Oh bugger! We need to utilise plan B....

Well, we finally set off from York after furious locker-packing activity, having to dismantle a soaking wet gazebo, chairs and various cushions in the gentle but persistant rain. Mr H stubbornly working in his pj's refusing to shower and dress until all tasks were completed to his exacting standards. What am I doing? Well after dressing, I'm applying make-up and straightening my hair. I throw a few towels into the cupboards to stop things rattling about and smile!  We transported the soaking stuff  in the shower cubicle onboard as wet items are not permitted in the sacred lockers! Ironically, we eventually set off in glorious sunshine for Cornwall, via Wolverhampton and Bath as per plan A. Mr H determined to complete the trip in one go whereas I like to stop every hour on the hour for a fag, coffee and lavvy. We compromise and stop every hour lol.

You may recall we were calling in to Signature Motorhomes for them to investigate a 'knocking' sound in the rear wheel. As we trundled down to Wolverhampton via the A38 the 'knocking' got decidedly worse. Mr H needed reassurance at times but we arrived safely albeit noisily. The lads from Signature swarmed around the bus, bending and listening while trotting alongside as she was driven at a snail pace in the forecourt. They boarded and drove her out of the yard. I watched her bumping and rolling away with her rear mud skirt swinging, driven by someone else and I was aware of a sudden lump in my throat. On their return we were told 'it's the diff', the diagnosis delivered like a death sentence (heads shaking and the dreaded sharp intake of breath). Not sure what it is but dam sure it will be expensive and no mechanic available for 2 weeks!

As you can imagine this knocked us back a bit because we were booked in to a site in Cornwall from Saturday. We wandered aimlessly around the yard for a while mulling things over when we stumbled across a shiny new RV. Mmmm... basically, one test-drive later we decided to treat ourselves and part-exchanged our injured RV for a 29' Thor ACE! To be fair we had been considering this one for a while and 'the diff' going was the clincher. I guess problems are going to crop up along the way, shit happens as they say, just didn't expect it this early. So as we come to terms with the loss of our first RV (she has already been sold to someone in Switzerland who was sent 20 plus photos of her!) and as a mark of respect to her we try not to display the excitement and smattering of smugness we feel about our brand spanking new RV complete with slide-out and electric awning in which we can travel with confidence.

Following some negotiations, handshakes and instructions re pitching in the yard Mr H and I retire to the local pub for a meal and a beer. We discuss the bizarre and at times stressfull events of our day, checking we have done the right thing for us both and laughing at the series of events, ending up agreeing that men are from mars and women are most definately from venus! We diligently plan/list all the phone calls/emails we need to action in the morning to re arrange our booked pitches, hire car and expectant relatives! What a day, followed by very little sleep I relive the highs and lows, it beats working for living any day.  

So a few coppers lighter we're now taking an unanticipated break in sunny Wolverhampton for a couple of weeks. The guys at Signature have been great, letting us pitch up in their yard in the old RV whilst the new one is prepared and everyone else has been very accommodating re postponing our arrangements. Update to follow :)