Au Revoir, Mademoiselle?

The shell back on the chassis. Andy B on left, me seated.

Readers who have been with me for donkeys years may recall that back in the winter of 2007/8, I was one of 4 members of our 'local group' of the Citroën Club of GB who got involved in the complete nut and bolt rebuild* of an ancient, non-running 1961 2CV car. The car was found by the club on one of our camping convoy events which took in Dover Transport Museum and turned out to have been a twinning gift from the newly twinned town of La Chapelle d'Armentieres in Northern France, to their new twin, Birchington in Kent in 1989. It was all sign-written with heraldic crests from each town and the regions. Birchington gave them a red phone box, being suitably British and 'iconic' which has stood ever since, outside the town hall (Mairie).

'Rolling Chassis' in need of lots of work.

The car, in 1989, had been roughly assembled to look the part for photo shoots but below the surface the engine was dead, brakes not connected up and so on, so the car sat on a local garage forecourt for a few years but was then gifted to the museum to look after. Dover Transport Museum, though, is more interested in commercial stuff - old lorries, vans, trains etc, so as they filled up with stuff the car was relegated to a slot out on the grass in the rain, which is where we found it and took pity, so we made them an offer.

We called her Mademoiselle from Armentieres (like the WW1 song) just because the "Parlez Vous" song is the only thing most school boys know about La Chapelle d'Armentieres! We stripped that car down completely over the winter of 2007/8 and rebuilt it. I was writing this blog by then but was writing then as if from the viewpoint of Deefer (then a small pup) so some posts about the car appeared such as

http://deefer-dawg.blogspot.ie/2008/02/madamoiselle.html

I wrote up the car rebuild with the usual millions of pictures on the National 2CV Club website and was quite proud of the work, but unfortunately the club fell out with their internet service provider and various crashes of the site made them move onto a completely new site, abandoning the old forum archives and blogs and I lost the lot. I tried any number of the former 'webmeisters' but could get no joy, so that good record of our mechanicking is gone, not even on the internet anywhere, because the server was shut down and cleaned up ready for the next customer. Hey ho. This blog is on blogger.com which seems to be made of sterner stuff.

Well we completed the car and all the time had been in contact with the town of La Chapelle who were coming up to the 20th Anniversary of the twinning and were going to do a massive celebration and carnival to mark the event (a 'do' that French towns seem to love more so than either UK towns or the Irish). They insisted that we bring the car; we did and got treated like celebrities for the weekend with the car on show by the Mairie and then one of 3 2CVs leading the Big Parade. It was a real treat. The car has been back several times on the anniversaries since, once with us but since then with our good friend Andy B, who was really the 'project manager' on the build.

Soon after the 2009 trip, 2 of the gang-of-four expressed a wish to pull out and use their money on other 2CV projects, so, with the car then worth about £2400, Andy and I chopped in £600 to each of them and from then on we have owned the car between the two of us (and it is now worth about £3100, we think). Well, now having moved to Ireland, I do not get a chance to drive the car or even see it and sit in the seats, so I have been wondering whether Andy might feel like 'buying' me out too - we are both still splitting the cost of housing it in the dry lock-up, insurance, MOT and repairs (it is exempt from tax). It is only actually about £100 a year total each. We have now done a deal where I stop paying my share and just slowly fade from view over how ever long it takes a rough ton a year to burn up my half of the value. It could be the longest 'au revoir' in history. I will enjoy, meantime, knowing "that there's a corner of a foreign 2CV that is for (almost) ever (mine)" (apologies to Rupert Brooke)

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* Not strictly true - we swapped in a complete spare engine and gearbox rather than strip that right down. 425 cc of silky smooth oozing power!

Not with a Bang but a Whimper

Mademoiselle (left) and Clara Bow (right).

As I write this, the minute hand on my watch is chugging gently through 15:35 pm when I should have been anxiously handing my 2CV in to the NCT testing station in Carrick on Shannon for its 4th run up the testing lane 'sausage machine', its carburettor serviced and pouring a perfect mixture of petrol and air onto the spark plugs, its exhaust emissions compliant and the tester man fanning himself on my signed and stamped police form allowing my car to carry the registration it carries.

