Tyres for the 4/4

Finally had a reply from the Morgan factory, following my email to them requesting information about the availability of tyres for the 4/4.

Apparently, Morgan is now the only car manufacturer in the UK using the 4/4's particular size of tyre, 165/80R15  87T. These are available from dealers and there are apparently good stocks, that should last a considerable length of time judging by the tiny mileages accumulated by some cars, but then again, perhaps not, because the tyres on these garaged vehicles will probably deteriorate and become unsafe in five years or so.

Whether or not the stocks are of 'Continental' tyres they didn't say, but I have also found an alternative on the website of "Blackcircles", these are made by Toyo Tyres, who were apparently declared the best tyres for 8 years in a row by the independent American Suppliers, as published in "Tyre Review Magazine" USA.

It's out!

You know, I think my dentist takes a sadistic delight in extracting molars!

I could see the look of enjoyment in his face when I made the decision to have the tooth taken out, rather than a root filling that he said would probably be even more painful than the misery I have endured for three days.

As he plunged the hypodermic needle into my gums, his face, on which he seems to have grown some 'designer stubble', contorted in a look bordering on madness, that was nothing compared to the extreme pleasure he exuded as I writhed in the chair as he tried to lever out the offending grinder.

It was even more disconcerting, because there was complete silence as he probed and delved, using my lower jaw as a fulcrum on which to get maximum leverage, the stillness unusual because like all dentists I've known, you are expected to carry on a well structured, considered conversation with them while your mouth is wide open and stuffed with implements of all sorts.

He finally dug out the last bit of tooth and there it lay in bits on a tissue next to me and while on the one hand delighting in it's removal, I also felt a pang of sadness, remembering the 63 years or so (allowing for milk teeth!) that we'd dined together!

As I sit here writing this drivel, the sun is shining, there is a fresh wind blowing and it is 18 degrees. Could I, dare I, venture out in that little car or would that be a little silly after my terrible ordeal. You know I think I might have to yield to common sense.....unusual for me!

Rain and tooth stops play!

The first thing I did on our return from La Belle France was to visit the dentist, not about my recently acquired 'bridge' which is magnificent, but regarding a niggling molar at the back of my mouth.

This had been causing me gipp both prior to and during our trip, but being a man, a man who desperately tries to follow those manly virtues expressed in Rudyard Kipling's immortal poem 'If', that ends, 'you'll be a man my son!' I bore the pain bravely and kept the matter to myself, not wishing to burden my dear wife or the French with my sufferings!!!!

As I lay horizontal in the chair, the dentist reviewed my remaining gnashers, amazed I think that I could manage to chew anything with so few, let alone look so well fed, and pronounced that in order to find the offending tooth he was going to bash each one with, what subsequently felt like, a metal bar. As he reached the one next to the back on the left-hand side of my mouth, it was clear from the excruciating pain and my muffled cry that he had achieved success.

I left, feeling considerably worse, with a prescription for penicillin and an appointment for the 10th May to have a root filling and a new crown. With supreme confidence he announced that if the thing collapsed during the process it would have to come out! Quite frankly at the present time I wish he would take the damn thing out, but I'm worried that if I lose many more I can see me having to resort to baby food!

After the visit to the dentist and teetering on the brink of total collapse for a couple of days until the antibiotic took hold, a drive in the Morgan was the last thing on my mind, the misery of toothache being all-consuming, but thankfully the weather since we got back from France has been mostly awful so I wouldn't have been going for a drive anyway, lessening the blow.

I have written to the Morgan factory asking for their authoritative advice regarding the appropriate tyres for the car as it will not be long before I have to replace the existing 'Continentals' that are no longer being produced by the company and I am waiting for their reply.

Meanwhile, subject to teeth and weather, I look forward to getting out on our first picnic of 2012, when we can make full use of the car and of course, although not wishing to wish my life away, we'll soon be planning for the Brittany trip in July.

Strange scratchings and scurrying aloft...

....caused us some consternation and certainly fuelled our imaginations as we both lay in bed, at the villa that had been kindly loaned to us, for the price of a bunch of flowers and a kiss, while we visited my sister at Sete, in the Llanguedoc region of southern France.

View from my sister's apartment in Sete

The villa is owned by a lovely elderly lady, a friend of my sisters and we had stayed there four years previously, but this was a sound that we had not heard on that occasion. It was a noise that initially was not very conducive to a good night's sleep and seemed to be coming either from behind the close boarded ceiling under the traditional roof tiles, where there might have been perhaps 10 cms space or on the roof itself. 

On that first night I quietly opened the doors and finally the shutters of our room, before surreptitiously creeping out, on to the veranda so that I could check the roof and frighten off whatever animals or birds that might have been there. There was nothing,  and it was only on our last morning, while trudging up the hill with our breakfast, that a little red creature with a long bushy tail ran in front of us, leapt over the villa wall and up a tree whose branches touched the roof of our villa. We had finally found out who the perpetrators were...SQUIRRELS !!!!!

