Mahinda’s Little World

So, the trip back from the Lakes after the Sca Fell weekend.

Andrew and I set off after lunch, taking the non-scenic route - it was a sunny Sunday in the Lakes, and we reckoned Wrynose pass would be heaving…and therefore no fun.

We hit the M6 eventually, heading south serenely at 70-75mph or so, happily occupying the middle lane, with TMS on the radio…

…and then, disaster!

I simply swerved out of control. Pretty sure it was a puncture on my passenger side rear tyre. Not a massive blowout, as it wasn’t all that catastrophic - instead, I just veered left, unable to go right, into the hard shoulder.

It’s at this point that Andrew, snoozing in the passenge seat, awoke to me swearing. A second or so later (probably less), we hit the kerb on the edge of the hard shoulder…and bounced straight off it, wheels skidding, back across the carriageway.

Straight across three lanes of traffic then, and into the central reservation. We hit the crash barrier with some force…which resulted in the car spinning around in a huge dust cloud. We spun once…maybe twice (I’m not sure)…and finally came to a rest, diagonally, across the outside lane and some of the middle.

Fortunately, I could start the engine and limp over to the hard shoulder again. Three out of my car’s four corners were well and truly mashed, having hit the crash barrier while we spun. The rear bumper was all but torn off, with the front one still somewhere in Cumbria.

Better than Alton Towers, but considerably more expensive!

No-one was hurt (save a bruise on Andrew’s leg, caused by his digital camera breaking on it) and no other cars were involved. I have no idea how, given that it was reasonably busy.

A couple behind us stopped and acted as witnesses, calling the police from one of the motorway phones. A Traffic Authority Range Rover had been coming up the M6 in the opposite direction - they swung round at the next junction and came along to see to things. They’d just seen the cloud of dust, and were surprised that the car hadn’t flipped over. Thank you, low centre of gravity!

A minor miracle. It could have been a full-on pile-up.

So, RIP My Beloved Little Honda, aka The Shed, aka The MahindaBus. I hadn’t expected its end to be quite so violent.

It was my first car, and it had served me very well indeed - several of my friends have now gone out and bought Hondas, impressed with The Shed’s reliability (while their Alfas and Fords kept breaking on them).

Towed Away

We got a tow off the motorway, and waited at the services for an RAC guy to turn up and take us (and Shed) back to Manchester.

Back to Tenby Towers, and it got left by the roadside on one of the adjoining small roads - I informed the occupants of the nearby houses of my plight, telling them that the car would only be there for a few days until the insurance sorted it all out.

I taped cardboard across the three damaged corners, covering up all the exposed sharp edges. Housemates Lynda and Andrew then helped me remove all my crap from within. Things like wedding invitations from 2001, a small microchip that I’d found in a desk drawer when I started my job, and so on.

As I walked away, I took a minute to look back at the sorry wreck of the car. I honestly did have a lump in my throat - almost seven years and 80,000 miles is a long time by anybody’s standards.

Blokey came along on Tuesday to take it away. His first words were "You’re not going to be seeing that again."

The Shed, however, sprung one last surprise. Once it was on the back of the tow-truck, I opened the door to remove the key…and saw something glinting under the driver’s seat. A bottle of Badger Blandford Fly, one of my favourite ales!

I don’t know how we missed that. Obviously Shed coming up with one final suprise.

I drank the beer on my own, having got back to the house late on August 9th. That would have been the 7th anniversary of our acquaintance.

Replacement

So I cycled to work for a couple of days. It was really nice, actually - my bike’s an absolute dream now that I’ve sorted out the rear derailleur. The only problem is that I usually need to be off out in the early evening. Still, I’m targetting one cycling day a week.

My travails in the Big Gay Hire Car have already been documented, but what about a new motor?

Well, I’ve had my eye on a Mazda 6, but not just yet. My sister’s Clio had been sitting, untaxed and uninsured, in a garage while she was at university (central London, so no provision for keeping a car). Dad has taken that (diesel economy ahoy!) and I’ve got his old Beemer until further notice.

Well, until Amandhi needs a car again, at which point we’ll all shuffle back and I’ll get something shiny.

It’s an N-reg BMW 318i, so nothing too posh, but it really does handle nicely - rear wheel drive, which is fun. I remember driving it 500 miles around Scotland in the snow and ice one Hogmanay (well, a camping trip between Christmas and New Year, anyway) - very hairy but very enjoyable

It’s all the little things that stand out, though. For example, the way the lightbulbs are held in cunning plastic holders, so you don’t have to fiddle with wires. Even the dipstick is a quality item! What with my mostly-motorway driving, it’s using about the same amount of fuel as the Honda did, possibly even a little less.

I’m getting a lot of stick for being a BMW driver…but it’s worth it!