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I stumbled upon this little hidden treasure in Greenwich a week or two ago. I hadn’t been down to the market ( which I love to mooch around) for quite some time, but I was chaperoning my son on a … Continue reading
Yes, the story of my Mum in Meltdown life.
I have spent the last 3 weeks swanning around looking feeling pretending to be a yummy mummy in my brand new Volvo XC60 ( on loan only).
I have enjoyed my bum being warmed by the heated seats, the fantastic CD/DVD/Digital TV, the cruise control, the comfortable leather interior the genius Blindspot indicators and even the reversing camera. I have driven safely across over 400 miles both on longer journeys and lots of urban shorts, with the standard safety that Volvo insists on (as most of the safety features, Blis, side impact, extra airbags etc coming as standard).
Yet as I look out of my window today I see this…….
YES it’s the empty space where it used to sit!! They came yesterday and took it from me………my time with it was up *weeps into my coffee*!!
As you can see I will be back to driving my regular family ‘cab’ car again, with a very cold bum and no fancy extras.
Hey, who was I kidding anyway…………..me- a yummy mummy?…………dream on!
THANK YOU VOLVO FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRY DRIVING IN STYLE AND SAFETY…………………IT’S BEEN FUN!
This is a question all us women like to know, however this girly doesn’t have to worry about this as her sizeable back end is VERY cleverly disguised!
I’m talking about my XC60 of course ( I’m well aware my bum probably looks big in everything!!).
I have this Volvo on loan for 3 weeks to use as a standard family car and see what I like ( or not) about it.
It’s a big meaty monster, sturdy as you would expect from Volvo and pimped to the hilt. Side by side on my small drive this thing is the same length as my good ol’ Zafira ( which holds extra seats or an estate size boot).
On first look at the Volvo I had expected the boot to be small but deep. I don’t know why, I just expected it looking at the shape of the car.
However, this little baby hides a huge backside inside her cool exterior…….
You can also half the size if it by putting up a divider so your lonely 1 bag of shopping does not roll around. But best of all this bottom panel can be locked, so if the kids have their games consoles on a journey and you want to leave them in the car, you simply hide them under the panel and it locks!! Even if someone broke into the back of the car this bottom panel remains locked………brilliant!
So yesterday the boys went to school and me and my OH headed to the coast for the day! I know, I know hand me the ‘Bad Mother of the Year’ award now……………..but the trip was combined with Christmas shopping, so we could hardly take the boys with us- right?
My OH drove so I could get some snaps of inside, granted they were taken on my phone and on the move so not the best.
The control panel…….everything from sat nav, digital TV, DVD and CD player, phone, reverse camera……oh and the heated seat controls LOL
Remember with these pics I WAS ON THE MOVE people!!
Now as a shorty myself I tend to get a restricted view out the rear view mirror and this car is no exception. However, they have made an easy, straight forward and frankly commonsense answer to this….
The normal view with headrests as usual in the way…..
Then……
Ta Dah……..the view with NO headrests!
Yes there is actually a button to put the headrests down!! Now when you press this button the headrests do flop down with urgency…….. so beware you don’t forget and do it with someone in the back. But I will admit I have had ‘bad thoughts’ about these headrests. My ‘Bad Parent’ laughingly thought these would actually come in handy as a short, sharp. shock tactic to stop arguing teens in the back!!! What do you think? C’mon all you peeps with teens know what I’m talking about LOL. However, before you actually contact social services I haven’t tried it……………….just thought it!!
The car itself on a long run out was definitely comfortable. The sat nav worked a treat and we even had the radio going in the backround ( BTW the sat nav dips the sound of the radio so you can still hear the instructions properly). We had a play around with the Cruise Control which was definitely interesting and took a while to get used to not putting your foot on the accelerator!
Overlook the 75mph please, we were just testing it!
Oh and the Blis ( blind spot info system) worked a treat.
And although we tried our hardest to fill the boot with our shopping from Santa,I’m afraid it looks rather pitiful in the big bum of this baby!!
I now have just over 1 week left with this car *watery eyes and sniffs* and I still have things to test and try ( and I honestly don’t mean using the collapsing headrests on my teens……………….that would be just ‘WRONG’!)
No I haven’t won the Lottery ( I’m still waiting on that) however, I am getting the chance to drive something you may buy if you did win the Lottery!
Ok I will explain. I was recently offered the chance to ‘Review’ a brand new car for 3 weeks!!! YES a brand new car, from the lovely Volvo people, with a full tank of petrol( or actually diesel in this case) and both myself and my OH fully insured to drive it.
Well lets face I would have been a complete mug to turn this opportunity down- wouldn’t I?
So this car was delivered to my door yesterday evening and the driver took me through a quick brief of all the gadgets, buttons and controls.
To say this car has been pimped is an understatement!!
The car itself is a Volvo XC60……………I realise that will probably mean nothing to most of you so I thought I would show you instead:
I want you to overlook the rather BRIGHT blue colour!
This was a quick snap taken when I went out in it today……………yes I have already put it to use! This picture does not really do it justice so I will be posting better ones over the next few weeks, as I will be posting about how ‘we’ as a family find the car for town journeys, shopping and days out, how family friendly it is, and how we all get on with the gadgets…………..and believe me there are many!!!
Sat Nav
CD and DVD player
Digital TV ( I know……….AMAZING!)
Cruise control
Bluetooth technology to sync my phone ready for hands free!
Sun Roof
Tinted back windows
Heated Seats people!!! HEATED SEATS
That’s before I start on the safety elements on the car- all of which I will go into in later posts. Today on my 1st run out I happened to notice a little orange light on the inside of the door opposite the wing mirror???? Now I kept seeing this light coming on and off and couldn’t work out why!! Then the penny dropped…………………..its a warning light indicating that someone is overtaking and in my blind spot!!! GENIUS
Now as an ex driving instructor some of the available gadgets do go against the grain at first sight- the reversing camera for one! I’m a true believer that if you going to drive a car then learn to do it properly without relying on anything to do it for you!! HOWEVER, I’ve got to say I found myself looking anyway as it comes on automatically……….so I may get converted yet.
So, to say I am a happy chappy is an understatement.
Notice the BIG smile………I didn’t actually realise I had colour co-ordinated myself to the car!!!! DUH
For the next 3 weeks I will be looking as though I’m living like the other (rich) half do!! Blimey, who knows I could make a ‘Yummy Mummy’ yet……………………………………………………..OK don’t hold your breath on that one.
I was asked at the end of summer if I would review a selection of toys from a company called Doll Houses via Big Game Hunters at http://www.dollshouses.co.uk
The toys on offer were really for children who were much younger than my boys, however, a friend of mine agreed to review them as her youngest was the perfect age group as he has just started in reception at school.
I chose the Le Toy Van Car Playmat which retails at £27.50, and the Le Toy Van London Car Set which is £13.00.
Delivery was swift and the items were very well packaged together.
This is what was in the package!
The cars still boxed
The mat unrolled
On first glance when I opened the roll mat I thought it seemed a little thin considering the price! However, it has a non slip back on it which compensated as most modern family houses have wooden or laminate flooring and the backing would be very practical.
The cars seemed in keeping with most other wooden car toys aimed at that agegroup, but I thought the London set was a great idea as it was just after the Olympics and most adults and kids could relate to it.
So I handed the toys to my friend whose children seemed to enjoy immediately. She has 2 boys and 1 girl, 1 boy just started school and 1 just started secondary school with the girl in the middle!! She did pass on that they all had a play with it so we can certainly say it’s a universal toy suitable for slightly older children than it is targeted to as well.
SO HERE’S WHAT WAS SAID……….
