I’m back!!!! I hope these blogs are interesting and not boring?? Nigel said I was better to keep them short and more often! Sorry, I have failed miserably there! Trying my best though.
Ok, vehicles……. Frank, I had lots of lovely new parts brought out for me by Nigel…… Unfortunately he worked me so long I had no time to fit them, so I employed a mechanic to fit them to get it running. There’s a picture of them working on him, when it’s uploaded, you can see that you never just get one mechanic here. After much effort on they’re part (without success), I have towed it to the new house and there it sits until I get time to look at him. Probably after I’ve built the generator house that we need to home our new purchase. I mention this as its pertinent to the following story about Polka.
If you have read Nigel’s blog, you will know that the welders didn’t disconnect the batteries and thereby damaged her alternator…..I managed after 4 days and a million leone to find a suitable replacement. And has now been fitted and the charging light goes out as is correct.
So, I need to pick up furniture, buy materials to build a generator room, and generally get about. Bare in mind, that I registered her as a commercial vehicle, and (I thought) complied with the rules and regulations as they were told to me by the insurance/registration expert. So, I arrange to meet a friendly Pastor who is helping us with land issues (more on him in the next blog) to assist me in getting some sand and stone to make concrete for a base for out generator room. First the stone, he took me to meet his friend who rode shotgun with me to the site. Where he negotiated the correct price for stone…. It was duly loaded. Paid for, then the stone bashers got a bit upset with him as he was telling a white man the true price of the granite! I delivered that home and other than the EDC light coming on a couple of times, there was no drama. It was late, as the Pastor and I were doing other things also. So Monday morning, I arranged to meet the man to get sand….. It’s dug directly off the beaches. However, it’s not that simple. The road transport union here controls who and what vehicles can go to the beaches and load. They also collect government taxes so are endorsed by the authorities. He asked the “chairman” of the Union to allow us one load so we could build our generator room. He agreed but said I couldn’t buy anymore sand unless we joined the union. So we loaded, which is a blog on its own, (but I won’t as Nigel will tell me off!) after loading I said to my inside man, can we go enquire about joining the union… So off we go, to the union office, sand and all! I negotiate a discount being as we are a no profit NGO and get us signed up. Who knew? I’m back in a union!! Feeling quite please with myself, and as its getting late, I drop my inside man off and begin the journey back to the house…….. As I pass through Lumely, a Police lady waves me down. I stop thinking she’s going to ask if I have my manifest (I did, it’s part of he process) However, she tells me that I have broken a serious law and she is going to arrest me!!!! Apparently polka is supposed to have a green sticker on each side with OG (own goods) on it…… I’m a terrible man, I felt I was surely going to prison!!!! However, they were quite serious…. They threatened to clamp my vehicle until I’d paid a 400,000 leone fine. What could I do? I said, “it’s a fair cop guv’nor”. Where do I pay the fine? At the bank they say…… However, if I haven’t got time to go, I could give them the money and they would pay it for me…… How absolutely splendid of them!! They obviously think I was born yesterday!!!! So I say ok, I shall go to the bank directly, I have nothing else to do, so no problem! So they escort me to the local police station….. Which looked nothing like a police station, and then ask me to park there. After a short discussion between theirselves, they tell me they are going to try to help me….. If I have my vehicle clamped, someone will steal my sand! So they say they will escort me home with it?!?! I’ve been there an hour already, so I think…. Ok, the lorry and sand is going where I need it, play along. On route, they divert me to get the cement I need too! Beyond belief!!! After this, we head for home. Me and two WPC’s!!!! I get it there, tip the sand and off load the cement, and I still haven’t paid them a bean…. Doing ok so far……. But they have a look around and notice that I haven’t got any pots and pans or cups and things…… So insist they help me some more! We jump on a taxi back to Lumely to go by house hold goods!!! They haggled hard for me too, got lots of stuff I needed, but I really wasn’t expecting to be shopping with two police women!!
After getting a taxi fully of stuff, literally, I think to myself, this is never going to end! So, although it pains me to say it, I gave them 50,000 each to leave me alone! Got a taxi home smarting all the way! When I finally get in, I resolve to go and see the insurance lady, who never once mentioned these stickers, first thing in the morning.
Off I trot, bright and early, with Polka to see her then go get my brand new beds. Guess what happened on the way…….. Oh yes, literally just around the corner from the insurance lady, a policeman pulls me over!!!! Not again I think. After listening to a ten minute speech about how serious an offence I have committed, I explain the situation and tell him where I was headed. So he comes with me! We enter the office and speak to Aunty Effey (insurance lady) where she begs for leniency for me, and he tells her off!!! You couldn’t write it!…. Well you could, I just did! The police man, then escorts me to a man who stencils on the logo required by law for 20,000 leones. We chat, and exchange numbers. (He was actually really nice). I give him 20,000 for his time, and don’t begrudge it a bit, he was helpful. After seeing the fine work the stenciller did, I asked him if he could do our Logo bigger as you can hardly see our tiny stickers. We agree a price, and off I go to pick up my beds. I return back and sit with a crown of unemployed men who all want to be my driver, while stencil guy gets to work.
I had the most amazing time, we chatted for a long time. We discussed all nature of things, and I ended up breaking all the rules!!! We shared a meal together, and had a group photo! Bit of body contact there, but hey ho!! It was a special moment, I really felt connected to these people. Hope Rachel uploads the pictures.
Stencil guy did a wonderful job, and has really “pimped out ride”!!!
I returned home to do battle with the house and discover the beds were too short! But, I’m now 100% legal, so no more brushes with the law
Still more if your still with me!! Onto the next blog!!
