September 2024.

 

I missed the September Observed Sunday this month because I was still on holiday in Corfu. I am sure I was not missed but my turn to run the shop will be the next Observed Sunday. I was still having fun winding up the grandkids and splashing about in the sea. On one expedition to the beach which was down a steep narrow road only wide enough for one car, two if they are Panda sized there was an unfortunate impasse with another car that meant Gita hit a protruding rock doing damage to part of the right sill. Sounded horrible but we had been insured against such events when taking charge of the car it was covered.

 

There are some really nice sandy beaches in the north of the island. We vacated the holiday home at 10:00 AM for the drive to Corfu Town with a few hours to get to the airport for a 4 PM check-in. The last chance for the shop-a-hollicks to use up the remaining Euros and get some lunch before our flight home. Gita took the car back to the hire place on her own as it was a bit of a distance away for my injured knee to cope with. Isaac, Ivy’s partner took the other Panda back at the same time. The damage was a problem. We were not covered???? 200 Euros in cash was demanded. There was nothing in the paperwork that showed we had any insurance. Just an agreement we were hiring the car. Gita phoned me in desperation. I said pay it. The damage was more than 200 Euros worth. Put it down as part of the holiday. Between Gita and Isaac they found the cash and holiday calm was restored. Buying more stuff in Duty Free was a good salve before getting on the plane. Budget flights don’t serve food anymore even for three hour flights. We munched what we had brought with us from the house to keep us going. Got two taxi’s from Heathrow to get us home. The journey was painless with no major delays to complete a memorable holiday with the grandkids.

There was just enough time to repack and head for Bristol to assist my brother Adrian in getting his 2CV to the workshop for its MOT. This was a trip out to a village near Michinhampton in Gloucestershire. I drove his 2CV and Gita with Adrian lead in the C3 as I could not remember the route. Post Covid memory loss. I had been to the workshop many times in 2019 for work on the van at Country Classics. On the return journey Gita hit a curb going through roadworks. We were going to park up in Nailsworth for a coffee but when we stopped I noticed the front left was deflating. I had seen a tyre place at the beginning of the town and went directly there. I left the car there and then we all went for a coffee at a restaurant with a Fiat 500 on the roof. Returning to the tyre place there was no repair to be had. A split in the side wall made it a new tyre job. All well and good we carried on to Adrian’s’ home in Chipping Sodbury. We were staying a few days partly for the MOT but also supporting Adrian post op while he could not drive. During that time we walked into Sodbury and the local Jazz Club meeting in the Beaufort Arms pub. It was a very enjoyable evening with a particular song about retail therapy in Aldi and Lidl. I also keep buying tools and other sorts of stuff.

Amalfi Restaurtent, Nailsworth

Back home on the Friday to get the Kawasaki ready for its MOT on the Monday. Another visit to Jack Lilleys now West London Triumph. I had an enjoyable MOT wait talking to Peter about motorcycles, life and joining Wey Valley. Another successful MOT. Much of that week was spent cleaning up the garden, A hospital appointment and on the Friday I picked up the much improved Buell from Snobbs. I was pleased to have it back. I used it the next week to go to the new scheduled LE club meeting on the third Tuesday of the month. It was not running right. I thought it was water in the fuel. It got me there and back but I would have to investigate. I did a test ride a few days later and ran out of fuel about a mile from home. It only did 16 miles on reserve and normally it is good for at least 30. My mobile was dying. I could receive calls but not make any. I accosted a passing person and begged to use his phone. Fortunately for me he agreed. Gita came to the rescue. It will be another visit to Snobbs to sort this problem.

I went to Mount Vernon hospital for a swallow test but that had been rescheduled because the machine was being serviced so I have to go again. There is roadworks on the way to Greenford and that is a major traffic problem that affects the A312. I have to go across it up or down it to go anywhere. On the appointment day every road going north to the A40 was filled with traffic that was moving in fits and starts. I did allot of filtering.

