Does the search for car insurance drive you crazy???

YUP? me too! Well mine was due last week, I had received a letter from my company offering me a quote about 50p cheaper than last year, and so the search begun. It started with a fight between me and a previous insurance company about No claims discount awards. I was involved in a car crash last September and it took them a while to decide whose fault it was a so they withheld some no claims discount. My broker said the insurance company wouldn't release it, i called them myself to find out why. they had a computer error and so the automated system would tel the broker they couldn't release it. Have sorted it out they decided i COULD have it. Excellent, things were looking up. You would have thought. Jumping form 2 to 4 years of NCD one would assume a bigger discount. So to start my NEW search i called my present company for a new quote. It came back £250 MORE than the first quote! haha. Amazed, i actually laughed at the guy as i put the phone down. He didn't call back, i jumped on the web.

No matter how annoying the ads on tele are, i did go to 2 separate comparison websites, which did produce fantastic quotes one of which i bought online. that was a bit scary, but i tell you want it was £300 cheaper that the other quotes. A TRIUMPH a huge saving, and suddenly Esure, despite their annoying adverts came out on top. £450 may seem a lot to the older drivers amongst you, to fo rme in a 2.5l Vectra estate, i thought it was a bargain!

lost opportunity?

Well yesterday was an interesting day to say the least. firstly I took my bike out on it's longest ride yet. 120 mile round trip to Redhill in Surrey. Apart from spewing oil all over my left shoe and leg and a nice puddle after I park, it was wonderful to filter thought he stuck traffic on the M25. Not as scary as I thought it would be and generally found drivers were polite and not aggressive at all. Maybe it was a mate who had told me how irritating drivers can be in such times I was prepared for the worst.
I learnt 3 things on my outing.
1) Time to put the inner back in my jacket.
2) Get a bike with a Faring. (for the non bikers that is the little windshield on the front of the bike, which dramatically reduces how much wind hits your body and head as you ride, sort of deflects it over you!)
3) need to start doing some finger exercise so the don't cramp up- on longer journies.

None of those are a big deal now, but if Ali ever passes her driving test and starts driving to work, I will also need some better fitting trousers than the pair I have borrowed and probably some proper boots too!


The reason for the trip was not so great, it was to attend a funeral. Bert Hat, who is my aunts grandad, yeah i know, a close relative of mine, but one of those chaps who has always been around on family occasions and Christmas and weddings and the like, a wonderful man, who was full of life and humour. He was 96 (not a bad innings at all) and died peacefully at an old peoples home after moving in a couple years ago. But 1 thing struck me GREATLY during the service. Now it wasn't the old organ, or the 90 year old pianist who accompanied the chap from the London philharmonic orchestra, nor was it my cousins seizure at the end of said piece, but it was Bert's brother who gave the most wonderful tribute. all these amazing things I never knew about grandpa as we all knew him. For example, was a class 1 ref for a while. That is the equivalent of a premiership ref these days. He got free tickets to all the internationals and cup finals at Wembely! He also set up Redhill and Reigate table tennis league, and their chairman and also the chairman of Bowls clubbed (dubbed as old men's marbles by his brother!). This guys who at the most I knew did bingo for us at Christmas parties, got a mobile phone for his 90th birthday and learnt to text, loved having sky sports and learnt to play golf in his 90s. Hoe little did i know him. Hoe little did i ever take the time to find out about his childhood, or his national service, or the time he spent living in India in LUXURY having got passed as an officer in the army. Lost opportunity now, not going to have chance until we are in Glory with him. At least there is comfort and hope that he DID know Jesus, he WILL be in heaven. It was a wonderful yet thought provoking service!

Survival of the fittest

Well WAY too much is going on for my liking.

This weekend we were at the most awesome event. UNITE hosted by Opendoors UK say 1000 people during the day and evening come together to pray for the perscuted church. We talked to some fantastic people about the oppertunities with Wycliffe in fact one girl is coming to visit in a couple weeks to decide how to get involved.. THAT was cool. Jess and Steve did a great job of connecting with people, Jess who is now coordinating Connect even found a potential boy! Think she might have blown it during the text conversation on Sunday.

Another AMAZING find is an 86 year old blogger called Olive. Olives Blog is called octomusings and she somehow got a bit of post from us about an upcomign event. CHECK THIS OUT!