This-n-that

Remember Dieter? (shown here in a picture taken in February...)

Dieter began his day parked at one mechanic, and will end his day parked at another...
where do I start?! Well, without going into too much detail, Dieter is 11 years old, and things are breaking, as they are bound to do.

Last week we got the starting motor replaced, and he was running like a champ. Jim joked that the engine roared to life before you turned the key, and it almost seemed like that! However, the mechanic did not attach the "belly pan" (a plastic cover which protects the engine from the underside) properly, and on our ride to Huntsville over the weekend, it kept scraping the surface of the road. Not good.

This was the third instance of sloppy/negligent work on the part of this mechanic we'd been going to for 4-5 years, so we decided enough was enough, we're taking D. somewhere else. Enter mechanic #2 (recommended by someone on the neighborhood email list. This place also had many good online reviews.) They also charge $20 an hour less for labor.

They fixed the "belly pan", fixed the 2nd issue we asked them about, and found something new that the other place apparently missed (or which happened on our trip to H'ville over the weekend- who can tell...)

Everything was coming up roses, it seemed, until I got in to drive away after the repairs... I turned the key, and there was no sign of "roaring to life". More like a sort of feeble grinding noise, and then silence. @#$%&! What the...?! New starter, etc???

Apparently, the starter was faulty from the outset. Which doesn't explain why he started up so enthusiastically all those times. But, it was still covered under warranty. So, Dieter was towed from one repair joint to another, and will spend another night surrounded by his German brethren (BMWs , Mercerdes, Audis, other VWs) instead of in our garage where he belongs! And hopefully tomorrow will see him fitted with a new, non-faulty starter.

Today I exercised my freedom as someone who no longer has an on-air shift, and worked from home all day! Tomorrow I will brave the heat and ride my bike in.

In other news...

The yogurt pendulum has swung the other way!

 

Yep, that's me holding up one of my little containers of yogurt from the 2nd batch I made. Not quite what I was going for! It pretty much has the consistency of very thick custard.

I almost got the spoon to stay in while I was holding it upside down! But here it is just standing up in the upright container.

It tastes quite good- plenty of yogurty tang, and definitely not too sweet. But good lord, did that Agar powder bind or what?!

Next time I will experiment with 3/4 teaspoon Agar powder, instead of one whole teaspoon. In the meantime, anyone fancy some custardyogurt?