Oops

We got in the car this morning so The Chauffeur could take me to the coach station.  And an alarm sounded.  A message appeared on the dashboard. "Brake fluid exhausted.  Do not proceed. Brake fluid exhausted. Do not proceed. Brake fluid......." until The Chauffeur turned the engine off.

Now, you don't want to be driving with exhausted brake fluid, so I ambled off in the lovely early morning sunshine to the local bus stop and took the bus into town, leaving The Chauffeur in his guise as The Builder alone at home, pondering

The bus trip in itself was fairly exciting.  The main road was closed for some reason when you got closer into town and the bus had to turn off and go along a load of back roads - including some that I have not been along before, because they are bus roads only and I have never previously been on a bus that need to use them.

I had, of course, by the time the local bus got into town missed my usual bus into Sheffield, so I wandered from the bus stop by the church down to the coach station. There is a closer stop but why stand about waiting for half an hour when you can have a lovely stroll in the sunshine?  From my point of view it was all good.

Not so good from a longer term point of view.  The Builder had a dentist appointment in town this morning at 9:15.  That wasn't such a problem.  He too could take a bus.  But we are due to be at Bishops' House tomorrow afternoon.  We probably could do it by bus but we have other plans as well that make the buses not quite so convenient.  The biggest worry was that we are supposed to be in Loxley at 9:00 on Sunday morning.  Can't do that by bus, though I suppose taxi would be an option. But Nick, our mechanic, has been moonlighting repairing post vans lately.  We weren't sure if he would be able to look at our car between now and Sunday morning.

Fortunately for us, he was able.  And The Vixen is now in his hands, hopefully having her brake fluid replaced.  And the leak which had exhausted the brake fluid repaired.  I am told that there is brake fluid all over our drive, instead of in the Vixen's brake system where it should be.

One more afternoon at work to go.  Then I have 11 days off.  All being well we are off with Paul and Carol for a week in their house in Harris, in the Western Isles (Outer Hebrides).  It's very exciting. I've never been to any of the Scottish Islands (unless you count the tiny Inch in the Firth of Forth, where Ian, Lindsey and I went for a picnic lunch when we were staying in Edinburgh in 2009).  I do not, however, think we are due any of the lovely, sunny, warm, summery weather that we have been enjoying in Chesterfield and Sheffield this week. Must pack jumpers!