The panel beaters in Pretoria kindly handed me the keys to a citi golf courtesy car – for which I was definitely grateful, make no mistake.
So I head off hunched over the steering wheel, jerking down Schoeman str. revving too much and then too little. For the first day I activated the windscreen wipers to indicate and stalled on all inclines.
I have new respect for anyone who doesn’t have the privilege of aircon, and arrived at every destination just a little hot and my hair in a state of windswept wildness.
Every parking area was scanned for any shade, and then of course I had to negotiate the gear lock. As I approached the car I did try (only once) to press the key and point it at the car to unlock, with no success. Central locking and electric windows – how quickly we get used to these luxuries.
I had to get to Zambezi road from Pretoria East in a hurry and was speeding along – I was a bit worried that I may get a ticket but when I looked at the speedo I was only doing 80km per hour! From the noise and the shuddering I was under the impression that I was driving dangerously fast. I needed to “put foot” so pushed until I was doing 100km’s per hour and just at that speed my review mirrors couldn’t handle the wind and collapsed, hugging the car! They are only tiny but without them I was twisting and turning in the traffic just to stay alive.
By the end of the week I’m a pro and should take the opportunity to challenge someone to go-kart racing – I’m confident that I’ve done the training, and besides without power steering my arms can only be stronger.
I drove out with my newly repaired car today which felt like a hover craft, looked brand new and I am grateful.
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