So here's the latest on what's going on with the Fister.
Turns out, the Rozzers were at the accident. Yay!
But it was caused by a stolen car. Boo!
However, they did arrest a person at the scene. Yay!
Although he denied everything, and was therefore bailed for 10 weeks. Boo!
But he has subsequently admitted everything, so he is likely to be charged soon. Yay!
But I have to wait til he is convicted before the insurance will go through. Boo!
Although it will not affect my no claims and I will get the whole amount paid. Yay!
Minus my exess of £350. Boo!
Until he is convicted and then I should get that as well. Yay!
But the Fister is a write-off. Boo!
Although the engineer did value it at the same amount as what I paid for it, 10 months ago. Yay!
But I'm now without a car. Boo!
Although I have now bought a replacement. Yay!
OK, that's quite enough panto for now. Yes, my poor Fister is dead and I'm in the process of replacing it with... a white VW transporter.
Yes, that's right, folks - Chez is getting yet another van. This one is white, P reg, diesel and I got it for an absolute bargain price. The plan? Throw a bed, a hob and some cupboards in the back, paint zebra stripes on the outside and head for the hills...
Pics to follow, just as soon as I get them. And as for a name? Well, my previous vans - Fredzilla and Rudy - grew into their names. I'm thinking either Zebedee (if I go for the zebra stripes) or quite simply Dubya. Or maybe von Dubya. Suggestions gratefully received.
Showing posts with label Rudy Van Di Stasi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rudy Van Di Stasi. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Friday, November 13, 2009
Birthday Bonanza!
I've had a great couple of days, which climaxed in a rollercoaster birthday today. I've bought a camper van from Ebay (again. I know. Shut up.) and it's been rather an adventure.
The van - a mighty 2 litre Bedford CF2 in British racing green - was situated in Dover, so I decided to pay a visit to the mighty Tafkass in Folkestone on the way. Buoyed by my good fortune at finding a coach ticket from Plymouth to Folkestone for the paltry sum of £14, I set off on Tuesday morning in good spirits. And the good spirits continued upon my arrival in Folkestone, as we once again raped Taf's whisky collection.
Following a hearty vegetarian breakfast with the Ladies & Gentlemen of the road in Folkestone's finest Wetherspoons, we made our way to my new van. After an emotional goodbye, Taf dropped me off and I picked up my new purchase - the Baron. (so called as I will paint him red and he's empty inside).
Apart from reverse gear being where 1st gear should be (and therefore crunching the gearbox a few times on the way), my journey in the Baron was uneventful. As I reached the M25, my plan had been to drive straight home to Plymouth - but at the last minute, I suddenly decided to turn right to Ipswich instead, and make a surprise visit to my family.
Today was my birthday and it was great to spend it with my family for the first time in many years. And then finally it was time to head home - so I managed about a mile down the road before I suddenly broke down.
Oh no! The horror! For shame, to break down on my birthday! Fortunately, I'd had the foresight to also buy breakdown insurance (with my record on breaking cars and camper vans, it would be suicidal not to) so I called for help.
After the rozzers had nicely towed me off the dual carriageway (fortunately failing to see that my tax had actually run out in May - ahem), the cavalry arrived. Alas! My van was broken and he could not fix it. So he towed me back to the depot, whereupon he confirmed that I was to be towed back to Plymouth.
Down and deflated, I sat in the waiting room - another broken van. Another silly purchase. Another long journey on the back of a tow truck. Harumph. And off we set, some three hours later after I'd originally set off from my parents.
But all was not lost! The man in the van mentioned casually that my van wasn't actually broken - I'd just run out of petrol! And although we'd stuck a bit more petrol in it, the fuel pipe was just blocked with air. He'd cleared the blockage - and drove it onto the back of the tow truck. There was in fact nothing wrong with the van - he just fancied a trip to Plymouth.
Hurrah! So I saved a fair old whack in petrol home (it is a little thirsty on petrol, more thirsty than I had hoped), got back much quicker than the Baron would have done. And it doesn't need fixing.
