At last, some good news....

I say that because the default setting for news since New Year has varied between 'bad', 'surprisingly bad', and 'deeply unsettling'.

But I will not trouble you with any of that.

No, today is a 'good news' day.

The Suzuki Vitara, our wonderful old hack which has served us so faithfully and well, expired in a cloud of steam before Christmas. Ominously, this happened in the car park of a metal recycling yard where I had taken The Gentleman's scrap batteries. (Yes I got some money for them, yes, I gave it all to him, and no, I wasn't thanked.....).

I limped the poor old thing back to our mooring where it has sat for some weeks while we pondered what to do with it.

Other events have been focussing our minds very sharply lately, so today, I took it down to our mechanic, Amato, in Chesterton. I was thinking it was the head gasket again, so this wasn't really a repair job, more an automotive version of Poussin's 'Extreme Unction'.

I really thought the poor old Hairdresser's Car had teased its last wease.

But no!

It's back!

The car that refuses to die continues to refuse!

It turned out to be a blown hose somewhere deep in the innards. Cost to fix? £70.00.

Happy days!

I might even treat the old heap to a full valet inside and out. It had got very damp inside and the interior has aquired that mildewy smell of the old car mortuary. This will never do.

Anyway, in other news (also good.....), fellow blogger and boater Graham Budd has very kindly lent us his very spiffy Husqvarna chainsaw.

Thanks again, Graham, you're a star!

I took it to Pecks in Ely to have the chain sharpened and now we are ready to go. I've been off the last couple of days, so it's been wholesale butchery in the woodpile. I have split every log lengthways with the mallet and 'wood grenade' method in preparation for a weekend of chainsaw massacreing.

We knows how to have a bundle of fun on Pippin, we do..........

:-)