Team Bonding

And so, to Oxford. 120 miles each way and less than a year ago, I would have given Jezebel just about no chance of getting there without breaking down. How times have changed though...

In rusty red...

As she was.

Since a year ago, we now have flooring and carpetting, so the roar has become just a gentle whisper (well almost). The stereo is working too. When we stopped, the occasional noise of the fridge (yes, a working beer fridge !) kicking in. Storage units, a sink (nearly functioning tap...), lights (temporary, but proper electric lighting coming soon), leisure battery and sun visors. All fitted and functioning. Oh, what progress. Behind the scenes too, no stirring of the gear stick to find a gear, any gear.

The clutch is as smooth as a baby's bottom. The engine doesn't cut out at low revs. The brakes don't need pumping when they get warm.

And today...

Don't get me wrong, there is still plenty that can be done to improve Jezebel and any camping experience. Gas needs connecting, the water pump needs connecting, the awning rail needs attaching and there are a few rusty patches requiring my attention, but hey, what a transformation. She is a pleasure to drive on the whole.

The camp site in Oxford is a little odd. Well, not so much the camp site, more our fellow campers. A number of tiny, one person tents in close vicinity to where we pitched up, mainly containing older, bearded chaps with seemingly their entire possessions stuffed inside their tents. I can only assume that Oxford has a better class of vagrant than other places. Not so much winos but Pimmos or single-malt-whiskios I guess.

Wino

Milly arrived soon after us as we tested our first sensuous, cool beer from the beer fridge, glistening with dew  (did I mention that the beer fridge is working ?). Milly has a bit of garnish now. Not before time. She has some skylines of famous European cities down each side. It is, I must say, an improvement. They said it was more tasteful than Jezebels decor. I disagree.

Oxford Winos

The Randalph Hotel in Oxford is a classy looking joint. However, they sell real ale in the ballroom, which I thoroughly approve of. Lucas soon took over the dance floor, throwing himself around like a solo wrestling match.The third Windy team showed up, dressed up to the nines. Well, it was their wedding, so it was only to be expected. Aaron, the best man, song writer and guitar player had penned a couple of songs for the occasion, including the Windy song. Great stuff. I'm told it will be recorded and released in some sort of format soon. The band, Candy Apple Blue, were cracking. Mainly 60's stuff, but they had the crowd up and dancing. Jim and I noticed that the band seemed to contain footballers. Robbie Earl lead singing, Ryan Giggs on guitar, John Hartson on keyboard, Dion Dublin on bass and Joey Barton on drums. That might have just been the real ale though.

On the journey home, I kept her at a steady 55mph as much as possible. It's amazing how that can effect fuel efficiency. Improved from about 18 mpg around town to nearer 25 mpg I believe. That will save a bit on the Windy. Still room for improvement though.

And so, on to other team news. Team Trauma are frantically trying to get the yellow and green battenburg pattern off the side of their wagon. It's going to take some cleaning. 401,000 miles on the clock and currently in the process of being re-registered from an ambulance to a camper van. Ahhh, I remember the wranglings I had with the dear DVLA a few years back trying to convince them that my red 9 tonne double decker was really a minibus. They gave in eventually. The Traumas need to lose some weight it seems. If they can get the weight of the vehicle below 3.5 tonnes, then Ben can drive it without C1 on his driving licence. Ditching a lot of the ambulance equipment should help.

Team Milly have once more got water problems. Well, on closer inspection, it might be electrical. She was overheating again on her way home.

Team Red 5 should have Doris in her full livery this week. I'm awaiting photos. She is apparently a bit vocal, but Martin is out driving her daily.

Team 46 are reporting that Trigger has fully functioning toilet facilities. No more details are currently available and no, I don't have photos. I'll assume it looks like this though...