The Saga of The Wicker Man (AKA my car)

This is, in it's entirety, the story of my car. There is no hidden metaphors anywhere, it is not an actual story or anything. Last year, I bought a car. This year it died a terrible death.

This is the story of this car's life, while under my care.

And no, I was not the cause of it's death. It died of it's own accord.

I will start this off by pointing out that I don't actually know much about mechanics. I only know the names of all these things, and what they do, because it has gone wrong and I've had to fix it (get someone else to fix it, that is).

Getting The Car

I used to have a 2006 BMW X3. I loved that car, but it didn't really love me back. Or at least, if it did, it showed it's affection in mechanic's bills. I spent just over £500 getting it through it's MOT, and then it developed an issue that would have cost several thousand to fix. So it was forced to get me through until I could get another car, and then laid to rest in the scrap yard in the sky.

The car I replaced it with was a 2011 Mitsubishi ASX. It looked pretty much identical to my BMW, which is one of the reasons I went for it. Facebook Marketplace, listed for £950. I took my dad, drove to go and see it, and he managed to get the guy to knock £100 off the price because the exhaust wasn't really actually attached to the car. In fact, it was completely rusted through, and wasn't doing anything other than dangling there.

So I had a new car, at the end of June 2024, for £850 (plus the cost of getting a new exhaust). Fun story, before I fitted the new exhaust, and was driving round for a few weeks with only half of one, if I had the back seats down I would have to have the windows open, because it pumped the exhaust fumes into the car and it would give me a terrible headache. 

The Wicker Man

The first major issues of this car presented themselves in August 2024, when I drove my brother and best friend to Alton Towers, a full 3 hours away. The drive there was fine, other than the engine warning light coming on while on the motorway. I've always kind of run on the basis that an orange engine warning light is telling you to watch out, and a red engine warning light is telling you to stop. At this point, I was about half an hour away from Alton Towers, so there was no point in turning around.

It was on the way back that the problems occurred. Turns out the engine warning light was there for a reason. Check DPF showed up too. Which basically means, your car is broken. I pulled out of Alton Towers' car park in limp mode. Managed to get to a really dodgy pub car park in the middle of nowhere, and finally managed to get the AA out to me. The man who showed up plugged his mechanic's computer into my car, and found more faults. Eventually he managed to 'trick' my car into thinking the DPF had been fixed, told me to take the car to a mechanic when I got home, and to blast out the exhaust on the motorway (lower gear, so high revs).

It drove fine for a further two hours or so. It went back into limp mode as I was overtaking a lorry, which I promptly was no longer overtaking, and slowly fell in behind it. Luckily, I was pretty much at a service station exit, so drifted straight in, and parked up. I left Alton Towers at 6pm. It was already 10:30pm at this point. The AA showed up again at 1am. They were apparently really busy, and couldn't get to us any sooner. I complained profusely. However, because they were so busy, the person they sent was actually a lorry repair person. His lorry computer would not talk to my car. I was told I would need to arrange recovery, and get the car towed the rest of the way home.

Recovery arrived at 4:30/5am. We got home at 6am. A full 12 hours after setting out on the 3 hour journey home.

The car went to the garage, had a new EGR valve solenoid (I don't know what this is, but apparently it was stopping the car from doing a DPF regen) fitted, and then the DPF issue was pretty much sorted.

When we went to Alton Towers, The Wicker Man ride was shut, as it was broken. Hence, my brother nicknamed my car The Wicker Man, and it has been known as such ever since.

Oil

The title is pretty self explanatory.

In October 2024 I had a orange light come up. Check Engine Oil Level. It didn't specifically state that the oil level was low, just that I needed to check it. And I did, and it was fine. But every time I turned my car on, the same warning came up. I eventually grew used to the beeping every time I turned the car on.

Until it was accompanied with a red Low Oil Pressure. This came with the same logic as before – Check Engine Oil Level was orange, and seemed to show no actual issues. Low Oil Pressure was red. Red is bad. I was parked up not long after this light first showed up, and I noticed oil under my car. So I checked it again, and it was dangerously low. So, I bought some oil, put it in, and the Low Oil Pressure light went away.

Until it came back again.

I took the car to my mechanic. We checked the oil level there, and it was pretty much empty. So he put some oil in. And we watched it all immediately drip out of the bottom of the car.

