Once again the work carried out on it seems less than what was discussed. For example, I'd asked for new tank mounting rubbers, the originals are shot and the tank rattles against the frame at certain frequencies of vibration. I can do this easily enough myself but while it was in there...anyway, this hasn't been done. The wiring doesn't look any different, although a new ammeter has been installed. I trust this has sorted the charging issue. Money's tight so part of me is relieved, the other part wants to see a neat, sorted arrangement of parts that looks less likely to cause problems.
The mechanic's service sheet says the 'puncture' was a faulty valve core and that the rectifier and points have been checked over. The carb feels different, the tickler is stiffer and it idles at last. The funny thing is that without a key, there's no obvious method of shutting her off after a ride. When I got back from the garage I put her up on the stand and stood by scratching my head as she ticked over contentedly. I'm used to her simply dying on me. In the end I pulled in the compression lever - is this right? Otherwise the only thing I can think of is to stall her in gear or simply turn off the gas, which surely isn't right. It's a bit of a mystery.
I’ve had news which may force my hand with regard to this putative trip to Iceland. This coincides with an opportunity to take some time off without blowing my entire holiday allocation for the year, but it has to be in April. Easter and the Royal Wedding will combine to facilitate 10 days off for the price of three. It’s a bit earlier than I’d wanted to go to on this trip but it’s a thought.
I’ve been looking at Aberdeen to Lerwick, as a means to intercept a Denmark-Faroes ferry however Ferries-r-us says: Sorry, our Lerwick - Torshavn page is no longer available due to this service not running anymore. Deja vu, I feel I’m being pushed down the three ferry route via Denmark, unless the trawler out of Frazerburgh idea holds water. I spent a bit of time on Cargo Ship Cruises dotcom but everytime I joined up the dots to Iceland I got: Sorry, there are no voyages available matching your description.
I have a Plan D, though, which opens up new horizons. If I catch the ferry to Ejsberg, I can in theory ride up through Demark to Hirtshals, on the north coast, and get a ferry over to Iceland from there. This would give me a 200 mile ride up through Denmark instead of Scotland, which I would trade for, having never been there. It’s nearly three days on the second ferry, each way, which is a whole chunk of my trip, but it’s an option.
Right now all I’ve got are thoughts and options and it’s all a bit daunting. The combined ferry ticket price is £1120, add on, say, £30/day subsistence for 21 days (630), £150 for gas and £50/night for about 12 nights on land (600) and the running total for the trip is £2.5k. My investments are unlikely to do much between now and when I have to recoup the money to book stuff and I wonder if I’m not being a bit unreasonable pushing this along, under the circumstances.
It’s a thought that crosses my mind whenever I see some TV chef, for example, adventuring through far-off lands, sans wife and kids. I mean are these well-heeled explorers even vaguely cool and interesting, or just overpaid, self-indulgent egoists with uxorious, long-suffering partners? I couldn't do this without Jane's permission, it's a lot to ask and I'm not sure it's even right to, under the circumstances.
