Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Silly twit!

Sometimes I surprise myself with my mechanical knowledge. Sometimes it costs me money and at others, it just makes me laugh.
After a short day at work yesterday, I arrived at home to a panting, desperate and wound-up dog. Perdy has had my attention for most of the holidays and now that I am back at work--- well--- it’s like letting her wind up her doggie-springs and then she has to let loose.
Off we went down to her favourite bay--- the Onehunga lagoon, by the motorway. She squeals and implores me to drive faster and if part of me is attainable through the gap between the front seats, she will even attempt to nip me, just to say who is in charge.
By the time I pull into the carpark she is well on her way. She stretches at the lead, making it difficult to release her, then she’s off, tail flying horizontally behind her. She stops suddenly to see if I have got myself organized. It’s always the same. She expects me to get the thrower and have the ball in the air, arching its way towards the water (if the tide is in).
For the next ten minutes we play the crazy throw chase and return game; sometimes she gets mislead in other directions and then loses the ball, but generally she is pretty good.
The next stage for her is when one of her many ‘friends’ appears. In this case it was her mate, Patch, a Boxer, come God-knows what. They really like one another. I am sure that anyone watching who isn’t familiar with the two dogs would think that all hell had broken loose. Patch up-ends Perdy and roughs her up. She never hurts Perdy, but for the next twenty minutes, as we make our way around the park, Perdy gets Patch back. She nips Patche’s hind legs, attaches herself to Patche’s ears and generally attacks from underneath. I have rarely seen either of them cause any pain. They just love one another’s company.
Of course the water is an attraction. They get so hot, that they really need to jump in and cool down. I throw the ball and off they go. It does get annoying when they get side-tracked by someone else throwing a ball, forgetting their own. I have lost an expensive one, when it went out under the motorway, out to sea on the outgoing tide. Thankfully, neither dog followed it.
Before I realize, the time has gone--- we have been there over an hour. I can catch Perdy much more easily now. She actually comes and lets me put the leash on--- mostly.
On the way home, I noticed a beating sound coming from the rear wheel. ‘Damn---a bloody puncture.’
Now I know what I did was crazy. I thought----‘stuff this--- there is a garage just along Hillsborough Road and the car seems to be driving OK--- It’s not wandering like I would expect with a flatty.’
So I continued up the hill and along to the garage. I jumped out, ---- but hey---- no flatty. What the hell was going on? Was it something more sinister---? ----from the wallet’s point of view. Then I noticed the back window.
Perdy in her exuberance to get some fresh air has learnt how to open the back window. Don’t worry--- she’s tied in. I remembered she had done that before and my car is particularly bad when the back window is down and the car is travelling over 80 KPH. The beating sound was the result of that pressure thingy that results from the downed windows.
Thank God I didn’t ask the guys at the garage. I am sure they would have laughed. I too can laugh at myself.