My Ford Mondeo is being repaired after an accident involving a dog. Meanwhile I have the use of a courtesy car which is a Chevrolet Matiz.* Today it has been of great help to me. Early I went shopping with my wife for the week’s groceries; then I took her to the doctor’s because she has a swollen foot. Afterwards I drove the car to Burnham-on-Crouch to finish laying up my little yacht by tying a tarpaulin over her foredeck. Afterwards I sat on the sea wall and had a sandwich lunch. The sun was shining and an egret was wading in the shallow water searching for small fry. Nearby a gull swam around clumps of floating egg wrack apparently looking for morsels to eat.
After lunch I set off for a walk towards Burnham Marina, but stopped for a chat with two guys working on a Hunter 19. They told me they were rebuilding the boat for a RNLI raffle to be held at the London Boat Show. Both were crew members of the Burnham inshore lifeboat and they were hoping a lot of money would be collected for a new floating boat shed and a bigger new lifeboat. I continued my enjoyable walk to the Marina where I looked at the yachts on the hard. A large concrete double-ender called ‘River Dancer’, registered at London, was being repainted. She’s been knocking around the River Crouch for a good many years and for the last two or three she’s been laid up at the Marina. I was pleased to see that someone was taking an interest in her, because boats left to rot are sorry sights.
Before driving home I chatted with an elderly gent who was retiring from sailing and he was re-commissioning his beloved Nicholson 32 with a view to selling her. She had been freshly sprayed in white paint and she looked a real treat. I’m sure he will find a new owner soon.
Back at home I cleared the garage of junk that was making it unusable. A lot of the stuff I put in my house loft, and grandchildren’s garden toys, things like tricycles and plastic tractors, I stored them in the garden shed. As the garden hose will not be needed until next spring I hung it in the garage out of the way and I lagged the outside tap to prevent it from freezing during the winter. I managed to do a few other little jobs around the house before the evening meal.
*Chevrolet Matiz
Reviews of this small car on the Internet tend to run it down, but I found it quite a nippy little thing. I suppose the biggest drawback for a sailing man is the diminutive boot, but the back seats fold down far enough to take an outboard motor and a fair amount of boat clobber. Basically, it is a cheap, economical, town car.
http://www.chevrolet.co.uk/cars/matiz/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jan/31/motoring-chevrolet-matiz-se
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