Page 45 - IT'S A RUM LIFE BOOK FOUR Volume 1 "Northcote 1984 to 1998"

The MG B
The approach to Fresnay from the main Alencon highway is by a long straight road, typical

of France.
We travelled this road far more than expected when I consulted the local garage proprietor
regarding the rebalancing of the two front wheels on the MG.

MG’s are rare in France and this was the first time the garage proprietor had ever seen
one, so when asking him what I owed after he had completed the balance job, he simply
said “a ride in the car”!

The MG B is not particularly fast, it is just that one is so low to the ground it seems so.

We returned to the garage to find his friend the local gendarme waiting his turn, so once
again we zoomed up that long straight road and returned. The MG makes a lovely noise,
all part of the fun and both French gentlemen were suitably impressed.

THE RETURN TRIP
Ruth was not so impressed when coming to the end of the first day of our return journey to
the UK, it began to rain. We were about to enter Rouen and the ignition light came on.
As mechanic type readers will know, this tells you there is some electrical problem and the
battery is no longer being charged.

Not wishing to disturb Ruth’s frame of mind, I made light of it. We had about another hour
to travel to Hesdin and the windscreen wipers were having to work hard. Oh dear, using
lots of electricity, but one had to see. The seeing bit became more important when
darkness began to fall and I had to turn on the lights. The wipers were now being used
intermittently to conserve power.