~Away Adventures
2004-07-01 - 6:41 p.m.

So, I'm sitting here at Dianne and Tim's. Sitting the house, that is, for some of the time while they're away overseas. I arrived yesterday and had an alright time. They have no off-street parking, which I'm not used to. For that matter, I'm not really used to a house on a street at all. Our house is in the niche of a court, which is off a small residential street, so we don't tend to get much street noise. My bedroom is at the back of the house anyway, so any street noise we do get, I hear the least of.

Last night I had a migraine, not so much in a painful way, but in that heavy-headed way, where I feel all uneasy in my tummy and just wrong and muggy. Probably staying online for a long time chatting with Amber didn't help, but we were having a good ol' cosy chat, and I had nothing else to do even if I'd wanted to end the conversation.

I went to bed early, in the end (after having to ring up Maree for help with the gas oven because I'm used to the electric at home and couldn't remember Dianne's instructions). It was hard to sleep, with all of the cars going past (some of them quite quickly), and the night was rather choppy sleepwise.

I therefore was awake early, because of the cars and other unfamiliar noises. By the time Maree & Emma arrived to go second-hand bookshopping with me, I'd been up and about for a few hours. As I drove them there, I noticed a funny scraping sound coming from around the wheel closest to the driver's seat. When we arrived and parked, we examined my car to discover that someone, during the night, had smashed into it in that corner! The indicator and brake light covers are shattered and gone (although the headlight and all globes are still fine). The actual bodywork near the wheel is bearly dented, but it still may need panel beating (hopefully not!). There's a hard rubbery bit underneat, a bit like a petticoat for the main body of the car, and that's been bent and broken, and is what was rubbing against the wheel as I turned. Otherwise, the car is fine, but nobody came to tell me that they'd hit my car, or even left their name and number! Now I'll have to pay for it all myself. I can afford it, but only by dipping into my savings, and I only have third party, fire and theft on my insurance. Bah!

Now Dad's coming around tomorrow to have a look and take it to car repairers with me. What a pain! Having to spend one of my precious days of freedom chugging around car places with Dad! Of course, it's a pain for him too, but this isn't his diary so I'm the one complaining, here! I'm hopehopehoping that it won't cost too much. A few hundred I could handle, but a thousand - or more! *quakes* - and I think I'd be rather depressed.

Luckily, in one way, I can borrow Dianne's car, as I won't be able to get lifts or easily borrow the cars from home while I'm housesitting. However, I wouldn't even need to borrow a car if I wasn't housesitting for Dianne. Pah.

Well, it's done now, so I'm not going to worry about it. I'm going to enjoy my spicey pan-fried chicken and roast potatoes while watching the videos I borrowed from the library, Charmed and ER. Yay for not being at home and having to watch what I want in my little bedroom on my little telly while Dad's at home (although Dianne and Tim have shocking TV reception)!