Bits & Pieces.....

A couple of three weeks ago we were ready to head to work at usual 7.20am to be greeted by a cold foggy morning. So being clever I started the car to use the heater to warm the interior, as I've done several times previous, and returned to lock the boat as Leonie stepped ashore.

Returning to the car to seat ourselves in the warmed interior it was a Cold surprise to find the Freaking central locking had locked all the doors.

I've broken into dozens of cars after mostly women have locked the car with the keys in the ignition and hand bag on the front seat, but the lack of  breaking and entry tools available and the fact the Ford Focus doesn't  have any "Knobs" to Grab  with a wire made a controlled entry impossible.



Using an unsuitable.....

Length of wire and trying to release the locking mechanism...


Same wire.....

Different angle...... same result...... Negative......


After about 20 minutes trying and of course the conscious saying " don't be late for work, you love going to work"......

The decision was made......

Smash the rear side window and get in...... Using the "Mooring Pins" hammer it surprisingly took 5 -6 good hits to break.....

Took another 15 mins, to clean up the shattered glass. The larger pieces inside and all that covered the car park.

It was a frosty trip the ride to work for two reasons.
1.. the cold air entering through the missing window at 75mph on the motorway...
2.. and apparently it was all my fault....

A glass was procured from a dismantlers for 20 quid and I fitted myself. The ride home was much warmer....


The Great Western Arms pub next door is always busy and very busy on weekends....

Serve top food and....

 

The car park will over flow with Top cars.... a couple of Porches....


And a classic....





1930.s Wolseley Hornet.....


And the patrons cars.....

Over flow to park in the boat yard beside the canal...


It was a Typical.....

 

 

UK stunning day......


At work one day.....

Getting in some practice for a Drive in Movie.....

Went for a drive with Spencer to get some race gear, helmet, balaclava, gloves and a Hans device to stop the neck stretching and the brain disengaging should one have the bad luck to crash heavily....

Our destination......

Silverstone race track.... It's a huge industrial park with all types of business's connect to race products...


There was also....

A Lotus car dealership on site....

One of the purchased items....

 

A very nice Bell helmet.... no change out of 500 "nika"... that's after the negotiated discount....


I've been back doing a little at the panel and paint shop.
The spray painter had just finished.....

Another Air Brush job for a motor cyclist.....

The Spyder Man effect looked good.....

The black triangular pattern on the red base was sprayed over the "Missus" stretched over stockings.... She had taken them off......  ( the white lines are not on the helmet of course..)

 

The pattern in the eyes was also a stretched fabric sprayed over.....

Blue Skies...

Been doing the same ol, work Mon, to Fri, and taking it easy on the weekends.
The weathers been really settled and warm with 18 - 19 Celsius a couple of Sundays ago.
Saying that and the last to days have been cold with some showers and tonight of all things the forecast is for light snow between 10pm an midnight....
Driving home tonight there was crap weather and slushy snow was falling for a short time....

Two Saturdays ago we moved the boat, first time since 1st November. Out of our berth to the other side of the canal then reverse 75yds to the diesel pump for a fill up. 157 litres later we moved back to moor up, exhilarating. It did feel good to actually steer the NB and counting down till we get back continuos cruising, about 4 weeks....

Have down the regular maintenance things on the hull and engine departments
I'll be doing some painting on the hull when the boat is out of the water for hull blackening here at Walker Services, Aynho.....



Moving for diesel.....

Leonie holds the bow from the opposite tow path as it's a tight spot to turn in....

After filling up.....

Reversing back to our mooring...


Next day, Sunday there were some Chore to do....

Cleaning the chimney.... Don't actually know why I put my hand down to clear the joiner/collar on the roof top as the upper section lifts off....


Next was......

The chimney brush.... plenty of soot... Look at the blue skies.....


Nice days can be.......

 

Preceeded with a heavy fog and we had 3 days of driving to work with limited vizz.....
Leonies work place ..... 5 stories shrouded in fog...when she gets out of the car I just point and say... that way....

One of Leonies work colleagues was moving to another division within the company so....

Making chocolate eclairs was in order....

The Cheltenem jumps racing carnival took place over 4 days, Tuesday to Friday and was on free tv so...

Dave brought along a telly to work and placed on the wheel balancing machine.... first the study of form....

And then.....

The Winner is confirmed.... Hohoho... Money for Jam......


A couple of weeks ago I went with Spence to the auction at Measham, north of and between Birmingham and Leicester.
There was a large listing of reposed  caravans, 60 -75, and motor homes, about 25- 30.
We bid on a couple of caravans with the thought of sending them back to NZ to make a dollar, Spence already has, but weren't successful.
The motor homes were newer models, up to 2012, and better condition than I expected. Some only had 5 - 8 thousand miles on the clock.


Cars go through the sales rostrum one about every 30 seconds so you gotta be on the ball if one takes your fancy...

The sales drive through....

When I stepped forward to take this photo the auctioneer actually stopped takeing bids, stopped the whole show, and Bellowed Out.... "No Photos Right Here".... everyone starred. Talk about feeling "Stink"....

Spence brought a Nissan double cab ute and a ford Focus and we drove one each back to Oxford..

A selection of some of the motor homes up for sale......

The top price for one of these was about 26,000 quid.... I reckon most went for 8 -12 thousand below retail...

I was working at the panel shop last week for a couple of days. Next door is a guy who does rust repairs, welding etc. Some dude who had been in that workshop, he was riding a 90cc step through motor bike and was an old bastard about 50 something, sees me and bowls into the panel shop just as I'm about to change a sandpaper sheet on an inline air sander. There's no "Gidday, kiss my arse" or any of that he just says
" How long does that paper last  and what make is it?". Then he reaches out and grabs the used paper from my hand..
I'm thinking, What The.....
"Bout a week this paper" I answer and tell him the make of paper.
"I'm gonna get some" he says and turns and walks out.. Suppose he could have stabbed  me or something as well...
( the paper lasted a week because it sat on the shelf all week. Last about 3 minutes on the machine... Dohhh.)


Passed this on the A34 the other day...

Returning to base after a service??... the Options are endless....

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.....