So now we are mobile

We bought a car. We picked it up today from a Greek wheeler dealer who reminded me a lot of what my own Dad might be like if he had decided to be a used car salesman; I am certain that Bruno Alio does indeed think that he will be a millionnaire by the time he is 40.

We've brought home a silver, Hyundai Lantra Wagon. It has a Cd player and is an automatic. It would seem that in Australia every car with an engine bigger than my old Fiat Panda is Automatic. This is obviously condusive to the average Australian's laid back attitude. Driving an Automatic means you shove it in D and occasionally wake up to press the brake. Obviously you sometime you also have to turn a rather large wheel just to make sure you don't hit anything. The trick is un-learning the last 9 years of driving so that your left foot doesn't want to get involved all of the time!

Having a car will mean it will be a little neigh, a lot, easier to get around and the process of insuring and registering it was interesting. It's all, as usual, a little bit different here. For example, although I have insured the car under my name and placed LOFs details on it too as a named driver. LOF would still automatically recieve the same no-claims discount as I would and the year he is named on it would go towards his own no-claims. Anyone at all can drive my car, with my permission of course - theft is still theft,and be insured. So that means when visitors arrive they can get behind the wheel without worrying at all. The only problem will be that if they crash the excess gets bigger. Seems resonable enough to me.

Petrol is cheap about 40p a litre - which as I may have mentioned the Aussies think is a rip-off and you pay for rego ( which I think is the equivalant of road tax) for a little or as long as you like. We've paid for 3 months today. We can then renew it on the internet when the time comes.

All in all a sucessful day and we've even managed to go to the supermarket and fill the boot up with food to stock up the supplies!