My Windy Limo comes home...

......well, when I say home, very nearly! She's currently parked in our neighbours garden 'cos we cannot get her up our driveway! At least not at the moment until we have made her engine run.
We previously discussed the windy500 with Kath and Bill and they suggested we could use their garage to work on our vehicle. Fantastic! Big garage, dry, space to work on our mode of transport. That was before we bought our van, er, limo. When they knew what we buying they were still quite happy for us to use the garage and were both keen to get involved. That's what you call brilliant neighbours and friends. But in order to repair our Limo and get her ready there would have to be some thoughts as to how we would get her in the garage as she is too tall! So first of all we will have to remove a large wooden panel above the doors and  raise the garage doors by about a metre so she will fit in. We also have to remove some pipe work, a radiator, two shelves and a couple of cupboards. No problem! And we have to board up a wall or two. Move a few items around and then we should be ready. Easy. Maybe!
So, with that all sorted we then had to work out how to get her back. A quick chat with Steve G, Kath and Bills son resulted in "No problem. I have a mate who can help tow you back". Excellent news. Then we discovered that we could not do that as she is not taxed and that makes it illegal. All four wheels apparently have to be off the ground. I did suggest risking breaking the law by doing it and hoping there would be no police around. But points on a licence, massive fine and knowing a few policeman quite closely we decided better of this idea. "Leave it me" said Steve G. " I'll get back to you" . Within the hour he had organised a trailer and a friend with a Range Rover to bring it back. What a star! Monday evening was the first time this could be done which left us the weekend to trawl more websites, have more discussions.
We awoke on Monday to a beautiful sunny day. This was going to be quite an exciting day. As the day progressed so did a weather front. By about 5pm there were weather warnings around the country, the wind was approaching gale force and it was hammering down with rain. Oh, and it was a 6pm collection so it would be dark as well. Ideal ! A rendezvous with Steve G, his towing friend Graham, the towing company next door and we were nearly ready. Cash handed over for the trailer, connected up and we were off.
We arrived at Heathfield and the wind and rain was getting heavier but she looked beautiful, glistening in the security lights, waiting to be taken away to her new home. I unlocked her and Steve started to winch her on-board. I turned the ignition on and the wipers which amazingly worked. That's something else working! That helped to see where I was going - left hand down, right hand down, straighten up, left hand down, STOP! Never thought about the brakes until this point, but they worked as well. We were on! Strapped down, in gear and hand brake on the journey home began. After grounding the trailer on a steep ramp the journey home was quite straight forward. Apart from aqua-planing on the roads which were by now very treacherous. Graham was following me a we guided back with no hitches along the way.
We parked outside Kath and Bills place and proceeded to block the road while we pushed her off backwards. The brakes worked in reverse as well! Graham drove the trailer away and then I drove her for the first time albeit only free wheeling. With no power steering, or power brakes manoeuvring was going to be interesting. I tried the headlights and Yippee. They worked as well! The list of good bits is getting bigger! With Steve and Sam pushing I negotiated the entrance to the garden hoping she would go in. Only had one chance at it as she is very heavy. So I drew on my previous experience of getting the38bus up and around Crac de Chevalier in Syria. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. She was in the garden. A little bit of final adjustments back and forward and she arrived at her new home. She looked great!