I'd just like to include a link to a good friends B & B business for anyone visiting the Seaham area of N. E. England, reasonably priced and comfortable surroundings hosted by fun people, well it will be once Lynne's broken foot gets better, let your hair down and have a stopover here:

http://seahambnb.co.uk/

Stolen Caravan: Avondale Landranger 6400

I was contacted by the new owners about the theft of my old caravan, it was taken by a white transit according to neighbours, nice neighbours eh!

So if anyone sees this van could you give the police a call on its location. Its pretty easy to distinguish as I had to fibre glass over the original high level brake lights and replace them with square, smaller ones at the rear. The front left positioning handle is missing/broken and the front right window has a crack in the external skin. cheers folks, keep a look out. Harry

95-96 Avondale Landranger 6400 for sale

GONE NOW FOLKS

I've sold the van now folks as my boy has hit 14 he's more interested in the fairer sex than spending time arguing the toss with park wardens. I was a bit sad to see it go but seeing how little we used it this past summer it'll be better off in the hands of its new family. The old posts on repairs are still here but my fixit days are on the motors now, see yall. Harry

That didn't take long

Well, there's a turnup for the books, Englands demise. Though not a footy fanatic I do like a good game so had a reminder as to the reason I fell out of love with the sport, disappointment, with a capital D.

Brought up in sunny seaham by the sea I used to look forward to heading to Roker Park in my teens for the usual Saturday trouncing of SAFC. My fifteenth year on this god forsaken planet brought about several disappointments in the Sunderland stadium, usually 1 - 0 scores favouring the away team, finally we played Blackburn Rovers, who at the time were just below Sunderland at the bottom of the division, (no fancy premier leagues then) and what happened.

Blackbloodyburn 1 Sunderlandcripples 0

I stormed the pitch, to meet up with my mates on the centre spot,skinhead, big red DM boots, levi's cats died and check shirt we waved to the MOTD cameras. Me, I was waving goodbye to footy and have attended only two events since, one when they brought home the FA cup in 73 and later while in London I attended the worst FA cup final in history, Liverpool / Wimbledon.

Skinhead days over I grew my hair long, dropped out, of everything, and went to sea.

Footy, I'll leave to the brain dead.

The best laid plans

don't always come to fruition.

Getting thoroughly teed off with the site, its fishing, golf course and swimming facilities, the rudeness of the staff and my son wanting to dismember some of them we decided it was move on time.

A little bit like the Clampet's We loaded up the truck and moved to our present site. The trouble was when we arrived the weather was lousy so I basically parked the van up and left. That was 6 weeks ago and due to the gas guzzler blowing the cylinder head and all my funds tied up in site fees I have been unable to either, fix the car, or, visit the van.

These problems should be remedied by next weekend, when I'll be resuming services and celebrating my escape from the horror that is, The World Cup, England's demise.

All sorted n ready for the off

After two trips with my gas guzzler loaded to the gunwhales I'm almost set up for the season.

I thought I'd get the minor issues out of the way first so on my arrival friday evening I removed the jockey wheel, replaced it with an eight foot scaffold pole, bolted on the satellite dish facing the general direction of others on the site, plugged the cable to my sky box, or sky's box, however you think of it, switched on and immediately had sky tv's free offerings.

This without the aid of any of Maplins trickery-pokery magic boxes, so, forty quid saved I settled down to a night of telly and several cans of CBL in celebration.

Saturday arrived and I chucked up the awning/workshop/partyroom/bar, to save dragging half of north yorkshire onto my already downatheel caravan carpet, 45 quidsworth of B n Q bolts, rawlplugs and plates has the twenty foot awning pretty secure and ready for the season.

I must admit though not all has gone well. Packing up last year in a downpour I'd neglected to turn off the gas, and found, this season the jubilee clip on the hose was a little loose, so no gas in bottle and a twenty quid refill, then, on reconnecting the water and switching on the pump and tap, I waited, and, waited.

Though the sound of gurgling and running water was to be heard there was no appearance at the tap, I looked in the toilet, thinking the sound was coming from there, but no, I'm not that bloody lucky. I am however almost deaf in one lughole so directional hearing is a definite no no.

I lifted the rear seating where my pressure switch resides, and sure enough there it was, water, everybloodywhere.

Having screwed the switch down to allow the water through, the pressure had blown this jubilee clipped hose clean off, a quick shutdown of the pump and hasty mop up has hopefully prevented a floor repair for the future, I am now back in the swing of things, looking for some click flooring for the awning and a nice new carpet for my caravanning tootsies, watch this space, I'll be back.

New pitch

Hi all, went to the site yesterday to move the van to another pitch away from the water/bins pitch I'd picked so the wife wouldn't have far to go to empty rubbish, trouble with this plot was every tom dick emptying their slop water ended up with it all over the place, my pitch in particular, and couldn't resist having a good gander in my van during their ablutions so I moved it away from there as I can't abide nosey bas***ds.

Anyway all was dry n cosy with no more damp returning, which, after the lovely weather we've had over the last few months, has me thinking I may have just got the job done right. I'll be having my first session, a week, beginning thursday, then later it'll be having a new carpet, bathroom and all window seals replaced. Looking forward to the new season and stocked up on Glen Fiddich and CBL to wile away those chilly, spring nights.