Mutterings for the Minority

Yes these are the new running shoes I’ve bought and which duly arrived today.

My old trainers (running shoes?) – New Balance something or other – had began to fray and wear near the upper heal part. This made wearing them rather uncomfortable!

So I was in the market for a new running shoe that would cater for a overpronator like me. With this is mind I had to have a shoe that would offer me stability and support.

After doing some digging around on the web I headed off to M and M Direct whom stocked the Reebok Premier Road Plus KFS V trainers – in size 12!

[EDIT] M and M Direct no longer have them in stock, but they are in stock on the Reebok running website.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were down to £39.13 from the RRP of £64.99, as a result I didn’t need to think twice about ordering them.

Having now tried them on and gone for a light jog I can honestly say that they are not only extremely comfortable, but also offer the stability/support I needed (especially in my right leg).

I never cease to be amazed how a trainer can be so comfy – like wearing slippers in fact – and yet still feel sturdy regardless of the running terrain.

Anyway, suffice to say that the Reebok Premier Road Plus KFS V trainers get a big thumbs up from me!

Ok before I start describing how I went about changing the pollen filter on my 04 plate Vauxhall Meriva, I just want to make it clear that I’m a web developer by trade – not a car mechanic!

So if my descriptions are somewhat non-car-mechanic speak I apologise, but at least the pictures should help everyone.

Firstly the reason for changing the filter was simple – the misting in the Meriva had become almost unbearable and having tried all of the other suggestions muted on the Vauxhall Owners Network forum, I was left with only one choice.

Spurned on by the purchase of the replacement pollen filter for just £7.20 (including delivery) from VauxWorld on eBay and the thought of saving myself some ‘labour’ fees at the local garage I started my task.

Replacing the pollen filter should take no more than 20 to 25 minutes at most – this included the time for me to fumble around to find where everything was and to take these pictures!

The first step is to locate the pollen filter – so open the bonnet and take a look at the passenger side of the Meriva just behind the battery and on a ledge below the windscreen wipers. Here you’ll see a plastic flap which lifts up.

When you lift the flap up, you’ll notice an oblong shaped box which I think houses the electrics for the windscreen wipers.

You’ll need to unclip the box by simply lifting it up towards you. When you have done this, try and position it as far over to the right hand side as possible.

Now if you look to the left of where the box was, you’ll see the outside cover of the pollen filter compartment.

[UPDATE] The other thing you’ll need to do to get full access to the pollen filter is bend back the perforated piece of scuttle panel next the to access flap (as shown in picture 2). The plastic is quite flexible and bends back easily.

You now need to remove the cover by slowly lifting it up so that it unclips from its seating and then you can pull it away to reveal the pollen filter. The above can be tricky if like me you’ve got big hands!

As you can see from the picture this filter was well past its best! The darker the filter in colour the less efficient it will be.

Pull the filter away from the casing and pull it out through the gap – leaving an empty casing behind.

OK now it’s time to put your brand new pollen filter in – remembering to fit the pollen filter with the grooves in a vertical position.

When you had put the filter back into the casing, the tricky bit is actually putting the pollen filter cover back on. This is done by slowly sliding the cover down over the casing until you feel it clip back into position.

Don’t be put off by the fact that the pollen filter peeps over the top of this outer casing – that’s the way it’s meant to be apparently.

Anyway, I hope that those of you who have a need to replace a Meriva pollen filter find this post useful. For the experts out there who spot any glaring mistakes, please let me know and I’ll update the post accordingly.

Thanks for reading!

All of the excitement I felt with Mrs DDWT and the kids impending arrival home – after their mini-break in Ceredigion with Nanny – was quickly dampened with a 07:30 am telephone call.

It was Mrs DDWT ringing to tell me the kids had the classic symptoms and signs of chicken pox!

I couldn’t believe it and just to compound matters I’ve booked a week’s leave next week to do lots of family things – so we had lots planned. A train trip to Cardiff, a day in Folly Farm or Dan-yr-Ogof and a couple of 5th birthday parties (which DDWT Junior had been invited too).

The thought of Baby DDWT (@ just 10 months old) having chicken pox fills me with trepidation as well. Bless her.

The missus and I had it when we were kids so we’ll be ok and I suppose in a weird kind of way it’s good that the kids have it whilst they are very young as well – as opposed to their teens or even adulthood.

Oh well time to head off to the pharmacy for some calamine lotion I think and some antihistamines for children!

Boy is it going to be a fun week off in the house of DDWT *raised eyebrows*