Today in the Big Brother Van the Housemates Freeze (say with a geordie accent)

Defrosting the Van
Originally uploaded by jacqui.jsb.

Last week on our skiing jaunts the water gradually froze in the pipes and so did the housemates. To be fair temps were hitting -25 at times. This forced our return to a lower altitude and warmer days. So today the housemates task was to defrost the van.This was a bit tricky as the outside temperature was still -6 degrees.

Jac defrosting the van
Originally uploaded by jacqui.jsb.

Most of the day was spent by the housemates under the van with electric heaters and finally a heat gun. Ian managed to successfully melt one of the pipes. The pipe that is not the ice inside. After several kettles of boiling water, salt, anti-freeze and six hours with the heaters the van finally thawed.

Van Thaws
Originally uploaded by jacqui.jsb.

As the task was completed successfully the housemates celebrated with a nice cup of tea and a hot shower. The housemates drew up a plan to prevent this happening again-sod the skiing were off to Morrocco instead!

Damsel in Distress

This is my post to a motorhome site this afternoon. 250 people viewed this in a few hours and 14 responded with help. It's now 9pm and my gas according to the gauge is out, the tanks are full and it's another cold night. I could go into the Gites but that's cheating. Holls and I will have to cuddle up. Ian is in a nice warm chalet in Les 2 Alpes!

JacquiNewbieJoined: Aug 30, 2004Posts: 5
Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2005 11:24 am Post subject: Urgent-Gas Cylinders freezing Up

Hi All
Hope you can help.I am currently in the Haute Alpes long term where it is -4 during the day and -8 at night. I have a Burstner fitted with two gaslow refillable cylinders. I think the gas in them is freezing up. Initially I only had to re-fill each week and kept the heating on low constantly to prevent the van freezing up. I am now having to re-fill every other day and each time I can only put in smaller amounts of gas. I have checked the pipes and cannot detect or smell a gas leak anywhere. I have the van parked in the sun to try to warm the cylinders up. Does anybody have any ideas that I can try to warm the cylinders safely how can I prevent this or could there be something else happening that I am not aware of. Also i have read the winterization topics here and follow all tips. One was to have external pipes boxed in , how do I do this. Also is it safe to put antifreeze down the pipes and into grey water. That's the lot for now thanks in anticipation of any help offered.

Kind regards
Jacqui

Three Women-One German,One Japanese and a Hillbilly....

THREE WOMEN - ONE GERMAN, ONE JAPANESE AND A HILLBILLY ­ WERE SITTING NAKED IN A SAUNA.
SUDDENLY THERE WAS A BEEPING SOUND. THE GERMAN PRESSED HER FOREARM AND THE BEEP STOPPED. THE OTHERS LOOKED AT HER QUESTIONINGLY. "THAT WAS MY PAGER" SHE SAID "I HAVE A MICROCHIP UNDER THE SKIN OF MY ARM."A FEW MINUTES LATER, A PHONE RANG. THE JAPANESE WOMAN LIFTED HER PALM TO HER EAR. WHEN SHE FINISHED, SHE EXPLAINED, "THAT WAS MY MOBILE PHONE. I HAVE A MICROCHIP IN MY HAND." THE HILLBILLY WOMAN FELT DECIDEDLY LOW TECH. NOT TO BE OUTDONE, SHE DECIDED SHE HAD TO DO SOME THING JUST AS IMPRESSIVE. SHE STEPPED OUT OF THE SAUNA AND WENT TO THE BATHROOM. SHE RETURNED WITH A PIECE OF TOILET PAPER HANGING FROM HER BUM. THE OTHERS RAISED THEIR EYEBROWS AND STARED AT HER. THE HILLBILLY WOMAN FINALLY SAID,

"WELL, WILL YOU LOOK AT THAT. I'M GETTIN' A FAX."

Racing At Super Devoluy

Racing At Super Devoluy
Originally uploaded by jacqui.jsb.

We all went up to Devoluy to watch the dog sled races and show Holly what real working dogs did round here. Think she would rather have stayed in the van, she's not keen on getting her paws cold. The races were very entertaining and Ian managed to get told off by the officials for being a distraction. Holly that is, not Ian.

Ere Lad's - Just spotted a cute black bitch
Originally uploaded by jacqui.jsb.

Ere Lad's - Just spotted a cute black bitch!

I can look cool too in Carols glasses!
Originally uploaded by jacqui.jsb.

Holly incognito trying to avoid the lad's. Too busy trying to keep warm than bothering about the local talent.

Are we winning
Originally uploaded by jacqui.jsb.

It's no good Holls we just haven't grasped this dog sled racing. Let's go and get a brew.

French cooking in Ian's world

French cooking in Ian's world
Originally uploaded by jacqui.jsb.

Crapaud dans le trou, that's toad in the hole and very nice it was too.

