Following the peace

I’ve been sort of enjoying the walks in the pouring rain now that I have a new coat and waterproof trousers, and now that the golf course across from our house is shut in the bad weather, but the going is so heavy with the waterlogged ground it’s hard work. This was written before the snow!

The next stage of my learning has been to remember to follow God’s peace. Its a way he speaks to us through Holy Spirit. Our little, third Fiat Panda needed its MOT last week so we took it to the local garage in Mountain Ash. Dave and I have been talking about finances, and we have to cut back our spending or my book sales must go up, I really don’t want to have to find a job when retirement is such a blessing.

So as we chatted, I said I had a budget in mind, and we agreed. Happily we left the car, but soon had a phone call. The back axle was badly rusted, and needed replacing amongst other work. They came up with a budget of about £800, yikes! The lad at the garage offered to buy it from us for about £900, and as we knew he would do it up and sell it on, we knew it must be basically ok, and it is low mileage. Even with saving on the repairs and his offer, we couldn’t find any cars in our budget, that might also turn out to be pups.

So, for once, we prayed about it. Talked about it calmly and kept our peace. We told the garage we were keeping it, and they promptly said there was place in Aberdare who would weld it and do the work for much much less than their quote. Now the cynical of you will be saying, they were playing you, but they weren’t. It’s a small, two man garage and they did all they could to help.

Car with new MOT, peace held, God’s solution.

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Decision!

Dave and I have been umming and ahhing about what to do. Dave had left Finstergruen, I had a week at the Docs, do we take a holiday here or at home while we wait for the house to complete? So I rang the man with van who would take us and the dog, and he did have a vacancy in August. Do we go with him or drive. How would the dog be in a crate in the van? Monumental dithering again. We prayed about it.

Driving home form work, I heard a sudden clunk, and I had no gears, I had to coast into a side road. Got the OAMTC out who towed me to the garage. The coupling on the gearbox had broken. €900 to repair. Neither of us would trust the car again. So we sold it to the garage, along with the trailer. Man and van booked. A definite answer to prayer, don’t take the car!

He’ll get to us the afternoon of the twelfth, load up, and then he’ll go to a hotel. First thing in the morning, we will drive to Calais. Saturday morning ferry to the UK, off that and Mountain Ash by the afternoon. Furniture into storage until the house is ready. Us into a hotel (such hardship) for the first four days. We’ll buy a newer car, and then off to visit family. No quarantine, would have stayed put if that was on.

Of course, its not that simple. The morning the car went, I was thrown off a Facebook group, couldn’t understand why, and an admin I contacted was almost rude. That really upset me – although it was a mistake and I was later reinstated. Then the car. Then I had to wade through all the Covid stuff. PCR tests before we leave. Then Covid tests to buy for our second day. Passenger location form. Inventory of house. Pack house. Clean. Result, major meltdown, throwing things at Dave, and sleeping really badly. I vowed last time we moved, I’d get someone to pack for me. Packing hasn’t been the problem this time, we started last year. But Covid and Brexit-ARRGGHHHHHHH!

Old Timer Meeting in Lungau

June 17th

No, this wasn’t a load of old gits in wheelchairs, but a big meeting of older cars and tractors, along with a big flea market in Mauterndorf. 

It was a celebration for the local Young farmer’s club.  Well organised, but as with all things we go to, absolutely no provision for parking, so there we vehicles along the road sometimes blocking it.

Was glad to see some Brits there!

 

I can understand that no farmer was going to give an inch of field away this week as it was hay making week but……….In fact most working tractors I’ve seen here would class as Old timers!

Austrian tractor – note seat and table at back for beer drinking on the move!

There was a group playing , roast chickens, sausage and beer, were the police there to keep order, were there fights – no everyone just enjoyed themselves!

The weather this weekend has been so hot, hence the hay making, I think every tractor in the valley was in use if not at the show. 

Think this is the same make as Columbo’s car!

 A lot of the cars had Tamsweg plates, but I guess spend most of their time in a garage!