An RSOLE day......

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It is rather good here, even as I write this managements mum is chatting to her next to me. Nothing in that of course, but these visits are a source of such discomfort, panic and mayhem that I really get to enjoy her plight.

It had been an eventful week as it is, management started the week by washing her credit cards, not such a problem, they didn't do too well in the tumble drier though. this has produced significant financial peace for he who still has a bank card....

But I digress, RSOLES, no not some strange sexual fetish but the Bedford R Series Owners Lovers and Enthusiasts Society. Founded by Greasy Steve, Pyro Payne and me an Rsoles do was always the start of mayhem.

So anyway last Sunday, a bright and breezy day, down the drive came biker Phill. This seemed a perfect time to prepare the fire engines for the new gardening season. Taking Fishguard Belle, up the drive we went, it had been a long time since the crew had done anything so forsaking our usual hydrant we headed for the river. This is a typical RSOLE thing all starts sounding an OK idea and finishes in mayhem....

This was a big lift, 4 lengths of rigid suction and about 20 foot to raise water. The pump was drawing big numbers on the vaccum gauge and all was going well - or so we thought.....

With the fire engine full and spewing out water it was time to haul in the heavy hoses and put it all away. Much sweating later and we set out to reverse out and head for home. This of course is where it all started. One of the less good things about the Green Goddess is the siting of the coil. Tucked behind the engine it seldom gets wet but it's allways warm and subject to full engine vibration. Coils don't like this sort of thing and of course ours took this as it's chance to sulk. Of course I didn't realise this at the time and assumed it was a rerun of the overfueling problem that features in the "if only everything was as reliable as a bedford" clip on you tube.

Fortunately, I managed to roll it back off the road and a major incident was avoided. Off to the pub and phone home for reinforcements to whit the management and the Iveco. Having placated her with beer we went back with the Iveco to attempt repair. Shackling on a second battery did nothing to improove matters, the starter was fair whizing round but sparks were there none.

Still suspecting over fueling we decided to leave it a weee while. Soooo about an hour later back we came to find a small crowd had gathered. Just the point you don't want it to be refusing a jump so obviously.

With the dizy stripped we still had nothing in the sparks department so back together it all went. Best go back and get another GG and drag it home.

Just at that moment arrived the local farmer, on his way to check his fields, well he would have had there not been a rather large green obstacle with a big orange stripe, in his way.

He was pretty impressed with the goddess and took no persuading to go and get his tractor since neither I (Iveco turbo daily) Phil (Jeep) nor he (land rover) fancied seeing what happens when you try to tow a GG full of water (7500KG easy) with their respective trucks.

He went off to get is tractor not long before his mother arrived. She was altogether less impressed and demanded we move the truck, not quite seeming to understand that we would be more delighted than her if it could be persuaded to move at all.

But anyway back came yon farmer and we pulled the GG across the road a little before switching the tow to the front and starting the long drag home.

GG's are nothing if not gregarious and dragging it a few feet with the clutch out in second was enough to persuade the belle to fire up and run like a rolex.

Unfortunately the horn on the belle is not as reliable so I had to resort to the musical horns to get his attention. With the hitch dropped it was time to head for home.

Now of course home was about 600 foot higher and of course the truck was fully loaded and the day was hot and we had stripped the engine covers were all off to get at the engine. Hot is just not one of those words adequate to describe living in that cab. Sitting in a steaming hot gale I started the long process of climbing home.

Everything went well until the belle decided it did not like high range and refused to stay in it poping repeatedly into neutral.

This was really starting to feel like fun. What else could happen to make my joy complete?

Well, at this stage one of the plug leads fell off so now we only had five cylinders.

Fortunately (?????????) this happened very close to home and I had not very far to limp to get the stricken beast back to base.

Phil of course had been back a while by the time I stuttured across the field

Refitted the lead and decided my boat needed a wash......

Thats it then another typical day in the RSOLE


PS. Since then no one son hes decided FB does not look good enough and has stripped most of the paint off the front. Next job - get the paint brush.

R

All this work really does pay off.





New Kitchen!!!

Please agree with me......

R

Credit crunch.

Now, as I said we are in a credit crunch.

