Welcome

Following the crowning of my NHS experience with a stint at a PCT and the resulting redundancy (traumatic, though much wanted and worked for), my husband and I are going back to my roots near a small village in Smaland, Sweden. These are our experiences.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Driving through the Snow...

There are things my driving instructor, though marvellous, didn't tell me. Here is a short list:

1). When it's very cold and snowy, bits of the car's bottom can stick to the ground.  When you drive away,you will leave them behind. Don't worry though, the engine hasn't dropped out after 40km, yet.

2). In the cold 50 tonne blocks of ice will fall off lorrries into the middle of the road. I have no idea what to do when faced with one of these.  Swerve and possibly go off the road or into on coming traffic? Drive over? Hit? It appears they disappear rather than avoid a face off... So far....

3). The doors can freeze fast shut. With you in. Driving. I have developed good hip flexibility and thank God for my all ready powerful thighs.

4). Mad locals are mad locals whatever the weather. Salt stops working at around -10, but hey! Why let that stop a good fast drive down the middle of the road.

5) if it snows and is below -5C the windscreen doesn't freeze. Result! No scrapping the windows in the morning or wrapping up large sheets of plastic.

6) you will come to love seat warmers and steering wheel warmers with a deep and abiding passion. Our car has neither.

7). Don't park using your brakes. Don't lock the car.  
This means completely relearning everything I was taught about parking, however, brakes freeze as do locks. They sell lock antifreeze in handbag/pocket size, presumably for town use. I couldn't imagine not locking the car in towns. It's the sequence of events needed to park and unpark the car that is staving off dementia at the moment.

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