A moving experience

Went out last evening to help number one daughter to move flat. She is coming home to live for a while but able to move the heavy stuff from old flat to new now. It was the first time I had driven janis in an urban area and it was a bit scary. I am used to the Galaxy and know width and height and length very well. With the Merc, things are new and different. Driving down a narrow street between two parked cars with less than a foot either side was a bit dodgy the first couple of times I did it but, I assume, I will become more confident as I go along.

Much later, I went out to do the measuring for CAK and tried the habitation lighting in darkness. Very nice, most impressed and it just works so well from the new switches. I have had a few thoughts though and I will rewire the setup slightly in order to move the fuse box to an easily accessible place just in case. Now I have the circuits worked out, it shouldn't take very long to do.

Let the light show commence.

I have, at long last, finished the wiring for the habitation control panel. My excuse for it taking so long is that I wanted to get it just so but in reality, I was a bit flummoxed by the connections on the switches and exactly how I wanted to wire the fuse box. I have now managed to fuse each channel separately and isolate the cab sockets from the rest and just generally make it a safer and more sensible setup. And all the little blue lights work!

Ann from CAK Tanks phoned today. They have all the bits now but they can't supply the full five metre length in order for me to cut it myself. So we have done a deal, I will email Ann my individual measurements and they will cut it for me. Can't be bad.

Going with the flow

Well, we went and discussed the furniture job with Paul yesterday and, once we saw some of the work he was currently involved with, we decided to entrust janis to him for her internal build. It's gonna cost more than we originally thought but we are gonna get more than we originally intended so it all works out in the end.

Whut!

The plug on the GPS mouse didn't fit the SatNav....... I double checked the listing and it definitely claimed to be for mine. As it was a very cheap purchase, I was not too upset and tried to buy an adaptor. The cost of a small brass adaptor is actually more than a new mouse that does have the correct plug and is also advertised for my SatNav...... Doh! So I have ordered another mouse and will probably try to find someone who can make use of the original purchase.

Why are we waiting, why are we waiting.

Well, in this instance, it's because CAK don't have my order ready yet. I was beginning to be concerned as to whether the pdf had arrived and was legible so I rang them. A very strict lady answered and was able to tell me that my order had defiantly arrived as she had seen it herself! And no money had been taken because that's not the way they do business thank you! A wee bit scary but strangely reassuring too.

I did a bit of doodling in Sketchup yesterday and have produced a, not to scale, mock up of the sort of furniture we want in janis when it's done.

The new mouse unit for the SatNav arrived this morning, I may fit it this evening simply in order to be able to use the newer software when we go to Dawlish on Thursday.

Hoorah! I have sourced a spare wheel! I did a search with First Choice and in among the £50.00 plus vat and £30.00 p/p offers was one firm who had it in stock for £10.00 + vat and £10.00 p/p. So I phoned them and bought it. I was so pleased, I also bought the new number plates and fixing bits on Ebay and the jerry cans, tap and pump from another firm on the web. This, apart from the spare tyre and some short lenghts of hose is just about all I need to buy or order to begin using janis in the manner intended.

Still moving along.

The chosen day to visit the furniture builder is Thursday but not Exeter, Dawlish. I managed a small job yesterday evening, the angle strips are now cut to size and the ends filed down. All I need now is the curtain rail. I will also have to drill and screw the whole assemblage to the window frames but that should be a fairly straightforward job once the rails are fixed to the strips.

Weekend fun

On Saturday, I began to finish off the electrics at long last. The two breakout joints are in place and the four socket feed to the cab for very low power devices is up and running. The only device used so far being the SatNav. Unfortunately, the old SatNav external 'mouse' aerial has stopped working. I suspect a broken point in the, rather long, cable so I may just buy another. Fortunately, the old, built in program works on the internal reciever even though the new one only works on the external.

I gave janis a nice gentle run up to Goodrington on Saturday afternoon and she performed very well. Not much else to say really, just a very pleasant drive. I have bought, on Ebay, a DVD with all the relevant information to remove and / or re site the Eberspacher heater. That should be fun!

On Friday I sent a message to the furniture builder in Exeter about janis. He replied this morning and it looks as though he may be able to fit us in before we go away at the end of August. I am going to try and get up to see him this week so he can get a good idea about what we want. He has a free week in August that should be fine for the job and he will install. So, all in all a very satisfactory stae of affairs.

There's good news and there's bad news.

The good news is that the welding is done.

The bad news is how much it cost.

The other bit of good news is that I have spoken to the Eberspacher agent in Plymouth and there is no problem to me removing the unit myself as the fuel pump has a fail safe valve that will simply stop all fuel once I remove the pipe, the wiring being already removed by the butcher from the Met.

Next will be cutting and drilling the angle strips to mount the curtain rail on in time for the rail to be attached when it arrives. Then I order the curtains and hang 'em.

Why a duck?

Chico this time.

Well, I've booked the welding for Thursday so by Friday I should have full control of my auto gearbox. I have also ordered the kit of bits I need to put the curtain rails up. Once they are in place, I will double check the measurements and order the curtains. She who must be obeyed will have to choose the material and we have already had quibbles about the need to have them lined or not. I say yes so we probably won't! I am currently considering the removal of the Eberspacher heater, either for good or to move it elsewhere. It is hogging the floor in just the wrong place and we need to have our kitchen built as soon as possible now.

Thanks to a colleague, I have become quite keen on the idea of running janis on used chip oil. She is 100% compatible and we have a local firm that will do the conversion and also supply pre filtered oil. not as cheap as diy but a lot cheaper than diesel. The major problem, of course, will be obtaining said chip oil away from home. Possible in the UK but difficult abroad. The answer might be to carry 20 litre cans and simply add a couple to the tank each time I fill up. Once the welding is done, I will go and buy a couple of cans and try the system out. I will also need to remove the heater unit and seal the tank again, this may be a job for the agents.

Doomed, doomed, we're all doomed I tell ye!

Took janis into the dealer on Friday morning, a well hidden entrance! After a strained day, went to pick her up. Cost less than I expected, although still quite a price. The brakes are fine, that's just the way they are apparently. The gear stick is in need of a weld to hold it firmly and that should cure that problem.

That sinking feeling...............

The new sink / hob unit has just arrived. A Smev 911. It's pretty small and has no ignition or covers but, for us, size is important!

The acid test.

Yesterday, I booked janis in for a service at my local Merc dealer. They will check and, if necessary, change all her bodily fluids and also replace all the filters. In addition, they will look at the brake system and try to fix whatever is wrong with the auto gear stick that keeps sticking! This will not be a cheap job and I am dreading it but there is no way I would take her abroad in September without it so the bullet has to be bitten. The fridge is due to arrive today and I will fit it this very evening in order to both save space in the house and also make life easier when buying frozen and chilled food.

Yesterday produced yet another setback with our ongoing struggle to get planning permission for the roof that fell down - don't ask. It made me so depressed I went on line and bought a new sink / hob unit. Well you have to grab what you can, when you can in this life!

Nights in White Satin................

..........or to be more accurate, A night with a white face!

Oh how I suffered. Tuesday into Wednesday is just a very unpleasant blur to me now, thank goodness. At the time it was pretty nasty. I don't know the cause but I experienced the effect. I have had two days off work and, although I am back now, I still feel under the weather. Today, I have bought on eBay, a compressor fridge (Waeco CF-40). Not cheap, but brand new and just the type and size we wanted. More importantly, it's a top loader to ensure no food rolls around the floor whilst in transit.