STEAM MEETS PUNK

We have just returned from a great time with friends at their home in East Bridgeford, near Nottingham. Stella transported us there and back in comfort and style, she more than held her own on the M11 and A1 and returned 29.8 miles to the gallon. On the return journey it took over an hour to do the last four miles up to the Dartford Crossing, a vehicle fire had reduced the motorway to one lane, but the temperature gauge stayed absolutely steady at 90 albeit with the Kenlowe fan running, but absolutely no sign of the Stags infamous overheating problems.

One of our outing was to the Papplewick Victorian pumping station which happened to be in steam that weekend, exciting and spectacular enough on it's own, but this weekend there was a Steam Punk theme. didn't really know what to expect, but it was huge fun. The costumes and machinery were amazing, I should have taken many more photos. There was Tea Duelling (don't ask) and facial hair competition amongst other activities, in all a very enjoyable time was being had by all.

I even went as far as trying on a hat, but evidently my ego isn't up to it.

OUT AND ABOUT IN JUNE

With all the current mechanical work done on Stella it is time to get out and about as much as possible and to my pleasure Jacquie actually suggests opportunities to go for runs out.

Early in June we drove to a local park and as it was my birthday Duggie enjoyed a tub of doggy ice cream.

In the middle of the month it was the Bromley Pageant,  Stella  I were present as part of the South East Area Stag Owners Club presentation. About 30 Stags turned up and by the end of a rather chilly day I had got to know the first names of many of the members. Duggie was elected as Club Mascot and lost no time in getting petted by as many people at once as was possible.

At the end of June we had intended to have a trip to North Wales, but one of our travelling companions had been under the weather for a while, so we decided to base ourselves closer to home in the Cotswold's. As everybody knows the weather has been superb and we had four fab days following our chums in their bright red Triumph TR3a, down beautiful lane, through lovely villages, stopping off at various gardens and places of interest.

 Stella literally didn't miss a beat, never showed any sign of overheating, the only thing that went wrong was that a glass 35amp fuse for the courtesy lights/cigar lighter blew. There was several packages of spare fuses that came with the car, which I had neatly stowed away, but when I came to deploy them, everyone except the 2amp fuses were already blown and it took a trip to Halfords in Cirencester to buy a selection of replacement fuses. Strange, why would the previous owner carefully put back into the original packaging blown fuses.

The TR3a was a lusty, snorting 2 litre and  for the first time I saw the needle of my rev counter touching the 4 thousand mark as I kept pace with her and the sound of the two cars accelerating hard was magnicient. Fuel consumption was 26 miles to the gallon and I was very pleased with that.

My confidence in Stella is confirmed and we are ready for our next big trip to visit friend in Nottingham.