Sunday, 11 May 2014
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
Spring clean and slight set-back
Little did I know that it would take over 7 hours and leave me with some rather interesting tan lines, not to mention a new (and healthy) fear of step ladders!
Have to admit, I really hadn't realised just how dirty the van had got. The lake district mountain driving escapade had left muddy tracks up the side of the van and there was a surprising amount of oil just under the front grill (I suspect left over from the overheating drama and radiator work). The roof was also very dirty....dirty enough to write your name in! Which was incidentally how I nearly fell off the ladder so no pictures unfortunately.
Luciky with the help of Kat bringing me tea and cold drinks, the supervision of the dog having a snooze in the van and Sarah pointing out bits I'd missed, the whole van not only got scrubbed clean but also a lovely coat of polish.
Getting up close and personal with the paint out did point out a couple of interesting facts. Given the number of weld marks around the roof, and the fact that under the white is is the same green as the tailgate, I'm pretty certain this isn't the original roof.
Also the front grills appear to be held on by hope and rust, how the RAC guy got them back on is beyond me. Tried to tidy them up anyway and without the moss growing in them I think they look quite good!
As well as the outside, spent a bit of time sorting out the cupboards as the previous arangement meant we blocked the tea cup cupboard with the bed, very annoying when you want to make hot choc last thing at night. I also modified one of those Ikea wardrobe accessories to make a wardrobe in the back cupboard. Quite pleased with that one!
So the only thing left to do was to take Dougie on a drive to show him off. Saturday night I popped round to the Tates for a BBQ and discovered that more of the dash lights are non-functional. The clock still works, and is set to the right time (so it has one up on the Ibiza!). Had a some starting issues, engine would turn over then take AGES to catch.
I should have sensed the impending doom at this point...
So on Sunday Sarah suggested we should take the van for a drive. (Déjà vu??) Anyway the van didn't start for about half an hour. This is all that happened:
So given my extensive knowledge of the also things old and crotechty, I suggest we walk the dog and try again later. So we did, and he started second time.
All good. Right? RIGHT?
Nope.
To my credit, I did not panic. Even though I was at traffic lights. Blocking everyone turning right.
Luckily using a combination of a wrench and my dads foot we manged to get second gear and all the way home. All 2 miles of it. And you know what? We didn't have to stop once. Phew.
Sunday, 27 April 2014
The garden (work in progress)
The garden
View of Toms pots
The raspberry bush
Mangetout and courgette
Flowers
View of Toms pots
The raspberry bush
Mangetout and courgette
Flowers
The bench of sunshine (this is where I have been sat writing this blog post!)
Indoor planting
Herb garden
Wednesday, 23 April 2014
A weekend by the river
A weekend in the lakes
Given that Dougie no longer has that embarrassing horn problem, we decided it was high time we went on an actual camping trip!
The Plan
The aim was to drive up to the lake district to Stonethwaite, pick a camp site then settle in and wait for some climbing buddies to turn up on the Saturday.
So we got up early on Friday, hot footed it back to Sandbach, packed the van, checked the fluids and set off.
It actually worked out pretty well!
Got onto the M6 and settled in to the Easter traffic, had a humorous race with a green T4 (first to 10 miles an hour) and generally relaxed in the lovely sun spotting all the lovely buses stick in the tailback going south. First stop was just after Lancaster. We had managed 60 miles in 2 hours.
But from then on the traffic lightened and Dougie chugged up to a respectable 55mph. We even over took a caravan!!
Now were hadn't really realised this before but the motorway is very, very bumpy. Especially in the slow lane. Luckily duct tape was on hand to save the day.
We eventually pulled off the motorway and had a quick pitstop at Keswick. As we needed to pick up some last minute goodies this meant we had to stop. Which meant parking. Now normally this would be the stuff of nightmares but somehow we (I was driving but Tom was providing the eyes) got reversed into the last parking space in the town center. I was amazed. Dougie behaved perfectly. I think he was surprised too as couldn't resist a little bit of squeaky horn action in celebration. I really wish I had remembered a photo!
Mountaineering/Off-road
The very narrow road past Borrowdale then led to the tiny village of Stonethwaite and the first campsite of choice. We arrived only to be told it was full. Now this was fine as there was a back-up site round the corner but the access was described as "a bit tricky." When I asked how bad, the campsite owner replied "Well I wouldn't try taking my bus up there".