It rose beautifully in the oven, then the droop set in. Nothing new there then.

Sorte de petit pain rond au lait
Originally uploaded by jacqui.jsb.

Here you are Thelma, a bit of home baking. Nearly as good as yours. The first fresh scones my poor Dad has had in ages. OOps just had a slap off my mother. She say's she's come out here for an easy life, not to pander to his whims! He got a surprise the other day- a victoria sponge! She does love him really. Oldies, aren't they sweet!

The Van at La Source
Originally uploaded by jacqui.jsb.

The kitchen!

Sugar Jar

Sugar Jar
Originally uploaded by jacqui.jsb.

Is this allowed anymore.
Only in France!!

A New Associate Member Of The British Association Of Snowsport Instructors

Originally uploaded by jacqui.jsb.

Would you trust this man to teach you when he manages to shave the tip of his nose off. He's been having a shave for 24 years and still can't get it right.Some of his ski equipment is so old it came back into fashion this year. His gloves are now available in Ellis Brigham second time round.He's cute though and has taught many a novice to ski but can he teach Mum & Dad? We shall see.

Where's the hair ?

Jacqui
Originally uploaded by jacqui.jsb.

Wanting my hair short and not knowing much French to explain I took the cover off our 24 DVD and showed the hairdresser the picture of Jack's wife Terri. In my bestest french lingo pointed and said I'll have one of those please. Well did she look shocked so I told her (waved my hands) to make it a few millimetres longer and she calmed down. I was starting to worry that maybe she had not done a job as big as this before and thought should I leg it but what the hell and off it all came and does it feel great. Took me a few days to stop shaking my hair out of the way or standing in the shower and tipping my hair forward to shampoo it! Kept forgetting it had all gone. So now Ian has a new woman and it's still me!

In Search Of Eric Cantona

Mum,Glenda & Stray Hound
Originally uploaded by jacqui.jsb.

We have biked up the magic road to the next village from La Source. The magic road because you seem to freewheel along it in both directions. I always thought you had to go uphill to go downhill but not round here. The village we visited is Le Villard according to the locals home to the Cantona family. Some of his family stayed at La Source last summer and in true Cantona style they were a bit of a handful. Mum and Glenda were celebrity house spotting while we cycled , at one point Glenda shot off the road and down a ditch. We went so far up the valley until I got chased by 2 hounds, so 3 English birds flew back down the hill as fast we could. After a look around a couple of the churches one of which had a red double decker bus parked beside it we found the village graveyard and there lay the Cantona family resting place. Has to be said it all looked a bit neglected compared to the others but is some place to end up as the area is stunning. As for the family home well maybe it was the Cantona hounds that chased us away!!

Les 2 Alpes

Mont Blanc From Les 2 Alpes
Originally uploaded by jacqui.jsb.

We have dropped Ian off at Les deux Alpes for his ski instructor course, it has been an eventful weekend. We left Ian at the resort at 4pm Sat night after 30 mins down the mountain pass we were stuck in traffic and barely moved for 5 hours. Holly was fast asleep while we deliberated as to who should get the last mince pie and how long we could last before jumping out and having a pee at the side of the road. Something the french are very good at! Dad calls it a frenchmans and Ian joined the club yesterday morn! Cars started to turn round eventually as word passed down that the road was blocked.Not wanting to spend the night at -15 degrees or share a mince pie we headed back up to the resort and bunked up at Ians apartment .Ian & I spent the night on the sofa after giving Ma & Pa his bedroom. Sunday morning Ian shaved off his 2 week beard and much to our amusement also the tip of his nose!! Great way to start a course with a big red conk! The chalet hosts were going to ammend his ski pass with a red marker pen. Only Ian! Found out this morning the road had been closed due to a coach crashing trying to avoid a car and ploughing into a building. The driver had died and several tourists were injured. All very sobering. Today Ian met up with his course mates and went skiing and we took the cable car to 3600m where we could see the whole of the alps and Mont Blanc. It felt like Everest. Inside the glacier they have carved out tunnels and huge caverns containing amazing ice sculptures so we spent an hour in there until we could bare the cold no more. Outside however it was still minus 14 degrees ! Fantasic resort for skiing though needs more snow at present.
Holly is fine and has us all running round after her! She ran off with Ian's coconut macaroon the other day. Suzanne and Claire you have a lot to answer for! We keep hearing about all the weather turmoil back in Uk. Sorry but we sit out in the sun for lunch and get sunburn and curl up snug in the van at night while it is often -15! Van is doing great and Holly loves it too due to the fact her bed is in front of the hot air vent! Well thats it off to bed now. On my own in the van with Holl so hope she does not start barking in the middle of the night otherwise am off into the Gites!!!


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Thought for the day

'What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy, and joy is after all the end of life. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. This is what life means and what it is for.' -george mallory