The 4x4 TA is now on its sixth trip between Devon and Umbria; current mileage for the trip is just under 2000, bringing the total to 36k. We’ll be coming back to Pudding Island in time for the referendum - and very glad to be out of the country while both sides are swapping ballocks on the subject.

In the meantime the car has suffered its first incident. So far, in 28 years of living part of each year in Umbria there have been no problems but last week some half-wit broke into the car while it was left with several others at a place where walkers and cyclists can park to go along a longish-distance path between Spoleto and Assisi. Anyone watching us leave could be pretty certain that we wouldn’t return for an hour or more, so said half-wit made a very adrenaline-driven unsuccessful attempt to force the driver’s door, wrecking the lock and bending the panel, then smashed the glass in the rear off-side door, unlatched the rear seat back to gain access to the boot - and made off empty-handed, leaving a 1700-quid Macbook Pro in the boot and a top-of-the-range iPod in the car. You think, “I wish I’d caught the cretin in the act.” on these occasions, then notice the amount of force that’s been used against the car and think better of it. I assume they were only after cash or cards - or were totally stupid or almost caught in the act.

The Italian company - Vetrocar - that fixes glass claims for our UK insurance company - no names but associated with people of a certain age - was worse than useless. They made no serious attempt to handle my claim; told me their nearest centre was over 90 miles away (which is further away than Rome); told me they had no centre in Terni, which is about ten miles away, and which is described on their web site; finally rang me from their Terni centre to tell me that it would take them from three to five weeks to carry out the replacement. A call to Pudding Island enabled me to arrange things for myself, which I did at 10 in the morning and the replacement was complete by 3 that afternoon. Cost - 80 euros for the glass and 30 euros to clean out the car and replace the glass. I suspect the claim for fixing the driver’s door, and dealing with the repercussions of a broken door lock - which still operates with the remote - will be much heavier.

Grim business. Once had similar circumstances in Spain, though it was a hire car. Remote/long walk etc. Nothing left in the car. Thankfully they only smashed the window.


Things get fixed, the anger eventually fades. It does spoil things for a while though and you're then worrying every time you leave your car parked up.


To keep you up to date with BREXIT, here are the opposing views on this very topic:


CAMERON
If we leave Europe, your car will be stolen and used for food by an isolated and infighting Anglo-Saxon tribe

JOHNSON
If we stay in Europe, Italian thugs will fly first class to the UK, paid for by your taxes, smash your car and then get 2 years asylum in a London hotel.

AB100 said:

..

Things get fixed, the anger eventually fades. It does spoil things for a while though and you're then worrying every time you leave your car parked up.


To keep you up to date with BREXIT, here are the opposing views on this very topic:


CAMERON
If we leave Europe, your car will be stolen and used for food by an isolated and infighting Anglo-Saxon tribe

JOHNSON
If we stay in Europe, Italian thugs will fly first class to the UK, paid for by your taxes, smash your car and then get 2 years asylum in a London hotel.

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A friend here in Italy was having a cancer operation the next day, which puts things in perspective.

There's a 'phone-in programme on Italian Radio 3 - callers totally incredulous to read/hear about Cameron's notion that Brexit could lead to war

Now back in Devon. Car ran faultlessly as ever - covered 4380 miles on the trip at 40mpg. Mpg was down in the 37s before we set off to come back - a bit thirsty in the cold weather going to Italy and then pottering about in Umbria, so must have been up in the 42-43 range on the way back - pretty good as doing 80-85, or even 85-90, where cameras allow and carrying 45+ litres of wine and 8 litres of olive oil (Umbrian olive oil is among the very best there is), plus masses of other stuff up to rear window level. Lots of road works throughout the trip causing varying degrees of hold up.

There was torrential rain at times in Italy and the white road to our village has deteriorated markedly to the point where I'm really glad to have the 4x4; ground clearance is marginal in places and the gradient is steep in places, restarting after stopping to let another car past could be a hassle. Though I'm sure a Trekking would cope, my previous 100HP would have to be left half a mile from home because of ground clearance, and traction would be a major problem in places.

Oil consumption is almost worryingly low - is it circulating? And tyre wear is also very frugal - plenty of tread all round after 39,000 miles.

