Big Tin Bus » Beer

Age concern.

Keith — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 10:12:16 +0000

When we get up in the morning we have to open the blinds at the front of the van. A signal to our neighbours that we are up and about.

Hot off the press.

Keith — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:19:46 +0000

The wonders of modern technology, the interweb and all that stuff.

Jan reads the digital version of the Daily Express, Keith the Daily Telegraph.

We have just paid our subscription for the Dover Mercury.

We can read them anywhere, providing we have access to the Internet, and it works out a lot cheaper.

One day steam railway!

The locals are revolting.

Keith — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:19:05 +0000

I previously mentioned the toll road, an update. We avoid it, and, apparently,so do lots of other people.

The gantries and associated equipment has come under sustained attack, shot at, set fire to and cables severed. When engineers were dispatched to carry out repairs they too were attacked and needed police protection.

At one point it was estimated that police cars outnumbered other traffic.

The tolls were introduced on the 8th December. Estimated cost of repairs so far €200,000.

It will take a long time to get that back.

Christmas day lunch.

Keith — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 08:31:22 +0000

We had a traditional lunch, turkey, stuffing, roast parsnips and spuds with sprouts and swede. Couldn’t manage the Christmas pud’s. Have them on boxing day.

Sunny side up.

Keith — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:25:09 +0000

You wanted pictures of the sunshine, well here we go. The temperature is bottom right of the time.

We were sat outside reading until four, had to go inside when the temperature dropped to 16.

Hope you feel sorry for us!

Weather.

Keith — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:19:17 +0000

Just to cheer you up, cloudy and showers. 23 degrees in the van.

Post office queue.

Keith — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:17:29 +0000

Do not ever complain about post office queues in the UK, compared to Portugal it is nothing.

Because of an automatic toll system on the motorways we needed a transponder in the vehicles, go to the post office, you can get one there. Tuesday afternoon, queue for an hour, come back tomorrow I will deal it with then said the man. Back we go on Wednesday queue for another hour, got one for the car, told that we do not need one for the motor home?

That’s the abridged version.

A few figures re the journey.

Keith — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:38:59 +0000

Mileage,1,374. Fuel, 325.14 litres. Fuel cost,€460.24 Tolls, €137.78 Total £517.57

We average 4.22 miles per litre, or 18.59 miles per gallon. Sounds a lot, however, when you consider that the total vehicle weight is in the region of 4.8 tonnes and part of the route, particularly through Spain, is very hilly.

Local produce.

Keith — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:00:27 +0000

It came to our attention that cheese was being produced on Shetland, visited the cheese maker, samples were generous.

Bought some, nothing outlandish, just nice.

Wild night.

Keith — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:46:17 +0000

It got very windy last night. We both laid awake listening to the sound of the awning flaping and banging and wondering if it would suffer serious damage. Thank goodness it did not. Thought perhaps we were southern softies, however the locals were commenting on it.

Thank goodness the weather is forcast to improve over the next two days.