Sete from the marina

Eventually we became accustomed to this nocturnal playtime and as with all these things it has been added to our bank of interesting 'holiday' experiences, along with the occasion, just four days ago, when we  returned to the villa in the evening to find no water running from the taps. Frantic phone calls followed and it turned out that the gardener had visited and unaware of us had unwittingly turned it off at the mains!

Each day began with a walk down a 1 in 3 hill to the patisserie for our bread and a very slow, arduous walk back for breakfast, followed by an invigorating walk along the promenade to my sister's apartment which overlooks the fish market and has a wonderful view across the harbour to the Mediterranean.

On our way to the indoor market on Sunday we visited the Polling Station where my sister and her husband voted in the first ballot of the French presidential election. The sight of two English interlopers peering around the door, caused some curious glances and mutterings from the assembled electorate and officials present, presumably suspecting a conspiracy on behalf of the British government to affect the outcome.

The coffee we enjoyed at the locals' favourite watering-hole on their daily shopping trips to the market, was fascinating, with everyone in full flow, discussing the possible election result as well as their next meal, for food and politics do seem to be the main preoccupation of the French, with a bit of football and rugger thrown in.

It was on our return to the apartment that I spotted a Caterham parked outside a local bakers and that prompted me to hail the driver and have a natter about our respective cars. Due to linguistic difficulties, we had a somewhat limited conversation but I did find out that it had a 1.6 Rover engine and he thoroughly enjoyed driving it. It certainly looked the business!

Duck at the Auberge

Lunch was taken at the Auberge de Creyssels, Benau, near Meze, close to the Etang de Thau. "www.creyssels.fr"  It was a wonderful occasion, in an ancient building with first class food that is served on Saturday evenings and Sunday lunchtimes only, so it is vital to book well in advance.

On the following day we all travelled to Montpellier by train, an occasion when the qualities of the French rail network and rolling stock were adequately demonstrated. Montpellier itself is a vibrant, beautiful city with much classical architecture and we spent a few hours there savourng it's cultural and gastronomic delights....a coffee supped in a beautiful street in the morning and a pannini with tomato and mozzarella cheese, eaten just off the 'Place de la Comedie' !!!!

The final evening was spent, initially listening to some wonderful singing and guitar playing by the husband of a couple my sister knows, who had joined us for aperitifs.This was followed by a meal at the lovely 'Le Marie-Jean Restaurant' alongside the canal in Sete. "http://www.le-marie-jean.com"  While we were having dinner,  the Barcelona v Chelsea Champions League football match was on the television so there was a certain amount of Franco/Spanish/Anglo rivalry amongst the diners which all added to a great experience.

The Etang de Thau 

So, in a nutshell, an appropriate term in view of the aforementioned little blighters, we've had a wonderful time, visiting our French relatives and France once again. Wonderful hospitality, that has, in the course of the last five days or so, added some 4 pounds to the already comfortable paunch of the writer!

'Ryanair' didn't do too badly either. We travelled from Liverpool to Nimes return, for the first time with hand luggage only, and it has proved very successful indeed. Less weight and aggravation, no waiting for luggage when you land and let's face it you never wear all the clothes you take in a large case anyway. It's a discipline that all touring Morgan drivers will understand and we intend to continue to do it. After all you can only wear one pair of trousers at a time!

    

It were grand....

....lying on my back under the Morgan greasing those sliding axles again!

I know it hasn't been 1000 miles since they were last done, but I thought that while I'd got the car jacked up, in order to check the nearside king-pin,  I may as well get the wheels off to clean them and at the same time do the greasing. So that is how I have spent the last four hours or so.

As I was lying there, contemplating how I managed to get more grease on me than in the nipple and where I would really like to shove the grease gun, my thoughts wandered to 'Ante Morgan' or AM, that period in time before the two of us met. No grease on my hands then, just the one big lovely Volvo that I cared for deeply and still do, with a suspension system that didn't need this sort of attention after such a ridiculously short mileage interval.

Why on earth was I putting my poor wracked body through all these physical contortions? I'll tell you why, because I bl---y well love it, that's why!

The movement top to bottom on the nearside wheel is negligible, in fact no different to the offside and on that basis I have decided not to get too stressed about the need for a new king-pin especially after checking the tread depth on my tyres (17000+ miles) and realising that some expenditure is going to be necessary in the not too distant future getting the little blighter re-shod!

With all these potential pressures on the family purse I think that I am going to have to curb that other interest I have in 'Morrisons' wine and spirit department! You can't do everything without making sacrifices, that's what my old mother said anyway, but thinking about it she never did do what she preached, so perhaps I could do far worse than follow her example! What will-power!

