Yup, loon is short for lunatic but in a friendly, bonkers, sort of way. It basically defines anyone that considers doing 3,000 miles in a 17 year old, 300,000 mile car as a good idea.

Latest update is that I seem to have confirmed I've worn out the track on the fuel gauge sender as since bunging 20 litres of 98 octane in the tank (well, it doesn't get to run on petrol very often so I may as well give it the good stuff and anyway, it's cheap out here) the gauge has sat at half full and not dropped to empty and come up with a fuel gauge fault since.

In other news, if we do organise a road trip, do it at a different time of year, the mosquitoes at this time of the year seem to like Western blood. Oh yes, and with the running around I've done here I'm currently 500 miles short of 320,000, the magic half million kilometres mark. By the time I get home next Thursday (assuming I do get home and Big White doesn't suddenly decide to die terminally on the way home), I'll be up to 321,000.......

my parents place in central France which is just north of the Massif Central

A mate of mine lived in Clermont-Ferrand and then subsequently moved to Vic le Comte, lovely part of the world.

It may not have started out that well, but there is a happy ending. After a trouble free run to Latvia, we got home about an hour ago. At no point did I have the need, or even felt I ought to have the need, to open the bonnet. Before setting off yesterday morning I checked the tyre pressures (no change from when we'd set off from the UK 10 days ago) and filled the washer bottle. The mosquitoes had caused me to use the washers quite a bit and with having to have the headlights on all the time it meant I'd nearly emptied it so it got filled with the 2.50 Euros for 4 litres stuff from the local filling station in Saulkrasti.

Now for those that think a P38 is unreliable, think again. On the 17 August I took it for the MoT and the mileage was showing 315,632 miles. Now, three weeks later and after the slightly rocky start, it's showing this.....

So that's 5,802 miles in 3 weeks and most of those concentrated into 5 days and not only have I hit the half million kilometre mark, I've gone way past it!

In case anyone doesn't believe it, I really did drive it to Latvia and back. This was taken yesterday morning as we left Latvia and entered Lithuania under the rather curious looks of the two policeman that were parked at the roadside just out of shot.

About 5 miles down the road it rolled over 320,000. The more observant will notice that I looked at the picture I'd taken earlier of the all black grille once I'd painted it, and decided that it would look better with the bottom strip in body colour. I also painted the front bumper (only the bumper though, not the bit below it) but with the number of dead flies stuck to it, you can't really tell in that picture.

Not a bad trip really but I think next time I'll go the same route (France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia) but come back the northern route of driving into Estonia, getting the ferry across to Finland and then driving through Finland and Sweden before getting to Germany.

When are you going next year?
The old girl is looking fantastic - and the Rangey isn't half bad either... :D

That is a huge trip, through Finland and back through Sweden/ Denmark and Germany. A former workmate did this with his camper two years ago. Funny sidenote: his son was engaged with a girl from Finland and this would be the perfect time to meet her parents. Not knowing that by the time he got to Finland his son had broken up the engagement...

I could ask him for relevant if you want me to. (About the trip, not the girl.)