A 2CV camp at Preston, near Canterbury in 2010

Instead I am sitting typing this. The car languishes in the garage in Balla D, the carburettor sent off to a specialist despite my request that the garage do nothing if they could not guarantee to get my car back to me for today and the 2 guys at the garage (Father and Son) who are the only ones who seem to know anything about "these old cars" are in America playing at Kart Racing, mechanicking for the Ireland team in some international Karting race meeting.

J-M (left) and Em-J in Mademoiselle

This point, 2 tests and 2 re-tests down, plus a goodly amount of money spent on fixes I had already set in my mind as the end of the road for my 2CV-ownership hobby. It's been a great ride and an enjoyable period, over ten years as 'officially mine' and three years before that when it was registered to Liz (long story involving £2 sterling and 5 David Austin roses!). We have some great fun with the car as well as some misadventures, been to 2CV club camps all over the place including Kelso Castle and we've taken her to France a couple of times too. As I said though, always a hobby vehicle rather than a day to day 'proper' car and funded as such. It was always a cheap sustainable hobby when I was in Kent because I could call on my ace fixer, 2CV Llew who, for a small fee could always get it through MOTs, gearbox changes, body-part swaps and so on.

Ireland though, is a different kettle of fish. Nobody owns 2CVs here so there are no Llews to call upon. My local garage have done very well but the NCT is a much stricter test than the MOT and all parts have to be sourced from the UK. So we brought the car over with us intending to keep it running as long as we realistically could but now its time is up. When the carb comes back from the specialist, the garage will refit it to the car and I will drive it back here, park it up and officially take it off the road on a SORN notice. I am sad but resigned. A bit relieved too, if I'm honest and pleased that the stress of all this battling with garages and anxiously taking it for NCTs is over. A weight lifted.

So, as of about now, when the test would have finished, I am the owner of an NCT failure 2CV which may soon be perfectly repaired and able to sweep through an NCT (No! Don't go there! That way madness lies!) and, as it happens, half a 1961, 425 cc, 6 volt electrics 2CV known as Mademoiselle d'Armentieres which lives in Kent, so I can't get at that one either. I am not sure what the future holds. The rules around cars being 'vintage' or old enough to be exempt from NCT have currently frozen on "cars registered on or before 1980" (they are not rolling annually). I can drive it within the 'farm', of course and could even teach the nieces to drive on it, or I could put it up on good old 'Donedeal' and try to sell it. We'll see. Currently I am contemplating cracking open the Prosecco I bought on a "Win or Lose, have a Booze" basis and getting used to being someone who used to have a 2CV. I apologise for borrowing TS Eliot's much over-used final line for my header - his was a serious poem about the post 2nd WW world, not some classic car owning hobby. Look on the bright side. I nearly went down Auden's "Stop all the clocks... prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone" road.

Rest in Peace, 'Clara' for the moment. You were an excellent and respected friend. I will miss being able to drive you about.

Now why didn't I think of that?

D'ohhhh! There we all were looking for Westie-flavour Christmas goodies, and frustrated by the lack of westie-flavoured Christmas cards coming from the usual sources (Blue Cross etc), when had we thought about it, all we needed to do was google "westie AND christmas" (the capital "AND" makes the search engine go off in search of websites which contain both words). Step forward, The Westie Shop

http://thewestieshop.designsales.co.uk/en/westie-christmas

...and a wealth of cards and all sorts. Ah well, too late now, but we'll know for next year. As it was we went with various RSPB and Blue Cross cards anyway, plus 60 off a Truprint use-your-own-image one which featured Mum sitting in the project 2CV car "Mademoiselle" by the road sign for the French Town of La Chapelle d'Armentieres (but that's a whole 'nother story - search this blog for the "Mademoiselle" word and you'll see).

Meanwhile, rain, rain and more rain as we drip and slosh gently towards the end of 2009. Happy New Year, everyone. And Mr Silverwood and Em-J, we hope you're feeling better soon.

Deefski

Cool Car

Some more pics from the fun and games at Birchington last weekend. The Giraffes are not paintings, but full sized, for real, stuffed dead ones in the museum of African hunting trophies in Quex Park. Amazing place.