This next bit I will gloss over. We made it. Despite having to reverse down a mountain (no I am not joking), scrape through a rocky gap (only the wheel arch, and only a little bit) and ford a river (stream) we made it. It took me a fair while to calm down after than.
Luckily dinner helped!
Beefburgers topped with goats cheese, lamb and mint burgers then ember roasted sweet potato with a bottle of vine. Ahhhh. And just in time to enjoy the sunset.
We settled in for a lovely night (if quite chilly night) with the view of the stars from the back window and a mug of cocoa.
Poo sticks and climbing
I find the easiest way to wake yourself up in the morning is to jump out the van and discover your flip-flops are frosty. It's an experience and causes me to pull a rather alarming face.
On the plus side, the hob in the van means once you have dashed to the toilet block you can return to bed and hot porridge. See how happy Tom is?
Following this hearty breakfast we set off to explore past the campsite. We wandered though Langstrath valley in search of the landmarks written on our handmade map of climbing spots.
Turns out we could follow a map! Having scouted out some potential climbing boulders (and a swimming spot for later in the year) we collected some firewood and headed back to have some lunch while waiting on the other guys arriving. We also attempted to play poo sticks under one of the bridges but alas the water was running pretty slow. I think I lost by default as my stick got stuck in a eddy and technically ended up upstream!
We met up with a couple of guys from RockOver and spent the afternoon chasing the sun and doing a wee bit of bouldering. Then BBQ and watching the sun sink behind the mountains surrounding the valley.
The next morning we unfortubately had to be up and moving pretty quickly in order to make it home for lunch. To my eternal delight, Dougie started off pretty much first time!
Unfortunately though we ran in to a slight hiccup one the way home. Basically every couple of minutes the van would loose all power. Not so helpful on the hills. So quick googling on Toms part and we came up with the hypothesis that the fuel filters were probably blocked with crude from the fuel tank that got stirred up when we went off road. Needless to say it made the drive a bit more interesting but we did make it home in one piece. still grinning.
We I was, Tom fell asleep!
Given that Dougie no longer has that embarrassing horn problem, we decided it was high time we went on an actual camping trip!
The Plan
The aim was to drive up to the lake district to Stonethwaite, pick a camp site then settle in and wait for some climbing buddies to turn up on the Saturday.
So we got up early on Friday, hot footed it back to Sandbach, packed the van, checked the fluids and set off.
It actually worked out pretty well!
Got onto the M6 and settled in to the Easter traffic, had a humorous race with a green T4 (first to 10 miles an hour) and generally relaxed in the lovely sun spotting all the lovely buses stick in the tailback going south. First stop was just after Lancaster. We had managed 60 miles in 2 hours.
But from then on the traffic lightened and Dougie chugged up to a respectable 55mph. We even over took a caravan!!
Now were hadn't really realised this before but the motorway is very, very bumpy. Especially in the slow lane. Luckily duct tape was on hand to save the day.
We eventually pulled off the motorway and had a quick pitstop at Keswick. As we needed to pick up some last minute goodies this meant we had to stop. Which meant parking. Now normally this would be the stuff of nightmares but somehow we (I was driving but Tom was providing the eyes) got reversed into the last parking space in the town center. I was amazed. Dougie behaved perfectly. I think he was surprised too as couldn't resist a little bit of squeaky horn action in celebration. I really wish I had remembered a photo!
Mountaineering/Off-road
The very narrow road past Borrowdale then led to the tiny village of Stonethwaite and the first campsite of choice. We arrived only to be told it was full. Now this was fine as there was a back-up site round the corner but the access was described as "a bit tricky." When I asked how bad, the campsite owner replied "Well I wouldn't try taking my bus up there".
This next bit I will gloss over. We made it. Despite having to reverse down a mountain (no I am not joking), scrape through a rocky gap (only the wheel arch, and only a little bit) and ford a river (stream) we made it. It took me a fair while to calm down after than.
Luckily dinner helped!
Beefburgers topped with goats cheese, lamb and mint burgers then ember roasted sweet potato with a bottle of vine. Ahhhh. And just in time to enjoy the sunset.
