A change, they say, is as good as a rest.
I’ve never been totally convinced, myself. I mean, yeah there’s a lot to be said for a refresh of the norm, a reset of the old routine, but defending on the context I’m not entirely sure it’s quite as efficacious.
I mean, let’s say you’ve just run a marathon. Would the offer of doing some canoeing, just to change things up be mega tempting? I think not.
All of which is kind of tangential to today’s post, which involves my new car.
The Rest Is...
No, it's true that my super-scrumptious wife, Tina, and I have just returned from a trip. I know at least one masochistic reader is sick of hearing about (you know who you are), and said break was restful in the extreme.
Picking up the new car the next full day after rocking back into Blighty at silly o’clock in the morning, only an hour after Tina finished her first work shift back, well that was less so.
In fact, as we were about to pick up my first completely electric vehicle, and I was totally in the dark as to how the whole driving thing was going to change for me, it’s fair to say the excitement bubbling through these old veins was the direct opposite of restful.
Rather like the oft mooted example of a kid at Christmas, I was a bag of anticipation and excitement. So much so, that the paperwork Craig, chap who sold me my brand new Hyundai Kona might have been anything. I don’t think there were any clauses involving a kidney or my first born child, but if I’m honest I couldn’t be entirely sure. I simply signed next to the crosses, initialled where I was told to, and, salivating ever so slightly, went out to meet her.
I’ll break off ever so slightly at this point for a quick explanation.
The Name Game
Long term readers (you fools!) will know that, as part of a long standing personal tradition, I decided to name my new vehicle Elsie. This fit the custom of all my cars being female, and having names ending in a Y or IE, specifically one chosen by myself. A custom which is now broken.
Tina, you see, preferred Konnie Kona to Elsie the EV, and after talking about it for twenty minutes, she decided she was right (if you know who I’m paraphrasing there, well done). And so it is, for the sake of a quiet life, and in every place but the halls of my heart, Elsie shall be known as Konnie. I know how to pick my battles.
Anyway, where was I?
As Charged
Ah yes, picking El...I mean Konnie up! Well, the tutorial was comprehensive, detailed, and almost completely wasted on me. True, I retained at least some of the basics on how to make Konnie go forward, backward, and how to stop her, which I thought was wise. The working of the infotainment centre, pairing of my phone to the car, and setting up of a charging schedule? Well, they were all things to worry about later, and made a wonderful whistling sound as they flew over my head
But of course that was then, and this is now. I’ve been living with Konnie for almost exactly two weeks now, and have really got used to her. I’ve found the built-in satnav, worked out the automatic boot, the regen braking, and started to come to terms with the new way of measuring fuel economy (it’s miles per Kilowatt Hour or KWH and anything over 4 seems decent). I’ve even managed a 20% charge to initiate the swap of tariffs with Octopus Energy, which cost £2.12.
So far I’m very, very impressed.
Taking Charge
In fact I think Konnie is the best car I’ve ever had. She is agile, smooth, and responsive. She is economic and comfortable. The bells and whistles are taking a bit of getting used to, but the nuts and bolts are there and the retractable cup holders are kind of addictive to an overgrown manchild.
We’ll see if this enthusiasm lasts, but the first flush of discovery and the thrill of the new is set to last a good long while yet. It’s no rest, but it is a recharge of my own personal batteries and that can only be good.
Until next time.
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Hey, there! If you enjoyed reading any of the above, why not take a look at some of my published work? Below you’ll find links to a number of short stories I’m lucky enough to have included in anthologies. I’d love to know what you think.
New Tales Of Old
Death Ship
Pestilence: Drabbles 1
Reaperman: Drabbles 3
The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu
Eldritch Investigations
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