Dad says that the ol' 2CV "Mademoiselle" must be a pretty cool car, because look, the three most beautiful girls from La Chapelle are with her. It's official. These three are the "Damoiselles" (= beauty queens) of the town for this year. The blue dress is, allegedly, No 1 and woe betide you if you don't recognise this, but Mum loved the black and white frock.

The two different spellings are, we are told, allowed, because the "Damoiselle" tradition is supposed to draw from old french, chivalry, Knights in shining armour etc, when it was spelt with an "a". The modern spelling is Mademoiselle, and as "herself" only derives from 1961, she definitely falls into the latter camp.

The third photo is just Birchington's Morris Dancers. get in every where, don't they. Even La Chapelle. Rumoured to like the odd pint too.

Go'on lads

Deefski

Home Leg

Dad and the 2CV boys are today on the 4th part of the Mademoiselle 2CV restoration adventure, the "home leg" when La Chapelle d'Armentieres came to Birchington. This was a last chapter, if you like, and a final "mission accomplished" stamp.

The car now sorted, went on it's baby adventure to Birchington, then did the London to Brighton, then the big adventure to La Chapelle in May and now, finally, heads for Birchington, there to meet the La Chapelle contingent off their tour coach at Quex Park, and then to convoy into town and park up, on Show, in front of the library while the two towns met for a meal, wine, speeches, Morris Dancing, tree planting and even a Blessing by a local preacher-man.

There was even a fly-past by the Battle of Britain flight, buzzing low over the Birchington seaside, but that might have been something to do with a big Air-Show happening just down the coast at Margate. Very nice, all the same!

My pics are of the cars attracting a lot of attention outside the town library, and one of Bernard, the Mayor of La Chapelle sitting in the car while he recounted anecdotes of owning a 2CV whilst a student around Lille.

It's a tiring day, and we are a quiet subdued lot in the evening, sitting out on the terrace wondering if the gathering clouds portend rain at last?

Deefski

And the Winner is....

We mentionned that following "our" leading of the Carnival parade through the main street of La Chapelle d'Armentieres, "we" were presented with a small trophy by the Mayor as a momento. Here, indeed is the same, proudly displayed on the bonnet of the car while she was on show. It even has a little plaque naming the event. Cute, huh?

Deefer

The French Adventure

We are abandonned again, while Mum and Dad go off adventuring in the old project restoration 2CV, "Mademoiselle". After the short test to Birchington and the shake-down run to Brighton, the old girl is finally ready for "the big one". You'll know she was a twinning gift from the French town of La Chapelle d'Armentieres (near Lille), to the Kent town of Birchington, it so happens 20 years ago almost to the day.

So the La Chapelle Twinning Committee have invited Dad and his 2CV cronies down to join in the fun, show off the car(s) and lead the carnival parade. Dad is driving Mademoiselle, accompanied by Andy in his old UK-built 1955 car and supported by Mum in the modern car in case anything happens. The 2 2CV's have less than 900 cc's and more than 100 years between them. The word has gone out, too, to the 2CV crowd that if anyone else is in the area and wants to join up, they'd be most welcome.

They give us a sweetie at 7am on the Friday, and that's the last we see of them, left as we are to the ministering Angel B and Uncle Jim. They (Mum and Dad) return at 11pm pm on Sunday buzzing and laughing with the sheer fun and crazy happiness of the weekend. They were welcomed in by the French, feted and treated like celebs, greeted by the Mayor, invited to Civic Receptions, a show by local school children and a gala cabaret night. The cars just caused universal delight where ever they went (the French just LOVE a "Deu' ch'vaux" (2CV) - most of them seem to have owned them, or learned to drive on them and they have a warm place in every French person's heart, it seems.

It was insisted that the visiting 2CV's lead the carnival parade, a bizarre and crazy event with more people in it than watching, huge groups of school kids, fitness classes, people dressed up, marching bands, Morris Dancers from Birchington, footballers, kick-boxers, old people - just everyone and anyone seemed to be in the parade. They just go mad for that stuff.

Delighted too that the cars performed well and made it there and back with no problems. Mademoiselle and the "Slough-built" are now safely back in the lock up near Blean. The next outing is to the Birchington "home leg" of the celebrations on June 21st.

It's nice to have Mum and Dad back.

