but this week I haven't been able to!!!
We went to Sunderland last weekend to show my gran our wedding photos, marriage certificate (She's so pleased we're married now!) etc. I left Sarah and the kids there and set off home about 4:30. I managed to get about 22 miles before the car spluttered to a halt in a layby on the A19.
After an hours wait the RAC turned up, had a bit of a look and got me to drive 5 miles down the road to a diner. he said he thought it was either the thermostat or the water pump and that he didn't think I should drive any further and arranged recovery for me. As luck would have it we were right outside the recovery firms office but it still took them an hour and a half to come and get me. This was because they had to repair the recovery vehicle first!!!!
It took about 6 hours to get me home driving non stop so when I arrived back at 12:45 I ached all over from sitting in that cab. He dropped me off and I went to bed. The next morning I should have been able to have a bit of a lie in and then head up to town for the conference I was doing except I had two video tapes which needed to go to the office. I looked up train times on the net and every journey involved either a bus or walking between stations. Eventually I settled on a train to Bromley South, then another to Beckenham Junction before finally catching a bus to Elmers End.
When I got on the bus I handed the driver a tenner and he said can't change that!! I said sorry but if I'd known I was going to breakdown I'd have made sure I had some change. So he drove to the next bus stop where I got off and went into a shop for change while he waited for me!! What a nice bloke!!! 
The next time I caught this bus was Thursday and again he was the driver! He looked at me and smiled as I presented him with the correct change. I said I bet you've got change of a tenner today as well - he did!!!
I got the same train two days running - the 6:18 from Gillingham. Something happened that hasn't happened for years (1984 to be precise when I was commuting from Sunderland to Newcastle Poly every day). I got on to the train on the second day, sat in the same seat as the previous day and the same guy was sitting next to me - on both sides!!!!
I had been told in no uncertain terms by the missus that the car was not going back to the garage that had pissed us about last year. I set her the challange of asking around for recommendations and eventually she found one. She rang up and it was arranged for me to drop the car off on my way to work at 6 the following morning!!
So three days, £235 and much commuting by public transport later I finally picked the car back up this morning. It's much better now that the water pump has been replaced. The car doesn't overheat anymore. The heater actually works and it seems to have got it's oomph back again!!
