On the Road Again... Again

This will have been taken by my Dad.  It looks to be in Trafalgar Square, but in reality it could be anywhere with pigeons! I guess I was maybe 10yo?

The things that were outstanding on the trip after the decision to put id back 4 weeks. The two nights at Oyambre after we dock. Irish Ferries return ferry journey. The AHC date change. The first two are sorted. I needed to call them, yes, I had to speak to another person! That was done today. Admin fees and changes to the pitch rates and ferry fares mean another £40 has evaporated. The AHC remains the problem. Everything is done online to order one and their website says that as a small vet's they handle these things, including replying to emails, are part of their jobs and they action them in the order they arrive. So that's the one we are waiting to sort out.

The last chance I will get to see Latics this season happens to be away at Colchester United.  I have been before on the bike(s) but this time as the game is a 3pm kick-off on Good Friday, I had a look for a camping site or club certificated location/site. Claire and I went a few years ago and we visited Beth Chatto's gardens nearby and then attended le foot. Who says men can't wear pink? What jumped out was the Colchester Country Park site.  I checked on Google Maps and it shows a walking distance of over an hour and driving of a mere 11 minutes.   Before booking either the game or the site, I dropped them an email to see if they had a recommended taxi firm. Sites often have a taxi firm they are happy with. Never having ever used an Uber I like someone that is "known". Although Uber might be a consideration.... The lady at the site came back and suggested two they use, along with their phone numbers. So I booked the seat in the ground.  The last few times we ha...

There has been a lot of talk online on Facebook and other social media channels about the slight change to the European Pet Passport scheme. It's suggested than the EU will crack down on the policing of the use of the PP's after April 21st 2026.  The directive came into force when the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016 and only applied in reality when we left in 2021. The wording was open to interpretation and vet's in some EU countries were happy to vaccinate UK pets and issue a PP. We have a Belgian issued PP for Reggie.  It seems the clamp down is being interpreted several ways.  One is that only EU citizens can have one, or that the animal or owners have to reside in an EU country. The latter seems discriminatory as Claire is an Irish Citizen and passport holder. She lives in the UK with me though. Not unusual as we are married. In the end we have decided for our next trip to get an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) and travel on that. We still have Reggie's PP and as h...

These are the offending taps.  In the days since the hab check and the leaks being detected I have been on the internet looking for a Cathargo Malibu dealer to get replacements. ARC that did the hab check were onto it, and I tried a number of Cathargo dealers across the country. Our own dealer, Choose Leisure, was able to order the taps but they would have to come from Germany. The lead time would be 6 to 8 weeks. However, the couldn't fit them as the workshop was booked out until July! We are, or rather were, booked on the ferry to Spain in 9 weeks and two days from today. I posted on the Malibu Van owners group on Facebook and got a couple of recommendations. As this was over the weekend I didn't expect anyone to get back until today. Both of them are Malibu dealers. One hasn't replied yet. It's Monday and almost 7pm. Not even the blanket "got your email" reply. The other, "Go European", very quick this morning. They asked for photos of the offendi...

Anyone know how this breaks any rules? It's a photo of the place I was reviewing....  Reggie and I were having a walk and Maps came up with places I had been. One of them that day was the Leas Cliff Hall.  This is a photo of it from the outside.  My review, that can't be read or edited, was based on the café that's open everyday and in the evening when there's a concert on.

Back ib December I was looking at a few days before the Christmas season to go away in the van.  With Chatsworth House Caravan Club site closing in the summer, that ruled out the Christmas Market there. Then I saw some vanlife vloggers had been to Sandringham Estate for the Luminate Show. 💡 Luminate also have special nights during the run where people can take their dogs. It's only one night a week. That's six nights where there are no dogs!!! Based on the dates for 2025 on their website, I made a guess on when it would be on in 2026 and booked a couple of nights at the Caravan Club site. The deposit was only £5.  I blogged on it before: https://invictamoto.blogspot.com/2026/01/sandringham-camc-site.html However, Luminate bookings opened this week and I was two days out with my guess.  I was thinking the dog friendly days would be the same but they aren't. Dog day is now Monday.  So I booked the Caravan Club site to get up there earlier on Monday and leave on Wednes...

My Mum when she was a student nurse in 1950. She trained at St Mary's Hospital in Portsmouth.

This was one of the first records I bought with my own money. It's also why I called the blog "On the Road Again".