Took the 4x4 in to Fix Auto in Crediton this morning for an insurance quote on sorting out the driver's door.

We had a six day walking holiday in Provence on the way south in the second week of April. We did the same thing in another part of Provence last year and were struck again by the virtually total lack of wild life while walking in the countryside - no bird song, no mammals, not even any lizards - very odd and slightly spooky - no farm animals either. By contrast, the birds sing from before dawn till after dusk, plus owls and nightingales during the might, round our place in Umbria, and in one walk in the woods there we encountered a wild boar sow and piglets - a bit scary as they can turn very nasty if they think the little ones are threatened - and a couple of deer, plus dozens of different bird species, including two types of woodpecker and numerous lizards.

Central Italy seems pretty much overrun with wild boar ! Stayed just outside Siena a couple of summers ago and they dug up the hotelier's lawn overnight ( despite him leaving out acorns for them ) As we checked out, a hunting party checked in ! Then as we returned to another agriturismo in the twilight we could see really a big family group raiding a vineyard ! The locals will have their revenge tho : pappardelle al cinghiale is pretty special.

Took car in to Fix Auto in Crediton this morning - they appear to be professional so far but we'll see how the repair goes. I've also asked them to sort out a little scratch on the front wing - very minor - looks like the result of a careless shopping trolley jockey or something similar but I like my cars to be immaculate. It seems they'll swap the driver's door lock barrel and then have to take the car to the nearest dealer to have the keys recoded.

The courtesy car is a Toyota Aygo with clever gearbox - either fully auto or you can pop it up or down a gear at a time in semi-manual mode. The transmission could be quite fun but it's an absolutely horrible little car - masses of road roar; no guts at all, like a Panda in ECO mode but worse; delayed action on the steering with total lack of feel, again worse than the Panda; brakes are not good; ride is really lumpy, Fiat appear to have sorted the damper rates on the Panda (at last) but the Aygo jiggles about like a go kart without any of the benefits that should ensue; unless it does 75 to the gallon - too early to tell - I can't think of a single thing to commend it for.

Piece in Autocar magazine this week confirmed the Panda as once again the top selling car in the super-mini category across Europe as a whole. Despite not being quite so common in the UK to support that pan-EU statistic, it seems that the Panda really is doing the Business for FCA right now.

Well, the paint job has been ready since Tuesday and I've been waiting since then for Vospers in Exeter to recode the keys. Apparently their workshop is backed up but how long can it take?

Got the 4x4 back on Friday and Fix Auto of Crediton seem to have done a good job on it, not the easiest on a metallic paint. Thank goodness I could give them their Toyota Aygo courtesy car back - made me appreciate the Panda in comparison. Vospers in Exeter didn't cover themselves in glory - on the way to Sidmouth on Thursday they rang me on my mobile 'phone. "Mr babbo umbro?" - "Yes" - "Vospers in Exeter here. We had your Panda delivered on a trailer a couple of days ago." - "Yes that's right." - "Where did it come from and what's it here for?" !!!

I explained it was in for a recoding job, and who had sent it, but their admin seems to have fallen apart as Fix Auto had tried to contact them without success all day on Wednesday.

babbo_umbro, has your home in Italy been affected by the earthquakes ?

I also thought of babbo_umbro when I saw the news yesterday. Hope you're not too affected by it all. Looks devastating, with so many lives lost & so many beautiful buildings destroyed

chr1s said:

babbo_umbro, has your home in Italy been affected by the earthquakes ?

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Thanks for your concern. The epicentre is in Le Marche, which is on the other side of the peak of the Apennines but Norcia, which is on the Umbrian side, had a good shaking. Our own village, about 30 miles west of Norcia, was shaken moderately but as far as we know there's no real damage. Friends who live half way were quite severely shaken but suffered no damage. The last time there was a 'quake we lost some crockery but nothing else, other than the expereince of descending three flights of wobbling stairs in about two nanoseconds at 3 in the morning. It's all very odd - your house - which you look on as your shelter - suddenly becomes a threat and you're a passenger in a potentially deadly environment.

We get there on Sunday week for our autumn stay so we'll find out definitely then.