Saturday 21 August 2021

Between visits to Chance a lot happens, so that I can get on with my day job

 While I try to get to Chance as often as possible, it is sometimes not always easy as this last two weeks as shown. About a month ago, I was able to buy a caravan to live in while up in the north West of England where Chance is presently in storage. I had to do a few things to the caravan to be able to tow it to be near Chance. Good plan, at first everything was going to plan, Bedding and other things needed to fit out our new home from home were sorted.  

Then the day we had set to go up country to where Chance is presently in Storage came around. The trip up country when well for the most part apart from the part over the Pennines, this part proved to be a major headache as the traffic on the motorway was going at about 10 to 15 mph for the best part of 8 to 10 miles. My transit van was more than capable of towing our new home from home caravan.  So I thought, I spent the first four days working on Chance with the aid of my brother John who had come over from his home in Yorkshire for the four days we were planning to work on the boat. That part of the week when well and we got a fair bit done and made plans for the next time I was going to go up to work on Chance. 

Then the fun or not so fun part of the time up at Chance.  When had found a place near to Chance to have the caravan for the time we were up there and also a place to keep it when were not working on Chance and we could move the caravan between the two places when we were up working on Chance.  Then the Transit developed a problem with changing gears. At first I put it down to my tiredness. However, the problem got worse until the Transit broke down going for some shopping for breakfast, little did in know that this was going to take all day to get sorted out. My wife was with me and she was able to go back to the caravan while I stayed with the Transit until the recovery man and vehicle arrived. The first recovery man came and said he was not able to fix it on the roadside, however he was able to take my wife back to our caravan to get things sorted at tat end. Then I had a long wait until the second recovery man came and he was able to recover the Transit to our caravan so that it was with the caravan. 

Next morning they removed the Transit to their depot and the caravan were able to put our caravan into their storage area until it will be possible for me to get up to the North West of ~England to move the caravan to its storage area that we had arrange for it to be in while not working on Chance.

So with Chance all covered over with sheets to keep the weather out of the boat and the caravan sorted at the caravan site in the their storage area, it was time to say farewell to Chance for a little while. Then make the 285 mile trip back home to North Essex and back to  work or so I thought. We were a day late leaving the North West and before the trip up to the North West our car was in the local garage for repairs. When I got back home I when round to the garage to ask if the car had been repaired, only to get told that an electrical problem had developed  and that they were trying to resolve the problem ASAP. 

So the next chapter starts, had to hand back the lease car after we had made it home. The company said it should be able to find another car, but were unable to help out at this time. So then we had to find another car, this proved to be a problem as every local company we phoned did not have any available vehicles. Until at the eleven hour one local company came through and we now have a car until Thursday evening. By which time either my Transit van will be fixed or my wife's car will. As on Friday we have to go to a close friend's funeral. So I am hoping that the car problems are behind us. 

Then I can make fresh plans for the next time I go up to Chance to work on her .

In between times it is back to my day job being a boat builder, repairing other peoples and keeping their boat in good order. 

No comments:

Post a Comment