tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139877402024-03-08T10:32:01.307+02:00Going Everywhere - SlowlyADVENTURES WITH OLIVIAMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-27643807157876547152015-07-05T21:10:00.002+02:002015-07-05T21:10:19.693+02:00Working girl
Olivia is the only one of our Land Rovers that has a tow point on the front. When it comes time to do Important Stuff (like rolling fibre off a trailer up a mountain), she's the muscle behind the rough bits.
Yes, she's still in action - but these days she takes it a bit more easy than in the past...Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-8385842658940821582012-03-06T22:44:00.000+02:002012-03-06T22:44:15.772+02:00Landy DreamsSometimes I'm driving through packed rush-hour traffic, and see the face of a child in the car next to me, staring at Olivia the Landy.
I wonder... will my Landy be the one that some kid, somewhere, holds in their heart as "one day when I grow up I want to drive one of those!"? Will Livvy the Bus (Favourite Man's label for her) be the inspiration behind a Landy Person years down the line, Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-71871129002452188712011-03-16T22:31:00.000+02:002011-03-16T22:31:45.908+02:00Cool when you're hotIt's still very much summer here - no telltale drip of rain on the accelerator foot yet, and the firewall is a FIREwall after a mere half-hour's drive. Aircon? Nope. Just these in the doors to make the feet breezy:
So yes, driving Olivia isn't exactly the coolest of experiences.
And yet.... it very much IS.
When your daily drive is a Series III that first saw daylight inMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-41330511689986946362011-02-22T23:44:00.000+02:002011-02-22T23:44:02.164+02:00Gearing up for troubleI suspect Olivia doesn't like to be all fixed (my first car the Mini had the same problem years ago).
Just yesterday we replaced a hub gasket that had disintegrated to the point where we couldn't actually find much of it when removed! There's no more oil spatters on the rim, no leaks on the hub - the engine's going well, the brakes work, all's right with the world!
Or so one would Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-3010715279718912962011-02-07T22:54:00.000+02:002011-02-07T22:54:22.164+02:00Carbed upOlivia's been giving a few rather serious problems lately. She started jerking occasionally a week ago, and it simply went downhill from there.
I did a once-over early in the week, but couldn't see anything wrong.
Thursday was the final straw. She wouldn't go with any power in a straight line without excessive revving, and that caused jerks and jumps to the point where she'd Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-37812289203828103992011-01-25T22:29:00.000+02:002011-01-25T22:29:07.852+02:00How to use up a dayNothing in Olivia is ever fast. Here's how to use up an entire day in and around Cape Town.
We have a nifty little device called an FM Protector - it's not only a tracking device, but also does some pretty fancy telling of information like whether you've hit something or not :-) With Olivia's speedo still awaiting re-installation (scratch that - we have a "new" one that's waiting toMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-19710650955828392262011-01-18T23:30:00.000+02:002011-01-18T23:30:46.974+02:00ZapThey say those who refuse to learn from history will be destined to repeat it...
Today I did so - and also came close to making history!
You see, I almost set Olivia on fire.
Post-engine-swap, we discovered Olivia's big spare back battery (truck size) was kaput, and it's come out leaving a battery box with insulated terminals lying loose, ready to pop in a new one. While we were at it, Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-33819045606877492312010-12-24T00:24:00.000+02:002010-12-24T00:24:08.431+02:00Roadblock!It being the silly season, the police are currently out in force with random roadblocks popping up everywhere - quickly moving on before the word spreads where they are.
Thus it was I was toodling home from the mall this week and a bloke with a reflective vest jumped out into the road to wave me over. Along with a few other vehicles.
Normally we as drivers try to avoid police stopping us.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-62321904681444635582010-11-30T18:15:00.000+02:002010-11-30T18:15:24.457+02:00Modern MachineOlivia has decided it's time she did some social networking. She's now on Facebook. You're welcome to ask for her friendship - but I can't guarantee she'll add you! :-) She has, however, friended a couple of other Landies, and they seem to be swapping hints and tips to sort out their humans...
Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-1755475406047087532010-11-13T00:07:00.000+02:002010-11-13T00:07:28.033+02:00Back where she belongsOlivia's back on the road! Yay! Details to follow, but she's finally home... and Favourite Man convinced me that this should be the first order of business:
One quick trip to the beauty salon later and she's clean & shiny. As far as I know, this is her first paid-for "spa treatment" other than a thorough hosing down with pressurized cold water before we started work on her three Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-81071208283089445922010-07-06T13:36:00.000+02:002010-07-06T13:36:11.609+02:00Back to rootsWhen I first started this blog, it was intended to track quite the daring adventure. Me and the kid, chucking in life as we knew it and heading off on roads unknown in an old Landy until we ran out of either road or cash. Such beeeeg dreams :-) (Hey, there are many who have done it, it's not impossible)
But looky here - niggling thoughts in similar veins have been tapping me on the shoulder Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-31914609573602903842010-01-25T22:59:00.001+02:002010-01-25T23:00:42.721+02:00Heart transplantOlivia's in hospital - REAL hospital not the home-care kind. She's gone in to have her old tired 2.6 engine replaced with a better 2.6! In theory it should be an easy swap...Let's hope so.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-13197778689235316792009-10-16T21:40:00.002+02:002009-10-16T21:51:15.459+02:00I am not a soccer mom(Olivia's still sitting waiting for her new heart/brain still.. it's been quiet here..)I am not a soccer mom.You see them driving their Discoveries and Range Rovers and Defenders every day, picking up the kids from school, taking them to their after-hours activities, going shopping, meeting the girls for coffee while the boys are out earning a living and paying off the cars/houses/holidays. LandMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-67058578580658629192009-08-14T21:59:00.004+02:002009-08-14T22:09:40.658+02:00On again, off againAnd it's back to off again. Off the road, that is.I spent most of this past week "replacing the head gasket" - which, oddly enough, was in very good condition still. Gave the innards a good clean, put it all back together according to the manual - and then the trouble started.First, both batteries decided they didn't have anough vooma to start her. So we tow-started. Or attempted to. Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-50066428298080300122009-08-08T18:18:00.003+02:002009-08-08T18:20:41.827+02:00Landy Wave MonthlyThe September issue of Landy Wave Monthly is online here.Find the previous issues at our website.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-14557337692482254072009-07-22T21:22:00.006+02:002009-07-22T21:45:09.193+02:00HybridIt's been an absolute age since I updated this blog, but Olivia's been very busy. She's the workhorse that makes it up mountains to sort out high sites, the loader of e-waste, and transporter of large things like ladders.All this with a sick mind. Or rather a problem with her head - gasket. She's taken to drinking oil along with her horrific petrol habit, then spewing oil and water out when Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-48931739689704684082009-05-18T17:27:00.001+02:002009-05-18T17:29:42.914+02:00Photoblog: Working GirlMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-44767665882361817092009-04-27T21:22:00.004+02:002009-04-27T21:30:25.530+02:00I can see clearly now..It's been a while since I updated Olivia's blog. Here's the latest.Today, while the rest of the country was lazing around with Freedom Day, Favourite Man and I put in a bit of work on Olivia. We sorted out new engine mounts with a bit of difficulty - one needed some engineering as only Favourite Man can do, but turned out perfect with an excellent fit all round. We attacked the final electricsMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-54124540885748282942009-03-15T12:57:00.002+02:002009-03-15T13:00:44.525+02:00HornOlivia has a new accessory! :-)It will soon be supporting a couple of long bits of metal on a trip up to our high site. That front receiver is a very useful bit of kit indeed.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-88506232831180234422009-01-29T11:38:00.003+02:002009-01-29T12:10:45.769+02:00Slamming on BrakesI'm really worried about Olivia.In July last year Favourite Man took his Discovery II to Ferobrake around the corner from us in Strand to have the discs skimmed prior to fitting new shoes. When he arrived at the appointed day and time, he was told the mechanic was sick and he'd have to go to their branch in Cape Town. Which he did. Only to be turned away for some arb reason.After Olivia's Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-68880765395676239992008-11-26T10:52:00.003+02:002008-11-26T12:23:09.863+02:00Step 1Olivia's new / replacement fender has arrived. Complete with ex-army light bits. Nope, we're not going to leave it that colour - but work starts soon!Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-80291310474320448032008-10-20T11:39:00.003+02:002008-10-20T12:21:48.943+02:00Love/HateLife with Land Rovers is very much a love/hate relationship.When they're going well we love them to bits. When they're giving problems we want to kick their tyres and take a hammer to the offending parts.Actually... the word "relationship" is kinda the root of the problem. We start to see these hunks of metal as "people".Take Olivia for example. She's my girl, part of the family, and yup - theMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-71115216813137145812008-10-16T09:14:00.003+02:002008-10-16T09:21:54.309+02:00Getting thereAfter Olivia's minor altercation with a lamppost thanks to horrific driving on the part of an old tannie who crossed her path (literally), the red-tape battle began. There was not a whole lot of real damage - not a single light broke in the accident - yet insurance wanted to write her off, stating that repair costs far exceeded the value of the vehicle. Well Favourite Man was able to cut that Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-63883331354673492422008-10-07T07:57:00.003+02:002008-10-07T07:59:45.431+02:00For the Record......I miss my Olivia.She's still sitting quietly at the panelbeater. I'm still waiting for word from insurance. I know she hasn't moved, as I've geofenced the area and told her Protector unit to SMS me if she starts/moves/leaves/enters/stops in that area. Her battery is still fine, as is the unit's - so I can keep an eye on her.But I miss her.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13987740.post-47066408374890206972008-10-01T10:59:00.002+02:002008-10-01T11:01:50.046+02:00Oh CrapMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0