No, nothing to do with flowers splashing the countryside with a new flush of colour or birds excitedly pairing up for the breeding season. The first real sign of spring is when caravans that have been stuck in Europe’s northern climes over winter come out of hibernation. (The really smart ones migrate to southern Europe or even North Africa for the winter.)
Ours, Billy Bailey, was rudely awoken yesterday when Carol and I went to his field to remove his blanket in readiness for his first year’s service booked for the following day. Getting the cover on several months ago was something of a struggle but was successful largely due to the assistance of our friends Keith and Marlene, visiting from Richmond, Virginia. This time, we were on our own and set off with some trepidation for the unveiling ceremony.
As drove into the village where Billy is stored, what do we see? Not content with blocking us in for road resurfacing work recently, now it was Billy’s turn to be cut off by the tarmac monsters; “road closed” and “diversion” signs littered the place. We were beginning to feel victimized. After a detour of a couple of miles, we got into Billy’s field and started removing the blanket straps. Then it was out with the poles to raise the blanket and unwrap him. Success! Somewhat unexpectedly, it was a doddle. Let’s hope refitting it after the service goes as smoothly. The biggest problem was folding the blanket small enough to cram into the car to remove.
The next task will be running the gauntlet of the tarmac monsters to get to the service appointment. I’d better buy a few gallons of tar remover. 🙂
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