Frustration

No, not the kerr-plinky pop-o-matic dice shaker game, but the frustration of not being able to do something.

I thought I'd make an early start on the bike rack mounting project, slated for this weekend, only there's other things starting to appear on the diary - mission creep.

The position of the mounts from the outside are fairly clear. Auto Sleepers mould two channels, side to side, about 500mm apart, for just such an event. You can't really mount it anywhere but in the middle, since the top channel in the fibreglass isn't much more than the 600mm width between the brackets.

Only there's a double thickness of wood between the fibreglass outer shell and the inside of the van. The interior one is the height and width of the van, and can't be removed. Should I drill straight through the two pieces and the void in between them? But then I'd be clamping down on a void, which is a no-no.

I've just had one thought, and that's to butcher the interior piece (the brackets are below the level of the kitchen worktop), and then cover the holes up again? That way, I can get to the bolts to spin the nuts on, and it won't look too ugly from inside (and it IS inside a cupboard). Waiting for feedback on forums and from Fiamma and Auto Sleepers. I suspect it'll be of the "take it to a registered service centre" type. Ho hum.

Second weekend

At last, our second weekend away. We booked a pitch at Rainbow Nurseries - a Camping Club Certified Location. INFO HERE

The site was a large field, about the size of a football pitch (4 acres). The owner apologised for now mowing the grass - his mower had broken down. The field was basically flat, although a bit bumpy, with no set paths. Toilets were by the entrance, about a 5 minute walk from where we parked the van.

Tried to get the TV working, but found that the leisure battery wasn't charged up. It seems the engine hadn't charged it on the journey up. Something to look at in future.

Walked to Homestead caravan park, and bought a second 6kg gas bottle, some boiling water-proof cups for tea, and some gas for the cooker in the beach hut. Carrying the gas bottle back was hard and hot work, so we had to pop into the Black Boy pub for some refreshment. We were able to watch some of the Germany / Sweden match on the big pub telly, Germany winning 2-0 against a very average Sweden side.

After tea, we HAD to go back to the pub, where we enjoyed the Argentina / Mexico match. Poor Mexico lost out, 2-1, having taken the lead early on. Needless to say, most (all?) of the pub were shouting for the Mexicans, leaving disappointed after extra time.

We decided not to stay long on Sunday, since the sun was hiding behind high cloud, so we chugged home to prepare for the England / Ecuador match.

EDIT: The non-charging of the leisure battery was down to a wire having fallen off the hanging 30Amp fuse in the engine bay. Very shoddy electrics, and should be changed sometime. Maybe I'll rewire that fuse and the under-seat relay / fuse board, so they're easier to get to. There's a project.

Well done, Polly!

Polly's MOT was up early in July, so just in case there were problems, I took her down on Saturday to CMS (our usual MOT place). Despite waiting for weemed like an age, she passed with flying colours. Actually, I don't know if it was with any colours, flying or not. With the new computerised MOT system, you get nothing more than a perfuntary green form or red form. Anyway, the green form was the one, and we're ok for a year.

It was easier getting her into the back garden this time. The one tricky thing is trying to gauge the position of the nearside rear corner as the van manoeuvres inside the two gateposts.
We've decided to get a reversing camera system, but which to buy? They range from less than a hundred quid on Ebay to over three hundred quid. There's a site called EASY VISION
which has a range of systems. The one featured is probably my favourite, although the screen might be a bit too small.

We've cleared some of the tree branches from around the back of the van, but there's still the pear tree to attack. Soon,

All quiet on the Northern front ...

... 'cos the back garden's north-facing, see?

Anyway, Polly hasn't moved since last Sunday. It's not a problem, because we're only going to use it when we go somewhere in it. Sort of makes sense, I think. So we're not going to feel guilty about it being there.

We're going to investigate a storage place on Saturday close to us: PACU although there's another place we like the sound of (except they're full at the moment): STORE NOW We shall have to see. But I think there's no doubt we need to get it into storage, so I can stop worrying about shunting it in and out of the garden.

We're planning our trip to France in the summer. Got our crossing booked through SEAFRANCE at only £80 return, which we think is good. We think we're heading for the Bordeaux area, although this might change. There seems to be some beautiful camnpsites around.

Day Two

After a good night's sleep, and breakfast, we chugged over to our beach hut in Walton on the Naze, and sat in the sun for a few hours.

The journey home was pleasant, but very hot, and after decamping, we were faced with the prospect of getting it into the space in the back garden.



It took several attempts, at one point coming in forwards only to remember that I couldn't close the gates doing it that way. Eventually it squeezed in, and the poor clutch got a bit hot in the process. But it now sits in our garden, until we find a more permanent home for it which would involve less stress on the engine and drivetrain, and avoid the almost inevitable scraping of bodywork against solid gatepost.

It also looks enormous in the garden, and completely dominates.

More soon.

Prophetic!

My slightly tongue-in-cheek comment about calling it Polly came true on Saturday, when we picked it up. Maurice and Eileen were wonderful, and had changed the domestic water pump and leasure battery because Maurice thought they weren't up to scratch, and had also filled the diesel tank for us. What lovely people! Thank you! And you didn't mind the fact we turned up even earlier than we said we would.

It was during the handover that Eileen said they called her "Polly". Now, I'm not one for anthropomorphising, and I never call modes of transport "she" - except when they don't do what I tell them to, of course. But Polly it will be.

From pickup, I trundled back home, where we threw bedclothes, some victuals, and the essential TV for the footy. We then wandered off to Homestead caravan park, to stay at the Homstead Lake site. It's a really lovely site, with a good mix of caravans and motorhomes, and there was a chance to lust over a couple of brand new Autocruise Star-things. They look really fantastic.



Anyway, Polly was soon set up, and the telly worked even better when I remembered to turn on the aerial booster box. Durrrr.

We spent a pleasant afternoon, and then visited the camp shop. Levelling ramps, a couple of folding chairs, and a new portable TV made a hole in the bank balance. Never mind - it's all a good investment.

We spent a pleasant evening at the Black Boy pub nearby. Whilst waiting for a table in the restaurant, someone came and put the football on, so we watched a lively Argentina / Ivory Coast match, drinking beer and eating Nobby's Nuts.

The bed was easily made, and very comfortable. With just the kitchen vent open, we were plenty cool enough on a hot evening, and we both slept well.

Piccies

Here's a picture:

I don't know it we're going to give it a name or not. I suppose we could call it "Polly", but maybe that would be too sad.

This picture is of it sitting in its present owners' front garden, and it was taken as part of the sales advert. When we actually pick it up, we'll add our own pictures (of course!)

Nearly there

Only a day to go before we pick up the Pollensa. Excitement is mounting, insurance is organised, and the gates and hardstanding is just about finished. A lick of fence paint, and a couple of lumps of wood here and there, and we're done. Only hope the damned thing fits!