Deefski

Birchington in the Sun

Another lovely sunny day for Dad's second guided Bluebell walk in Challock Forest. Again, it's just Haggis and I, as Meggie would never be able to keep up. The bluebells are fully out now and gorgeous, and there are dozens of walkers including a 10 or so little children, some of whom I remember from previous walks. In the bright warm sunshine the woods are a-heaving with humans all come to see the bluebells.

Our route this time takes us down past one of the Friends of Kingswood ponds, where some of the kiddies, under less tight control than you might say was appropriate, manage to get stuck in the mud, losing wellies and shoes when pulled out, to much cheering and banter from the adults not-so-encumbered. We dogs choose to be the picture of decorum and mud-avoidingness, and return to the car in pretty much pristine state.

Home and lunched, Dad is off on a mission. It's "Drive It" day and in honour of this he wants to take the old project car to Birchington. He's not been able to raise any response from the Birchington twinning committee, so it's a solo effort, the plan being to trundle the car round town stopping to take pics where ever he feels like it. I've not been in her yet, as she has mint condition but old, bright red seat covering fabric which is not easy to get hold of (she's from 1961 remember), but my time will come one day when I really am clean.

Dad reports that the old grl fires up first turn and never misses a beat all day. he gets pics at the Birchington "city limits" signs, on the sea-front road, and outside the Sea View pub (the latter is great, because the old black and white pics on the cover of the current La Chapelle d'Armentieres magazine of her being originally delivered have the Sea View in the background.

Marv'lous !

Deefer

Jeepers Creepers

We are out and about all day with 2CV Llew. Dad has him booked to diagnose whether the dynamo on the project 2CV (Mademoiselle) really is failing to send any charge to the battery, or whether this is just bad luck on the part of the shaky hands diagnosis of JJ. Inevitably this mission gets wrapped around with sundry other errands and tasks that distract 2CV Llew from the business in hand.

But heh, it's a lovely warm sunny day, we've nothing killing and Mum is in Ireland, so we chill out. Also, we get to ride about all day in a Jeep Grand Cherokee, which means loads of space in the back to stretch out (all be it smelling strongly of Llew's dog and dog-in-law, Rosie and a springer of whom we cannot currently recall the name).

Also we get into some interesting new places where we are fee to explore nooks, crannies, old caravans, old buildings and so on. First up is the boatyard by the Shipwrights pub where the humans have to move the caravan (pictured) from one place to another. It serves as Llew's Summer house and chill-out place and will be surrounded with potted plants, barbecue equipment and one of those pot-kiln type patio-heaters. It also has a generator, so he gets TV and all the mod cons.

Next up, we Jeep it down to a farm half way between Dover and Folkestone, off the old A20, to look at an old 2CV incomplete restoration project which the owner has contacted Dad about in case we knew anyone who might buy it. Always awake to the possibility of a bargain, Llew is on the trail. Turns out the guy also has in an out-building, a very rusty, French reg'd Ami 8 Estate, so then Dad needs to phone Andy B (being the most likely bloke to want that)

And finally, to the barn where Mmle is stored. She fires up like a dream (better than Dad's "normal" 2CV, in fact) and Llew does his stuff with the meter, but sadly confirms the JJ diagnosis. The dynamo might be generating all sorts of power, but none of it is getting out of the spinning dynamo and up any cables to either the voltage regulator, or the battery.

However, all is not lost, as Llew knows 2 different blokes called Kevin, both of whom happen to be experts in the old electrics of old cars, like Mmle's 6 volt 1961 set up. He is hopeful that one of these Kevins will be able to sort her out in time for her brave intrepid mission in May to La Chapelle d'Armentieres.

Hope you, too had a good weekend

Deefer

Mademoiselle

For Dad an "old Citroen" flavoured day. One of their project team who have been doing up the old 1961 twinning-gift 2CV (Mademoiselle d'Armentieres) wants out - he wants Dad and the other 2 to buy out his share. They decide to meet to talk about how to achieve this. They decide to meet at the lock up where the car is kept, and take her for a spin; maybe to "one of our houses??".

Mum offers to cook home-made soup for them, and suddenly they have an event. They are joined by Andy's new Hungarian love interest, ZsuZsa (that's easy for you to say!) plus then Cliff and Shelley from the Hoppers, with their brother and sister collies, whom we know very well from the camping, Ben and Nellie.

