On the Road Again!

Today, the first job was to roll out the awning to get it dried in the sun. After days of iffy weather and rain it was sunny for the first time today. Today's irritation was how to get the awning winding handle out of the winding mechanism.  On the Fiamma awnings we have had on the the other vans, the winder has a hook at the end that goes through a ring.  The Dometic has this affair..... I struggled to get the winding arm out and it suddenly popped out. Apparently the way to do it it it push in, then turn clockwise and voila! Next, we had friends coming to have a drive out in Molly.  It's the first time we had used the rear passenger seats. The seat belts needed sorting out first! We only went to Dungeness.  It's not far and it gave them an idea what it's like in the van. Our previous motorhomes had only 2 travel seats so we couldn't take passengers.  We managed to park after some messing about and had tea in the station buffet. It's called the End of the ...

Today we had a short run out to Dungeness with the simple idea of a walk and get some air. When we set off it was slightly misty. As the day progressed it became foggy instead. CIn the cold and freezing weather we went into the End of the Line Café and had a coffee. The last train had departed already and there were few people around. The cafe is good in that half the room is dog friendly with signs on the table showing where to sit.  Who is this strange apparition? Once finished we went for a walk, but it still cold, about 1°C and we didn't get far before running back to the van. Then home time. The drive along the coast was smooth and it got foggier as we went along. A short run out but we needed it and so did Malibu Molly. The Old Lighthouse

Today we had a short run out to Dungeness with the simple idea of a walk and get some air. When we set off it was slightly misty. As the day progressed it became foggy instead. In the cold and freezing weather we went into the End of the Line cafe and had a coffee. The last train had departed already and there were few people around. The cafe is good in that half the room is dog friendly with signs on the table showing where to sit.  Once finished we went for a walk, but it still cold, about 1°C and we didn't get far before running back to the van. Then home time. The drive along the coast was smooth and it got foggier as we went along. A short run out but we needed it and so did Malibu Molly. The Old Lighthouse

The Old Lighthouse at England's only desert....

Yesterday, we had a short run to Dungeness.  The plan was to park up and walk Reggie over to the Polish War Memorial and around the shingle before returning to the van. At this time of year parking by the station and "End of the Line"  cafe had plenty of room. In the summer and when the trains are running it's not as easy in a large vehicle. After the walking bit the plan was to turn on the gas and boil the kettle for tea. In the end we decided to change the plan and go straight home. I took another quick snap before we set off. This should be easy enough for any "vanlifer" to understand! 😆 The drive back wasn't too bad. Molly drives well and has a reasonable amount of power.  There is sometimes a queue of cars behind us though!  😁 Back home. The range on the instruments always makes us laugh.  On Friday when we set off for Sissinghurst the range showed 206 miles.  Today after we get back and it's showing..... .... 193 miles. So two trips out and we...

Today we decided to make the short trip along the coast from Hythe to Dungeness. We thought about going earlier than our normal "afternoon" departure so that we could get lunch at the Dungeness Fish Hut. In the end we set off just before noon. The van needed a little work to get us ready to roll. All the locks came off, the silver shield off the windscreen, and Reggie's stuff loaded. He needs his bed to lie on. We were lucky to get a parking space outside the light railway station. I parked as near the end as possible to make sure there was room for others to park. From here we walked back to the Hut.  For a chilly Saturday it was quite busy. I liked the idea of scallops but in the end opted for locally caught fish on a roll. It came with salad and homemade tartare sauce. Very nice.  We shared a table with a couple with a spaniel. They said they are going to the NEC to the Caravan and Motorhome Show. Once finished we walked back on the road to the ...

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

Today we picked up Suki from the storage and site so we can get her ready for the trip to Mersea Island in the week.  We drained off the water and I ran the pump to get some clean water through the waste water to flush that out too. It means we currently have no water onboard. We'll need to fill up or at least have some onboard when we set off on Wednesday.  So today, we took coffee made in the Bosch Tassimo machine in the Waitrose Travel Mugs and a hot cross bun each!  The drive was about 20 minutes to the parking at Dungeness.  We had a walk over as far as the  Polish Airman's Memorial .   We didn't go far as I started to get a migraine. This manifests itself with flashing/flickering in my eyes and a rather strange problem where I can't read and I can't remember words!  Back at the van I took a couple of  paracetamol as I didn't have any  migraleve  with me. We had our coffee and I went to have a look at the steam engine that had ...

