CitroJim's AX, C3 Picasso, Cycling and Running Tales

[MattBLancs]

... One day someone saw the AX (also on a G Reg) and caravan together with both plates partially obscured and expressed amazement such a small car could tow such a big caravan

It was a Sprite Major and here it is with Robyn posing by the door in 1995

Spoiler: show

[PaulC5]

It is the hills that need a heavy car with lots of power to tow a caravan and a good clutch. I could move our caravan by hand on the flat but the slightest incline up and I struggled/failed.

[CitroJim]

Yesterday I checked the posh van over ready for its MoT...

No real problems found with the van but many with me as a result - more later...

The van will soon need new discs and pads at the front and indeed new front tyres but both looks OK enough for the MoT.

At the rear, I noted a bit of light rust on the little stub pipes on the end of the flexi hoses going into the calipers... I'll be keeping an eye on these.

After the MoT and when I'm well enough, both the van and Strawberry will be getting a lot of rustproofing attention. The van particularly is well in need of it - loads of light surface rust underneath...

Sadly, the amount of work caused me a few problems. Back at the start of the month I went down with a minor viral infection and as usual, I've struggled to recover. It's now morphed into a full-on ME relapse

I'm now fully benched for however long it takes to get back to some semblance of normal. I'll be going on holiday soon and will be hoping that'll help... Good job it's not this week as driving the distance would be nigh-on impossible...

Poor James (Hellrazor) called by yesterday afternoon and found me at my worst. Sorry I was less than good James Despite that, it was great to see you

Whilst out in the garage in this fine weather, I took another look at Bluebell's suspect battery. I'd left it on trickle charge for a couple of days and just out of curiosity, I gave Bluebell's starter a quick flick just to see if there was any life in the battery. I expected none so imagine my complete surprise when she burst into life with just the merest flick of the key through the window! No choke, no throttle, stone cold and not having ran for a couple of weeks

I've subsequently found, unlike Strawberry, Bluebell starts much better with no choke at all and then just a bit of choke for a touch of fast idle...

I've had Bluebell all those years and only just discovered that... All part of her character I guess...

Interestingly, both cars have nearly, but not quite, identical carburettors but entirely different cold-start characteristics.

So, it seems, her battery is OK.

[MattBLancs]

Get well soon Jim, that derusting/touching up task will be all the easier for the weather having chance to improve so all good.

That little stub of pipe is part of the brake flexi hoses, I've come across similar before (406, I think) so all changed together. Normally cheap enough to just swap them - something to do a spot of "price monitoring" on Autodoc and catch them when a decent discount.

[Huskyxantia]

Sending some special stuff to you Jim to help the healing Just think each day closer to the better weather and better health, remember little steps makes the greatest progress

[Skull]

Hope you manage to enjoy your holiday Jim and recover some energy

[CitroJim]

Thanks all I've engineered it so that my workload is now zero so I can properly rest.

Yesterday I spent a good part of the day in Salcey Forest with my family and that did me no end of good. We enjoyed a picnic in the warm sunshine

Later I took Steph to her hospital appointment at Stoke Mandeville in Strawberry. Given the time of day and where we had to go it all went very smoothly. Strawberry is such a nimble little car she's the perfect choice for scooting around heavy urban traffic. The only problem was an absolute lack of parking spaces in the hospital itself. I found a pub in the village and awaited the message Steph was good to go home Free parking!!!

That balanced the fact I had to pay for parking in Salcey Forest. Although I have an annual parking pass for the Forest which allows two cars to be registered there's a strictly enforced rule they cannot both be there at the same time. As I have both my posh van and Robyn's Renault registered, I took Strawberry and paid to avoid any confusion! Robyn and family got their parking free.

[Huskyxantia]

Know what you mean about parking spaces in hospital car parks and I've got to take my wife to one of hers today to one hospital that's never hardly anywhere to park and a bus option is over a 2 hour ride fingers crossed , I bet that was nice driving strawberry

[CitroJim]

Did you successfully find a parking space Husky?

I think I know why it was so busy at Stoke Mandeville on Wednesday - the ceremony to pass along the Paralympic torch to the next host of the Winter Paralympics was taking place in the Paralympic Stadium just behind the hospital - the iconic place where the Paralympics began all those years ago.

[CitroJim]

I gave Bluebell a warming run yesterday and once again proved beyond doubt she starts best with no choke followed by just a bit to keep her running on fast idle whilst cold...

Her battery seems fine.

She's definitely not running rich despite this odd - compared to Strawberry - choke behaviour. She's actually running beautifully.

I was tempted to put her back on the road today (1st March) but will wait until the beginning of next month. In that way she'll be taxed and road legal for the entire summer and a good chunk of the autumn...

[CitroJim]

Happy to report my posh van has a fresh now MoT with no advisories

That vehicle was well bought - although I paid top price at the time it has proved a good investment. In the three or so years I've owned it all it's needed is one headlight bulb, routine servicing and an AdBlue tropup...

This year will see it needing new front discs and pads and for peace of mind, a camblet change along with a bit of pre-emptive rustproofing.

She's a keeper...

[daviemck2006]

It's good when a car just works. My Skoda Karoq is like that over the nearly 3 years I've owned it. In 22000 miles two services, two mot tests, discs and pads all round and two tyres. Can't complain at that. The boxer van has also ran nearly a year, only problem with it has been a sticky caliper which got replaced. It's due a mot shortly but no real issues that I know of.

[CitroJim]

It's good when a car just works.

You're right there Davie If you have at least one on the fleet that behaves you can then tolerate the foibles of the others.

May your MoT be a nice clean one

[CitroJim]

I've been a naughty boy

No dispute. I was 7 minutes over so it was a fair cop...

The irony is that I have a yearly parking pass for this place. It allows two cars to be registered to it but both cars cannot be there at the same time.

On this occasion we went there in separate cars for logistical reasons - hence why I ended up paying...

We had a great time so paying the parking fine was well worth it

[Huskyxantia]

Wheres the grace period of 15 minutes go , private land , really a forest belongs to mother earth .. I got a 75 fine just before Christmas for parking in a lidi car park i went back the next day and spoke to some British chap called.myhat mascara mustafa dump, he said (imagine it aint Ave hot mum) when u get y shoppin u put de.number in di pad next to door b 4 u leave , after.getting it clarified what he said , I then said we're would this machine be located , he said no no no machine not been put in shop yet no one come.no one got one yet, I said write that down and date and sign it , he asked why so I showed him my letter regarding the fine so he did a letter wrote all that was needed , I got home did the appeal with all my evidence and photos of no machine and havnt heard a thing .so I've not paid...seriously getting sick of all this parking stuff. I also had one a few Yr back when we took our first grand kid to a big country park , I was 4 mins late but also won on that because of the so called 15 minute grace period.