Dad drives his normal 2CV over to the lock up, and then gets to drive Mmlle back here in convoy with Andy's 2CV van, to proudly park her on our drive while she gets photo'd and admired by the neighbours. The humans come in to do soup, while we dogs play and get to know each other again. Dad the gets to drive the 2CV van back to the lock-up so that Ian can get a turn in Mmlle. Finally he drives his own car home. 3 different old citroens in one day. He is dead chuffed.

We are just closing up, getting washing in and dog bowls out, and Dad standing by the back door, when there is a whoosh over our heads and the k-chishhh of something heavy hitting the foliage of the bay tree, 4 or 5 feet away. Every body jumps, and the sparrows in the tree start cheeping loudly in protest at the disturbance, just when they were getting comfortably roosted up for the night. At first we all think it's a squirrel leaping from the Albertine on the back of the house, but there's another k-chish and curving back out of the tree comes our old mate the female sparrowhawk with a small bird in her talons - maybe a sparrow? Fresh warm supper, anyway.

Which reminds me. We are off to Diamond's tonight for a bite with Ragworth.

Deefer

On the Road

A couple of nice shots of Dad and his cronies' project 2CV restoration car, Mademoiselle d'Armentieres.

Here, she's first in a line up the other fleet - next to Dad's own "Clara Bow" (why do 2CV owners give their cars pet-names?), then Andy's "slough-built" (yes "we" built 2CV's in England for a while!) and his AK van (another French built and owned one, imported by Andy).

In the other pic she's being driven around near the village of Blean in Kent. The driving around and registration of her belie the fact that's she's not totally finished. There's bit of a list of "de-snagging" to do. Also, we dogs have not been allowed in her yet, which definitely means she's not been Christened, wouldn't you say. Dad says he'll have to do that on a day when we're pristine, clean and dry, plus probably brushed out so that we don't leave a single footprint, nose-smear, or white hair anywhere in her.

It's not that Dad's precious about it - but he does value his bits, and if the others found out....

Mum and Dad have come by a boxed set of the American TV series "Northern Exposure" which was their must-see TV in the early years of being together. It's good for us too - lots of sofa time with Mum and Dad has got to be a good thing.

Deefer

Number plates

Nice picture taken here by the Angel Betty, when she came round to let us all out for a comfort stop. What better place for a relaxing dog, than on the table on the sun terrace? Mind you, I look a bit anxious here, with my ears back, so maybe I think I'm not meant to be up there!

Nice that Betty takes some notice, Dad is completely distracted by the fact that the DVLA have finally sent through the registration for their project 2CV rebuild, Mademoiselle d'Armentieres. They're all delighted it's a proper historic plate, in pre-1965 format (123 ABC), rather than the more problematic "Q" plates. Don't ask.

Betty loves me.

Deefs

Woozle... oh and that car

Well, as predicted, with a gale in the Swale, SB Greta wasn't going anywhere, so Mum went back to work and Dad was free to give us an extra special, rabbit-rich walk all around the Abbey Fields "beyond" the allotments. We met the most gorgeous Weimeraner, going under the unlikely name of "Woozle". Not sure you can call a Weimer "Woozle", but apparently he's "a bit of a wuss". He's a re-home, rescued from a house in Birmingham, and is the people's 4th one.

Tired out, from chasing bunnies through bramble thickets (mmm the blackberries are just about perfect just now, says Dad) we are parked up and Dad takes off to see 2CV Llew and then JJ, who is taking their project car, Mademoiselle, in for it's MOT today. She passes. Dad is now insured to drive her and it's his job to whizz (hah!) her from Deal, where she's MOT'd, to Andy's Mum's farm (where we do our 2CV camping, and where she's to be stored short term).

Whizz? Mademoiselle is 47 years old and only 475cc, so she rattles, groans, grinds and lurches, not accelerating where you'd expect her to, and has to keep visiting road-side parking laybyes to allow the inevitable tail-back of impatient motorists to pass. Fun, but not anything you'd want to take for a long journey!

Deefski

New Hoppers Website

Our wagtails pics are a hit with the Cambria Trust boys, who sing their praises and ask could they show them on the Trust website and newsletter. Of course they can, especially if they then treat the nest with the appropriate respect and allow the babies to fledge before too many more visitors disturb them.