We had not seen our son Amit since his trip to India and Gita chose the Thursday of rain and storms to go to Erith near Bexley. A trip around the M25 usually takes about 90 minutes in light traffic. This one took five hours. The weather had caused a number of fatal accidents on the M25 and M26 and a broken down lorry. The motorway closures gave the biggest headache in that the M26/25 was still closed for our return journey that meant an A and B road route to Caterham to get back on the M25 that was open. Things are getting difficult, travel wise, around London. It has not been a good month with cars and bikes for us.

August 2024

                                                           August 2024

 

I write this on holiday in Corfu. The sun is beating down and too hot to be outside at ten thirty in the morning. Corfu is 5 degrees hotter than expected. I am staying with the family in an AirBnB on the north of the island near Astrakeri. A splendid family home with swimming pool included and enough dappled shade from ancient trees creating a very pleasant place to sit and while away the heat of the day. I have been tracking the weather in Hayes quietly smug for the cool days and needed rain that will keep the pots and hanging baskets alive until we return home. We spent a couple days in Corfu town before heading off to Paxos and stayed at the delightful Bathas hotel then headed off to Antipaxos for a day trip by water taxi where I slipped on a concrete causeway between jetty and beach and quite badly hurt my right knee. 

<Paxos                                                                        Antipaxos>                                                   

When   back in Corfu we rented cars to get to Astrakeri. Two little Fiat Pandas just right for these narrow country roads. I dream of whizzing along them on two wheels, a 125 would be adequate, cruising, enjoying the sun, scenery and wind in my hair. I wonder if we could do a club excursion to explore the island? The holiday season starts at the beginning of May and ends in October. May or October would be the better months not being too hot. This brings me round to Observed Sunday at the beginning of the month. There was a reasonable turn out for holiday time. I was on the Kawasaki again as the Buell is still being sorted.

It is nice to have the El Cid back home then drove it to Bristol to see my brother Adrian to show off the all the new hood and fittings and on the car theme news of progress with the van. Developments and manufactured drive shaft from Louis Barbour sent to Ric Pembro who then posted them to me. Ric had to post the parts as timings with holiday and his commitments meant he was unable to deliver them so posting was the only option and I received them in a couple of days. I get so many parcels from that delivery service I am getting to know the delivery lady from Evri quite well.

 I have an 18 kg propane cylinder given to me in an exchange for a 5kg cylinder when the supplier had nothing else. It was so big and heavy it was fine for a static barbeque but too awkward for a mobile gas blow torch. It lasted for years. So long the supplier no longer supplied and FloGas had become computerised and had no record of me. From that experience I have now become a registered customer of FloGas and have an 18kg cylinder on my account. I have now returned an empty cylinder and was provided with some valuable information. The lightweight composite cylinder that I have with a clipfit regulator also contains propane and is available from Home Base has changed my way of thinking about gas cylinders. No longer will I require different fittings for each appliance just change them all to clipfit. This is the modified one for 6mm pipe.

It was the cost of filling the 18kg cylinder about £50 or buying a new 5kg and filling that about £80 or converting everything about £25. It was an easy decision to make.Having fun with the Pandas unfortunately I was unable to drive as I was unable to apply enough pressure to the brake pedal to stop. Gita did all the driving around the north part of the island. I must admit I found  balancing on pebble and shingle beaches challenging but necessary to get in the warm sea which was good therapy for my damaged knee. Such luxury to go to a sandy beach at Agios Stephanos. 

At the Eclipse restaurant overlooking the beach we had an excellent meal but our journey there on our own was exiting.

 Missing a turning at an early stage of phone navigation the resultant route correction turned out to be quite an adventure. A left turn sent us down a deteriorating road where the potholed tarmac disappeared leaving a stoney track. Narrowing to a degree that we were scraping bushes on each side twisting and turning up through olive groves. The track became rutted with rain water gullies. Stones were hitting the underside of the car. Only just enough ground clearance We were climbing still until faced with a wall of lose stones to finally climb off this track onto some tar. Loads of throttle. Front wheels spinning. Stones thrown everywhere as the Panda slowly climbed the wall. This shortcut took about twenty minutes, also sent the pulse racing. We later declined course corrections and preferred to turn back. It was a shame I did not take a video of this, it would have been good. Only a few days left of the holiday but more adventures still to be had but that is for September.