Goodbye Cardiff

Well we couldn't leave with getting a shot with the Millennium Stadium.

Proved a little harder than I expected but eventually found this spot, shame about the tree.

Daves antur yn Gymru - pt 2

So after dropping the boss at Cardiff Airport for her meeting we headed off with an hour or so to kill.

First stop, literally as the road was blocked, was a beautiful pond, so a chance for a quick Dave n Ducks photo.

Then we saw a sign saying 'castle', well Wales is full of them so off we went to see what we could find, what a treat it was too, Fonmon Castle, only open to the public on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, oh well, that's a shame....but wait a contact number on the sign at the entrance gate. Quick call to ask if we could just pop up for a quick photo. Glad we did, it's beautiful.

And on the way out a folly in the garden, we couldn't get any closer without driving on their lovely lawn, which was a bit of a no no.

Dave also had his first experience of fords, not the dodgy Dagenham dustbins, but the roads through streams, sorry no pictures of them as they were quite deep and I wasn't going wading!

The other amazing find was an empty shell of a ancient stone manor house in the village of Llantrithyd, unfortunately the land had a working cowshed on it, so didn't want to take Dave into the field without the farmer's permission, shame as it would have made a fabulous back drop.

All in all a lovely relaxing drive in the Welsh countryside, lots of sun and fresh air, and on the way back to the hotel we stopped to fuel up, 600 miles exactly and 44.4 litres of diesel, 60.1 mpg, not bad, and improving as the engine loosens up.

Croeso i Gymru

So Dave arrived near Cardiff earlier and after checking into the Holiday Inn we popped out to take Albert to the beach at Barry, shame to see the pleasure park in such awful disrepair.

First milestone

By comparison to Saturday's journey down to Kent the run back was a bit of a breeze, absolutely love the cruise control and the limiter is useful on those horrid average speed camera areas.

Well now for the milestone.......

Drum roll please.......

Dave has covered 1000 miles, which means the first stage of running in is complete and we can now go over 2000 rpm.

Easter weekend

Yesterday was a nightmare journey from Wycombe to Cliftonville in Kent, the M25 was bad enough with a couple of accidents and then average speed camera roadworks, but when we got into the M2/A2 the weather was horrendous with visibility down to less than 50 yards, driving rain and skies so dark it looked more like the middle of the night.

What an amazing contrast this morning is, up at 6 to the sound of the local winged rats, bloody seagulls! However being awake meant getting out early.

Dropped Carl's dad off to his bowling club in Ramsgate to mow the lawns ready for the day's games and took Albert for a nice long walk along the promenade.

Also gave me a chance for my first pic of the day, I suspect there may be a few more today, though I doubt with it being Easter Monday they will be as traffic free as this one.

Feeling a little patriotic in this one, Dave may have come from Eastern Europe, like many around here it seems, but he is a true Brit.

Dave's first bike ride

Just arrived at Black Park near Pinewood Studios for a ride out, the cycle rack fits great and very secure

Early start

A quick visit to Bourne End marina after taking Albert for an early walk.

Better get used to the Thames Dave, you will be seeing lots of it during the summer.

Just snapping away

Just a quick pic

Just having a play with the camera effects on my new phone.

Towbar Pt 1

So Saturday morning was taken up with a drive to SMC Aldershot to collect the towbar that had been ordered in for me. Unfortunately Karl wasn't working so wasn't able to meet him, have to say he really is a top bloke, fantastic customer service and of course the DaciaForum parts discount was an added bonus.........also picked up a Dacia keyring.

A nice scenic drive back via The Lookout near Bracknell, and another quick photo this time with Albert the Cairn, who seems to like Dave, the windows are all the right height to see out of.

And then later that evening a lovely long walk by the side of the Thames at Hurley, unfortunately Dave had to wait behind, but found a nice secluded spot to listen to the church bells.

Oh yeah and remember the Pistonheads Smiley sticker on the back bumper, well the PH local forum Thames Valley & Surrey runs a 'spotted' thread and during his travels on Saturday he got his first 'PH Spot', made Dave's weekend.

Manflu and wonderbra

Well after having three days laid up in bed with manflu, me I hasten to add not Dave, it was nice to have a couple of parcels delivered today.

Firstly a plastic bootliner, which when I opened it seemed a little flimsy, but once put in place was a perfect fit and sat nice and tight in the boot area, was made even better by the fact it came with a nice custom fit carpet, all in all not bad for £32.99 (ebay link here)

The second package came all the way from Germany and I have to say I was very impressed with the speed of delivery, better than some companies here in the UK.

So what was it?