Dad finally finishes his web design course at the local Grammar School and, along with all the other "students" has a rather beginner-ish website up and running, plus the skills and knowledge to keep it going and improve it. Go look, if you like, on

http://www.kentishhoppers.org.uk

A lot of the stuff on it, you'll find fairly familiar. The "Hoppers" are Dad's 2CV cronies - the name of the local group of the National 2CV club, and the Cambria stuff you've seen before. None the less there's some rather nifty features - a scrolling collection of 30 pics of "Mademoiselle" being restored, via a link to our Flickr gallery, plus some video of 2CV racing via embedded html code. Plus pictures, google maps, stories and plenty more.

Mademoiselle

Here's a rather nice pic of the H resting in the shade of the project car "Mademoiselle d'Armentieres" at the recent 2CV camp. As you can see , she's almost completed (I don't know what Dad and the cronies will do with all their spare time when they've finished), although look carefully and you'll see filler that needs sanding out just behind the left front wing.

She isn't actually finished, but she's incomplete in ways you can't easily see. No back lights, for instance, is symptomatic of the need to replace chunks of wiring loom, and then there's all the registration and MOT-ing. Still, the boys have delicately scraped away some over-spray on the bulkhead and found the body/paint codes which tell us the exact year of manufacture of the shell, so registration will be easier.

Looking at the picture, the back suspension looks way too high, so that'll need adjusting too.

Meanwhile they've trailered her down to JJ's, and he's happily tinkering around with filler and wiring, so she could be on the road soon.

Our own 2CV ("Clara Bow") is now MOT'd and resplendent in a new navy blue canvas roof. Why do all these 2CV's have to have names?

And in the back garden , the view is still dominated by the 90 foot crane, swinging the flat pack wall sections of the H-f-t-B into place, and, tonight, great bundles of what looked like MDF planks. We can believe Bruce's predictions of the 3 weeks to the roof is on timescales. Tonight, as they park the crane up for the weekend, the wind is round in the NW, and quite strong (It's meant to be June, for Heaven's sake!) so the great long (100'?) jib is pointed away from the houses. The Angel B will sleep more happily in her bed tonight.

Uncle Jim, being mean and knowing B is nervous of the great tall crane "in the back garden", has been teasing Angel with his "Mmmm... the wind's getting up". Give him a good hard slap, Angel. You don't have to put up with that! :-))

Deefs

Mademoiselle

I said the other day that we were allowed the rare treat of checking in on the 2CV boys working on their old car, Mademoiselle d'Armentieres. Here's one of me and one of the guys, working on the rear of the body shell. I was, of course, most helpful

Good news from real-Mum. Her sores are all dried up and no longer itching her. She's on the mend. First Dad gave up on trying to keep the "lamp shade" on her and, instead, whenever she got itchy he would hustle her out for another long walk so she'd forget to scratch and be too tired to start again when she got home. He and she were walked off their feet over the weekend, but it's done the trick!

Nice walk tonight - well more of a frisbee chasing session to the Rec. We meet Ben of the peepie-toes shoes (see earlier blog) and a Cav called Rolo, who is good entertainment. We're as tired as poor old Mollie

Deefer

Fair Dinkum

When Dad and his 2CV cronies go over to the farm in Preston, East of Canterbury to work on Mademoiselle, their project 2CV, Dad always comes home smelling of dogs.

These are, specifically, 2 Cavs, an aunt and neice combination called Daisy and Dinkie (actually "Fair Dinkum" - they got the dog when they'd just got back from Oz and were full of Australian jargon and expressions)

A more disreputable pair of farm dogs you'd struggle to find but we know them well from our 2CV camps (they live in the farmhouse of the farmland where the camps happen so we meet often). They are always matted and tangled with burrs and debris in their fur. Dad hesitates to criticise anyone else's dog-husbandry but has to steal himself not to bring the clippers, combs and scissors when he goes to work on Mademoiselle.

Dinkie, in particular, likes to immerse herself in the experience of restoring the car, so she is always trying to make herself a bed on the rubbish bags, or get her nose too close to the shower of sparks from the angle grinder. Can dogs get arc-eye from a Mig welder? Who knows... Here she is in the picture getting comfy on a carrier bag of car bits and an aerosol can.