As for the Baron - sadly, he's not quite wide enough for me to sleep in sideways, and is also a bit petrol-thirsty. So I have decided to kit him out as a proper camper van, get an MOT on him and sell him (hopefully for a considerable profit) back on Ebay.
So, all in all - I was disappointed to find out that the van wasn't really suitable for me and to break down - but all was well in the end. Let's hope that Friday the 13th is a little bit calmer than Thursday 12.
The van - a mighty 2 litre Bedford CF2 in British racing green - was situated in Dover, so I decided to pay a visit to the mighty Tafkass in Folkestone on the way. Buoyed by my good fortune at finding a coach ticket from Plymouth to Folkestone for the paltry sum of £14, I set off on Tuesday morning in good spirits. And the good spirits continued upon my arrival in Folkestone, as we once again raped Taf's whisky collection.
Following a hearty vegetarian breakfast with the Ladies & Gentlemen of the road in Folkestone's finest Wetherspoons, we made our way to my new van. After an emotional goodbye, Taf dropped me off and I picked up my new purchase - the Baron. (so called as I will paint him red and he's empty inside).
Apart from reverse gear being where 1st gear should be (and therefore crunching the gearbox a few times on the way), my journey in the Baron was uneventful. As I reached the M25, my plan had been to drive straight home to Plymouth - but at the last minute, I suddenly decided to turn right to Ipswich instead, and make a surprise visit to my family.
Today was my birthday and it was great to spend it with my family for the first time in many years. And then finally it was time to head home - so I managed about a mile down the road before I suddenly broke down.
Oh no! The horror! For shame, to break down on my birthday! Fortunately, I'd had the foresight to also buy breakdown insurance (with my record on breaking cars and camper vans, it would be suicidal not to) so I called for help.
After the rozzers had nicely towed me off the dual carriageway (fortunately failing to see that my tax had actually run out in May - ahem), the cavalry arrived. Alas! My van was broken and he could not fix it. So he towed me back to the depot, whereupon he confirmed that I was to be towed back to Plymouth.
Down and deflated, I sat in the waiting room - another broken van. Another silly purchase. Another long journey on the back of a tow truck. Harumph. And off we set, some three hours later after I'd originally set off from my parents.
But all was not lost! The man in the van mentioned casually that my van wasn't actually broken - I'd just run out of petrol! And although we'd stuck a bit more petrol in it, the fuel pipe was just blocked with air. He'd cleared the blockage - and drove it onto the back of the tow truck. There was in fact nothing wrong with the van - he just fancied a trip to Plymouth.
Hurrah! So I saved a fair old whack in petrol home (it is a little thirsty on petrol, more thirsty than I had hoped), got back much quicker than the Baron would have done. And it doesn't need fixing.
As for the Baron - sadly, he's not quite wide enough for me to sleep in sideways, and is also a bit petrol-thirsty. So I have decided to kit him out as a proper camper van, get an MOT on him and sell him (hopefully for a considerable profit) back on Ebay.
So, all in all - I was disappointed to find out that the van wasn't really suitable for me and to break down - but all was well in the end. Let's hope that Friday the 13th is a little bit calmer than Thursday 12.
Monday, April 07, 2008
A Scottish Adventure
Just got back from my tour of Scotland and what an excellent time I had. 5,000 kilometres in seven days and it was simply magnificent. On my way up to Scotland, I decided to have a look at the Lake District, which was very pretty. But nothing in comparison to the beauty of Scotland.
I started off at Loch Lomond, which was very pretty indeed. Drove across to Oban and up to Fort William, taking in Ben Nevis on the way. I took in the snow-capped mountains at Glencoe, which were simply staggering. Then across to Loch Ness. Had a look around the Cairngorm mountains, and then took the magnificent road from Fort Augustus to Skye.
At this point, half my exhaust fell off, but Rudy was still driving well (allbeit now sounding rather disconcertedly like a Vauxhall Nova). Had a look around Skye, then took the Wester Ross trail from Lochcarron to Applecross, which was simply stunning. I carried on along the West Highland coast til I picked up the wonderfully fantastic John O'Groats coastal road. Then down the east coast to Inverness, followed by some random zig zagging, to make sure I hadn't missed anything.
