Sert Day 14

Pouring Down The Finishing Straight.

Oslo Ferry Port - Sande - Haugtuft

Distance: 67 Miles

Pretty much day one in reverse, but without the sunshine. Instead the torrential rain on the E-18 was the only time that is wasn't so much fun driving the Spitfire. The weather was horrendous. After stopping for petrol I had to drive up on the pavement to avoid submerging the front of the Triumph in the lake that was on the exit road.

We popped into the in-laws chalet again on the way back, arriving home to four, happy to see us, cats early afternoon and set about preparing ourselves to slowly come back into our everyday life.

After 1937 miles, the car was more complete, working as well and looking better than when we left. The only times that we opened the bonnet were to tighten the fan belt, check fluids, show off and install the winscreen squirter pump, that I'd borrowed not long before we left to get the Land Rover through it's test.

We had a fantastic time, saw some wonderful places, had a good time with friends and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I can highly recommend doing a tour of Europe in a classic sports car, especially one that you've restored yourself.

Sert Day 13

Heading Home

Vordingborg - Rødbyhavn - Puttgarden (ferry) - Keil

Distance: 101 miles


We took an early start to make sure that we were in good time for our early afternoon sailing on the "cruise ferry" MS Colour Fantasy. We allowed extra time knowing that we had to also take the Rødbyhavn - Puttgarden ferry back into Germany. It was on this ferry that I saw something I've never seen before, a train on a ferry..... As Photoed

It was grey weather all the way so the top was up for our last day of driving outside Norway. We made the ferry in good time.

We enjoyed Colour Fantasy's various luxuries, eating to our hearts content in the excellent buffet, taking a session in the gym (mostly in the sauna, steam room and jacuuzi) and spent an amount of time on the excellent massage chairs. It pains me to say this, but your's truly even endured the musical show for the sake of his wife. Apart from the Andrew Lyodd Pain in the Arse bits some of it was actually pretty good.

We took to our cabin feeling content, in the knowledge that the old girl had got us all this way and would take us back to Norwegian shores. A fantastic adventure and very enjoyable holiday was nearly over.

From Seized engine to this in many not so easy steps.

More later on more-power. It's been a bit of a fight, finally I'm a happy man that owns a 1971 David Brown 880 Setect-o-matic that runs!





For those of you who havn't been following progress on more-power you'll find the photos here with some comments and blog posts here.

Kris Kindle 2007

Has a year really flown past since the 2006 Kris Kindle post produced 90 comments and a huge amount of hilarity amongst the extended clan.

Well, this years letter has arrived and due to the fact that the the kris kinlde syndicate will be spread far and wide across Europe on Christmas day and not congregated in the hallowed halls of Beeston, this year it's organised for couples not individuals.

The rules are very simple, the price limit is 100Eur, this can be as one joint present or 2 presents, one for each partner. In the case of Kid Sis and London Son two 50Eur presents are expected, understandably and fairly enough..

The shopping is to be done as a couple and to involve plenty of coffee stops and thought is to be given to the delivery service (Our Parents, who will be touring europe bearing gifts),

As ever, it's all hush hush so nobody is to divulge or find out who they are buying for or who is buying for them. For this reason I once again open this yearly forum for subtle hints, suggestions, general abuse and hilarity.

Non-Syndicate members are also invited to come with suggestions, but easy on the abuse, as imaginations often need a little kick start..

Sert Day 12

Vordingbourg - Køge - Stenløse - Vordingbourg

Sun - Sea - Sand and Cake.

Distance: 147 miles



Our only full day in denmark started with fantastic sunshine and a walk around Vourdingbourg before we headed off on our way to our mid afternoon date with the wedding planners and their new arrival.

We had good time and relatively speaking not all that far to go so we headed onto backroads towards the west coast of Sjælland in search of a beach. It's the Norwegian way, if the suns shining and you're near the sea then you go swimming.

Here's a photo to prove that, as much as I was enjoy our only day without the car laden by luggage, I didn't do all the driving. Here's Mrs VL in overdrive top at approximately 11:05 in the morning. If I'd ever got round to setting the steering wheel straight we'd maybe even know how fast she was driving! I'd extimate about 53Mph.



Anyway, we did find a beach, we did swim (which was splendidly refreshing), we did play frisbee and here's a sight that you don't see to often. An white, sunbathing English man. I think you can see that this is one body that doesn't see the sun too often.



Shortly after our beach visit came one of the few occasions that the bonnet was opened. Don't panic though, it was only whilst we gave the car a thorough and badly needed clean before we arrived, almost bang on time, at the wedding helpers. Here we said hello to a their very peaceful and sweet young son and admired a patch of missing paving slabs (quite an achievement, I'll tell you).



As you can see, we were offered (and ate (in my case)) a very good selection of Danish cakes.

It was top up on the way back to the expensively mediocre hotel as there was the threat of rain. This didn't materialise until later. When it came it really came and we were glad the car was under cover. That was the end of the sunshine, the wipers were on for the rest of the trip.

When in Rome.

The old Opel is sadly way past due a one way trip to the scrap yard, in essence it still goes but there is a load of rust and quite a number of niggles which it has been difficult to bring myself to do anything about. We can't complain though, we got it for nearly nothing 2 1/2 years ago, it's done 70,000Km odd in that time with minimal cost and maintenance.