Deefer

Le Petit Marseillais

Windy and spitting rain. Both Mum and Dad have "missions" today, so the alarm goes off at 8 am and we're up and running, being walked at speed to get it out of our systems. Just a sop to the human consciences, because they're going to abandon us all day.

Still, better not complain, as there is talk of us needing another shampooing, and they have run out of the stuff with the westie on the front. It might end up being "Le Petit Marsaillais" aux extraits naturels d'orange et de capucine. Scary. Mind you, Dad used it tonight and doesn't smell too much like a tart's boudoir. "Capucine" as any fule no, is "nasturtium" in English

So... off went Dad in his overalls to work with his cronies on Mademoiselle, their project 2CV, and off went slimmed down Mum on that most pleasurable of trips, the shopping for "next-size-down" clothes.

Good weekend
Deefer

Oooo-ow... My Tummy Hurts!

It is said that I may have dug up something unspeakable in the garden and eaten it. This has to do with Mum finding me coming back indoors with a wet dirty chin and looking a bit hang dog. Ears are down - in "Yoda" mode. It is further said that I do a good line in "dying swan" ("just like Megan used to do") to get sympathy when I am feeling awful and my belly aches. Ah well, I'm off my food to a point - cat food and sweeties are still attractive, but the bowls of standard dog food remain untouched or, at least, uncleared. Tonight I managed half a bowl.

Dad's no help. He disappeared again for most of Sunday, off with his 2CV boys ripping chunks off their project car, Mademoiselle d'Armentieres. We got a brilliant walk first, admittedly, all round the blackcurrant fields (as were) but even so I feel a bit of a 2CV widow. Made up for it tonight when he curls up with Top Gear and "Long Way Down", 2 hours of relaxing on the sofa with Dad, 3 dogs and 2 cats. Mum? She'd snuck off with a book - not a great one for Jeremy Clarkson, my Mum!

Real-Dad, Hector finally got to the vet about his hedgehog scar, and is now on 6 weeks of antibiotics. First-Dad is dispairing, running out of cunning ways to hide pills. Our Dad has it easy,as we're all suckers for cat food at breakfast time. A teaspoon after he's fed the cats, hides Meggie's Vetoryl, and we don't mind that ours contain no "secret additives". First Dad though has tried old favourites like cheese triangles (Hector can suck the cheese off then spits out the pill -- pftui!), normal cheese, crumbling the tablet into ice cream , and even icecream with crumbled ginger-nuts. Hector's gonna be free of infection but 30 kilo's

Deefer

Jim, Gigot and Mademoiselle

Up early this morning and off on a nice long walk round the boat yard and back through town. We meet up with neighbour Jim and brown cocker Megan (no relation) - very confusing to have 2 Megan's next door to each other; "ours" keeps hearing Jim talking to "his" and thinking he's calling her. But Meg-next-door was a rescue dog and came already named, so there was no getting round it.

We also meet Gigot's family out for a stroll as we're crossing back across the Rec. Gigot (see his sad story in an earlier post) is obviously thriving in his new family and looks extremely well. He's just been clipped and groomed too, so he put us raggamuffins to shame with his gorgeous clip. Maybe it's a "show" clip, I'm not sure, but he even had his ears almost shaved except for a little frilly pom-pom on the end of each. (Dad - don't even THINK about it!). Out with him are his housemates, Truffles and Storm. We also see the Jack Russell "Bindy" and have a great chase about.

Once we're back, Dad's shot off to Preston, east of Canterbury to find his 2CV mates to finally start work on the club's project car, known as "Mademoiselle d'Armentieres". Today, they tell me, they're in destruct mode, taking off doors, bonnet, roof, bootlid, removing engine and gearbox, and starting to cut out rusty floors and bulkhead. And all in among those lovely farm buildings where we have such fun when we're on 2CV camp.

Dad comes home freezing cold and starving, to be revived by some Mum soup. It feels like it might snow. It's cold and damp, and with the wind chill we can all beleive it. The news is full of snow reports in places up north like "Snake Pass" and even down as far as Kidderminster.

Winter's here alright

Deefer