Kadjar
Wednesday 16th September
Yesterday we collected our Renault Kadjar. It should be a simple thing, picking up a car, but life became complicated. Importantly, I needed to travel to the UK on Tuesday, on a truly flying visit, to return the Mercedes before the end of our contract. We were concerned that if infection levels increased further lockdown could return and we may miss our window to travel, and then find ourselves unable to return the car. We had an appointment to pick up the Kadjar on Monday, so I booked my tickets for the UK and back.
We travelled to Troyes on Monday to collect, but this is where it started to get difficult. The car wasn’t ready. We had asked for a small scratch at the front to be resprayed, but the chap who does the spraying had been too busy. They explained that even though it was only a small scrape it needed three coats. They proposed we took the car and returned it at a later date for the repair. We both felt that if we took the car it would never get fixed so, after some conversation, we agreed to collect it the following day. However, I was due on a Eurotunnel at noon that day.
So on Tuesday I dropped Brian off at 8am in Troyes to spend the morning sight seeing, then to collect the Kadjar in the afternoon. Whilst I drove the Mercedes back to the UK. It really was a fleeting visit, I was unable to go anywhere, as I had to quarantine. I then headed straight back to France via Eurostar on Wednesday morning.
It was a long day too for Brian, who was a little concerned about having to drive a left-hand drive car for the first time. It was a little stressful all round.
Anyway, Brian and the Kadjar made it home safely, and I’m now relaxing on my train journey whizzing through the French countryside, just enjoying the time. It’s actually really nice traveling by train for me and not for work, which I’ve done so much of over the last few years. As I sat on the train from Ebbsfleet earlier, heading into St Pancras to get the Eurostar, it felt weird not pulling my work phone out to check emails. That is the first time I’ve had that feeling since leaving work.
Brian will pick me up from the station at 6.30pm, and then home again.