After cleaning the stainless wire wheels, I dressed the tyres with 'Auto Glym Instant Tyre Dressing' that I find gives a wonderful finish to the tyres without making them look glossy, like many you see on dealers forecourts.  I started to do this after picking up the car from the factory after I had had a job done and finding that it had been washed and the tyres dressed. When I thanked Mark for the way the car had been returned, specifically mentioning the tyres, he said that in his opinion a car was not presented well unless this had been done and so ever since I have followed this example.

I then gave the engine a bit of attention, while checking levels, with another light treatment of 'Auto Glym Vinyl and Rubber Care' which I have used to good effect, on both the plastic and rubber hoses etc., in the Morgan and also for the vinyl covered dashboard etc.,in the Volvo.

Wilting at the knees after all this effort and with a promise from 'Gordons Distillery' waiting for me at home, I put the dust sheet back on the car and retreated.

Just out of interest, had I continued with valeting the car I would have used, 'Auto Glym Ultra Deep Shine' polish (especially formulated for water based paints) and the leather care products supplied by Morgan when the car was new, although I have also used 'Auto Glym Leather Care' for this job.

I DO NOT HAVE SHARES IN AUTO GLYM but like their products! "http://autoglym.co.uk"

Pacing OK!

I had my annual check on my pacemaker the other day and received confirmation that the thing was ticking over well, with only the occasional blip being experienced as the rev counter on the Morgan approaches the red zone!

My wife and I had a nice little pootle yesterday to see her sister, a round trip of about 20 miles. Not a lot but enough to get the old pulse racing and keep the car up to scratch.

Kenneth, my blogging friend in Sweden, who I now correspond with very regularly via email, had a good drive of around 90 miles at the weekend in his Roadster and its good to know that fellow drivers are getting out and using their Morgans. As Dennis Duggan another regular email 'pen friend' and Morganista says, he didn't spend a hod of money on a car, just to polish it every day! 

Tomorrow I intend to jack the front wheels up to check that nearside king-pin which I know will need replacing. It's not a job that is imperative but on the other hand it gives me a good excuse to get my hands dirty on the little beast and makes a change from pottering around the vegetable garden.

Our computer has been misbehaving and after a rather tortuous series of conversations with Mumbai, an engineer visited the house today and has replaced the phone socket and replaced our 'Netgear' router with the new BT equivalent, all FREE OF CHARGE!!!

What is more it was very pleasantly and professionally completed and as is my wont I have emailed BT to express my delight. I complain dramatically but also praise freely when it is justified.

Actually, if we have any more trouble with the computer we will change it for a faster variety. The trouble is with all these high tech items is, that as soon as you walk out of the store they are already virtually redundant. But you do tend to forget how long you have had these things for and that they are probably long overdue for replacement anyway!

We're off to Sete in the Languedoc on Friday, to visit my sister for five days, so the blog will be silent for a while. Ryanair that well known and somewhat despised airline will take us there, and bring us back hopefully. We are travelling light, with cabin luggage only, thus escaping the £60 charge for a suitcase and the total cost of the flight to Nimes and back for the two of us is £103. Can't be bad!!!  

With weather like this.....

....how can you fail to roll the machine out of its garage and revel in the experience.

Skippool Creek

But there was another reason that influenced this rather easy decision and that was to try and rectify the ghastly photographs that I had been forced to include in my last two posts, caused by me not adjusting the white balance after taking a number of shots indoors over Easter.

No doubt my HUGE number of regular followers worldwide will have already noticed, having looked again at my revised post of yesterday, that the tide has miraculously gone out!!! At least the car is now resplendent in it's Le Mans green livery!

After visiting the Country Park and taking the new shots I made my way to another interesting location, Skippool Creek, an ancient Roman Port that always attracts my attention because of my interest in boats and sailing, an interest that probably stems from the fact that all my relatives on my father's side of the family, with the exception of him, had a very close affinity with the sea, being fishermen or in the Royal Navy.

Shard Bridge, a former toll bridge, in the background.

I've included some shots that I took while there which of course also feature that little car.

And another thing! What a delight to hear on the BBC News that the owner of a coffee shop in Norwich is refusing to serve customers who are answering their mobile phone whilst at the same time trying to order a coffee. He has put up notices to that effect in his shop and hopefully other retailers will follow suit in order to stamp out this example of bad manners.

It is also equally important that retailers themselves show some etiquette in dealing with their customers. So often I have been in shops, in a queue and next to be served, only to find that the phone rings and I am ignored in favour of the person on the phone, even though I may have been standing there for hours waiting to be served.

Enough of this, I'm going to hit the bottle again. It's all this top-down driving that builds up a raging thirst!