Banks have lent irresponsibly, now their birds are coming home to roost and the taxpayer is being expected to bail them out.

Funny that, the banks have historically not been the keenest taxpayers and even now they will take the money, and keep paying out the shareholders.

Thats a good job, heads they win, tails they errr still win.

But anyway, hot on this I got a tele sales on the phone a few days ago trying to sell me a credit card.

So anyway I played along knowing I have already got a good load of credit and thinking, silly me, no one would add to that.

And, today I got offered a credit card with a 5 thousand pound limit, just like that.

I am tempted to take their money, and run.

Rhys

Right in my own back yard

I am incredibly lucky to live where I do.

Well I don't actually live there, that would be a bit damp.


It's funny you know, you can live somewhere for years and not really know it.

Me and er took some time off from car blowing up and kitchen building and went for a walk somewhere we had not been before. Along the Gwaun down towards the sea.

Happened and by pure coincidence there was a pub at the end of the valley.

Credit crunch.....

Aaaaarrrgggghh how is one supposed to live?

Having a week ago paid agressive ammounts off our credit cards then been forced to bully the bank to ignore our overgale so that a new car could be funded, with of course a ferry bill dropping on the mat at the same time.....

We arrived at the situation today that we could not go shoping.

This is the kind of situation that would have your average capitalist bank howling at the public purse to underwrite it's mistakes.

Somehow though the shareholder could not be expected to catch a cold....

But anyway, we have a week in prospect where what is in the freezer is what is on the menu.


Belts will be tightened, hell you would pay for this at weightwatchers......


R

Time..... Can I have some more please?

Where do people get the time to blog?

When I first wrote this I set out with good intentions, I would post something every day; god bless us and dream on.

Even as I sat down to write this I was drawn into chatting to someone from Holland that in reality I barely know but through the internet I have exchanged insults with for a number of years.

But, yet again I digress, the thing is this last few weeks have been a whirl. The kitchen is at last finished, well, no actually it isn't.

Following a blast up the M4 to get the very last bits we needed, we left IKEA with something it turned out we allready had and didn't need and some doors that were the wrong size something I noticed when I came to fit them...

Of course blasting up up to IKEA has in itself been a bit of a problem after she came home and said there was something a bit odd about our Rover 200. Now, it has not been quite right since I took it for a swim in the floods but this was definately more than odd.

Think Red Arrows air display with the smoke on and you are nearly there.

You could either have the car running or see the house.

My original diagnosis had been "injector problem" which I now upgraded to "something serious let go inside the engine". Time to get a new car.

Of course whilst all this was going on, everything else decided to join in. The boiler has not really been cutting the mustard ever since my dear beloved step son "adjusted" it in August. But now it went completely on strike so an engineer was summoned. This in turn generated nearly a whole day at "goodness me" an hour.

But at least with that sorted we could get on and sort the utility room that used to be the kitchen.

The Aga, ahh did I mention the Aga??

That has been pretty emotional since the summer too. An aga is not like your gas stove, it very often does it's own thing. Then again it's even older than me, and there are very few things that are..... The Aga had been on go slow since the summer too, but, get this, when we rearranged the utility room and moved fridges and freezers away it went....

At least that was good news.

The dishwasher decided to join in and sat there sulking an error code. Straight down to get a new one, chose one with a dent and get more machine for your money.

Removing the second washing machine, with 9 of us at one stage we had 2 washing machines. That one went home ages ago but it was holding up a work surface so had stayed where it was so with boiler repaired and the utility room being rejigged we took it away.

What else could go wrong?

We had still to address the transport problem, I spotted a Xantia on eBay and duly arranged to view. Of course buying a car can often be "eased" along by producing a big wedge of cash. I had a figure in mind and duly turned up holding the folding. The vendor, god bless him, declined to deal. So I went home and bought it at auction for 100 pounds less....

Flushed with relief we brought the car home and became aware that the IVECO was spewing water from split water hoses. Oh yes, we have had endless fun.

But we were going to finish the kitchen. All we had to do was fit those skirt panels at the bottom. How to do this was a bit of a mystery and then the penny dropped; all we needed was those bits that she had thrown on the fire because we didn't need them.......

And of course fitting a kitchen has been the real kiss of death to selling the house, not a viewing since.

R