Monday 6 September 2010

Bernard's test

As I type, Bernard is being driven to Poole testing station for his annual "plating", the MOT test for trucks. The test is at 10am and I've got my fingers crossed so tightly that it hurts.

Last year was a fiasco. Our youngest went along with my other half just for the ride. The only booking we could get then was in Salisbury, which is a long drive away for us! Everything was fine, until the tester checked the brake lights....they had stopped working for no apparent reason. The testing officer decided that this was very, very serious and they would have to impound the truck!!! Luckily we had found a recovery company who are prepared to insure us for just this kind of event, it costs, but at times like this it's worth a million pounds. A phone call was made and the mechanic arrived in minutes - it turned out that his workshop was on the same industrial estate as the testing station - what a stoke of luck. But he couldn't work out why the lights didn't work either. He persevered for about 10 minutes fiddling with wires and bulbs. Miraculously he touched something and they worked, just in time for the tester to witness the fact! We never did get to the bottom of why the lights failed that day.

Bernard was allowed home complete with a "Pass" certificate.

This year the Gremlins have been haunting the offside front indicator light and the horn - sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't........please let them work PROPERLY today. We need to drive him to Frome on Saturday.

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