Peejay .... cyberspace to the rescue.

What do you do and how do you plan for an excursion that you have never attempted before, when you are two, 60 plus ladies, in a motorised vehicle? Well you seek out those more experienced than yourselves and through the wonders of modern technology and an organisation called Motorhome Facts, we found our cyberspace pals, Pete and Judy, aka Peejay, with whom we have been in contact.
Motorhome Facts has a forum where questions can be asked, solutions found, experiences shared and journeys followed.
This couple spend a long time on the road and over the years have become known for producing up to the minute information regarding site fees, camping locations with GPS co-ordinates, points of interest, toll road and fuel costs, so they share their wealth of knowledge with other like-minded travellers ........ like us!
So where is this going?
Pete and Judy are almost at the end of a winter break in Morocco and since leaving the UK, they have sent regular posts, which we have picked up and which have enabled us to rethink routes, stopovers, what to see, where to shop, road conditions and security. They have provided invaluable information in an entertaining and informative way. So a big " thankyou " to them.

15 days to go and counting !!  How about this view being the first thing you see in a morning?

The Tyre Saga.

It's my own fault, I should have done something about it sooner.
The last MOT flagged up that the tyres on Delfin were old and beginning to deteriorate, especially the sidewalls where fine graining is visible.This is mainly due to a combination of oxidation, a breakdown of the rubber to steel bonding and the brittle nature of rubber that comes with age - not unlike my own ageing skin!   Well in a van of our weight and size, when this happens, there is the possibility of a blow-out and that could be a deadly disaster.We will be covering 4 to 5 thousand miles, not all of them on decent roads, especially in Morocco, where there is often just a narrow strip of tarmac with gravel either side to enable passing.So time to act, despite the fact that there appears to be quite a depth of tread left.
I have spent the last three days learning about tyre sizes, tyre ages and tyre compounds.I know the meaning of all the letters and numbers printed into the rubber on the wall of each tyre and how to apply on-line to have tyres delivered to a local fitter.I know my Michelin from my Dunlop and Continental from Bridgestone.
To think..... I could have been in town buying shoes!!
 For our own safety and the safety of others,we have had to bite the financial bullet and invest in new rubber.Our present tyres are seven years old so by motorhome standards, have done very well.
So why the panic? Because this is the time of year when camping- cars come out of hibernation, are dusted down, checks are made and new tyres are in short supply because everyone wants them! None of this would matter a jot except that we have an appointment with a ferry on the 23rd.
A wonderful organisation called Tyres on the Drive spent the morning ringing around to track down the ones we require and their perseverance paid off. Thunderbirds are GO!! Delfin has new shoes.

Can you see the fine cracks within the tread and the shot below which shows the graining on the sidewall ?

And fungi 3

And flowers 2

Sue's arty photography 1

He took us on his boat to watch the seals on the Isle of Skye

Old boats are always an attraction

This intricate art work is made from paper by a lady in Paris

Sad sunflower field on an autumn day in France.

Shells and stones at Poros.

Bit of a knotty problem.

Someone being clever with the lens!

Lichen covered in frost.

Worn wood and forgotten sandals.

Majestic, and tranquil. The forest at Sandringham

Trying to be tekkie

As a teacher, I never really took to computers. At school the youngsters showed me what to do so it's only in retirement that I have become the proverbial Silver Surfer.I do some on- line shopping, email friends, download photographs and that's about it.
However, the prospect of Morocco as a once- in- a- life-time adventure, got me thinking about how to keep in touch with everyone whilst away.
The result is a Mifi dongle to create a mobile hotspot, 3G sim cards for the dongle, which we will buy and use in  each country that we go through ( our first stop in Morocco is Asilah and we have already been able to locate the Maroc Telecom shop which sells them thanks to Google Earth) and between us we have all the necessary " black goods " should we need to summon assistance or merely to keep in touch with family and friends.There is also a satellite dish on the roof but that's for watching TV not to keep us on NASA's radar!
This pic just shows the little corner at home from where I keep pestering you with these pre trip tasters and also to let you see that today I dusted and polished my trusty old desk. A definite sign that staying indoors in this cold weather is sending me stir crazy.