Day 5
08:00
After another cold, blanket-less night tucked under my jacket, the day dawned bright and clear and warmed up very quickly. I took advantage of my phone having battery again to call my mother. I cried down the phone to her as I told her about how everything was terrible and nothing worked.
I had tried again to start the engine but it wasn’t working. I couldn’t get the bonnet open again to check the battery, and the cost of towing was more than I wanted to spend. Also, I was cold and hungry, and pretty miserable.
After some reassurances from my Mum, we hung up and I set about trying to open the bonnet. Which doesn’t work with only one person.
10:00
Eventually, Pat the lady who runs the storage place came over and she gave me a hand. Once we got the bonnet open, Charlie started on the very first try.
I drove a loop around the storage field, and everything seemed to be in working order. I left Charlie idling while Pat and I checked brake lights and such. Everything was looking good! And then the engine died.
My heart in my boots I turned the key again. She started! The fluctuations in the engine note eventually settled down and the white smoke from the exhaust cleared. Now the engine is running smooth again.
I backed up to the space Charlie had spent the winter in and Pat gave me a hand hauling the ski box onto the roof. She then left for work, but on her way past in her car, she stopped and gave me a bedsheet, a pack of loo roll, a pack of wet wipes, and a pack of biscuits. This unexpected kindness was very moving and I said thanks about a hundred times. She didn’t need to do that for me, she had already helped so much! The world needs more people like Pat. She’s a real good egg.
I spent the next hour or so cleaning the rust off the bolts to fix the ski box onto the roof. Neighbour Gentleman showed up, and he lent me the mould killer again. He left soon after as it was much too hot to do any work that day.
14:00
After getting the box both bolted and strapped to the roof (I didn’t fully trust the bolts, they don’t do up tight enough to clamp onto the roof rack) I dropped off the key to the storage place and hit the road!
Finally I am really starting with vanlife! First stop was the beach. I was filthy after all that cleaning and messing about with rusty bolts and under the bonnet, and you can usually find a free shower at the beach.
