Continuos Cruising on Wheels....

When we've finished cruising the canals of Britain we intend to buy a motor home and have a "Geeko" around Scotland and Europe.

When that will happen we Dunno because we don't have a definite time schedule. But the chance to visit a motor home show at the Birmingham NEC was too good to pass up so last Saturday we made an early start, 8.15am, and had coffee'd up before the doors opened at 10am plus there were no traffic, not one,  hold ups  enroute  right to the car park.

The show run until 6pm and we were heading out the doors at 5.50pm so we'd checked out most every make on display inside and out..

We went back twice to a couple of models and pretty well settled on a model that ticked most all the boxes, quality, layout and décor being most important. Many of the different makes  are based on the Fiat Ducato chassis and motor so only HP rating to chose on there.

With "show specials" there's the opportunity to get 2 - 5 thousand pounds combined upgrades and discount packages..

First viewed were some camper vans and it was hard to believe they were priced at up to 10 - 15 thousand pounds more than say a 7.4 metre motor home...


Only 2 berth but....

This "Lime Green Machine" was well presented...

Looking toward....

The rear and the lounge that makes up the bed....

And toward......

The front with swivel seats.....


Next viewed was.....

A VW van with a pop up roof....


The rear end...

With electrical and gas fittings to enable the "Barby" to operate....


And the rear seat / bed....

rolls forward for more space....

And you can buy a....

Brand new VW bay window camper...... "Old School"....


First of the motor home type.....

This featured a "Push Out" lounge area... space giving but Woah... Expensive....


The interior...

Was a nice touch.....

Many makes now feature....

A "drop down" double bed... the underside of the bed has the hood lining look and when they're in the up position it's very hard to tell if there's a bed there....


Another bed....

Not fully down.... they have screening curtains attached and are very weel balanced and quite easy to lower and raise..
This interior was in a...

Chic... c-Line... motor home... in the 82,000 quid bracket....

It even had....

A double bed..... with electric adjustment to raise the matress....


As in the narrow boat construction the Polish have gotten into motor homes......

Adria being the make....  probably fitted into about  4th - 5th on our list....

Plenty of......

Dining table when extended....


But the so called....

Fixed double bed in the rear was a bit odd with two singles or a double to be made up....and a "Stairway to Heaven"....

Another make to check out was.....

 

Burstner.....some good ideas and up there in the top group of choice...

A top job.....

 

 

Of finishing the interior.....

And this.....

Swivel basin makes for more room in the shower... or more room on the "Crapper".....


Bessacarr, from the same factory as Swift motor homes had....

This model, 2013,  that caught the eye.... Has the must have fixed double......

Across the rear of the vehicle was....

 

The bathroom......

Then through the door to....

A good size toilet with basin....


Looking toward the front...

Seats that convert to a double.... but no fixed table... you get it out from under the bed....Also with a flat floor throughout, no raised bed, there was very limited storage underneath.....

 

And so on to the model that we liked most.....

The 'Pilote".... French built on the Fiat gear... the layout made it easy to move around... comfy as to sit, and we fair tested it out... and the quality of finish was tops...

It also featured a.....

"Pull down" bed... this one being the only electrically operated one seen... with the dinette converting to a double and the pull down it's actually a six berth...

The toilet and shower area...

Were two separate rooms..... not the typical "Wet room"...

An advertising board....

 

Summed up our thoughts.... it's the "Reference 716" model...

And last year it was the....

"Motor Home of the Year" at the show.... Place an order.. 3 month build time with spec's to order...

and at 53,000 quid one of the best value for money motor homes we checked out...

 

We left the show and walked to the car park passing....

 

 

A living wall....The sun had gone but the colours stand out...

 

The paneling....

 

In stainless steel made a nice contrast.....

Across the road you could...

 

Mistake it for being in Dubai... tower cranes everywhere... well 5 anyway... more expansion at an already large NEC..... 

 

All in all a bloody good days motorhoming.....

 

 

 

What Warranty ??.....

Lasts 5 years....
Yep dealing with the public can be trying especially when they have bought a Used Second Hand car with maybe 60 -80 thousand miles on the clock. Parts do wear out....
So where I've  been helping out and where 35 - 50 cars can change hands a month problems both real and Imaginary can arise.
Most are an easy fix...... some may never be fixed....

And here are a few examples of why... These all relate to vehicles purchased from the above..