We have had a run out already on Friday afternoon once we had brought the Van home and had lunch. Today we had a short run to Dungeness to see Reggie would get on. He seemed to enjoy it and laid down on his bed that we had between the rear seats. Getting used to the Van isn't just for Reggie, but for me driving it. The walk was nice until the train left the station and Reggie went mad. All in all a successful short trip.

Today is our 21st Wedding Anniversary. Despite being on the Slimming World plan to lose some bulk we both need to have something to celebrate and we have chosen The Pilot at Dungeness.  Fish and chips! Fresh fish from the sea just a couple of hundred yards away.....  Chips from nearby fields where they are known as "potatoes". There is also a historical point to the visit. In the car-park is part of the salvaged engine from the  Boeing  B-17 Flying Fortress  that was shot down locally - " Sleepytime Girl ". Photo opportunities abound.

Today's little excursion wasn't as far as last week's, but only to Dungeness. Plenty of parking but with extra trains running that far there were many people walking to the pub and to the other fish places along the private site's road.  We easily parked in the parking lot near the station. Spaces are clearly marked, or at least they were, with wooden guides.  Unfortunately, shingle doesn't take long to cover the battens up. We parked anyway as best we could given the other cars. Reggie likes a walk on the shingle. He likes the smells and of course, the rabbit holes all over the estate.  Out first stop was for a coffee in the "End of the Line Café". There was a train in the station and another special came in. I found a table in the garden and Claire went in the building.  It's a shame but dogs aren't allowed inside. If the weather is not too good then it is a place to avoid with no real outside cover. Whilst we were there the second train, this on...

Another trip to Dungeness.  The weather was iffy but we decided to have another drive out and a walk on the shingle away from the train station and the nuclear power station.   It was of course very windy.  So we had jumper and waterproof coats on.  We have been a few times recently and the difference was quite amazing.  A few weeks ago we were the only people in the café garden alongside the tracks. The trains weren't running.  It was windy then and we sat with Reggie on a bench on the platform letting the building shelter us. Today though. The Government had relaxed the Covid lockdown on May 17th and the trains were running. The car-park was full. The café and the two pubs in walking distance were able to have inside customers. Business looked to be back to normal..... We had a cup of coffee and a biscuit we rook with us. Cheapskates! We drank up as we wanted to be away before the train. Reggie has lived with us for six and a half years. The Romney H...

I had a half day Flexi-leave today. Firstly to take my Rocket III for its MoT and then to go out for the afternoon. The MoT went off okay and I was back soon after noon.  First run to Hythe for a spot of shopping for dinner.  The second to Dungeness with Reggie along for a walk. It was windy and although sunny, the wind made it chilly. After a coffee on the platform of the Light Railway station we walked across to the Polish War Memorial.  Reggie likes a sniff about and to check out the entrances to the rabbit warrens.  At the memorial we saw that the information board had been removed.   It gives information on the two Polish pilots that died nearby during the Battle of Britain. We guessed it was for a reason as the wreaths and other memorials were still in place. Hopefully, the next time we go it will have been replaced. From there we drove home. It was way past Reggie's dinner time after all!!

Yes I know. It's a new car and we want to drive it a bit to get used to how it all works.  We have sussed the Satellite Navigation and it seems to work well.  And we have been able to listen to Zac Brown on USB stick. Today we had two drives.  Firstly to H's Café at Kent Motorcycles near Canterbury as it was Meldrew's Sunday.  I didn't feel confident enough to go on Suzi after yesterday's lack of lights and indicators !  Even though I think I have fixed it I was wary.  Claire came with me and we used the Navigation to get there.  The route it took us wasn't anything like I would be happy with. We blindly followed it (not really!) to see where it thought we needed to go. Oddly the way back was more like what I had expected! After a bacon sandwich and a chat we got home in time for me to watch the Arsenal's miserable game with Fulham.  1-1 with a team in the bottom three! During the game the delivery people came with a parcel containing the rear sea...

Took a run out to Dungeness to give the new car a run out.  We ended up having a coffee and sausage rolll at the Light Railway Cafe.  Also there were some Indian bike club riders and their pillions from their local chapter in Canterbury. Canterbury Indians! After coffee we set off home but took a few pix first. Juke at Dungeness "End of the Line" Cafe Old Lighthouse and Juke New Lighthouse