Knowing that Bertha is due to go back to Silchester in March for another round of work we decided to take advantage of some nice winter afternoons to get some pleasure from her.
She needs a wash and brush up before we go though:
First we went to Hythe (Hampshire, not Kent!) as the first stop on a (short) tour round the New Forest. The Hythe Pier Railway is a fascinating little line:
We ended up in Beaulieu via Lepe Country Park and Exbury and of course we had to go and take a look in the classic car garage there!
A week or two later we decided to go and take a look at Midhurst. We have driven through many times and said that it looked worth a trip of its own.
Correct: there are some nice shops, and Cowdray Castle (what's left of it) is pretty impressive!
While we were wandering through the town this lovely old Volvo came past:
Time for a quick trip to the Cowdray Estate Farm Shop (some very nice looking things there!) and then home again.
The time to go back to Silchester to get more work done is fast approaching but there is just time to make a quick trip to Mercedes Benz World
at Weybridge.
On the banking we found a beautiful old Bentley and stopped for a photo opportunity. Bertha is not a small car but even parked a little further forward than the Bentley
she is still noticeably shorter!
And then time for home (and probably a beer!)...
Bertha will shortly be returning to Silchester to have her sunroof fixed (it's always been sealed shut since we've had her as it presumably leaked), her headlining fixed
(it hangs down in front of the driver's sun visor and is breaking up due to age), rust around the front and rear screens fixed and the seals replaced and two new side window seals - the ones that go over
the whole of the window opening. We're glad we bought these early on: we thought that they were expensive when we bought them but I believe that they have doubled in price since then!
We are so looking forward to having her all the same colour and rust-free: she has never been like that as long as we have had her and she is going to look fantastic!
Final Restoration 1