What are you all up to

We reserved a Blue Touareg this morning and went to dealer this afternoon to sort the paperwork.  We will get it on Thursday next week, so plenty time to sort the insurance.

We have ordered roof load bars, but will get floor mats and a boot tray on the internet.  And we will be taking a 4 year service plan.

Dealer says they cannot fit a towbar for reasons which were not clear, but have recommended a couple of specialist places, both already known to us, so we will get prices from them this week.

On the way home we decided to go mad and dropped in past a chair place and ordered 2 new "Stressless" leather swivel recliners, with footstools, to replace our present 35 year old ones that are falling apart.  

So now  we have well and truly "spent the kids' inheritance" !  I could easily get used to this!

The insurance was a bit of a surprise, but I suppose they are going to be insuring a much more expensive vehicle now than a 10 year old Volvo.

It is also a more powerful engine, and we are a year older!

OH was getting quotes on some comparison sites so was guessing to start with when putting in years of NCD, she put in 6 years and got no quotes at all.  Once she had dug out the paperwork and found she could enter 9 years, the situation improved.

She has also worked out which bank accounts to empty first to pay for the car, so all we need to do now is find all the documents and bits  for the Volvo.

OH spent last night sorting our accounts as the Club Lloyds interest drops from 4% to 2% today and TSB Classic Plus drops from 5% to 3%, plus will now only be paid  on the first £1500 in the account.

This afternoon we went to our local tow bar  specialist  and   arranged to have a Brink detatchable fitted to the Touareg in a couple of weeks time.  We need it done soon as the van has to be taken for its service in early February.  Will also need a new number plate.

Once we have the car we will need to see whether our present towing mirrors will fit it, and remember to alter the car reg number on our ferry booking.

All that we still have to do this week is organise the car insurance.

While thinking about all we will have to do due to the new car, then thinking about our continental trip starting in April,  OH asked about our EHICs, then our passports.

Dug them out, only to find that mine expires in April this year.

Not a problem you might think, but I have a Norwegian passport.  Last time I renewed I did it at the consulate in Edinburgh.

Now, I have to travel either to London or to Norway........who ever thought that this is reasonable?!

I have to attend in person at the embassy in London, after making an appointment, and the issueing takes up to 10 days, so if I cannot be there in person to collect my new passport, I have to supply them with a pre-paid  special delivery envelope. 

You would never think the Norwegian State had plenty of money!

So my plan will be to take the 22.00  overnight bus from Glasgow to London, get a 10am appointment, then travel back on the 12.30 bus, arriving back in Glasgow around 21.00.    Just hope there will not be any hold-ups.

Bought a new Dyson Cordless vacuum cleaner today in Currys/PCWorld sale.  Time will tell how we get on with it.  I like the idea of not having to trail wires and it means we can take it over to the caravan storeage to give the inside of the caravan the once over.

David 

We bought one about 2-3 years back, mainly to take in the caravan, but it is so handy thay we use it at home when not in the van.

I fixed the holder on the wall in our utility room, when in the van it lives under the bed where I have installed an extra socket to plug the charger into.

Apart from anything else, it was far too expensive to have only for the van!

We then bought one for our daughter as a  Christmas present, so easy to use that even her husband can manage to use it.

And our son and his wife just got one in the "Black Friday" sales.

Another lovely cold sunny day here, quite a sharp frost overnight had to break the ice on the bird bath this morning.

My little car is in the garage for its annual service and MOT hope all will be well it. OH has to have his looked at he keeps getting an engine management light on and according to the diagnostics its to do with the turbo  luckily we have a warranty still on it so hoping that will cover any costs involved. So far 2017 doesn't seem to be any better than 2016, we both still have rotten colds and coughs think we keep passing it back and forth to each other.

The M/H that went in to get serviced and a satellite dish fitted is still with the dealer as they found damp in the rear of the van around both wheel arches, they have sent us photos of the problem and we've had a long chat with them about it. They are hopeful that we should get the van back by the end of next week, they now have all the spare parts they need and the van has dried out, so they can now get down to refitting everything.