Molly :(

Molly is still not back from the repair shop. I called today to see how she was getting on after the warranty work had been completed.

The warranty claim they had put through for the rooflight has been approved and they have ordered it from their suppliers. Lucy in the workshop admin was going to get back to us today with an update.

She knows that we are going to France on the 31st August....

Fingers crossed

Staycation - Dungeness Nature Reserve & Railway

Another staycation day between showers to take advantage of the dry weather that appears between them!

Molly the Moho is still at the dealers and so we are in the car again.  It's about a 25 mile round trip to Dungeness.  This is officially a desert.  I kid you not.

We had a walk on the shingle to the Polish Airmen's Memorial and then walked back to the station to have tea and wait for the last train of the day to arrive.

Luckily, when the train arrived it didn't hoot the horn.. If it had, Reggie would have gone mental. Instead he ignored the sound of it wheezing into the station.

Claire took a couple of photos on her phone.  Today the Sony A300 was left at home.....

The "New" Lighthouse

Staycation - White Cliffs of Dover

With Molly the Moho being in the dealers for some warranty work and a (possible) repair to the damage to the rear bumper, we are having to staycate in the car.

It also means that we can go away for a few days and so are based at home. The weather has been really poor. The "Mediterranean Climate" we were told to expect in the South of England as a result of climate change hasn't arrived. Instead we have had some really hot periods but not that long and wetter summers.

July 2023 has been the 6th wettest on record....

So this week we have been out between showers and some torrential rain where we can. Today we took a short drive to the White Cliffs of Dover to walk the dog and to have a look at Dover Harbour. The harbour under the white cliffs themselves.

I dug out Claire's Sony A300 DSLR and charged the battery. It seems a shame to let it sit unused in the case.  I had to format a 4gb compact flash card to get it to work, and a few test shots were fired off in the garden to make sure it was all systems go.

We had a coffee and a walk.  Despite signs saying it is illegal to fly a drone over the port area, there was a guy doing exactly that. A warden went off to locate him.  Maybe they need a jammer up there. I doubt they would get away lightly in another country...

We arrived home just in time for the rain to start again.  By then Reggie was tired enough to not need to go out again!

France on the horizon

Me caught almost unawares!

Langdon Cliff

Molly Warranty Work & Damage Estimates!

Molly has been at JC Leisure in Rye for almost a week and I dropped them an email today to see how they are getting on with the warranty work and the estimate for the damage to the bumpers.

I am quite happy to hold my hands up and admit that the damage and hole (!) in the left rear corner was entirely my fault. 

At the campsite in Chataigneraie on June 9th, I was a little flustered as we had tried to get on a pitch and due to the ground being wet, the wheels had spun a little and we went to look for another. Backing in, I hit the rear corner on the hedge and thick branch cracked the bumper. To tell the truth I was sick to my stomach at the damage. We had only had the moho just over two months!

So I knew that we would need to get it fixed as some stage.  What I didn't expect though was to come back to the van on the way home through France to find that someone had run into the right rear corner! There was signs that it had been bumped and repaired before but now it was cracked again. It was also covered in black paint or maybe rubber, on the bumper and up the corner trim. There was also another crack halfway across the right side between the number plate and that corner!

Today I got an email from JC to say that the warranty work has mostly been done. They didn't expand on that.

As well as a few small bits like the driver's side blind that had a broken runner, the door hinge missing a bolt, the awning rafter fitting at the top that had fallen out the first time we used it, plus the squeaking of the works when winding out.... I mentioned that when lying in bed we can see that there is a damp stain to the front of the forward rooflight.  It's dry and there doesn't seem to have been any further ingress. 

In France we had been caught in some monsoon like rain and nothing appeared to have come in. we were probably driving at 40mph on one stretch when the wipers were just coping! One night it was raining and water was dripping from the front edge onto the bed. I dried it with a cloth and it seemed the gutter was overflowing.  I checked the rubber seal and it wasn't seated properly.  Next day I climbed up in the step and checked it was in the right place.  I mentioned this and in the email today JC have put in a warranty claim for a new rooflight! Gulp.

I emailed back and said to go ahead with the bumper fixing and let us know when we can have Molly back as we are away again on August 31st - France again!

Fingers crossed.

Dometic Windbreak Support Poles!

Last year just before we went away to France in June, Claire ordered a windbreak from Amazon. 

It wasn't that expensive and when the package arrived there were two in the box. We were sure the order was for one. When contacted Amazon just said keep it the duplicate.  I guess it was more than they wanted to pay to have it returned.

So we have two. One has never been used and we have tried using one a few times! Perhaps I should see if I can sell it on eBay?

As you can see from the photo, the first time we used it it went up really well.  The guy ropes held the poles up nice and tight. That was the only time it worked!  In anything but grass and/or firm ground the pegs don't stay in the ground, letting it sag. As a result we gave up on it.

So imagine my interest that peaked when I saw a Dometic Air windbreak that had metal poles and instead of tie downs made of string/rope, metal support poles! 

I almost dribbled like Homer Simpson looking at a Krusty Burger.... BTW. Who would buy a burger from a clown! Madness eh?

I forgot all about it and then when we were away at Mersea Island and I took Reggie for his pee break I saw another one with the same adjustable metal supports instead of the ropes. It looked more sturdy.

So I had a look on the internet and couldn't see anyone selling them separately to the Dometic Air windbreaks. There was one seller on Amazon though, selling them at £45 a pair plus delivery.... Not Prime! So I let it slide again.

Then this week I tried another search, this time copying and pasting the description from Dometic's website and the internet revealed lots of sellers at a variety of prices.  Type in the right search and get the answers you want!

After some research into all the sellers prices and delivery options I have ordered two sets at £27.50 each. A set contains two support poles.  

As we only have three panels and four upright poles this should suffice.  I already have a new set of hard ground pegs that should cope with holding them in place.  And of course, I have the 24oz mallet,  I named "Knee Capper" on the last few Staycations, to bang them in!

All we need now is a motorhome to go away in!