A lady returns in her car saying there's a knocking noise in the rear end mechanicals. It's serious...
The mechanic jumps into the driers seat with the lady beside and heads off for a test drive to hear the noise...
First, second, third gears nothing, sounds sweet.
She says it only does it in 5th gear so faster, faster and then sure enough the bang, bang, bang there's the noise, self diagnosed as the diff about to depart from the car.
You have to remember when most of these people return with a problem it's a nearly the end of the world, I want my money back situation, being fuelled by some friend / mate who has a degree in "sh-t stirring"...
Anyway the mechanic stops the car having already in his mind 99% solved the problem. And there it was, the nice little ball the husband had put on the roof aerial for a decoration. Probably in his Footy club colours.
Once 5th gear and enough speed was achieved the wind force banged the ball on the roof..... Easy fix, remove the ball and the customer gets to keep the car...

Lady comes in with a "Exhaust Blow By", it'll need replacing at no cost to her.
Mechanic takes the steering and off they go.
Through the gears, nothing, turn the radio off to hear, nothing. Hmmm, it sounds alright to me says the mechanic.
Well it only does it when there's "snow on the bonnet" says the owner.
Doohhh...
Obviously the weight of the snow caused a "deadening" and maybe a "drumming" effect but there was no issue with the exhaust.
Easy fix.... do nothing..... Ohh and advised owner to remove snow off bonnet before driving...

Last week, young lady, proud owner of her just purchased very tidy car heads off, Bye, have a nice day.... and all that.
About 10 mins, later phone goes. That car you sold me, well there's something wrong with the tyre, it's gone down.
Off goes the mechanic armed with some rescue gear and finds her parked on the edge of a 70mph road and close to the approach to a large intersection.
As described the tyres flat and in damaged condition, more than just a puncture.
A quick look around and the cause is discovered. A large wooden pallet lying on the road had been run over by the young lady driving her new car.
When it was explained that it wasn't a "Warranty" issue but here's the phone number for a call out tyre repair fella the driver replied with..
See that concrete post over there, that's where I ended up, upside down in my last car, wrote it off.
"Spookey" Eh she says....
Easy fix... get as far away as quick as possible....

A tale from a little while ago..
An elderly later returns in her car with the  complaint that it runs "Rough" when the motor gets warmed up and is then very hard to drive.
Same old, mechanic jumps in the drivers seat, owner beside.
Cars is idling beautiful, select first move off, still sweet. Second gear, bit more accelerator, no problems so far, about to select third when the owner reaches out, pulls out the "choke Knob" and hangs her hand bag up.
On with the brakes. Do you do that often....
Oh yes I don't like my hand bag on the floor.
Easy fix... screw a Coat hook through the hood lining into the roof panel...

Finally, A Man phones, problems with car. Exhaust banging... door something... light something.. wheel bearing something... etc, etc...
Bring the car back for the mechanic to take a look..
Returns a day or two later and goes through the routine again of all the problems then adds to the sales person, I know because I'm a "Professional Driver".
Wow that's impressive Nobody thought.
Anyway it was discussed what sort of "Professional Driver" he may be or have been.
Could have driven in say the Dakar Rally... 24hr Spa... maybe delivered Arms to the Sudan in a camouflaged transit van, or  even chauffeured the Queen....
No not Even, after a bit of investigation we found out he...
Drives a Freak,n  truck delivering "Bread and Bagels". And it's only a 7 toner which means a bloody car license is near enough and any "Sheila" could manage to park it in any high street.
So his "Professional" credentials qualified him for no "Diagnostic Diagnosis" and true to form the problems simply disappeared.

I got a problem of my own... It's no wonder I suffer from " Repetitive Selective Syndrome"...
From NB to work via dropping Leonie at work I change gear in the race tuned F/focus......
196 times... Yep counted them all today.  Thought that an achievement on its own. When asked Leonie said, "after 100 just pretend your starting again, and could you count to yourself.... quietly.....quieter... please.... idiot...
And then we gotta drive home, not as many changes as there's less traffic normally so less down changing.
But five days a week, average say....1780 motions... that's  shifting gears...then a days work as well..
Just bring on Continuous  Cruising....

Sunny Sunday.....

Last Sunday was a spring type day with blue skies and a mild temperature.
After doing the routine things like, eating, washing some clothes, sweeping the floor, emptying the log fire ash try, getting some wood stacked inside we done the supermarket thing. After returning  to the boat and off loading the tucker we headed to the outskirts of Oxford city for a touch of getting back to nature.

Heading up a walking track that leads to a wooded area known as The Shotover we walked up an area where once there was  rail tracks....

 

We came to this Blocked Up railway tunnel, 524yrds in length.... Since 2002 it's been an official "Bat Hibernaculum..... Be Spooky in there.....

 

Looking back down the valley...

One can see the line off the once railway.... Tracks were lifted in 1969...


Near the summit of the hill, 557 feet high....

Families were catch,n the "rays".....

Hundreds of trees large and small......

Surround the walking paths.... Chuck in a "hut", there's also a large natural sandpit and mountain bike tracks with jumps. Ryan knows it's a "cool" place...


