1 EAGLETON NOTES: Thankful Thursday

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Thursday 25 June 2015

Thankful Thursday

Rabbie (Robert/Robbie) Burns knew what he was talking about when he penned To a Mouse:

But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!

Still thou are blest, compared wi' me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But och! I backward cast my e'e,
On prospects drear!
An' forward, tho' I canna see,
I guess an' fear!

Today has been a Very Strange Day.

It started off well enough as I left Anna's for Ayr Hospital and my cancer review. All seems to be well. For that I am exceptionally thankful.

A friend had major cancer surgery today and I've just heard that she's some through it. For that I am exceptionally thankful.

Another is recovering from a heart attack and angioplasty and for that, too, I am exceptionally thankful.

And as I drove down the M6 past Penrith and the Morecambe turnoff a white transit van suddenly and inexplicably with no warning pulled out in front of me at 70 mph. I braked severely and instantly and a collision was avoided. However I suddenly realised when I put my foot on the throttle that I had no power, the engine had cut and unfortunately would not restart.  I was in the centre lane with a car on my inside and no hard shoulder to escape to (a new access is being constructed) and I was on a bend. That was scary. The car drifted to a halt in the nearside lane with about 15 metres to a little break where I could get about half the car off the carriageway. So I drove the car on the battery and starter motor into the gap.

And from safety behind the barrier phoned the police and the breakdown service.

The Highways Agency came and removed the car to the hard shoulder about 100 yards further on having stopped the traffic on the motorway in order to do so.

Eventually the breakdown service came and, to cut a long story short, the car suffered from a moment of severe fuel starvation (which showed up on the inboard diagnostics) presumably as a result of my attempts to accelerate again after the severe breaking when the engine may have stalled.  However I'd done some damage driving the car on the starter motor to get it out of trouble.

So instead of having the car taken to my brother's on the back of a wagon


and sorting out a repairer tomorrow morning I decided to have the car recovered to a garage here in Morecambe who have ordered the parts and will have it repaired by 1030 tomorrow at the latest (they say).

So my beloved and faithful Nighthawk lies ignominiously in a garage in Morecambe and I'm typing this in a Witherspoon  near the Travel Lodge where I shall spend the night. So far as I can recall it's the first time in its 11 years that it has caused me grief. Or perhaps it was I who caused it grief. 

So whilst I was standing at the side of the motorway I played the Glad Game: it wasn't raining (it had been torrential with flooding when I left Ayr) and I wasn't hurt and neither was anyone else.

I have a great deal to be thankful for this particular Thursday.

34 comments:

  1. Oh gosh. That's certainly a lot of practise at the Glad Game in one day. I'll be glad to play along and be thankful that only your car got hurt... I hope you get a good night's sleep in spite of it all, and can get on with your journey as planned tomorrow. ♥

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    1. Monica of course nothing's going as planned today either. The car was duly repaired on time except that a drive belt they were renewing at the same time was the wrong one. The second one was also the wrong one. The third form a different supplier was supposed to be here at 1300 hrs. It's just arrived 50 minutes late. I should be on my way soon.

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  2. Oh my goodness GB how scary......I'm glad that you're okay.
    Of course the driver of the white transit van has no idea how he could have made you lost your life...darn imbecile....they drive as if the road belongs to them and them alone.
    Exceptionally thankful I am that you're still with us safe and sound.
    Good news on your checkup and all your other friends too...blessings.

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    1. Thanks Virginia it was certainly a strange piece of driving. I shall be interested to see it on my dash-cam when I get to CJs.

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  3. What a day. Glad you're safe and hope you're doing okay after that ordeal
    ian + Helen

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    1. Thanks Ian. I'm ok ta. I've also renewed my acquaintance with Morecambe. My last visit was, I think, well over 40 years ago.

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  4. A very thankful Thursday indeed - so glad you are here to tell the tale!

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  5. If I'm ever to be travelling by car with anyone when things go wrong, I would have to choose you, Graham. This was another lucky escape, by the sounds of it. And for that I also am thankful. (I'm not including plane travel in my wishes, your reputation isn't so good in the air)

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    1. Pauline I hope that I don't have an incident when I'm driving you later in the year. The last (and only breakdown I can recall having since Christmas 1975) was in Northland with you.

