Flat Battery

I haven’t driven my car for so long, there was a good chance the battery would go flat. I didn’t care because I have a battery charger, so I can just put the battery on to charge, easy.

Today Brun and I are headed out to the car, early, to go to Bunnings to buy some potting mix because I wanted to repot one of my succulents. This was as much a shopping expedition as it was a test of the car to see if the battery had, in fact, gone flat, since it’s been so long since I’ve driven it.

I lifted Brun into the back seat. I slid in behind the steering wheel.

I push the start button on the dashboard and it made a very sad attempt to start and then it just did a lot of clicks. So the battery was flat. I wanted to try it out because I want to go out to lunch tomorrow with Jill in Oakleigh and I want to drive there naturally.

Brun was very disappointed that we weren’t going anywhere, it took him awhile to realise we were going back inside and in fact we weren’t going anywhere in the car just at that moment. He reluctantly followed me back across the road and inside after some coaxing.

Okay, that was that. I took the dogs for their morning walk.

So, when I came back I headed out to the garden shed to get my battery charger out to get it ready to bring the battery in from the car and to put the battery on charge.

That was plenty of time to charge it up for tomorrow.

Now do you think I could find my battery charger, no not a chance. I looked in the garden shed, I looked on the back veranda, I looked in the cupboard under the stairs, I went right upstairs to the attic and looked in the attic. I attempted to look in the cupboard under the stairs on the first floor, but that is Sam’s domain and it is just jam packed with stuff like you wouldn’t believe, I didn’t know where to start with that.

When I was outside at the car, I noticed my next door neighbour's car was right next to mine and if her battery was on the side of the car closest to mine, it would be simple to to pass jumper leads from one car the other and start my car. But, that was if my battery was on the closest side to her car and her battery was on the closest side to my car, it would all be very simple. So, I went and looked in my car and my car battery was indeed on the side closest to her car. So, I stood and thought for a moment what to do? I decided that was the thing to do. So, I headed back inside and got the jumper leads out of the garden cupboard in preparation to jumpstart the cars. I went back outside and was preparing to knock on her door when she came out of her house.

She said she’d happily let me jump my car off her car as it is parked next to the my car, but she was heading into the city to go to the impressionist exhibition and she would be home this afternoon and we can do it again.

Lovely, I thought. I headed back inside.

That is all well and good, I thought a bit later, but I don’t really want to drive anywhere until tomorrow when we got to see Jill, and I'd have to to get some charge in my car's battery. So, what I really want is to charge the battery up. So, fuck it, I thought, battery chargers aren’t so expensive, I’ll just go and buy one.

10:55am. I walked to Bunnings to get a battery charger. I buy a blueberry muffin for the walk.

The walk to Bunnings is lovely. Past the Porsche dealer with all those shiny cars. Past the nice piece of arse in Bunnings entrance greeting the customers.

So, I’m in Bunnings getting a battery charger, terracotta pot sealer and 2 front door keys cut. I could get a 2amp charger for $30, or a 4amp charger for $50. The 4amp charger will charge the battery in half the time of the 2amp charger. I have 24 hours before we have to go see Jill, and have plenty of time, but fuck it, I can afford $50, I might as well get the one that charges faster.

11.30am. I’m home.

I go get the battery out of the car.

12.15pm. The battery is charging, we hope, those instructions are practically indecipherable, cross your fingers, and all is well with the world.