Anyway, we got a replacement a little over a week ago. Standard Scandanavian Issue, Volvo 940 Estate. Leather Seats, 2.3L 16V engine and a load of miles on the clock.



Obviously the first thing I did with it was to take it apart, as one does when one gets a new vehicle in the fleet. It's had new shocks, bottom ball joints, track rods ends, brake pads and a full service. Very pleased all in all, pretty sure it'll be needing a new clutch in the near future, but with the miles we'll be doing in it that'll hopefully wait until the summer.



More pictures and technically biased blog posting about this job and all sorts of other mechanical goings on on more-power, the website.

Of course, I won't be enjoying it's luxury all that ofter as it's really Mrs VLs car, she'll be using up and down to the bus stop mostly.

Not Guilty, maybe.

Fetched by it's loving and devoted owner the day after the other cold one arrived we had had "the elephant" visiting for around 10 weeks before that.

"The Elephant", on good days, downgraded to "The Horse", is really a sweet hearted beast. It's just that being a 40 odd Kilo Rodesian Ridgeback, having a load of energy and being a little boistrous you notice that she's in the house, quite unlike Peggy who you could easily forget is in (or out of) the house.

Anyway, to the point of the story. "The Elephant" has a habit of moving things about the house, sometimes chewing them for good measure. Needless to say, shoes and the like were kept locked away from temptation.

However, on a number of occasions, the items on the front door step (wellies, daffodil and tulip bulbs, shoes and the likes) had a habit of spreading themselves around the lawn. On a number of occassions we really were surprised by how much "The Elephant" has managed to move when she hadn't really been outside unattended for any significant period.

It became increasingly difficult to blame "the horse" (downgraded due to mis-suspicion) for the items spread out across the lawn as she was in fact 200 miles down the south coast and items were still being spread.

Some detctive work has derived the theory that the culprit is in fact some what longer haired, bushier tailed and more cunning (and most definately not 3 legged). The real farmers, next door, have lost a sweeping brush, there more pragmatic approach to the problem involves a trap and a rifle. Harsh, but they are vermin and that's life out in the country.

Sert Day 11

Catherdrals, Marzipan, Ferries and Frisbees.

Lubeck - Puttgarden - Rødbyhavn (ferry) - Vordingborg

Distance: 111 miles

After a hearty and badly needed breakfast and knowing that we had some time in hand we decided to start the day with a tour around the Marzipan capital of Europe, Lubeck.

What a wonderfull and beautiful city it is, full of history and fantastic architecture. One of our stops was the Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church), which was substantially damaged during the second world war. You would hardly know that now but for the bells that lie exactly as they fell on the night of the 28th march 1942.

Here are also a couple of gratuitious organ shots for the benifit of Our Father who art in Cork.

Don't ask me why, but Lubeck is also famous for its' marzipan, so we couldn't leave without trying some. That was after an outdoor lunch in the sunshine, looks like I enjoyed it in all.

After Lunch it was onward into Denmark via the Puttgarden-Rødbyhavn ferry, with a plan to find somewhere for our final two nights which was an OK round trip to pop by the wedding planners and also not to far from Rødbyhavn for our early morning trip back to Keil.

Deciding we had gone far enough into Denmark we left the motorway immediately after we came across the bridge onto Sjælland, the Island on which Copenhagen is situated. We found ourselves and expensively mediocre hotel in the pretty seaside town of Vordingborg, enjoyed a spot of Frisbee in the large park and some reasonable food in a local resturant.

Another good day on the road as the Spitfire European Road Trip near it's end.

Sert Day 10

A Long Long Way.

Breitungen - Eisenach - Muhlhausen - Lubeck

Distance: 295 Miles

The day started with an unsuccessful trip to a beach/swimming place on the river, which dispite sign posts never materialised... I wasn't so dissapointed as it was a little grey and overcast and not all that warm, Mrs VL on the other hand was, as she had been ooking forward to her "morning bathe".

Knowing that we had a long drive ahead of us, we had to resist the temptation of stopping at the various sights on the way.

I had to lay down the law as, after less than 45 mins on the road, we came into Eisenach and discovered that it was not only J.S. Bachs birthplace but also the location of the fantastic Wartburg Castle, as photo'ed below.

Martin Luther also lived in Eisenach and was resident in Wartburg castle whilst he translated the new testament. We had to miss out on the bus ride up to the castle, with such a distance to cover we had to get some miles behind us.

We continued northwards up the very enjoyble German A- (and sometimes B-) roads, stopping for lunch at Muhlhausen, a very pretty town. Bizarrely we had been searching for a frisbee (no ordinary frisbee but one to match London Sons one that we had so enjoyed in our earlier trip to Our Parents in Ireland ). We were so glad to find finally find them that we bought 3, two different ones for us and one for the neighbours lads.

After lunch, other than a frisbee break, we continued northwards to Lubeck, finally arriving mid evening (around 9:30 p.m.). Fortunately we had also stopped at a supermarket for some bread and cheese a little earlier because finding a hotel wasn't all that easy and in the end we missed out on dinner. Don't panic though, I still had some Belgium beer in the boot so I didn't go completely without nourishment!

The hotel was good, and we slept soundly knowing that the last long days driving was behind us.