Turned out to be a leaking oil filter. In the grand scheme of things, quite an easy and cheap fix.

The Check Engine Oil Level light turned out to be a faulty sensor. It continued to pop up every time I turned the car on, even though the oil level was fine.

The Calm Before the Storm

After the Alton Towers and the oil incidents, the car was absolutely fine for about 8 months. The brakes were starting to get really quite squeaky, and I was certain they could probably do with replacing.

Turns out, all four wheels needed new pads and discs. The rear wheels also needed handbrake shoes.

So I bought the parts. Me, my Dad, and two of our friends planned on sorting the brakes, as we had all the stuff to do it, and I didn't want to pay to get someone else to do it when we could do it ourselves.

Everything went absolutely fine, other than the handbrake shoes. They were incredibly fiddly, and after doing the rear brakes, the handbrake wasn't necessarily doing much anymore. So back to the mechanic, with the simple request that he tighten the handbrake (and check the front calliper, as it seemed like it was seized).

Everything is NOT Okay

When my mechanic took the car for a quick test drive, to check the calliper, he messaged fairly quickly.

The turbo has gone. How have you been driving this?

Turns out, the turbo went pretty much as he pulled away, so although I dropped the car off absolutely 'fine', when it was driven away it was no longer fine. It made an almighty noise, and had very little power behind it.

As it turns out, replacing the turbo is very expensive.

On top of that, the oil level that had been fairly consistent since the oil leak? The oil level had risen, suggesting that diesel was getting into the oil. In case you were wondering, that is not good.

So the solution was to get a new car. I found a 2008 Mitsubishi Outlander that looked very good, and I do now have that car. But first, I had to get my car back from the mechanic, so I could park it up to let it retire (until the scrap prices rise, and then it can go and join my beloved BMW in the scrap yard in the sky).

Driving it home with a broken turbo was great fun. The journey home had a lot of hills as well. Plus, the smell of burning oil accompanied me the whole way back. To top it all off, halfway home, the Check DPF System warning came back up again, harkening back to the dreaded trip to Alton Towers.

Nevertheless, it made it home, and is now parked up, never to face the road again (unless it is on the back of a lorry on the way to the scrap yard).

RIP Mitsubishi ASX

It lasted just under a year. I bought it on 23rd June 2024. I parked it up for the last time on 13th June 2025.

And cost me probably more than I originally paid for it in repairs in the meantime.

My fingers are crossed that my new car will last me longer!

Anyway, that's all for now...

Bye!

Mini Reviews for Short Stories – AKA I got carried away downloading short stories

I have a problem. You probably know this problem if you've read any of my posts before. If a book is free, I download it. It doesn't generally matter what genre it is, I just download it.

I recently found a wonderful thing, in that if you search books by categorisations, you can find a plethora of short stories to download for free. It's truly wonderful.

I don't know about you, but if there's not a lot of substance to a story, I tend to struggle to write much about it. So I decided to write some mini reviews and put them all together into one post – genius, right?! 

I did, however, start making this post in 2021, and didn't finish making it until now. The 'publish' button on blogger tells me that the last time I opened this draft was on May 8th 2021. So the first two reviews are just over four years old, and have yet to see the light of day. The second two are new!

I will, therefore, stop rambling and start reviewing!

The Bag
by Steve Saidby

The bag in my hand is heavy, its contents are a motley crew of assorted flotsam and jetsam, but how did this stuff and I come to meet each other?

Grab a copy!

My Review

You ever read a book and wonder when it's all going to start making sense? This is one of those types of books. I had an idea of where it was going, and it turns out I was right!

Jon can't remember what he did between waking up and finding himself in his house with a shopping bag filled with seemingly random items. The story continues to tell about how these items came to be, and how Jon came to have them in his possession.

The issue I had is not anything to do with the actual story, but according to Amazon, it is 11 pages long. The problem I had is the why and I'm not sure that 11 pages is long enough to properly explain the ins and outs of this story. That being said, without the in depth explanation my mind desperately wanted, I created my own instead, which made me enjoy the story more because I felt as if I were a part of it.

All in all, I'd give it a solid 3.5 stars.

Cat & Jemima J
by Jane Green

From number one Sunday Times bestselling author Jane Green comes an original short story, Cat and Jemima J, featuring Jemima, the main character from Green's beloved novel Jemima J, and Cat, the main character from her upcoming novel Summer Secrets.

