The previous post was in August and having turned 78 in October, I thought I'd better announce that I'm still alive and kicking! One way or another, it's been a busy time, although fairly ho-hum. Regular readers will remember that late last year, I fractured my femur whilst demonstrating a serious lack of talent on my mountain bike. Rehab has gone pretty well but a bone scan revealed that I had a certain amount of osteoporosis - a reduction in bone density. This could have possibly contributed to the fracture, although there's no absolute proof. Since the scan, a weekly pill and strength exercises at the local gym 3 times a week have seen blood tests return to "normal", whatever that might be. Thankful for small mercies, I'm back on the mountain bike but Jennie has banned me on pain of death from the local challenging goat track where I had the accident, sigh.....
Currently behaving on smooth gravel and sealed roads
On the automotive front, cars in general have nowhere near the appeal of motorcycles but in the 4+years that we've owned the classic 1972 MGB GT, they've got a bit more interesting; particularly when tinkering with them. Outings with the local classic car club have been a lot of fun and seeing a guy and his wife about my age turning up on the last run in a hot (and noisy) Mazda RX7 rotary with a monster rear wing was quite a sight. Turns out that he was a rotary enthusiast from way back. It got a good work-out too! A few of the local classics are in the photo below - Aston Martin DB9, MGA, MGBGT, F-type Jaguar, Model A Ford. Just out of interest, the guy waving in the photo was the test pilot for the first ever WW2 De Havilland Mosquito restoration project in NZ.
Lunch at Tairua beach
We tend to hang onto our cars and are not particularly interested in new shiny stuff. A 2005 Toyota RAV4 is our workhorse for towing, launching the boat etc. It's been absolutely bulletproof in the 15-odd years of ownership. Jennie's Honda Jazz RS is a 2017 model bought new and we tend to use it for longer distance runs in more comfort than the RAV. The MGB is a pure indulgence - a replacement for fun on two wheels.
However, recent developments have seen some changes. Our eldest granddaughter will soon be off to university to study nursing and personal transport whilst on hospital placement will be pretty handy. Guess where the RAV is going? That opened the door for a more modern 4x4 and we were faced with a bewildering range of makes and models. Reviews on YouTube and in the print media were often contradictory which complicated things. In the end, we chose a Subaru Forester Premium and absolutely love it as it has both emotional and "fitness for purpose" appeal. You might remember that I used to bang on about those two factors being needed when choosing a motorcycle.
Subaru Forester Premium 2.5 litre
It's really easy to drive, both smooth and quiet but it's the first modern car we've owned with the full suite of safety features and boy, the number of switches and buttons are more like an airliner cockpit than a car! There are buttons and switches in the driver's door, steering wheel and at various locations all over the dashboard. We've had the Subaru for a bit less than a week and I still don't know what half of them are for! The photo below shows the info pack which comes with the car. The owner's manual alone is 607 pages long and you've got to be reasonably computer literate to take full advantage of the "infotainment" system and the linkage to your smartphone. Got to admit that it's impressive though, especially the Harmon Kardon high end sound system.
A whole new world of terminology and functions to absorb
The Subaru has a safety system called Eyesight Technology and the 3 hour drive home from the dealer was regularly interspersed with warning sounds and coloured lines on the multiple display screens. The most irritating feature is a bit of technology which figures out where the driver is looking and warns them to keep his or her eyes on the road. I can appreciate the intent of this but when a driver is briefly scanning to improve their situational awareness, it can be intrusive. When the ignition is turned off, the car seems to default to its factory settings rather than retain personalised settings. In fairness however, most features can be turned off with a button press rather than having to go through menus on the multiple screens. If only I could remember which button does what!
Just some of the controls to master over the coming weeks
Leonard Cohen playing on the sound system by bluetooth phone connection
It's worth mentioning the dealership where we bought the car. It's called Farmer Autovillage, located at the coastal town of Mount Maunganui. It's a huge complex taking up a fair proportion of a main thoroughfare. They sell a dozen vehicle brands or more and although they largely operate as separate units, they have a centralised service reception adjoining a very nice cafe. Before visiting, I thought it had the potential to be impersonal and intimidating but they are super-well organised and all the staff we met were genuinely nice people who went out of their way to make you welcome without being over the top. A lot of work has clearly gone into organisational planning and teamwork. Full credit for such a pleasant experience.
Service Reception at Farmer Autovillage
This post isn't intended to be a comprehensive car review, just some observations about the direction personal transport is heading in with regard to technology, especially as we tend to hang onto our vehicles. Overall, Jennie and I love the Subaru. It's quiet, comfortable and totally fit for purpose. We've only had one slight embarrassment. This was being unable to let our neighbours out from the rear seats without turning off the ignition when returning home from a quiz night . We've since found the door unlock button! Clearly, plenty of learning still to do. However, there's one feature which is perhaps a damning indictment of the state of the human race. When the ignition is turned off, there's a chime and a message on the dashboard asking you to check the rear seat. I'm guessing this is in response to news reports of babies and small children having been left in vehicles when the driver has been distracted and forgotten about them.
I might add that Jennie has been making noises about buying another convertible and the latest shape MX-5 Miata with the powered "Targa top" might end up being a replacement for her Jazz RS. She actually sat in one at the Autovillage. Let's just settle for the Subaru for a while, eh?
Finally, a cautionary tale about using expanding foam. I'd just finished a job inside the house filling a small cavity with foam and walked outside when the aerosol can ruptured without warning. It would have been a disaster inside the house with sticky foam flying everywhere. As it was, the stuff stuck to a lawn, covered a shed door, decorated a few plants and ruined a perfectly good pair of Sketchers sneakers. All this happened in seconds whilst I was contemplating what to do. In the end, I chucked it onto the lawn where the remaining contents formed something which resembled a brain from a B grade movie.
There's a lot of foam in a can!
