Hoppers Camp 2010 07/03/2010
 Another Kentish Hoppers camp comes and goes, in unprecedented sunshine and is thoroughly enjoyed by all except poor ol' Mademoiselle, who languishes in her lock up throughout. Normally we'd go get her out for everyone to admire on the camp site but this year it's too how and the days Andy would have normally co-driven me to go get her (or vice versa) he had what he thought was a nacent sun-stroke and had to go have a lie down. So it was put off and off and then it wasn't worth doing, so this blog risks becoming a story about things we've NOT done with our car that we should have done! Ashamed to say 06/06/2010
I am rather ashamed to admit that I have not posted on here since New Year, mainly because we have not done a single thing with the old car. We missed Drive-It day and neither Andy nor I were free to do the run to La Chapelle d'Armentieres or the London to Brighton run. Andy's having interesting times at present with his Mum's health, and I was either working (Yeah, I know - it always gets in the way, doesn't it!) or at a must-attend no-negotiations function in Co Laois in Ireland No matter, we will redress this neglect soon. We have the Kentish Hoppers 2CV camp coming up imminently (synchronised with the Preston Steam Rally in late June) and I am sure we will get all enthused and get her out for some air and a warm up, dry out "thrash". Apologies once again Happy New Year 12/31/2009
Nothing to report, so this is a bit of a cheat, but Happy New Year anyway to anyone who happens upon this site. It's been an eventful year to be sure, what with the Team finally finishing the car and successfully completing the mission to La Chapelle d'Armentieres (and what a weekend that was!) and then also the return led at Birchington. We are not sure what we'll do with her in 2010, but we've been invited back in February to attend the selection/crowning process for the actual "Damoiselle" (beauty queens) pageant, which is what this is largely about. Being February, we'll probably go over in the "sensible" cars (wash my mouth out with soap), but it'll be good to make contact with our La Chapelle hosts again, and discuss plans for 2010. An added fly in the ointment is that Andy is trying to sell the "Slough-built" which could deplete the "convoy" by 33%. Ah well - all the best, and a Happy New Year to all the followers. Matt Westies R Us 11/04/2009
  Would you buy a used car from these three? Rockin and a Rollin 11/04/2009
 Paragraph. With the car MOT'd and Andy assuring me that we have a valid tax disc, and with me having a week off work, using up holiday (or else you lose it), I decide to take Mmle out for a barrel around the country lanes, headed for 2CV-specialist Llew's workshop. From our lock-up near Blean, this is a superb run, using the old Thanet way to near Bishopstone, then heading SE through Highstead, Chislet, Upstreet, Grove Ferry, Preston and Wingham, out to Llew's place out past the "Frog and Orange". It's all twisty, up hill and down dale stuff, and the old girl loves it. She bounces and buckets along enjoying the "rolling English Drunkard" roads. It's a good chance to give her a thorough clean out, dry out, warm up and charge, as well as blowing any cobwebs out of the suspension. At Llew's we meet up with fellow "Hopper" Pete (his is the blue and red car in the pics) who's there buying bits of wiring loom, and stop for a cuppa. It's also a chance for my 3 dogs to go a-sniffing and a rummaging round the farm buildings, greenhouses and grounds chasing up those enticing chicken-y and ratty smells. Through the MOT 2009 10/26/2009
Andy texts me triumphantly. The old girl is through her 2009 MOT and street legalk once again. Apparently there were some minor, quickly solve-able issues around headlight dipping and a tail light, but she's through and we have the ticket. Andy reports though, that she did seem a bit lumpy and grumpy around starting so that she may need some TLC to the ignition and timing. Maybe she's just feeling neglected. I have a week off coming up, so I may take the time to give her a good run around, loosen her up and make her feel cherished again. That reminds me, we also have at some stage, to loosen off the very stiff front left "frotteur". They were a pain to set up and impossible to get them all to the same stiffness (well, to we amateurs, they were, anyway) and we've not had a chance since, to adjust them. Meanwhile Andy, all the best to your Mum, our dear friend Mary and the land-owner where we hold the Hoppers camps. She has unfortunately suffered a medical emergency while on holiday in Australia and is spending some time in Wagga Wagga hospital (I kid you not! It's in NSW) before being flown home, we hope, this week. More soon on both these stories, and hopefully some pics of Mmle out on the road again. I'm looking forward to it. These old cars shopuld not be left in storage. They are there to be used and driven about. It's been a while 08/26/2009
 It's been a while since we last had the old girl out on the road for the Birchington run and I for one, was beginning to feel the need of a fix of left hand drive 425 cc ishness. Step up 11 year old niece who had never so much as been in a 2CV and decided they were "really cool". Seemed like a good opportunity to run her across to pick up Mademoiselle using the modern 2CV, so that she could experience both cars on the same day. So we fired up "Clara" and headed across to the lock up. We un-sheeted Mmmle, and (Bless her) she fired up first turn of the key and ran really sweetly. So we took her out along the country lanes from over near Blean, to Graveney, admittedly barrelling along a bit to give the niece a good grounding in 2CV suspension and the many creaks and groans that accompany such driving. It felt good to be out in her again. It's a year since she was on the road, the MOT just running out, so Andy will take her across to be tested in the next couple of weeks. Home Leg 06/21/2009
 We have a lovely feeling of "Mission Accomplished" tonight having succeeded today in the final part of the ambition we had when restoring Mademoiselle. Today was the "home leg" if you like, of the 20th Anniversary of the twinning between La Chapelle d'Armentieres and Birchington, in which the La Chapelle contingent come to Kent to return the favour from May. We've done the mini-adventure to Birchington, and the London to Brighton (shakedown) and then the big adventure of the drive down to La Chapelle. Now we are part of the home leg, welcoming the French back to us, meeting their bus first at Quex Park, and then convoying down into town to park the cars up on show in front of the town Library. We are there for the day while the French (and we) are treated to a lovely meal, wine, music, dancing, tree planting, Morris Dancing and even a blessing by a local Reverend. There's even a fly past by the Battle of Britain Flight, roaring low over head west to east up the Birchington sea side.... OK that might have been something to do with Margate's "Big Event" just up the coast, but it was good for us all the same. More on this soon, and more pics. We are all tired out - it is surprising how tiring one of those old girls is to drive after the smooth sophistication and relative automation of a modern car. My pic here is of Bernard, long-time Mayor of La Chapelle, sitting in the car while regaling us with anecdotes of 2CV driving in his student days around the city of Lille This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar. Good Publicity 06/01/2009
We are delighted to see we have been published in the latest edition of the 2CVGB club magazine. Not only have they printed an article I sent in ("We Made It!!!", page 18), but also some nice comment following a chat between Andy and Alan Lloyd, 2CVGB's registrar of Pre-1970 cars. Alan enthuses about our old girl, and gets Andy to fill in some detail. En Francais 05/20/2009
With a lot of help from my good lady and more too from our French hostess, the following explanatory words were printed onto a poster which adorned the car during the Showing stages | AuthorMatt - I am just one of a team of 4 members of the Kentish Hoppers (Kent) local group of the 2CV Club of Great Britain. We have a project to restore an old 2CV which was originally a twinning gift from La Chapelle d'Armentieres to Birchington. This blog continues on from 140-odd posts made on the 2CVGB website before it fell over in April 2008, never (so far) to be seen again. ArchivesJuly 2010 CategoriesAll  |
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