We settled in for a lovely night (if quite chilly night) with the view of the stars from the back window and a mug of cocoa.
Poo sticks and climbing
I find the easiest way to wake yourself up in the morning is to jump out the van and discover your flip-flops are frosty. It's an experience and causes me to pull a rather alarming face.
On the plus side, the hob in the van means once you have dashed to the toilet block you can return to bed and hot porridge. See how happy Tom is?
Following this hearty breakfast we set off to explore past the campsite. We wandered though Langstrath valley in search of the landmarks written on our handmade map of climbing spots.
 |
| The view back to the campsite, its just round the bend in the river. |
 |
| Black Moss Pot, a haven for skinny dippers |
 |
| Our spot |
We met up with a couple of guys from RockOver and spent the afternoon chasing the sun and doing a wee bit of bouldering. Then BBQ and watching the sun sink behind the mountains surrounding the valley.
The next morning we unfortubately had to be up and moving pretty quickly in order to make it home for lunch. To my eternal delight, Dougie started off pretty much first time!
We I was, Tom fell asleep!
Sunday, 13 April 2014
Weekend DIY
The past couple of weekends have found Tom waking up very early on a Saturday morning and requesting we take 'quick' trip to B&Q. This is because he has 'ideas'. These then turn into 'projects'. Then amazing things happen.
With the help of one pallet gifted to us by my dad and another acquired from a bin at university, a large number of screws and a lot of sanding, the bench was born!
The Battering Ram
Tom's second project started as an indoor climbing wall but had to be downscaled once we actually looked at how much room we had. Not got all the photos at the moment but it is basically a could of planks of wood with proper climbing holds mounted to the underneath. The idea is it will make us both amazing climbers (more so because you now have to climb under it to get into my room).
Pallet Bench
The first project, and the one I have to say I was most excited about, was making a bench to fit inside the archway in our tiny back yard. (Also Tom has pointed out that this way my 'idea' so I get the blame)
With the help of one pallet gifted to us by my dad and another acquired from a bin at university, a large number of screws and a lot of sanding, the bench was born!
Basic design involved cutting one pallet in half (to form the bottom and the back) then cutting another pallet in quarters to provide the legs and extra boards to make it look nice.
My main job was sanding, but I got a bit bored and started planting things instead (more on that later)
 |
| As you can see it's nice and sturdy! |
The Battering Ram
Tom's second project started as an indoor climbing wall but had to be downscaled once we actually looked at how much room we had. Not got all the photos at the moment but it is basically a could of planks of wood with proper climbing holds mounted to the underneath. The idea is it will make us both amazing climbers (more so because you now have to climb under it to get into my room).
 |
| Tom demonstrating how it works |
 |
| Alex demonstrating how not to use it |
As well as the DIY we luckily had enough sun to break out the first BBQ of the year. Burgers and sausages for all!
Tuesday, 4 February 2014
A few bike repairs
After having a very near miss with a broken derailleur and a chain wedged between the wheel and the road, I finally got round to fitting a new derailleur. Also Shimano quick links are NOT QUICK!
 |
| Before.... |
 |
| ...and after! |
Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Calamity Strikes!
Last weekend headed down to Portishead to visit the grandparents. Opa was a little sad that we didn't turn up in the 'Yellow Peril' (apt name, will explain later) but at this point I still didn't know if the heating worked!
Had a lovely time, consumed a rather large amount of food and the weekend was finished off by this amazing vanilla panna cotta with raspberry coulis and controversial grated chocolate.
Now fast forward to Sunday evening, as the TV offering was pretty lacking the decision was made to try and get the van started. The ultimate aim was to fill up with diesel and add a cleaning additive to cut through some of the gunk in the tank. So after jump starting the van (as the van battery had completely given up the ghost) we drove to Stoke, setting off at about 7:15pm.
Good Points:
1. Managed to get heating! Basically played with the many toggles and had hot air flowing round the cab.
2. Van sat at 55mph (by sat nav) all the way to Stoke with no complaints.
3. Filled up with fuel and started first time.
BUT....
Upon leaving the petrol station I spotted that the engine was running very hot and the coolant light was on.
Tentatively drove back onto the dual carriage way and the engine starts to cool. Phew we thought.