When young journalist Cat meets JJ, a career-making opportunity for a story presents itself. Cat has the chance to shine - but at the expense of a new friendship, will she take it?

*Featuring the first chapter of Jane Green's brand new novel, Summer Secrets!*

Grab a copy!

My Review

While I know the exact definition of short story is just that, this one was much shorter than I expected it to be. Only half of this book is the actual story, the other half is the first chapter out of a different book. It is obvious (after looking into the author's other books) that this one is a draw in, a mini sequel to another book made to draw readers in to get them to buy the new book.

Cat is a journalist who is a little too nice – every time she gets a good story, it's because someone has let slip something they don't want publicised and, being the lovely person she is, Cat promises not to tell anyone or to include the details in her article.

When she meets a woman in a bar one night, a woman who had simply sat down at Cat's table to make sure no one took her bag while she went to the bathroom, Cat doesn't realise the extent to who she's sat down with or the implications it could have if she could get an interview with her...

Cat was a lovely character to read about. The writing was easy to follow and at no times did I feel at all lost in the story. I loved how she readily conversed with JJ, despite being strangers, and how her caring nature meant that they formed a quick, but brief, friendship. The story ended rather abruptly, but still, it was a good read.

If this had been a short story for the simple purpose of telling a story, with a proper start, middle, and ending, I would give it a 4 star, but the way this story was used, and the fact that it ended so quickly, without a proper conclusion, means that I am going to give this one a 3.5 rating.

Secret Summer
by Elizabeth Grey

Violet Archer can't believe her luck. Her gorgeous new boyfriend is whisking her off on a romantic sun-drenched getaway!

Well, not quite. There'll definitely be sun. But there'll also be a advertising shoot, a film crew, their eccentric best friend, Max, and one of the senior partners of their new ad agency. Oh, and of course, the teeny tiny issue that Violet's boyfriend is her best friend and soon-to-be boss, Ethan Fraser, and if anyone finds out they're together, he'll be fired.

In the Santorini sunshine, can Ethan and Violet pull off a successful shoot, keep their secret hidden, and still find time for a little bit of summer sizzle?

This is a Short Story in the Agency series. It is set between Just Friends (book 1) and It's Complicated (book 2).

Grab a copy!

My Review!

Violet and Ethan are basking in their new relationship, having gone from being best friends to being a couple just a month ago, but already feeling the deep adoration of love for each other. There is the slightest of problems though – Ethan is about to be promoted to be Violet’s boss, and he will be fired if it is found out that he is in a relationship with another employee of the company.

Travelling to a sunny getaway, Violet and Ethan work on a project rather than being able to enjoy the sun as a holiday, and keeping their relationship a secret starts to get harder. Especially with their best friend, Max, sniffing about.

I did really enjoy this story. It is light-hearted, yet there are several undertones of trauma. Not everything in this book is soaring off the high of newfound love, and there are some more difficult topics covered. Rational fears bubble to the surface, and Violet and Ethan begin to realise just how much they can lean on each other, and trust each other, in such a short amount of time. 

Max is an absolutely amazing character. He is like a Labrador, funny and sweet, and yet sometimes incredibly dumb. Even though Violet and Ethan take the spotlight of this story, Max is a very important addition, and he is guaranteed to become a quick favourite.

Violet and Ethan’s relationship seems natural to them, although hiding it becomes somewhat of a chore. They want nothing more than to be able to hold hands, and share a room, but they can’t let on that they are anything more than friends. At times, it causes some tension amongst the other characters around them, but the sexual tension is intensified ten-fold by their forced distance. There are some steamy scenes in this story, although they seem entirely well-placed considering the situation the couple find themselves in.

Overall, this is a well-rounded sweet and light-hearted story, with characters you will love. It does not feel like it is missing anything by being so short, although it is part of a series. It does not feel like this book was created to drag readers into the series, but rather as an additional insight into the characters, as a story that makes sense on it’s own. Having said that, it does make you want to read more about the characters, and spend more time with them.

Until Forever

by Mia Sanchez

One second, she was my best friend, and the next, I was madly in love with her.

She is nothing like me. I have demons in my head while she dances in colours. And perhaps for that reason, it was so simple to fall in love with her.

