The day my car became a teenager
I was on my way to Port Macquarie for the Koala Conference and stopped in for an overnight with Liza*. She had broken her foot and couldn’t drive, so I took her into town for a few things. While she ran her errands, I nipped up to road to find coffee…I found something even better…and coffee.
It was sneaky, but I figured a girl has to eat and I knew Liza would be a while. Afterall; she had to post something. I had plenty of time.
I ordered a large Latte (in my own keep cup) and an EB. No protein options but rather bread options, I chose a single slice of Turkish because I always find two slices one too many. The other options were white, multigrain, and wholemeal. Sourdough was an extra $3. Anyone who’s ever been on this blog before knows how I feel about toasted sourdough.
The coffee was hot and delicious. A mild roast and not overly strong. It made for easy drinking.
After my coffee arrived, I decided to move outside, so I could keep an eye out for Liza. I didn’t want to miss her coming out of the cafe. It was also a perfect Winter’s day. The sun was shining without the power to burn but deliver Vitamin D in helpful quantities.
The Eggs arrived quickly. This is a place that doesn’t stand on ceremony or faffing.
Ohh my oh my. The spinach came in the form of a tossed in oil salad, the bread toasted to perfection, homemade hollandaise by behind the counter. I took his name, but didn’t write it down, which I regret. Frankly he’s a doG damn Genius!
I mean…look at that egg. Runny with no snot. Clearly a free-range, corn fed. Doubtless the best I have had in a very long while.
The unsophisticated shopfront and decor give this place a vibe that the food might be greasy, brown, and unhealthy. This eggs proved me wrong. I like being proven wrong.
Would I go back: in a heartbeat!
Would they have me: I’m not sure after I called their shop unsophisticated. Let’s go with homely and quaint.
Location: Seed Trading Cafe and Deli
Address: 4/204 Pacific Hwy Swansea NSW 2281
Website: Facebook
EB Price: $17 (+ $3 for GF or Sourdough)
*Name changed to protect the innocent.
Now, in case you’re wondering about the title of this blog, the day continued. A couple of hours after experiencing the divine in the form of EB by the roadside, I left Liza’s. The sky had turned black, and a storm was clearly brewing on the horizon. I had just under three hours ahead of me so at 11.50 I got in my car and waved Liza goodbye.
I was not even five minutes away when the heavens opened and starting dumping Hail. Not itty bitty hail, but classic Australian hail the size of golf balls and marbles. I knew Liza didn’t have anywhere for me to hide under, I kept driving, slowly looking for an empty car port. There weren’t even car ports. I ended up find a tree that blocked the worst of it.
[insert video]
After it had mostly passed, about 10 minutes later I started driving toward my final destination. Port Macquarie, for the conference. There was piles of hail drift along the roads, I was still driving really slow, because while the hail had passed, the rain had not. It was dumpin’.
After about 20 minutes I came to a low roadway that had water across it. I watched a four-wheel drive go through to gauge the water depth and figured I could make it. I did.
A couple of minute later a could hear a sound that my little car does not usually make. I turned off the radio, it got louder. I pulled over, got wet from the rain, but couldn’t see anything obvious. I googled, my nearest Jax Tyre and Service.
I headed towards it. As I drove the sound got worse. I had images of a loose bumper, knocked off by the hail, scraping in the road. A piece of metal digging into the break pad or tyre, wearing a groove. By the time I reach Jax in Heatherbrae, my nerves where frayed and I feared I wouldn’t make the Conference.
I went in and explained my issue, where I was heading and where i had come from. It was still p*ssing down. They asked me to wait. I said: ‘Absolutely, not a problem!’ I took and seat with Fe stuffed up my jumper.
It was the longest hour.
I saw Clover (my car) being driving into the workshop and up onto the ramps. A man in blue overall pushed a button and she rose towards the sky…I hoped it wouldn’t be the start of her final ascent.
He wandered slowly looking up, starting at the front, then the middle then he disappeared around the back. I looked down at Fe to tell her it would be OK. She would get the see Uncle Roger and Uncle Hattie.
It was then that the earnest looking man appeared in the doorway to the of the waiting room. “I’ve found the problem.” he announced.
I waited. Ready to cry if needed.
“It was a stick” as he produced a thick, woody stem with a single eucalyptus leaf still attached. A wide smile grew across his face.
The lady behind the counter who had been offering me words of sympathy on and off for the last hour laughed.
The guy waiting for his mobile home “That could have been a LOT worse!”
I said, ‘Thank Dog it was a girl problem!’
He then explained that it was stuck up under the rear wheel arch and had been dragging the road and that I likely picked it up when I drove through the flood water.
I thanked them, offered to pay, they refused and sent me on my way.
It rained for pretty much the rest of the trip. Only stop about 20 minutes south of Port Macquarie. It was one of the more unpleasant drives I had in my life.
It wasn’t until the next day when my car was dry, and the sun was shining just so, that I realised the damage from the day before. My poor 2010 Suzuki Swift had the ache marks of a teenager.
