Test drive Toyota Yaris

Test drove one of these today. It's all right. The gears are a bit close together so I keep getting them mixed up, but the display is clear and readable, although not right in front of you like a dial is. I could get used it to it. You get used to any car if you drive it long enough, I guess.

The only thing I want extra is a place to plug in my mp3 player so I can listen to radio 4 podcasts. Now it's really easy: plug into cigarette lighter socket, my player is tuned to one of the radio frequencies, press the button and it goes. Apparently in the Yaris, and in the Skoda too, I have to have wire as well. That's an extra thing to plug in, not something you can do as you drive along, but fiddly, and there'd be a wire stretching several inches in the Yaris.

I don't think I really want a new car.

Test drive Skoda

Husband and I went out in a Skoda Fabia 2. I drove it around. It's all right. Salesman was pointing out the wonderful boot to put all your shopping in. I don't use my car for shopping though because I get the vegetables delivered, and buy meat from the farmers' market, and husband does the supermarket shop for heavy things like cat food because he likes the cat. So I don't need a boot like the Skoda's.

Test drive

I've driven a Volvo estate for decades, but I don't need an estate now. I used to have to trail a glider trailer, and then in the last few years for moving teenage children to university, and still have to do that another few years, but husband can do that. So I might take advantage of the government scrappage scheme and get a new car.

I test drove a Volvo C30 today. It feels comfortable, but then I suppose it would being as it's just another Volvo. I've booked a test drive in a Toyota.

Open gardens

We're opening our garden today. Hope we have lots of visitors for our charities.

Whitecurrants

Usually our currant bushes are picked bare by now, but daughter hasn't come home from university and there are still many currants on the bushes, both black and white.

Home again

Son's back from uni for summer, or for some of it as he has plans to travel. Daughter's staying away in her new flat. Other daughter (step-daughter #3) is well ensconced in her university town. So it'll be a quiet summer. Perhaps I'll do my research work at home.

OU's 40th birthday

The OU celebrates its fortieth birthday this year. There's to be an open day on campus this Saturday. See http://www.open.ac.uk/platform/campus/events/open-unlimited-anniversary-open-day. And here.

Last time I came to an open day here was 15 years ago with my two small children and husband in tow, my first visit to my university although I'd finished my degree by then and started tutoring. Daughter got photographed in an OU magazine, playing maths with the maths clown. This time it looks full of interesting activities again, and what's unusual is that some of them seemed aimed at teenagers rather than small children. I'll be there. I might have husband with me, but I don't know about large son. Pity daughter won't be around.