Chippenham Pizza Hut

So after an exhausting day involving Christmas shopping, and visiting my ill father in hospital, my partner and I decided that we were not going to cook this evening.

After a purely scientific decision (coin toss) we decided to visit Pizza Hut in Bath road, Chippenham.
We got there and found a half full establishment. After a reasonable wait, we were chaperoned to a table in a very busy corner, where my partner had to move the table to get behind it, and I had to put my chair off to one side so I did not interfere with the customers eating on the table behind me.

After deciding on what we wanted to eat, the waitress came and sat on the table beside us, to take our order. After telling her I wanted a stuffed crust, I was told we are out of stuffed crust. I switched to another crust, and carried on with our order. We also decided on a unlimited drinks, and we were offered the free salad bar.

Upon getting to the bar, we found that there were 10 containers missing, and the remaining containers were either empty or as near as dammit empty. (Apart from sweetcorn, but no one eats that shit anyway).

In disgust, I replaced my bowl and retreated to the drinks machine where I eventually found a clean glass, and put it under the tap. All the flavours were out of stock except the vanilla (Again, who drinks that shit?) So I opted for a straight Pepsi Max. And all I got was fizzy brown water. There was no flavour syrup in it at all.

In disgust, Mrs Clunk went to complain and asked for the manager. The waitress that seated us went to find the manager, then came back asking us what the problem was. She explained briefly, then went off to get the manager who eventually appeared. When we voiced our disgust at the available service, we were met with a blank stare, and a careless attitude, with a pathetic half arsed attempt at an apology that lacked any form of sincerity (I must question if she is human). In disgust, we cancelled our order and went elsewhere.

After previously eating here and being happy with the service, it was somewhat of a shock to find it in such a poorly managed state. the salad bar wasn't 'just' empty, it had been empty for some time. The cordial machine had been empty a while, judging by the amount of half full glasses surrounding it. I don't think myself or Mrs Clunk will be returning anytime soon.

But a big thank you to Lee's Chippy in Redlands who provided us with the service we required.

My new car.

Well a few weeks back, I decided to part with my lovely Suzuki Vitara.
There was 2 reasons for this.
1. It was starting to rust badly.
2. Strange noise from transfer box.
I had been fairly lucky with this car. It had done me proud, lasted well and has been relatively cheap to repair. (compared to previous cars).
my new choice of chariot is a Vauxhall Frontera.
Even though it is not the best model of the group, it is still a very good car and I got it for a very good price.
However, it isn't without flaw.
The first flaw is that you only have 10 seconds from unlocking the car to turning ignition on. Which means, you cant unlock the car, put your shopping in, strap the kids in then get in and start it. Oh no, you have to unlock and turn it on within 10 seconds. This is a pain in the arse.
The second fault was that before I had it, it had to have a repair to the fuel line. Somehow, the repair had come adrift resulting in me using £60 of petrol in 70 miles. Trip back to garage fixed this in 2 minutes.
Other than that, it has been an awesome car so far. Nice to drive, comfortable to sit in, easy to control.  I have enjoyed every minute behind the wheel.
The only issue with it is me. I have spent the best part of the last 4 years driving a low geared car. Which meant I could go up hills in top gear, where most cars would have to change down a gear. Now I drive one of these cars, and I keep forgetting. So end up bogging down on hills.
Tis a minor inconvenience.

My Vitara

I would like to tell you about my Suzuki Vitara.
It is quite possibly the best car I have ever owned. I have no idea what the Suzuki Vitara insurance group is, but it only costs £280 a year to insure for me. It's fuel consumption is in around 25mpg which is quite high for a 1600, but reasonable for a petrol 4x4.
It is a reliable vehicle, and apart from consumables (tyres, fluids, filters, etc) the car has cost less than £500 in repairs in the 4.5 years I have owned it. And as it only cost me £500 I think that is quite a bargain.
It is my first 4x4 vehicle, and I quite enjoy using it off road. As a four wheel drive vehicle, it is more than capable on most terrain. It's only downside is its low belly. But hopefully, in a few months, I will have sorted this problem.
As after the next MOT, I will start beefing it up in earnest to create a nice looking, capable 4x4 car.