This has been a very eventful week for me.
Firstly, my grandaughter’s car broke down. As she was in Texas, some 4 and 1/2 hours away from Tara, she arranged to have it picked up by friends. Well one thing led to another and before you know it, not only are the wheel bearings shot but the front bumper gets broken off as they try to load the car onto the trailer.
The first thing she had done was contact RACQ, only to find that her membership had expired, so she renews the membership and the guy then tells her he can’t do anything as it will need towing to a Ford Dealership to be fixed. Being a relatively new car it is still under warranty.
Problem – Ford only man their phones from 8am until 5pm and their after hours are from 5pm until 6pm, Monday to Friday. Of course this incident happened on Sunday.
Okay there is nothing else for it but for grandad and I to head off to the rescue. We load on the car trailer and set off for Texas.
Next we get a call from Aylz. She has borrowed her boyfriends car to come from Brisbane to Texas (another drive in excess of 4 hours) and it has broken down on the highway. She is distraught as cars and trucks whizz around her. 
Finally a tow truck arrives and takes the car to Redbank Plains to be fixed. But she is now going to be much later as she arranges another ride to Texas.
Val and I go and have a very nice lunch at the local Texas Caltex Shop and wait for Ayla to arrive.
And arrive she does in a rather dodgy ute that appears to have a mind of its own as to where it wants to drive.
Knowing she will be crawling around under the car to help tie it on means that she is dressed for the occasion in work shorts.
It doesn’t take long and we have the car up on the trailer, and we are all set to go.
But the saga doesnt’ end here. Next stop is Stanthorpe – around 2 hours away to drop the dodgy ute off before continuing on to Brisbane.
All goes well and a few, quite a few hours later we arrive at my sons place on the Redcliffe Peninsular. The trailer is removed from the back of the car and Ayla heads off home in the Pajero, to return the next day to pick up the car and trailer to take it to the Ford Dealership. She is becoming quite used to driving our car, not sure that’s a good thing.
I am more than happy to let her drive through the narrow, winding and very hilly streets of Indooroopilly, the next day to drop off the car. All goes well and she even has a go at backing the car trailer out into a busy intersection. Our son wants to borrow the trailer so we drive all the way across town to deliver it and then we can finally head back to Ayla’s to relax a little before heading back the 5 hour journey to Tara.
I feel as if my tailbone is broken from all the sitting and driving.
Both cars get fixed without a hitch and although the wheel bearings are covered under warranty the bumper isn’t, however, Ford give Ayla a nice discount which she certainly appreciates.
We have half a day at home before heading off to Toowoomba to see the specialist before Val goes into hospital next week. And of course Toowoomba is a good 2 1/2 hour journey as well.
Ahhh, the joys of country living.