In the Spring and through the summer....

With all the foliage the walking tracks would be special..... The Bluebells were just starting to break the ground cover....

Back down the hill and...

The village of Horspath appears......


Leaving the walking tracks and following the road......

This large "thatch" is enroute.....


To a place to quench the thirst....

The "Queens Head" pub.... The upward glance is to keep track on Spencers team.... Arsenal playing Liverpool...... and they gave them a "Whupping"...


On the Saturday Leonie and me went on a fire wood replenishing drive. On my daily "Tiki Tours", work related of course I'd spied some logs laying on the road side.
So.....

Stop, pick them up.... the traffic passes at 70mph, no one seems to slow down...... the odd "tosser" blasts the horn......The cars off the road, 2 wheels anyay...


But into.....

The back of the "race tuned" focus goes the wood..... 7 -8 logs by the end .... a good drives work.....

One log was 2 inches to long to allow the tail door to lock shut so we headed off with the tail door down resting on the log. It was only open 2 - 3 inches until we'd travelled 300 yds and joined the "70" club then it blew up vertical. Oh well no use stopping. Gave the "Poms" another lame reason to blow there horns......

  

Catch'n Up.....

A couple of weekends ago we went to visit Fred & Ann who live in, "halfway house", situated halfway up/down the Tardebigge Flight of locks. That's where we met Ann who was out for her morning walk as we made our way up the flight.
Ann & Fred are off to NZ for a holiday in a camper van soon so we visited to catch up and offer some NZ knowledge for their trip.

It turned into a rough day weather wise and inside was the place to be.
The cottage is a couple of hundred years old but very cosy.




The stable door from the canal towpath.....

Opens into the kitchen with the coal / wood range going constantly warming everything and used for preparing the meals....

In the sitting room Fred had.....

Just fired up this burner... for the first time.... Not sure on the settings it got so hot the wall paper behind the fire started to peel....And the paint on the stove done the first time "Burn Off" bringing a slight stinging to the eyes...Worked Great.... After a couple of adjustments to the settings she was all good....

Leonie and Ann.....

Doing a touch of trip planning...

 

So I thought.....

 

I could help too... By getting rid of that Fosters from the fridge... And on the NZ map showing all the outlets where "Tui Beer" can be procured....
Ann Ate All the Chocolates......

Some photo's.....

Of Fred's racing days in the Legendry No, 228.....

Fred is also....

 

An expert on the "Radio Ham" stuff... Late nights talking to mates all over the world... A "Gun"on the morse code as well....   ..--.-...-.---.....-.-.-..---.-.-....- ..
"SOS, the Freak,n canals full to overflowing"......

A most enjoyable day was had... Have an  Ex, trip in NZ...


At the car sales it was time to replace some flags with new ones... They're up high poles...
Spencer said we haven't got a ladder so.....

 

Park the van next to the pole and call it a ladder.... Still to low... I suggested a small plastic stool, from the workshop, placed  on the roof would be ideal.... Really the theory was that being on a slope would see, once stood upon, the stool take off down the roof over the bonnet with Spence as well and a "Great Photo" could result. Even with my promise too hold the stool  "one handed", I needed the other to hold the camera for action, failed to convince him and some more manuvering of the van completed the job.... DDAAMMMM....

 

 

 

Back home in NZ I must say I was an Avid newspaper, of all sorts, reader. Even if I got home from work at 11.30pm I would still read the paper from front to back reading what I had already read in a different news paper during the day at morning and afternoon  tea break. But whilst being on the NB with such a frenetic lifestyle I've broken that habit, well the papers are full of Doom and Gloom anyway. STOP... Whoa  Up There.... That is  is all except One.. The Racing Post....

 

Published everyday but only on my shopping list on a Friday. Now it does cover the UK racing scene but I like it, as well, because it has a good coverage of sports like, Rugby, Golf, the all important  Darts, League and Footy, Cricket over seas etc.

 

