There’s always a helping hand around the corner

While I’m teaching in Norway, Frank takes Emma to the MOT, where they discover a leak in the fuel tank! Luckily it’s very tiny, but nevertheless, it involves draining and removing the tank, steam-cleaning it inside and out, welding it, painting it and fixing it back on again. One day, we will need to get a new fuel tank made to measure – the originals are obsolete. We are very lucky to know a good mechanic down in Devon who is willing to help with this kind of thing! Walter has helped us on many occasions, first when we bought Emma, but also during our travels. He was our ‘phone a friend’ option whenever there were mechanical problems.

Coming home from Norway, Frank and I meet up like secret lovers on a romantic tryst – I drive the car from the airport straight down to Crediton, where he meets me with Emma, who passed the MOT while I was on the plane. The next morning we have a meeting with an advisor in Crediton, after which we intend to drive up to Cardiff. But when I try to start the car, there is no sound, not even a blip or a light of the ignition. We call out the AA and within the hour, Paul arrives. He’s a godsent, an experienced mechanic of the old school – he diagnoses a faulty alternator and consequently a completely destroyed battery and offers to replace both of them there and then, rather than towing us to a garage. Getting the parts is a little tricky, but still, two hours later, the car is as good as new and we are ready to set off on our journey, Frank in the van, me in the car. In true secret lover style, we arrive in Cardiff separately, at different times and under cover of darkness.


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Comments

  • ruthandfrank says:

    Yes, Sal,
    We’ve been thinking about stopping off in Calais, as we are passing through there anyway, and with a van that could transport things. I’m in the process of finding out if they NEED more stuff there – it may be that they’ve been absolutely swamped with stuff, and our compassion is creating a huge rubbish dump by the ‘jungle’… It’s so hard to know what to do. My feeling is to go and see, to try and talk to people. To meet people with an open heart and then see what grows from there.
    Like you say in one of your facebook posts – it’s such a complicated maze to try and understand, but the one thing we can do while we don’t understand is to make contact.

  • Sal Goldsmith says:

    I set off tomorrow for 3 weeks island hopping in Greece. We have booked the first night and then we are gypsies. Hellie is a very old friend and we have holidayed together before. We are heading for the Cyclades which aren’t a million miles from Kos where all the refugees are heading, so it could be an interesting time. I have donated a car load of blankets, pillows, tambourines and penny whistles, boots and clothes, given some money – what more can I do at this moment? I have a spare bedroom but will they want it? Take care of each other and have a wonderful second honeymoon. Lots of love Sal x Hope Emma stays healthy.