Lantern and Canopy (with car problems thrown in)

The car has been sick again. It began a while ago with occasional difficulties with starting, but recently it's got to the stage where more often than not it refuses to react first time to a press of the magic Start button. Things came to head on Sunday when it took several attempts to get the ignition to fire when I left Carl's place and even more when I tried ti leave the hospital after visiting Rita. I called in a favour and got a name from my mate Robin. I dropped the car in yesterday, got a call before lunchtime today to say that diagnostics had shown the crankshaft needed to be replaced and that the replacement had been ordered from Renault and would be over after lunch. By 3:15 I was getting worried and phoned the garage. "Renault sent over a camshaft instead of a crankshaft, so we're waiting for the proper part. We should still have your car for you this afternoon."

We'd made an arrangement to meet friends for an evening meal, so I decided to make my way in to town and keep my options open, either to pick up the car or to make my way to the restaurant in Blackrock by DART. I got a call from the garage while I was in Stephen's Green to say the car was ready, so got the Luas over to them. Everything seemed fine, and I was making my way over to Blackrock with plenty of time to spare, but then half way there a warning light came on which I couldn't identify and the car became very sluggish. It got worse as I went on, and I finally gave up near Stillorgan, pulled off the main road and phoned the garage. The guy said he'd hop on his motorbike and be with me in fifteen minutes, but time was marching all all the time and I had to phone the friends we were due to meet, explain the situation, and tell them to forget our arrangement.

The garage guy had a mobile diagnostic machine with him which reported that one of the cylinders wasn't firing and that there was a problem with "a coil". He foostered around a bit but obviously wasn't able to do anything there and then. He assured me that the car was driveable, even if I'd be lacking in power and it might feel 'lumpy'. I met up with Carl anyway and we ate in Ouzo's where the four of us had originally booked (okay, but not great, and we thought overpriced for an early bird).

I made my way over to Carl's afterwards and we listened to some music on his new headphone DAC/amp. On the way back home to my place the warning light, which had previously just been flashing, came on constantly and I also another light lit up advising me to go for a service. I'll have words with the garage guy on Monday, that's for sure.

The blip? That was before I picked up the car. I was on the way to Stephen's Green and passed by a coffee shop in Andrew's Street (I think it was). I liked the way the sun was filtering through the canopy outside. The distortions in the glass lantern were a bonus which only came to light when I uploaded to the computer.

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I've done a bit of gap-filling back-blipping:
The Dubs
Sign of the Times
Setting
Shoulda asked an Expert
Electioneering