The Adventures of Poppet & Other Stories

Sam Luvit

Registered User
Oct 19, 2016
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East Sussex
All proud of myself .... big brother bought me a MiFi (that’s mobile internet for people like me what don’t do IT )

I had to set it up myself ...so, first off, needed a micro sim ... I took the pack to the IT section in the store and asked ... he explained how to ping out the right size. Whatever. He felt clever.

Then, I’ve had to unpack, connect, change passwords and .... yay ... I have internet in Poppet

Well impressed with myself
 

Sam Luvit

Registered User
Oct 19, 2016
6,083
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East Sussex
<pedant mode>
Should Poppet 11 be Poppet II?
Or are there really 11 Poppets to consider?
</pedant mode>

You are right and I did originally type”ll” but it didn’t look right, so I changed it to “11”.
I don’t mind if you want to be pedantic, I still enjoy your posts

:p
 

jugglingmum

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Jan 5, 2014
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Chester
the thing I’ve always struggled with a van of any kind, is the lack of windows

It did take me ages to learn how to drive without windows, years ago we had a small van (I mean small) peugeot 205 and I struggled with that not having side windows. With the T4 we did have a fair amount of windows and I could normally see through so wasn't too bad - I've had to learn to fully rely on the mirrors - to the point in the car I tend to use the mirrors more, and have to remind myself I can look through window as haven't got height of van to spot so much.

Just checked my dimensions - 6m long - 6.5 with bike rack I assume but possibly more, 2.5m high and no idea how wide but we do get a 6ft bed in width wise as DVLA requirement is to have a 6ft bed and we wanted it across as uses space better.

@reedysue's sounds massive
 

Bikerbeth

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Feb 11, 2019
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Bedford
Let me know once you have driven Poppet II and then I can give myself a big kick up the backside and drive ours. Quite happy driving it around cones and through width restrictions on an airfield but a road with other vehicles on is freaking me out........but if Sam can then I can too:)
 

Sam Luvit

Registered User
Oct 19, 2016
6,083
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East Sussex
@reedysue's sounds massive

I was handed the van keys as the MD went off for a long weekend and told to use it :eek: I’d never driven a diesel so that was the first learning curve. It was small, so no height to help out and it had no side or back window :eek: By the time the boss got back, I was whizzing around without a thought. I’m crossing my fingers it will be the same in Poppet v2 @jugglingmum

6 ft is just under 2 mtrs, so yours is slightly higher than mine, but pretty similar in overall size. She just looks so big from the outside. When I pick her up and take her to the garage, it’s all through town, with traffic lights and right turns ... as a first drive, I’m not looking forward to that .., but ... if I can do that, the rest will be easy peasy :D

I know, @reedysue has my utmost admiration for driving a tank ... with trailer :D:eek:
 

Sam Luvit

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Oct 19, 2016
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East Sussex
I want to drive her in a field first, get the feel of her width, how she corners etc. However, I don’t have that luxury, unless I can find someone who will come with me ... but it’s only putting off the inevitable

Could you get someone to drive your van into a quiet motorway, very early morning, with very little traffic, then you do a “hop” from one service station to another, it’s usually less than 30 miles between, so a 20 minute drive would give you a feel, while not needing to deal with oncoming traffic @Bikerbeth ... just a thought
 

Kikki21

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Feb 27, 2016
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East Midlands
Hi @Sam Luvit glad the shoulder is feeling better but I guess you still need plenty of rest.
Basically bursitis is fluid on the knee after an injury. It swells up to protect the knee. His knee is still swollen but the bruising is coming out now. He has a very physical job so he has to be 100% right to go back to work.
My auction stuff was mixed, the bracelet is expected to fetch a decent price. The gemstones were disappointing. I will ring them
to discuss in more detail but apparently the market is saturated. I would rather get a valuation & sell them myself.
 

Sam Luvit

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Oct 19, 2016
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East Sussex
Hmmm .... think the call from the office was more “when are you working” than “how are you” ... but at least they called, right. You enquiry @Kikki21 feels a lot more genuine

When I fell on the ice a few years ago, my knobbly knees were so swollen, you couldn’t see I had knees ... the physio told me to put ice packs on for ten minutes every hour, keep my feet up and rest ... I laughed at her, I was running around after mum 24/7 ... your OH doesn’t have that excuse ... he needs to rest

Depending on what the stones are, uncut or cut, wouId change the valuation. If you want to PM me I “might” be able to ask a friend.
 

Sam Luvit

Registered User
Oct 19, 2016
6,083
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East Sussex
Musing on Weight

When I moved in with mum, it was her staggering weight loss that was the most scarey. She’d always ‘watched her weight”, so she was generally a 10, if she starting moving to a 12, she went on a diet. I dread to think what size she’d dropped to, but I knew she was not healthy. So ... I cooked everything I could saturate with calories. I quickly picked up that as soon as I stopped eating, so did she. Unfortunately, it took me a lot longer to figure that I didn’t need to have anything on my fork, I just needed to keep making the action of fork to mouth, to keep her eating

I’d guess I probably put in around three stone in two years. I stopped adding the pounds when I figured out the empty fork. However, it didn’t come off, as we walked slowly, ambling around town, taking lots of breaks for “tea and cake”, even though I didn’t have the cake.

