Prius blog

As readers of the Globe and Mail will know, I just got my new silver Prius! (I admit, parenthetically, that it is an odd sensation to know that the routine and mundane aspects of my life now seem to qualify as “newsworthy.” I got some news coverage of insulating my house­ a project in process due to the unexpected discovery that my walls must be vacuumed out. They are full of 80 year-old wood chips with zero insulation value!) Thanks to a quite lovely feature in Saturday’s Globe about my daughter, the news of my car purchase is out! I was lucky to be dealing with a terrific local Toyota dealer (Anchor Motors) who gave me use of one of their “loaner” vehicles during the long wait for the Prius. The big day arrived last Tuesday when I signed all the papers to buy my first car since I sold the used Volvo I was driving in 1980. I am thoroughly enjoying driving this car! In its first week, I put 1300 km on the odometer, getting from one local event to another,(Alterative festival “Evolve” to New Glasgow Riverfront Jubilee to Gaelic-English Church Service at Loch Broom!) plus taking friends to the Halifax airport. I am keenly aware of trying to optimize my efficiency while driving. The dashboard screen let’s me know every 3 seconds how many litres to the 100Km I am using. Put the foot to the floor and watch the levels soar. Drive more slowly and see them drop. This is a bit distracting at first, but I am now getting used to driving with the corner of an eye on the litres/KM indicator. I am averaging 4.7 litres per 100 kilometres -- and I am committed to doing better!. The car does have excellent pick up if you need to pass on a hill. No problem. The trunk space is roomy enough for Green Party paraphernalia and beach stuff when heading to events with stops at the beach for my daughter and her friends. My house in New Glasgow is a 15 minute drive to fabulous beach on the warm waters of the Northumberland Strait. (pretty amazing when you consider I am also walking distance from a downtown with cool events like the New Glasgow Riverfront Jubilee which just hosted amazing performers like Joel Plaskett, Liam Titcomb, Doris Mason, Bruce Guthro, David Usher, Sloan and Dave Gunning…. As you can tell, we are having a blast!) All for now… happy summer!