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  6. If all of us could just be thankful, grateful, pleased, happy each day....no matter what....to look for those things.....oh, my goodness, it would be a better place. I am sure you will get into some adventure on your night spending over.

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    1. Mrs Thyme my evening spent in Morecambe was very quiet I'm afraid. Actually I think I'd had enough excitement for one day.

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  7. That was an exciting but stressful day. We never see that model of Honda Accord here.

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    1. Estate cars or Wagons are very popular in the UK. I've never seen one in New Zealand either.

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  8. I'm just thankful that I don't have all your problems. My life seems very staid.
    Good to hear that all ended well.
    It may be worth asking Google if others have experienced a similar malfunction. It seems an improbable outcome to a fast stop. A fast stop is when the airbags have deployed and even then assuming no physical damage to the engine I would expect it to start. Honda engines are usually bomb proof.

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    1. PS, I do recall that on the Civic R if the oil is a bit low the engine will cut out under hard cornering or braking. Maybe it was oil surge in the sump.

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    2. Adrian I checked and topped up the oil before I left Lewis. It's a very odd sort of problem I have to admit. The mechanic said that the diagnostics shoed low fuel pressure but why it should occur at that point no one can say. The damage was caused by me 'driving' the car on the starter motor to get it partly off the carriageway into the gap in the arnco. The battery was the original one on the car so it did me proud.

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  9. That's indeed plenty of reasons to be thankful, Graham!
    I am just very glad to know you're unhurt; a car is, after all, just a thing that can be (more or less) easily replaced. But you or any of your friends can not.

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    1. Meike you are correct. As you say the car is easily replaceable. I've grown fond of the Nighthawk over the last eleven years though so I'm glad she is ok.

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  10. So glad you're safe! Big hugs. x

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    1. Thank you Sue. I'm glad that John arrived with less fuss!

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  11. Thank heavens you are safe Graham! What you described is almost identical to my worst driving nightmare. That damnable van driver! He could have easily speeded away without realising that he was directly responsible for a motorway pile up. But The Mighty Edwards lives to fight another day! Take that you knuckleheaded van driver and get off your mobile phone!

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    1. Thank you Neil. It is amazing how many people one sees using a mobile phone: often texting! Reckless doesn't begin to describe it.

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  12. Well what drama GB. So glad your check up was good. And even better you weren't involved in a serious accident. Car problems, like you point out can be fixed!

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    1. Carol it's now 24 hours since the incident and I'm about to start the last leg of my journey. Here's hoping.....

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  13. So glad you're okay, GB. I'm glad you had a Honda - I've driven them for the past eleven years, and love them. They're easy to drive -- and built like tanks. Right now I have a 2014 CRV. Makes me feel as safe as one can be with all the idiots out there on the road. Take care and enjoy the rest of your trip. xoxox DeeDee

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    1. DeeDee eleven years is how long I have had The Nighthawk too. It's a wonderful car and that is the longest I've ever had a car. CRVs are very popular here and several of my friends have one - indeed they seem to be popular everywhere. I'm at CJs until tomorrow (Sunday) when we start back for Lewis.

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    2. Enjoy your visit, and give John and Jo my love. xoxox DeeDee

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  14. Oh boy, that is scary. Here is my "glad game"...I am glad that you are okay!
    Hey, I always like looking at the different cars when I am in England. Since I work for American Honda, I have a particular interest in Honda! Your Nighthawk looks like a beauty, we don't have it here. (Is that the name of it, or just what you have named it?...Either way, it is a good name.) Take care.

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    1. Kay The Nighthawk is the name I gave it because it's official colour is Nighthawk Black. As you will know estate cars/station wagons are very popular in the UK but not so popular in other countries. The UK is turning towards SUVs and MPVs now rather than saloons and estate cars.

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  15. I'm just glad that you survived, Graham. I hope all is,back to normal now.

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    1. Thank you Frances. The Nighthawk is in fine fettle again after her unpleasant escapade and we are on our way home.

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  16. I was just reading through....WOW. I imagine she's up and running fine, now, but that was an odd happening. You were protected, for sure. Odd, how it just gave out like that after braking. Poor bugger of a car. Glad you're safe.

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    1. Thank you Heather. All's well now thank you. We still haven't discovered why she suddenly stopped: she goes into the garage tomorrow for a full examination.

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