The car is finished?

                                    Burlington Diary June 2009

Mon.01.06.09. The new boot lining has been tested in the car. With the removal of the extended 10mm rear edge the box fits perfectly. The ‘C’ spanner is the wrong size and needs to be returned to Demon Tweeks in exchange for the correct 1.9 inches model. The fabrication of the seat belt brackets has been undertaken by Catterall and Wood, but the ‘milling’ of the rear suspension block has been offered to ‘Holly Farm’ who specialise in such work. The block will retain both profiles but will be reduced from 20mm to 10mm. Both units will be available tomorrow for £10.00 and £25.00 respectively.

Unfortunately we leave for Tarascon in a few days to tie up the loose ends from the sale of the house, so I suspect that progress will be suspended.

Mon.29.06.09. On a separate issue we have returned from France with all the legal worries behind us, the bulk of the furniture has been stored at the Blanchesserie, sold or given away. The Gilberts are now not moving in, as originally planned, the date for the final ‘acte’ has been changed to the 24.07.09 ten days after the initially proposed appointment. Our new house in St. Martin du Tartre in Burgundy is almost habitable; there is a simple WC and wash basin with the possibility of a ‘camping-field’ kitchen plus ‘candle’ light there should be sufficient facility. Fast Eddie has his feet almost under the table with an American woman adding to the posse of ladies he has scattered over France and Spain: Lola of Horadada, Rumunia of Latvia and now perhaps Catherine Tate of Vallebregues. The promise of free labour in exchange for sustenance encourages these transient liaisons.

But, more significantly Chris has informed me that the car is finished.

Tues.30.06.09. A visit to Westmead confirmed this fact. Most of the detail has been completed: the cockpit tidied, the bonnet fasteners attached, the re-assembly of the boot space, the number plates are fixed, but more critically, the ‘drop tests’ for wheel alignment with the final technical corner weighting has been almost achieved. There are the obvious road tests, the dreaded DVLA approval, the MOT, plus undoubtedly other minor snags, but essentially the car is in fact ready for the road. The events in France over the past year together with the growing belief that we would never reach this stage dulls the moment, but I feel sure that sometime in the very near future the realisation will sink in.