Finally, decided to take the scenic route home rather than the motorway, so I came home through Northumberland and the Yorkshire Dales, which were both covered in snow.
A truly fantastic holiday, quite simply the most beautiful place I've ever seen. The southern highlands have got the most beautiful mountains, lochs and trees. The Western highlands are barren and yet awe-inspiring. The north is greener, with beautiful coastlines and beaches. The east is a bit like Cornwall, big seas and green coastlines.
And there was hardly anyone there. A lot of the roads are single track roads, although very well maintained and quite often, I wouldn't see another car for hours. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. I thought I was lucky living in Devon with Cornwall on my doorstep, but the Scottish Highlands are simply magnificent. I will certainly be going back as soon as I can. Photos and videos to follow!
I started off at Loch Lomond, which was very pretty indeed. Drove across to Oban and up to Fort William, taking in Ben Nevis on the way. I took in the snow-capped mountains at Glencoe, which were simply staggering. Then across to Loch Ness. Had a look around the Cairngorm mountains, and then took the magnificent road from Fort Augustus to Skye.
At this point, half my exhaust fell off, but Rudy was still driving well (allbeit now sounding rather disconcertedly like a Vauxhall Nova). Had a look around Skye, then took the Wester Ross trail from Lochcarron to Applecross, which was simply stunning. I carried on along the West Highland coast til I picked up the wonderfully fantastic John O'Groats coastal road. Then down the east coast to Inverness, followed by some random zig zagging, to make sure I hadn't missed anything.
Finally, decided to take the scenic route home rather than the motorway, so I came home through Northumberland and the Yorkshire Dales, which were both covered in snow.
A truly fantastic holiday, quite simply the most beautiful place I've ever seen. The southern highlands have got the most beautiful mountains, lochs and trees. The Western highlands are barren and yet awe-inspiring. The north is greener, with beautiful coastlines and beaches. The east is a bit like Cornwall, big seas and green coastlines.
And there was hardly anyone there. A lot of the roads are single track roads, although very well maintained and quite often, I wouldn't see another car for hours. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. I thought I was lucky living in Devon with Cornwall on my doorstep, but the Scottish Highlands are simply magnificent. I will certainly be going back as soon as I can. Photos and videos to follow!
Sunday, April 06, 2008
My new van
May I introduce you to my new van. In keeping with Japanese naming traditions, it's called a Toyota Master Ace Surf. I was terribly sad to see the back of Fredzilla; And I've done what any self-respecting man would do after a split from a loved one, I've replaced him with a younger and more mobile model.
Rudy at Loch Ness.
Rudy at Skerray Harbour.
He goes by many names; There are some who call him the Silver Surfer. There are some who call him Ace Adventurer. There are some who call him simply Rocky. There are some who call him Tintin, the Hustle from Brussels. There are some who call him Ka'ahele, God of Travel. There are some who call him Camp David. But you can call him... Rudy.*
* For those of you that don't know, Rudy is a character from The Mighty Boosh, a High Priest of the Psyechedelic Monks. His full name is Rudy Van Disarzio, or Rudy Van Di Stasi as my van shall be known.
Rudy at Loch Ness. 
Rudy at Skerray Harbour.He goes by many names; There are some who call him the Silver Surfer. There are some who call him Ace Adventurer. There are some who call him simply Rocky. There are some who call him Tintin, the Hustle from Brussels. There are some who call him Ka'ahele, God of Travel. There are some who call him Camp David. But you can call him... Rudy.*
* For those of you that don't know, Rudy is a character from The Mighty Boosh, a High Priest of the Psyechedelic Monks. His full name is Rudy Van Disarzio, or Rudy Van Di Stasi as my van shall be known.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Time for an Adventure
I'm off to the Scottish Highlands for a week in my new van. No time to post properly, but I hope to post some pictures when I get back. See you all in a week!
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