Last Friday I was on my way back to the workshop after picking up a car that had been to the garage for a MOT so a slight detour to Sainsburys was the order. My Luck was in, got the last one on the paper stand, probably the last in the whole of Oxford, or even  England. It was a Sh- - of a day so as I left the warmth of the Super Store entry I stuffed the paper up my jacket. Five steps into the car park, huge one, and the bloody paper decided  to coincide with a gale force gust of wind and fall out of my jacket. Well, across the car park, actually along the entry lane in front of the Whole Freak.n store, it blows. Big wind, piss,n rain and I'm doing a steady sprint after it as it unravels. I'm feeling like Melannion  pik,n up Golden Apples the spend I'm moving and the Form I'm showing. Page 26/55, then 7/74, 37/44, I'm reeling them in cos, the puddles are slowing there progress but there's still some gathering speed and my hearts sinkin, remember it's probably the last one in the UK  plus I aint got another two quid. I've almost given up hope of retrieving pages 3/78, 1/80, Christ what's a paper without the Front page when, through the Gloom I see an Angel, well a Pensioner with her trolley full of Sainsbury specials and steadfast standing as still as the Rock of Gibralter, the storm not stopping her from here duty, there's 3/78 wrapped around the offside rear trolley wheel and her foot Firmly Planted on 1/80.... You Bloody Beauty I'm thinking. Then I remembered I'm feeling a little Stupid by all this cos she wasn't the only witness and I'm sort of out of breath because the chase and pillates stuff has covered all of 30 meters. All the pages I've got are in a screwed up pile so I reach down, untwine 3/78 then she lifts her foot to free 1/80. Complete recovery...

"Thanks" I say, then add, " that was a waste of two quid" hoping she wouldn't think I'm too Stupid...

"Shouda put it on a Bloody Horse" she says......

 

I drive back to the workshop......

 

 

 

And here's the paper ready to read... wet and not what you'd call in a "Good Read" format...



John, "Super Mechanic" says....

 

I'll help to dry it out....... Naaaaaa......

Now I know how those people who Restore and Bind  old books must feel....

 

Was a "Hell of a Days Work".......

Headed off to work in the Race Tuned Ford Focus bout 7.20am today, daylight now, and dropped Leonie off at 9.20am, 2 hours,  not moving and crawling along, some "Dick" rolled a van just by our exit off the M40 so it was a 3 mile backlog....
If only I'd taken the bloody "Racing Post" along......

 

Thats How.....

Accidents Happen..

About a week ago while parking in a supermarket car park the hand brake  cable on the car broke.
A new cable was promptly ordered but not fitted as Things got in the way...
So that meant whenever stopped on an incline, like stopping to open the security gates at the boat yard, it meant turning off the motor and leaving the car in gear to hold it from moving forward...

That's no hardship but after 20 - 25 times one looks for a better way or a shortcut.
And so last Friday night after arriving at the first gate at 11.30pm, been to cards, Texas Holdem tournament in Banbury, I went through the turn off the car routine, open the gate and drive through, turn off the car, get out shut the gate, get back in and drive forward to the next gate....

The ground approaching this gate has a lot less incline so using a bit of "Kiwi" logic the pot hole I spied would be perfect to place the RF wheel in to hold the car and I could leave the lights on, great to see the combination padlock, and leave the motor running, what a time saver...

So I'm standing at the gate and just released the padlock when "Whack" what the hells going on..
A crushing of the legs and I'm being pushed from behind into the still fastened gates.
My first thought was someone had attacked me from behind to steal my poker winnings.
If only they'd known the results they'd been better to have robbed a Brail collection box.

Looking down and behind I see this large bumper thing and two headlamps doing there best to get through the gate before me. I'd whacked my wrist on the hole surround where you reach through to lift the steel rod from the ground and luckily the padlock from the sliding bolt was released so when I lifted the rod the gate burst open and me and the car were free....

Geeezz it was cold as, Leonie was asleep with the phone turned off. Worst scenario I could have been there all night, got hypothermia say, and been stiff as and by the morning been no use to anyone.

Just goes to show how stupid accidents can happen with sometimes serious results.
The handbrake is now fixed.

A reenactment shows....

Position of attacking car.... steel bolt across gates which held padlock....



And having.......

To reach through and lift steel rod to release gate.... and car.....


Yesterday was a beauty frost, iced puddles, iced  cars,  and the ground was like a skating rink....
Today was a lesser frost followed by fog.....

At the car yard today....

 

 A transporter arrived with 10  0f the 19 cars brought at auctions last Thursday....

Unloading with the fog around....

Doesn't take long but a degree in Physics to operate the up, down positioning  of the decks to get the cars off would be helpful...

Last Sunday was a blue sky mild day.
I've worked out that every time a piece of wood is burnt on the fire it's one less we have in stock, it's gone, vvaaaammooosshhh, no coming back. So that  means more wood has to be sawn, cut, chopped, whatever.
We had a couple of logs left from when we travelled up from Thrupp, loaded them from the towpath, they'd dried out good.
Also I scrounge pallets from anywhere, theres so many laying around and they are good dry timber easily cut using my recently acquired skill saw. I used to saw them all by hand with a bow saw. Now a pallet is dismembered in about 4 minutes.

So Sunday was the day to...

Cut up the logs.....

And......

Add another pallet to the total.....
I know what you Hilarious people have already said to yourselves....
" wonder how long before he cuts through the power lead"??.....
Hey... I'm not that Stupid.....

The rains returned, good time to hit the sack.......