Well a distinct lack of 80s to be seen on that trip, but to say that all we did was go for a little jaunt to Kent, enough happened to put me off leaving the drive again!
Weather was dreadful, but the Terrain tent kept it all out. Really nice. Someone lit a compost heap in a field next to us and when we returned the tent and all our kit reeked of burning rubbish even though it had been pouring down, the fire hadn't gone out.
I got into trouble with the owner as he though I had been washing up under the drinking water tap. For the record, I hadn't.
We got to the only chippy for miles only to read a sign saying that they were doing an order for 100 people and there might be a delay!!
Mrs dropped the fridge lid on my head as I was getting a beer. Look, don't even think that you know something funny to say there. I am warning you.
Then the next morning as we were going to Bodiam Castle on a stretch of dual carriageway, there was an enormous bang. I mean a really big bang and the sound of grinding metal. Nearly lost control of the car into the barriers. I honestly though that we had lost a wheel boys. But it was this:
The bead and the sidewall seem to have parted company. As you can imagine, the wheel took a good scuffing and now looks quite sorry in terms of the nice new powder coating. Ahh well. I mailed Sinton Tyres with the pic and some others. I go an immediate response. They sent the pics to Cooper whose initial comment was that they believed that it had been damaged during fitting. They said that the fitter would be completely unaware of this, but it is the most plausible explanation in their view. They want the tyre back for examination. In the meantime they are replacing the tyre FOC. Regardless of what the cause is, Sinton are sending one out today and Cooper will pick up the bill. Incidentally, come Jan 2011, this tyre will no longer be available in the UK due to some EU nonsense. Unless, Cooper find a solution in the meantime. I may buy another one before then.
Service from Ian at Sinton - first rate. I had to change it there, it couldn't be driven on. I got my hi lift jack, proudly off the roof, put it in the tube and...... Buggger. I was so close to the Armco that I could get the Pitman to engage. After several ideas, I got the OE jack out. Useless bloody things.
Weather still awful. Went to Dover Castle for the day, got back into truck and at the first roundabout there was a terrible crash as the end of one of the ratchet straps on the roof, tried to come through the rear window. This strap was holding a ladder on top. With a rack including tent etc, I found that a loft ladder with some mods is a really useful piece of kit that just makes life easier. It had gone. No, it didn't fall off. Someone had made off with me ladder! There is no way that the strap came undone. It was not hanging off the car when we returned, but we didn't look on the roof at that point. As the strap went through the ladder it would have taken some sort of phenomenon for it to come off and leave the strap on. The ratchet strap had been replaced and shortened to hook (badly) onto the rack. We all remarked later how we'd looked off the battlements, seen the car and remember (subliminally) that the ladder was not on the top. Well, at least they left the rest of the gear. It's a new one on me - a ladder fetish.
For some reason the fridge decided that it didn't want to work on gas halfway through. Will have to look into that one. Maybe low pressure. Then the leisure batter powering the inverter dropped to the point where the battery protection system cut in. Of course I didn't need to protect the battery as it's not a starter. I haven't wired in the charging system yet. So I had to keep using jump leads to top the battery up to a level that the inverter stayed on.
Well that's my traveling done. Anyone want to buy a Land Cruiser?
Hah, not a chance. I haven't even got going yet. Got to get the drawers in and the power and lighting and I shall be back.
C