In the pink

A pleasantly pink end to a somewhat frustrating day.

This morning a car mechanic session with my able assistant CarbBoy (who should perhaps be renamed the way some folk accidentally type: CarBoy) helping to top up the coolant on one car and change a bulb on the other (which briefly involved him being in the boot, which was amusing for both of us in different ways).

With all rosy in the world of car (yup, you can see where this is going already, can't you?) some hacking and slashing in the garden, including a long - ultimately successful - hunt for the axe.  Lunch, then some work with TallGirl on her newly arrived saxophone, which made me want to play too, so the clarinet had a rare outing.  

And so off to riding with TallGirl.  And just as we were nearly there the car started losing power...  And just as we arrived steam started pouring out of the bonnet...

Sigh.

The coolant reservoir was boiling - I mean literally boiling like a kettle.  A quick roadside assistance call to my Dad (gosh if only I knew someone who worked for the AA.  Oh hang on...) and his diagnosis was that the reservoir was full of gunk (right enough it did look a bit odd when I poured the new pink stuff in this morning, I just presumed that was normal).  So a plan was hatched: leave the car where it was until it was cool in the morning and then hope to be able to roll it down the hill to the garage in Lavaur before it exploded.

Which of course left the problem of how to get home.  I called a neighbour to ask him to pop out and tell CarbBoy I would be late back, but instead he put CarbBoy in his car as navigator and came to the rescue.  And so back to get the other car and go and pick up TallGirl at the end of her riding (cue today's extra photo of mum and foal galloping).

Dinner and sorting out two avenues for lifts tomorrow to sort things out, and with the kids safely packed off to bed, a cocktail to even out the day.  Thank you kind blipper lady - most refreshing.  And the foam worked a treat!