A bra for Dave, don't worry it's nothing to do with man boobs, just there to protect that bonnet from bouncing debris when I'm driving around. I have seen a picture previously of a white French Stepway with one fitted and the photo on the eBay advert but was still unsure what it would look like in real life.

I think it's going to be a very Marmite thing, either love it or loathe it, however now I've fitted it, I think it looks one hundred times better than in the photos. It is held in place eight small hooks on elastic straps and is nicely lined with a soft velvet like lining to protect the bodywork. Probably the most expensive add on to date at £45.90 (ebay link here)

Dave's first day at work.

So introduced Dave to his daily commute today, the journey down the A34 was interesting, there may be less traffic due to the school holidays but the strong crosswinds today weren't having a break.

A nice journey though, can't wait for the first 900 miles to be over so I can give him a proper run.

Tonight was the first drive in the dark, I had read a number of reports that people found the headlights quite poor, based on that I have pre-ordered some Osram high powered bulbs, however the lights weren't as bad as I expected. I will still change the bulbs when they arrive though.

You're not big and you're not clever

Popped into my local Dacia dealer today and the Evoque was parked up for sale. I can imagine the conversation while I was inside.....

Dave: Your not much bigger than me.
Evoque: Hmmm but I'm a Range Rover.
Dave: How much do you cost to tax?
Evoque: £260 per annum, but I'm a Range Rover.
Dave: Oh I cost £20. How much mpg do you do?
Evoque: 36 mpg, but I'm a Range Rover.
Dave: Oh I do 78 mpg. How much do you cost?
Evoque: £36,000....but I'm a Range Rover.
Dave: Oh so someone could have three of me.
Evoque: But I'm a Range Rover.
Dave: But I have an owner and yours must have traded you in for something better.
Evoque: Humpf

Could have sworn Dave was chuckling as we left.

A damp day in Daveland

So woke up this morning and it is horrible, wet and damp, so between showers I've fitted a few of the bits and pieces that I have ordered following various recommendations on DaciaWorld

So the first job was fitting a bonnet rubber.

Before:

After:

Then a small but simple thing, not only cosmetic but also prevents water sitting in the strut top.

Before:

After:

So the choice for car mats was genuine Dacia ones at £35 and a 4 month wait!! or aftermarket ones for £12, they are custom cut with all the correct locking clips, so thought I'd give them a go.

And finally for this morning the obligatory PistonHeads PH Smiley.

That's it for the moment, now got to spend a few hours on the 'old' car, getting it ready for selling.

Hope you are enjoying my adventures with Dave and if the weather clears up later we will head off for another drive.

Dave's journey home.

So I finally have Dave home, 100 mile journey with a mix of London, town, country and motorway driving, have to do 900 miles running in so haven't had a chance to really stretch his legs as you can't go about 2000 rpm and bearing in mind the engine will loosen up too, I managed 58 mpg.

So where did we go........

Firstly was our little stop near Merton.

Then we headed down to Brooklands, slightly disappointed as you used to be able to get onto a small section of the banking, but they have put bollards up now preventing it, so we settled for this shot instead.

And so to the journey home back cross country to Runnymede for a shot by the Thames with the beautiful Runnymede Memorial up high on the hill behind.

Unfortunately the weather took a turn for the worse so I decided to head back through Windsor and via White Waltham Airfield.

So back home now, relaxing for the moment, before contemplating tomorrow.

The first pose

So having left the dealership after adjusting my seat only, I just wanted to find somewhere to park up and set up the bluetooth and music etc. Noticed that the rear headrests were raised, they really obscure the back window. So parked up now doing bits and pieces, drop those headrests and see what the satnav is like. Oh yeah and Dave's first pose.

Dave!!!!

My first sighting as I walked onto the forecourt

Victoria Station

Haven't been here for over 40 years, childhood memories of collecting my grandmother when she arrived from Ramsgate, now to buy a ticket and figure out my platform.

The coach

The second and longest part of the journey, from Oxford to Victoria Station, approximately 100 minutes, we shall see, but it is very comfortable, sat on the top deck seeing things I've never seen while driving the car, oh yeah and free WiFi, shame there isn't a Costa coffee on board.

The bus

Stage one of the journey, a bus from the village.

Countdown commences

Well the postman has been busy this week, lots of packages arriving for Dave when he gets here, a little pile in the corner of the room that's growing.

Oh and I got a call from the dealers, I now have Dave's registration number.

Dave has been sighted

Have just had a call from my dealer, Dave has been located and apparently he has been enjoying the sunshine today.

He is scheduled for registration and PDI tomorrow and Thursday, so all going well I should meet him Saturday.