold of a leaflet that was worthless.

4. If policing in the UK now needs Commissionaires then they should be appropriately qualified AND experienced AND politically independent - not as we saw on the balot papers, members of the UK political parties.

In my mind there was more wrong with what has been done and the way it was done than there was that was right with it, for example:

At a local level: Our local Polling Station is in a sports hall, and there are 3 stations in the one room. Each of these for local elections is normally 1 presiding officer and 1 poll clerk, sometimes 2. That in itself is over staffing based on normal the normal turn-out of voters (around 30% - 35%). Yet for this vote each Presiding Officer had 3 clerks for a turn-out of less than 10%.

Across the Country: Communication was so poor it bordered on abysmal. This was a classic example of politicians creating "jobs for the boys" and barely bothering to tell the public at large who was being put forward, why and what they were bringing to the table.

And the result: A damp squib. Even the press and media couldn't work up any enthusiasm for the biggest political non-event overseen and delivered by David Cameron's coalitian government. 15% average turn-out by British voters meant more cast their vote with their feet than did with the pen.

Many more correspondents considered more worthy than I will be picking the bones over this and already it has been announced that there will be an official enquiry into the whole thing. One thing is certain - the boys that got the jobs will keep them far longer than we will have any use for them.

Choose My PCC

This week, on Thursday, we are expected to elect a Commissioner to advise the local police constabulary on policy and policing priorities.

Last week we received one of their standard flyer communications to the public. Now I have to ask, what hope is there, and what faith can we have in the ability of the PCC when the job of putting together a simple leaflet cannot be successfully accomplished. The item I received through my letterbox is a waste of rate payers money - an obvious photo copy, somebody had done the photo copying double sided but had alternately flipped the copy along short and long edges, meaning that when put together it didn't read from start to finish but every which way.

Now one can suggest that somebody should check communications to the public, but once elected we cannot in any way check the work that the PCC (or the police) are doing.

This election is pointless and simply adds another layer of cost and bureaucracy to the policing in this country. And it is not as if these appointments will reduce the jobless in the country because these people already have paid jobs, so now they will have 2, with an even higher standard of living. It doesn't seem right on any level.

My Fitness Pal

Right now it seems as if every man and his dog is on a diet, and our family is no exception. As we now all have either i-phones or Galaxy S2 android phones it seems sensible to go about loosing weight in an organised manner. To this end we are all using an app called My Fitness Pal, and I have to say that it is working. I have been using it for some 8 or 9 weeks and over that period I have lost a stone in weight. Mark has lost more than that and Suzie about half that (but then she weighed less to start with). Even Andy has lost a few pounds but he has moved into a new role at Rolls ROyce in Derby where he works and that should see him burn off the pounds a bit quicker than when he was an apprentice.

So although there are times when it is a bit clunky I have to say that My Fitness Pal appears to be working for us.