Paddy and I have been trying to keep calm, but the Rig is due to arrive in Brisbane today - 3rd September. Paddy checks and learns that it's reached Brisbane. It's somewhere nearby and should be delivered today or tomorrow. I get the ferry into the city and walk around - some usual haunts and some new ones. When I return, there it is! The Big Rig has landed!
Paddy explains a few of the controls, and then we're off for a test drive. With no roof and no doors (we took them off), it's a breezy experience, but it feels good. That changes quickly though. When it's my turn to drive, I'm horrified to find that Paddy, who has been so welcoming, is actually trying to kill me!
The steering, which Paddy had said was a little worn, is in fact psychotic. Over the years, as the steering has got worse, Paddy has just got used to it and doesn't think it's too bad. As a new acquaintance with the Rig, I find it a genuinely nerve-wracking experience. A movement of the steering wheel is met with zero response. A larger movement makes no difference. Turning the wheel even further finally results in the front wheels turning recalcitrantly in roughly the direction I want - away from the gutter. Now the Rig is heading towards the centre of the road, and I have to keep it away from oncoming traffic. Progress is a series of zig-zags until I get the car back home. I'm shaken and stirred. We need to get the steering sorted, or I won't survive my first trip.
The Rig is booked into a local garage and, a few days later, the steering is acceptable and various other faults are sorted. There's still work to be done, but it's safe and the remaining deficiencies (fuel gauge doesn't work etc) just add to the experience.
The Rig is very definitely a Man's Car. The steering, although pacified, is still heavy at slow speeds. There's no power assistance and, with extra large wheels and tyres, manoeuvres in tight spaces are like wrestling a bear away from a picnic. Back at the house, parked on the drive, my first experience of trying to turn it round leaves me panting and sweating. I decide I have to learn how to reverse the Rig down Paddy's steep driveway. A few attempts and I've pretty much got that nailed - not always elegantly, but I can do it and it adds to the bonding.
So The Rig is in town, Paddy is happy and I have some more independence. The Rig and I are going to get on well.
On Sunday morning Paddy and I get up around 4am to watch England's opening match in the Rugby World Cup. We beat America, but the performance doesn't inspire confidence. The next match is South Africa, and if we don't improve, we'll be in trouble.
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