This last year, I’ve bumbled along, eating less calorie laden meals, but I’ve not been in a hurry to get anywhere and the weight has hung around like a bad smell. If I’m honest, it was something I thought I ought to care about, but didn’t

Then, I started working. Not enough time to get from A to B, always running late (hated that), so stairs rather than waiting for the lift and hey presto ... I lost a few pounds

So, here I am, walking Pooch up and down the hill, to pinch WiFi, to use the washing up area, to do the laundry, to use ...., you get the drift. We don’t amble, we power up the hill.

Pooch has just moved a notch on his collar! I’ve bought smaller jeans! Well, I was walking out of them! I managed to get on a set of scales at my brothers and I’ve lost a staggering two stone in two months!

I think I’m feeling better about myself, but mostly I’m starting to feel a bit of control over where my life is going
 

Bikerbeth

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Feb 11, 2019
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Bedford
I want to drive her in a field first, get the feel of her width, how she corners etc. However, I don’t have that luxury, unless I can find someone who will come with me ... but it’s only putting off the inevitable

Could you get someone to drive your van into a quiet motorway, very early morning, with very little traffic, then you do a “hop” from one service station to another, it’s usually less than 30 miles between, so a 20 minute drive would give you a feel, while not needing to deal with oncoming traffic @Bikerbeth ... just a thought
Thanks for the idea. I just need to get my act together. Easy done as OH likes driving it but I think I should drive it out on the road before I have to
 

Bikerbeth

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Feb 11, 2019
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Bedford
Musing on Weight
Then, I started working. Not enough time to get from A to B, always running late (hated that), so stairs rather than waiting for the lift and hey presto ... I lost a few pounds

So, here I am, walking Pooch up and down the hill, to pinch WiFi, to use the washing up area, to do the laundry, to use ...., you get the drift. We don’t amble, we power up the hill.

Pooch has just moved a notch on his collar! I’ve bought smaller jeans! Well, I was walking out of them! I managed to get on a set of scales at my brothers and I’ve lost a staggering two stone in two months!

I think I’m feeling better about myself, but mostly I’m starting to feel a bit of control over where my life is going

Brilliant news that you are feeling better about yourself but even better if you feel that you have more control over your life.
Not quite the same but We have deliberately put some dates in the calendar to ‘get away’, it will only be in the UK as that suits us but otherwise I felt I was just drifting around and putting off plans in case something happened to Mum. Now I know that she is at least safe in the CH we can go back to doing some of the things we want to do
 

jugglingmum

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Jan 5, 2014
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Chester
Thanks for the idea. I just need to get my act together. Easy done as OH likes driving it but I think I should drive it out on the road before I have to

We always intended that I had a practice drive of ours, before we went on holiday, we bought it as a van and OH converted it, and it was never really in a driveable state when we had time to do it, hence ending up the first time was 4am or so on a French motorway with a need to get to our destination by 6pm (we had 2 half hour breaks for breakfast and lunch)
 

Sam Luvit

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Oct 19, 2016
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East Sussex
I’d like to take Poppet out for a spin before I have to take her to the garage, as that’s a horrid drive, but I can’t work out how to organise it @Bikerbeth ... I’m pretty sure I will be parking up and asking them to drive her in though, it’s a hard turn and tight through the car park in a car :eek:
 

Sam Luvit

Registered User
Oct 19, 2016
6,083
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East Sussex
It’s good to make plans @Bikerbeth ... otherwise you do tend to just bumble along, waiting for something that might not even happen

I’m trying to push myself into seeing more people, it’s just too easy to sit her in a field and ignore the outside world, but I did too much of that with mum, because I had no choice. Now I have choices, so I need to start making them

you’re ahead of me in actually setting things in motion ;)
 

Sam Luvit

Registered User
Oct 19, 2016
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East Sussex
....hence ending up the first time was 4am or so on a French motorway with a need to get to our destination by 6pm

No pressure then @jugglingmum :eek:

I know that if I’d been asked the week before to share the driving of a minibus with 16 drunks in it ... I’d have said “no chance”, but being put on the spot, with the driver too tired to continue... I just got on with it. Maybe it’s that I’ve got a week to worry about it that’s the problem.
 

Bikerbeth

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Feb 11, 2019
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Bedford
I’d like to take Poppet out for a spin before I have to take her to the garage, as that’s a horrid drive, but I can’t work out how to organise it @Bikerbeth ... I’m pretty sure I will be parking up and asking them to drive her in though, it’s a hard turn and tight through the car park in a car :eek:
No harm in asking the garage to drive her in if that is the first drive. Is it far from where Poppet 11 is now to the garage.