Category Archives: rosie

Update on Rosie, and a bit more praise and blame

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If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you’ll know about Rosie, my beloved, brand new (well a few months old now), bright red Fiat 500.

I still love her very much. I’m waiting for the feelings to wear off, but I still feel warm and fuzzy inside whenever I return to her. I still wave to other drivers of red Fiat 500s (sometimes they ignore me, and sometimes they grin madly and wave back).

I even forgive her her inconvenient headlight dimmer switch, and her hard headrest which hurts your head when you bang into it. Nobody’s perfect. I won’t hear a word said against her. I’ve even been WASHING her, inside and out! (never before known to happen).

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Sarah sent me some quotes from the Tao after reading the last piece on praise/blame. They fit very nicely and so I’ve copied them below. Thanks Sarah.

I’ve been thinking more about praise. I wonder if there’s nothing wrong with enjoying the TASTE of it, like relishing a crisp salad or a nice slice of carrot cake, but the problems come when we start to seek it/expect it/cling to it/need it?

Happy Sunday. Mine was a stripey mini-pumpkin from the garden, sliced and hollowed out and filled with creamy gruyere mushroomy sauce by lovely boyfriend. Firm, buttery flesh, and such a sunshiney orange colour. Lucky me.

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“the Master does his job
and then stops….

Because he believes in himself,
he doesn’t try to convince others.
Because he is content with himself,
he doesn’t need others approval,
Because he accepts himself,
the whole world accepts him.”

and

“do your work and step back,
the only path to serenity”

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PS 21 blogs in the Blogsplash… come on in, the water’s lovely!

Rosie, Mike Skinner and me

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I’ve been thinking about Rosie, and how much I love her.

Buddhist thought suggests that clinging to stuff is the source of all suffering. Can I love her this much, and not set myself up for some suffering down the line?

For me, the key is to remember in my loving that I’m only ever borrowing her. I can love looking at her red dashboard, and driving her through town, without feeling that she is MINE.

It’s the same with the cottage we rent from a country estate. We love living here, but it isn’t ours. We just borrow it. Even when we have a mortgage, we’re only borrowing our houses.

In the words of that wise old sage, Mike Skinner aka The Streets:

I came to this world with nothing
And I leave with nothing but love
Everything else is just borrowed

The way I see it, I can love Rosie as much as I like, as long as I don’t start clinging. If someone drives into her, I’ll love her with her battered sides. If someone steals her, I’ll say goodbye and get a new car. There. Now I’m going to gaze at her shiny red dashboard again.

In other news, there’s a charming book review of The Blue Handbag on a blog called Badelynge. I like the way the author slides from reviewing into his own personal musings and then back into reviewing again. And Leonard would DEFINITELY watch Springwatch.

(here are convenience links to pre-order the paperback from The Book Depository (£5.99 for the book and free worldwide delivery) / Amazon UK / Amazon US or to treat yourself to the hardback The Book Depository / Amazon UK ).

Rosie is home!

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Here’s Fatty meeting Rosie.

Excuse the rubbish phone photo, it doesn’t do Rosie justice at all.

She is Oh My God Beautiful.

It’s just as well that there’s no rule saying you have to have a boyfriend OR a car.

I’m off to play with the Bluetooth thingy. You say a name out loud and Rosie calls them and their voice comes out of the radio! It’s better than Knight Rider!

Have marvellous weekends x

Meet Rosie – isn’t she beautiful?

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OK, that’s not really her – but she is related.

Rosie will be bright red. She’s a Fiat 500, and she is going to be ALL MINE, just as soon as she’s been put together. Her everso-shiny alloy wheels might be being fitted right now.

After my car died a fortnight ago I started very sensibly by deciding on how much of my savings I’d like to use up on a new (second hand) car. I’ve been dreaming of Fiat 500s since I first saw one last year, but they were pretty expensive.

Then I looked them up, and saw that they did do a cheaper version. I did a test drive, and asked the salesman questions that made my partner wince at how ‘girly’ I was.

Then I came home and slobbered over the brochure. I read and re-read the list of extras on the more expensive one. Sun roof! Air conditioning! Chrome bits! I didn’t think I was the kind of person who’d get excited about chrome bits, but it turns out that I am.

I bought the expensive one.

I trust that the Universe will help me to pay off the difference between my original budget and the price I paid for Rosie. She’s worth it – she’s gorgeous. Now I’ve just got to wait until June…