We were wrong.
Suddenly the temp starts to rise and we loose all heat to the cab. Dropping down to 35mph we limp to the lay by at the end of the road and Sarah points out there there is smoke coming out of the engine bay.
I pull over very quickly.
Having heard of all the scary stories involving fire and camper vans we clear out the stuff form the back and open the engine bay. I'm stood at a safe distance with the fire extinguisher. Luckily at this point Dad points out that it's steam. Tension wound down a notch.
Once the steam cleared it was time to investigate the engine. Sadly I didn't take any photos so you will have to take my word for it. Discovered that although the filler tank (?) was full, the other tank was pretty much empty. Probing the hoses connecting the two identified a pipe which wasn't attached to anything. First guess was a clip had come loose and the hose had come off. Luckily we had a cable tie so reattached until a proper metal clip could be added on.
Next stage was to try and start the van. Nope. Nothing. Nada. Not a peep from the starter motor. Fearing the worst a call was made to the RAC. We were advised there may be a 3 hour wait. It was at this point that I realised that draining the water from the sink system meant we couldn't even have a cup of tea :(
While waiting for the RAC man we attempted to start the van using the leisure battery. Partial success, got the engine to turn over (so starter motor worked) but not enough to start the van.
Which, it turns out, was a good thing.
RAC man turns up at about half 9 and promptly declares he used to have a T25! Anyway properly connects the pipe, fills up the bottle and bleeds the radiator. At this point there is a little bit of a silver lining, no rust under the front grill! Possibly the only part of the van that isn't. Sadly a check on the coolant revelled the presence of oil.
At this point my heart sank. Having previously wrote off 'The Pig' due to blowing a head gasket and ruining the engine I got pretty upset.
But it wasn't as bad as I thought, I had missed the word 'leaky' from the sentence and the RAC man assured me it was a 4 hour job to just change the seals. So the rest of the engine should be OK. Managed to limp home and hugged the dog for comfort. Back to Manchester by 2am. Ouch.
Had a lovely time, consumed a rather large amount of food and the weekend was finished off by this amazing vanilla panna cotta with raspberry coulis and controversial grated chocolate.
 |
| YUM |
Good Points:
1. Managed to get heating! Basically played with the many toggles and had hot air flowing round the cab.
2. Van sat at 55mph (by sat nav) all the way to Stoke with no complaints.
3. Filled up with fuel and started first time.
BUT....
Upon leaving the petrol station I spotted that the engine was running very hot and the coolant light was on.
Tentatively drove back onto the dual carriage way and the engine starts to cool. Phew we thought.
We were wrong.
Suddenly the temp starts to rise and we loose all heat to the cab. Dropping down to 35mph we limp to the lay by at the end of the road and Sarah points out there there is smoke coming out of the engine bay.
I pull over very quickly.
Having heard of all the scary stories involving fire and camper vans we clear out the stuff form the back and open the engine bay. I'm stood at a safe distance with the fire extinguisher. Luckily at this point Dad points out that it's steam. Tension wound down a notch.
 |
| Note steam. |
Next stage was to try and start the van. Nope. Nothing. Nada. Not a peep from the starter motor. Fearing the worst a call was made to the RAC. We were advised there may be a 3 hour wait. It was at this point that I realised that draining the water from the sink system meant we couldn't even have a cup of tea :(
While waiting for the RAC man we attempted to start the van using the leisure battery. Partial success, got the engine to turn over (so starter motor worked) but not enough to start the van.
Which, it turns out, was a good thing.
RAC man turns up at about half 9 and promptly declares he used to have a T25! Anyway properly connects the pipe, fills up the bottle and bleeds the radiator. At this point there is a little bit of a silver lining, no rust under the front grill! Possibly the only part of the van that isn't. Sadly a check on the coolant revelled the presence of oil.
At this point my heart sank. Having previously wrote off 'The Pig' due to blowing a head gasket and ruining the engine I got pretty upset.
But it wasn't as bad as I thought, I had missed the word 'leaky' from the sentence and the RAC man assured me it was a 4 hour job to just change the seals. So the rest of the engine should be OK. Managed to limp home and hugged the dog for comfort. Back to Manchester by 2am. Ouch.
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| NO RUST!! (honest) |
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