Come on baby light my fire...

Those of  us who are the last of the babyboomers and who remember Dragon's hit song "Are you old enough" will know why it is one of the top 10 song's to get stuck in your head. It is that catchy.
When speaking of catchy things, the heating problems we have had in the bus in recent times found us all outside on a cold winter's day yesterday admiring the scenery with a little bit more  speed than usual.
Warren and Barb, who used to own the bus before we got her had come down for Queen's birthday weekend both for a wee break and so that Warren, who had installed the diesel-fuelled central heating could figure out what was actually wrong with it - because it had been going when we were still in Rotorua.

Ken had spent hours charging one battery, buying another, fiddling with the diesel levels, but to no avail. All that had worked was the machine; it blew air - but there was no heat.
We'd got up to quite a nice morning yesterday and out on the deck, I made a huge breakfast of bacon, eggs, mushrooms, diced fried roasted vegetables from the night before, tomatoes, and toast.
Neither Warren nor Ken are sit down and relax kinds of men when there are things to be done, so Barb and I sat there and leisurely grappled with having a big breakfast and copious amount of hot tea. Tough job, but someone has to do that on a Sunday! So, down they both were under the first step of the bus where the main machinery is located. The first inkling that part of the problem may be been solved was a most ungentlemanly snigger from Warren. "Someone put the batteries in back to front.." That, it appeared was the fault of a diesel mechanic Ken was related to, so that was sorted out, while Barbara and I calmly raised our voices 10 decibels higher, the fan of the heater sounding like a small jet engine during warmup.
"Yep, said Warren happily, " She's going!" She was going alright.... I watched with consternation as wisps of grey smoke started to drift into the bus.
"Don't worry about that," said Warren, "It's just excess diesel; it'll burn off soon enough - we'll just shut the door though."

So Barbara and I sat there and finished our breakfast while nervously eying the burnoff turn from wisps to clouds and not being altogether certain just where it was coming from.
When I couldn't see the back of the bus and when seeing Barb across the table meant squinting or crossing my eyes to get her face in focus, I thought it might be time to call a prudent retreat.
Somewhat faster than I might normally move, I skedaddled out the door, without realising the deck was even smokier than the bus given its close proximity to the motor, got outside coughing fit to bust before turning around to see the bus gently burping large clouds of grey smoke in a ladylike manner that made her look as if she was being cushioned by a large cloud. I just never thought to grab my camera as well, more's the pity. But this one of the train looks VERY similar!

By this time more than a little worried that someone would call the rural fire service, I diffidently questioned how much longer it would do this. Warren cut the diesel to the motor; he had not been aware that my wonderfully uneducated-in-the-ways-of-electronic/mechanical-things husband had opened the taps considerably more than was required in an effort to get it going. What should have been a drip-drip of diesel had become more like a farm pond of the stuff. It burned off, but also in being fully stationery now, the problem was that the air intake at the bottom of the stairs, also ended up being the place where the outtake was sending its smoky fumes - so we now had heat. If you could live with the fumes. Ken's idea of using it just to heat the place up and then turn to the radiant heater didn't work either - still too many fumes. So, back to the drawing board with the idea of piping it out the back of the bus....
So at the moment, I am sitting at the table, with the radiant heater on two of its three bars, humming Dragon's 1978 hit song  "Are you old enough?"- but with a difference. It goes something like this..

Are you warm enough

Are you warm enough

Are you warm enough

Are you warm  enough

Are you warm enough oo oo

Are you warm enough oh oh

(For those who don't know the song, try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zezo9dMnXy0