Double Whammy

I told you about the water leak and having to check the water every couple if hours ? I put in a blocker that was working well and we were making good progress through Norway and then northern Denmark.

We approached the hideous chaos that is Hamburg, road works and stationary everywhere. The SatNav told me to go through the city, so I obeyed. Unfortunately, I couldn't fit under the poxy bridges so I used the Loafer sixth sense to find a way through the metropolis. Just when I'd got past the city I heard a vibrating sound from one of the rear wheels. Not much but something.

A few miles later it was louder. I know feck all about cars and engines so I was on the phone to people who do. 

It could be this or that they said but difficult to say.

We decided to take the B roads through northern Germany doing 30 mph tops. Scenic but bloody slow. We made good progress and with two hundred miles to go to the port I thought we might make it.

The following morning we set off and the vibrating was the same, no worse than previously, but I had a sense of dread.

I was fecking right. After about ten miles I heard a horrible clunking sound, getting worse by the second. A blow out. I just managed to get off the road to a safe area. Bollocks.

The leak was under control and now this. I called the breakdown, I didn't fancy doing a big truck on the side if the road one bit. The bloke turned up quickly and replacement wheel on we're on the road again.

I'm now sitting with a beer on the banks of the river Ijssel, which is lovely. I had a quick evening session where I lost ten sets of gear, moved three times and caught one roach.

I've had better days, but we're safe, fed and tomorrow I'm going to catch some fish, if I can find any tackle that's not been lost over the past six weeks.

See, it's not all wine and roses.