But my feelings were nothing but a secret. I kept them hidden for five years because I feared losing her. She fell in love with other people while I continued to hurt some more.

But one evening everything suddenly changed.

Will I ever be able to tell her about my feelings? Will she ever accept my love? Will we ever be able to find the forever we both craved so desperately?

Grab a copy!

My Review!

This story is one that skims the surface of narrative, while delving deep into emotions. The story is driven by feeling, and pushed forwards by hope, rejection, depression, and love.

This story was written in an interesting writing style. It almost reads like a diary, never truly explaining the past, but following the present, through deep feelings and fears. The leading perspective narrates the story as though it is a running commentary inside their own head, creating a deep sense of knowing the character. There are no boundaries separating the character from the reader, as the character's entirety is laid out to be read. It may have helped to know some more about the characters themselves, or if some scenes had more detail and went more in-depth about what was happening, rather than just the feelings of the main character, but as it was it did keep my attention while reading.

I particularly liked that the main character's gender is never specified. Throughout the entirety of reading, I pictured the narrator to be a woman, although reading some of the reviews on the book, several people have pictured a man while reading. The lack of gender specification makes this book a lot more open to reader interpretation, allowing the reader to make this story their own experience by filling in the blanks, and reading about the inner feelings and experiences of the main character, without the focus being on their day-to-day life.

There are some darker themes explored in this story, which readers should be aware of before reading. Alcoholism, mental health issues, anger issues, and suicide are all mentioned, but all are handled tactfully, and with care.

This was definitely an enjoyable story, and the writing style was unique. It is an intense reading experience, not a short and sweet romance for a quick read between longer books. It is a deeply emotional story, and will certainly have you feeling emotional as you read.

And done!

A post four (or just over) years in the making, and finally surfacing!

I do have several other posts in my drafts like this that need attention, so eventually I might get to those ones as well!

Anyway, that's all for now...

Bye!

May Wrap-Up

Did I get anything done in May that I wanted to? No.

Was May a productive month? Also pretty much no.

My plan at the start of the month was to listen to as many audiobooks as I would normally, but also to read at least one physical book, and two ebooks. Granted, I read two short stories on my ereader, but it's not quite what I planned on getting read, and it certainly does not count for three books!

DNF

The Perfect Marriage by Adam Mitzner

FOUR STARS

Until Forever by Mia Sanchez

FIVE STARS

The Echoes of Us by Emma Steele

Murder at Whiteadder House

The Island by Natasha Preston

Secret Summer by Elizabeth Grey

I did, however, read 6 additional books for work, so if we take them into account as well, I read 9 books, and 2 short stories.

This month is the first since I started doing this where I have a DNF category. I started listening to The Perfect Marriage, and got as far as Chapter 8 (nearly 2 hours into the 9 hour audiobook). It just was not gripping me, and had so so so much description, and not much happening. I was getting so bored, I decided it wasn't worth my time to finish listening to it.

The Echoes of Us I primarily listened to on a road trip in a hired van to go and collect some chairs from a closed down pub, to put in my very open pub. Clearly, if the pub is open, the chairs get more worn and end up breaking! It was a book I chose on a whim, and actually ended up being really good. I did really enjoy that one, although the ending... my goodness, the ending. My heart! (I won't spoil it. Go and read it.)

I started reworking an old blog post, with some short story reviews, hence the short stories I read this month. I had already written two reviews for the post, but have now added two more and the post is ready to go. 

Something else I didn't get done this month was finishing the editing of the third of my short stories for publication. I haven't worked through it at all. Maybe this month will be the month. On the plus side, I had a Netgalley promotion for the first book in the series, and got 5 new good reviews.

My goals for next month:

Finally actually edit this book of mine. It's only 5 chapters. It really shouldn't take me too long. I just need to sit down and actually do it.

Hopefully do some writing. I have constant ideas and never write any of it down. Even if it's just a short story, I was to get something written this month.

Get some blog posts out...! I say this every month, and then don't post anything all month. I think maybe if I stop overthinking it so much, I might get something written. Maybe even deviate a little bit from my normal writing/reading stuff and do some stuff about my everyday life instead. That might get me writing maybe.

These wrap ups are turning more and more into what I did and didn't do with my month, and less about what I did or didn't read!

Anyway, that's all for now.

Bye!