Easter part 2....

On Easter Sunday, our first ’free’ day we had to drive to Bordeaux to pick up the Mazda which was sitting patiently waiting for me to collect it as I needed to take it back to the UK for MOT testing servicing etc, so that effectively took the morning out and in the afternoon we set a bonfire going to burn more of the refuse we can’t take to the dechetterie (the tip). As the clocks have gone forward we have entered the period when you are not supposed to have bonfires, for fear of setting light to the local crops fauna and flora, and this ban remains in place until October, though some folk just seem to ignore it. However we will stick to the rules and have no more fires until autumn is here.

So that was the Easter break and having driven down in my 4 year old Jaguar S type I now had to drive back to the UK in my 15 year old Mazda MX3. As usual it did me proud and did not miss a beat. Infact it did better than that because, it in effect, it drove from Bordeaux to Newcastle and back to Southend without a hint of complaint, what a great little car. However the moment of reckoning will come soon, as it goes in for its MOT, anything over a £400.00 bill and I am afraid it is curtains for the little feller, though I cannot see why it would fail at the moment. My big question is what should I do with it next. We really need a big Volvo, small MPV or Land Rover for the next year whilst we finish off the house. I’m not sure it is worth keeping as a classic car to start my collection, though other MX-3 owners may disagree. The paint work is in a poor state, so needs a full re-spray, the front bumper needs replacing as parts are being held on with gaffer tape (and this car is a Canadian import so parts are not easy to come by) and the seats need fixing as well as a few things in the boot, all before it could be used as a classic hire car, so I think either way pass or fail my little MX-3 is for the chop. It’s a big shame but practicality wins over sentiment.

A rare weekend for me in Southend, as the fares this weekend were expensive due to the Easter holidays just starting in the UK, and the fact that I finished work on Friday afternoon in Nottingham which meant I could not get to an airport in time to fly out.

I am flying to Angouleme, sorry Cognac-Angouleme airport on Thursday evening, apparently Ryanair would not fly there unless they could give it the name of a well known place, the real name of the airport is actually Brie Champniers or at least that is what the road signs say. This is either the inaugural flight to our ‘local airport’ or one of the first, so its a bit of a short week this week, though I am working from home on Friday. Franca will come and pick me up as it is only 25 minutes from home, although it is quiet late, we land at 10:00pm I think, and I fly back to London-Stansted on Sunday evening from La Rochelle.