back in business lol ….

hello!! I am back home, got home last night and after a reasonable night’s sleep I am ready to share my … lets call them interesting shall we? hmm? hehehe … experiences. You might recall I mentioned I had sold my beloved Commodore and promptly made arrangements to go down to Taree way to have the battery charger and 240 volt power point put in that should have been part of the conversion, not to mention the one from the motor to the house batteries! LOL.. anway thats old news and little by little I am redressing those oversights though it is pointless and far too stressful to try to get those guys to do the honourable thing now…

I left on the Friday afternoon…two weeks ago to the day now lol, for a three to four day sojourn down to visit my friends and to get the first part of my plan completed. The guys in Nabiac are so honest and efficient it did not occur to me to consider anyone else for the job.. an opinion that they only reinforced this time round! Love their work and their manners!

I decided to go straight to Nabiac and get a day and time to have it done, as well as a quote. I do have to budget now lol …. I slept over at a rest area on the Friday night and got up bright and early.. and bloody nippy I tell you lol.. on the Saturday morning. I had gone just past Port Macquarie so I knew I would get there before they opened. All good, I would much rather be early than late since Chad knew I was coming down.

I thought the motorhome seemed a bit sluggish on the hills as I neared my destination but put it down to the cooler weather. Nope, should not hide my head in the sand lol… I stopped into the fuel station next to Chad’s place and put in about half a tank, figuring it would suffice till I was ready to get some for travelling back. I totally ignored my bad vibe about using their diesel, though I’ve no idea if it really has anything to do with what happened next!

I sorted things out with Chad, making an appointment for the following Tuesday to have it all done and got back on the highway heading north to Taree, grinning as I thought of the surprise on my friends’ face when I turned up earlier than planned. All of a sudden I could smell and taste diesel, so strong it made me gag! I prayed I would get to my friends’ place and thankfully did! I popped out and went in for a cuppa. When I came back out to get some stuff I saw the bloody puddle of diesel on the tarmac beneath the diesel tank.. grrrrrrr not again, I grizzled inwardly.

It was a Saturday and I knew I could do nothing about it. I would just have to cool my heels till early Monday morning. Damnit I was worried that now I would not be able to do what I had come down for! The money I got for my commodore was looking less than adequate by now lol…

First thing Monday I called the mechanic I had used when last I had a problem, wondering if the hose had come loose. He got me to take it around and said he would let me know when he knew what the problem was. Less than an hour later he called to give me the news that he thought it might be other hoses that may be as worn as the return hose was. He was going to try to have a look and replace them if it was that without pulling the tank out he said… around a hundred and seventy or so he thought if he could do it. Whew not so bad, I thought sighing in relief… I was to be a tad disappointed in this … it turned out the tank itself had been patched badly and now was leaking … I cannot afford a new one, out of the question. He said he knew of a bloke who might be able to patch it properly, a welder mate that was reasonable… yeah well that was a great help but that took $565 of my rapidly dwindling money. I rang Chad and told him I would not be able to get there until the Wednesday, hopefully I added crossing my fingers lol. I got my motorhome back late on the Tuesday afternoon, the smell still hanging around a little but I figured that was just the residue. You know, I had a very strong feeling to ask them to double check the hoses were all on properly but I know nothing about these things and ignored my instincts, putting it down to stress and paranoia lol.. should have mentioned it!

The next morning I took off for Nabiac and was almost there when the worst smell of diesel I had yet smelt in my time with this motorhome assailed my nostrils.. damn! I was about three k’s from Nabiac but I had to push on. I got there, pulled in and got out to survey the problem, watching in horror as the diesel dribbled out continuously… arghhhhhhhhhhhh. Chad wasn’t there yet so I sat on my bed and tried to figure out what to do. Finally I decided I had to call the mechanic; I couldnt go back but this was his to fix!

He was with his wife in Port Macquarie and asked me to drive her back. I flatly refused to take that risk. Finally he agreed to send his second in command out when he got back to the shop. Fine by me, I was not going anywhere anyway lol… in the meantime Chad had arrived and I explained the situation with him, informing him that I could not allow him to work on it for his safety’s sake. He quickly agreed and I went back to the motorhome, collected Alex and went for a short walk as I waited.
I didn’t have that long to wait. The second in charge took around an hour and a half to come out and fairly quickly ascertained it was the return hose which was that culprit, having come loose in the repairing of the tank! See? I really have to remember that as a psychic, regardless of how silly I feel, I must trust my intuition lol…
It took him about another hour, laying beneath my motorhome in what was now very wet weather, poor bugger, but he got it all tightened, adding an extra clamp for good measure 😛

I went back to Chad and asked him if he would still haVe time to get the job I had asked for done… bless him, he didn’t hesitate! While the boys were at it, I asked them could they please wash the roof as I am truly vertically challenged and, though I had made the rest of it sparkle, I just could not manage the top. Also I am useless at checking the air in the tyres.. they did both and really they didn’t charge me much at all. They also refixed the awning again and put on a special regulator for the gas bottle.. this way if ever there was a leak, the regulator would automatically shut off! What with the gas alarm I had installed initially, the safety aspect within were most definitely taken care of! I must recommend that anyone who deals in gas, even for barbecues, gets one …safety first always!
Late that afternoon I headed back to my friends’ place, praying that would be the end of the troubles.. ha fat chance lol… no more leaks at the front near the tank but ohhhh nooooo a nasty puddle of oil underneath the diff!!

My friend Colin reckoned I didnt just kill a chinaman, I must have massacred the lot! LOL.. anyway I called the mechanic again! This time it turned out the wheel and pinion was worn along with two seals… can’t get the part other than the seals in Aus can you? :s hehehe He managed to locate what he calls a speedy sleeve and two seals… this time the bill came to $495 … sooooo over it. Nothing left now of the money I got for the Commodore… and I was sorely tempted when I was yet again asked if I would sell her. The drive back was good though… I didn’t manage that till yesterday! I caught up with my sister in Kempsey and nephew. We had a lovely time, the motorhome seems to be travelling smoothly now and once again I love her and won’t part with her. Ironically as I pulled into the IGA to meet up with my daughter I was offered a very substantial amount for her! Had that been the day before I would have taken it lol, not now though. I love her dearly and my sense of humour is once more intact… I still feel blessed. I know very well I could have been born in a country torn apart by war or in the midst of the worst of famines just to name a few… I meant what I said when I said I was blessed in my last post for always I have been taken care of.. friends who supported and nurtured me, feeding and housing me when I needed it most… the ability to pay those bills when they came up also a boon that many have not experienced.. how could I not feel blessed. Regardless of our worries here in this beautiful land, we have no idea of just how lucky we are! Keep on believing in the best my friends and you will surely bring it to you! Blessings 🙂 xxx