HETTY HAS HAD AN OVERHAUL …BY THE DRIVER

Day 3

9th April

Last nights free sleepy spot

(50.4714620, 4.0895460) on the Canal du Centre Belgium 🇧🇪

Miles traveled today 276

Total miles 775

Fuel fill in Luxembourg 1.09 per Litre

The Driver has a big smile on his face

Today’s weather mixed

Not much for The Cook to blog about so here’s one he prepared earlier from The Driver

Hettys winter maintenance and improvements.

She is getting an old girl now with a few wrinkles creaks and groans (No not The Cook).

I have spent a little time getting her back up to standard

1. A sliding catch on the large drawer which occasionally bounced open…best brass of course.

2 The original plastic knife and fork drawer has been gaffered back together too many times ….. I decided to make a new plywood drawer with new runners and surprisingly with the original utensil tray fitted its was no heavier than the original and now bomb proof.

3. The light over the kitchen sink has always been a bit dim even more so since one of the mini fluorescent tubes gave up the ghost . A trawl through EBay located a suitable LED lamp A surprise from Poland and postage free.

4 The clock over the sink had a loud tick ✅ tock and as it needed a new battery I located one on eBay with no tick and 2 batteries which can be hard to find anyway …Result.

4 The Cook has always commented about toilet smells . I have purchased a toilet duck and fixed it just by the flush spout . Now a lovely odour permeates the bathroom.

5 We are heading into the Alps this trip.. New snow tyres have been fitted.

6 Last but not least a window vacuum was purchased so no soggy cloths or damp chamois any more…Just a light buzzing and tip the water down the sink …It’s fabulous.

Plus it’s got a fitting just the right size for our Georgian window panes at home …The window cleaner sacked us as it was too much work for him. So it’s paid for itself due to 20 years of his fees not spent.

Hettys annual service and MOT included a Track Rod end …Breaks and a new bearing

More tomorrow as The Driver has plumbed The Hymer factory into Miss Sat Nav .. Off our route but Hey Ho …🤪

HETTY GOES FROM THERE TO HERE

There was Rouen

Here is La Reine St Maure

Free with water and black water emptying …Sleepyspot GPS 47.1108 0.61611

Again don’t try to get into this sleepyspot after 4pm it’s now packed with Camping cars from France

Another 400km under our belt on a VERY boring route ..The driver entered the realm of M WAY driving NOT tolls but long monotonous straight roads with not many towns .. or villages for me to ohhh and eerrr about .. Another dank dark day of agricultural landscapes..crops of sunflowers..ready for harvest..not yellow and sunny but brown and sad ..more white cow including plastic one .. yes you read correctly PLASTIC cows … WHY ? I don’t know but I want one

We toured the outskirts of TOURS seeing the cathedral in the mist .. It’s massive …stood out like a ship in full sail..

I have devised a new category for this blog because I was so bored with the journey.. It’s called “Interesting but useless Information”

Today’s “Interesting but useless Information” started with road works

John is a civil engineer (Retired) and knows a lot about roads

Today’s roadworks had orange fences by the works .. I ask are these Newt fences …Ecological .. to protect Newts .. I then wanted to know if there is a fermentation the Newts drink to get pissed as in “Pissed as Newt ” Google it The Driver says So here goes .. A Newt was the name gives to a young ensign aged about 12 years old who signed on Nelson’s ships who couldn’t handle the rum ration and became pissed as a NEWT.. AS PISSED AS Google’s explanation