Mileage: 27,233 – 03/06/2003 – Stupid People!
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seems that just as soon as May starts, it ends, and we’re into June. The last week of May, and early June, proved
to be exceptionally hot and humid. This
makes Kermit’s interior even more desirable place to be because we have air conditioning.
York also gets very busy in half term, at least from about ten o’clock,
and this means that getting across the city to go home in the evening can take
quite some time.
Charlie
and I took Kermit to Runswick Bay again, on a hot and humid weekend
afternoon. You don’t always appreciate
just hot humid it is until you get out of the car, where it’s cool and
fresh. The trip saw a new record for
Kermit’s airbox temperature (as shown by KITS) -
a shocking 85°C! I also had the ABS kick in and be useful, in
that it allowed me to continue to steer, but overall the event was a bit . . .
well undramatic.
I’ve
installed my new voltage inverter!
Finally,
idiot tailgaters abound on the Yorkshire
Moors. It seems that the hot weather
draws them out. Those readers of this
site who’ve checked out other areas will realise that I despise being
threatened by stupid people, just because I’m in a small car! Or indeed by anybody. Somebody driving too close behind Kermit (or
for that matter, any car I’m driving) is a threat to the car, to my safely
and of more importance, to Charlie.
Unfortunately,
these people are usually too stupid to take hints that they’re driving too
close to me. The safest and quickest
way to dispose of a tailgater is to slow right down so that he or she is able
to overtake. It doesn’t mean jabbing
the brakes on and screeching to a halt, but instead, initially gentle braking,
then a little firmer, usually does the trick.
Occasionally,
as some Renault Laguna driving Muppet did to me over the weekend just gone,
they just continue to tailgate as you decelerate, and are too close to be able
to pull out and overtake, then they get upset at their own stupidity! Bwaha!
Now
he did overtake us, which to be fair I have no problem with, except this loony
Laguna driver was very easily influenced.
Point in fact: when I positioned Kermit as though to overtake him on an
available stretch of road, he promptly overtook the car he was behind . . . but
without planning the manoeuvre, simply swerving out and then accelerating. I had absolutely no intention of overtaking,
but of merely influencing the Laguna driver . . . and it worked.
Later
on, we saw him join the A64 at Malton, and promptly sit at the back of a three
mile queue, whilst we took the back way home.
Heh heh heh!
Finally,
after much thought and contemplation, I’ve decided to arrange for Kermit to be
serviced just before the John O’Groats to Lands End trip. It’s not that I don’t think Kermit will be
up to the trip - quite the reverse, really - but more that I don’t want to go
over the 30,000 mile point when the service is performed. There were a number of special trips that
would probably tip the lad over the 30,000 point after the John O’Groats to
Lands End trip, and so I’d rather be safe than sorry. This has also meant that it will bring forward his replacement tyres.
Now all I have to decide is if I should get two or four replacement
booties for the lad!