Blog - Page 2 of 36 - BRIDGET THE MIDGET

Bridgets’ Swansong 2021

25th September 2020 By roychinnorNo Comments

I started my last post by mentioning another, and final, long distance tour for Bridget, and myself for that matter! Since then I have been fleshing out the plan and, in doing so, confirming that it will take place, Covid-19 permitting. The main itinerary now includes visiting Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Japan, New Zealand and Australia. I have not as yet firmed up on the route across Europe as I have a tendency to change my mind on that as I leave England, but it will include some countries Bridget has not yet visited! Currently, she has driven through, around or across 52 different countries, so it is somewhat bizarre that there are still countries in Europe that she hasn't been too. We will be including Switzerland, possibly Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and either The Ukraine or Belarus. As I don't make detailed date, or even route plans, but leave these to the day I am there I won't commit to what I...

Bertie To Go

25th July 202010th August 2020 By roychinnor2 Comments

My last post suggested I was considering another long range adventure and that has now evolved into a definite plan. Leaving in June 2021 I will take Bridget across Europe, Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. I shall continue to develop the journey over the winter months taking into account the developments of Covid-19 insofar as lockdowns effect where I can go, and keep you informed of developments as things firm up. The main constraint I have had in deciding to embark on what will probably be my final adventure has been financial which brings me onto the reason for this post. I'm afraid Bertie (above) must contribute to the coffers! I bought “Bertie The B” three years ago and those of you that follow this blog will know, soon decided that he would require a total rebuild on a new body. As it transpired the Oselli balanced fast road engine was the one thing that didn’t need major work and with only...

All Dressed Up and Nowhere To Go

1st June 2020 By roychinnor2 Comments

After ten weeks of lockdown, unsurprisingly the cars are ready to roll. I think I have completed every job there was to be done, with Bertie now sporting hazard warning lights and Bridget showing off a new tonneau cover. I have no problems with 'social isolation' but being confined to one location does challenge me. Being physically restricted tends to send my brain off on hypothesized journeys and so I find myself, once again, considering another 'tour' once lockdown is lifted. It has been seven years since the last tour that took me into the Arctic Circle and then St. Petersburg. Since then I have only done some 'local' tours taking both cars to my Winter Quarters on Gran Canaria, obviously on separate occasions, and Bertie took me to Northern Italy and Switzerland last year (all reported on here). So now, where to, when and which car? There is one location that I remember learning about at school that has always been...

Ready To Go Where!?

25th February 202015th March 2020 By roychinnor2 Comments

Having decided to stay in the UK for winter I couldn't face the idea of laying on cold concrete under the car trying to locate various faults and so decided to hand it over to the experts. They tackled the noise at the rear first and having checked everything I had already done could not identify precisely what the cause was. They did identify that the nearside rear tyre was distorted and needed to be replaced, but everything else was good. They decided to move on and tackle the oil pressure problem that they believed might be the generally known (by everyone but me) trouble of the crankshaft. It needed to be re-ground and they replaced the main bearings and big-end bearings whilst at it. Also replaced was the oil pump. Whilst removing the engine the mechanic noticed that the gearbox mountings had collapsed and that a mounting bracket was 'non-standard'. What's more it was bent and distorted, so it, and the...

Wonder (not Wander) Winterland

7th November 201916th March 2020 By roychinnorNo Comments

When I returned from the Canary Islands in April I said I wouldn't be returning in the Winter of 2019. I have made similar statements on previous occasions but then changed my mind and returned to the sun as soon as the weather in the UK started to cool. This year however, I am still in the UK in November and I am staying! The reason for this stupendous decision is that I am going 'WALK-ABOUT' in 2020. The plan, as much as there is, is to ship Bridget (sorry Bertie) to Halifax, Canada in May. We will then mooch around until the end of June when we hope to attend the NAMGBR event in Calgary. After NAMGBR we will explore the Rockies before descending into the USA where I intend to complete a large circular tour that will include a visit to the Mullin Automotive Museum in California. I am thinking Peter Mullin's new museum being built in the UK would...