The Big Blue Bully Bus - Big Blue Bully Bus Blog

Well folks, I've just been on a mini break with SWMBO, Mr Other Half and the double trouble bullies, Ratty and Biff, all the way up to Scotland on a wild camping trip. It was great - free camping in lovely locations. including a night spent on a beach with the waves lapping gently only a few feet away from my wheels.
What with it technically being another country all the laws are slightly different regarding parking up and making camp as you can stay virtually anywhere without any hassle - I can highly recommend it :)

Boy have I been in a bad way!!!!!! SWMBO was deeply ashamed when she discovered that all the awful noises I had been making were down to a severe case of worn-out brakes - definite evidence that she pushes me too hard sometimes!!!!! To make matters worse, the yearly health check, MOT business revealed a faulty lightbulb and a blowing exhaust which had to be fixed before I got a nice bit of green paper to keep in a safe place and a sticker to put in my windscreen.

I'm glad to report that I now feel absolutely fine - thanks in part to Mr Other Half also choosing to give me a service - new oil and all the trimmings - a hearty pampering :) I felt quite honoured that he could spare the time to drag himself away long enough from his splitty in order to tend to my needs for a change and hope that this lapse in his concentration didn't have anything to do with his bus failing its health check too!!!

I do have one complaint to make abouut MR OH though... He got SWMBO quite angry in a carpark and caused her to have an accident which means I'm now sporting a lovely injury on my driver's side. It's not too bad though; a bit of a war wound and a slight cosmetic blip; SWMBO says it gives me character and makes me look hard but she's still threatening to stick flowers all over it in an attempt to cover up her motoring faux pas. I think she is secretly gutted that I've had a prang and it was partly her fault for getting flustered in the first place... ;)

Anyway, to take her mind off it she's been busy making bunting ready for the next show. Some for the trade stand, some for Mr OH'S bus and some to sell. It looks really good - a bit different from the usual stuff on offer and quite retro. I like it; I think you will too!

Photos to follow shortly...

Not feeling too good today :(

SWMBO has been neglecting me recently as her and Mr Other Half lavish attention on a dratted splitscreen bus that's latched on to our VW loving family! She even took the train down to London last week to go and see it first hand AND helped to collect an interior for it from deepest, darkest Devon (Exmouth). She also let slip that she stopped off at Glastonbury on the way back to partake of the waters and rub shoulders with the local hippies - All without me!!!!!

I therefore feel unloved :( I've tried making scary noises to catch her attention but her selective hearing problem seems to have kicked in; I've done my best to make the most awful grating, grinding and rubbing sounds possible but she either turns the stereo up so she can't hear anything or accuses me of being a hypochondriac. But I'm not; I don't mind water at all! I like to get wet...

I'm going to consult the Haynes manual today in case there really is something wrong with me - then she'll be sorry. Either way I have to go get my yearly health check at an awful place called the MOT centre very soon. They poke and prod at me a little bit too much for my liking and always give SWMBO a mighty big list of everything that's wrong with me which puts her in a foul mood for days on end. The man who does the test doesn't seem too healthy himself either - he's always checking his own bits to make sure they haven't fallen off and I've noticed that he struggles to breath properly; he tends to have to stop talking to SWMBO at regular intervals to suck air in very quickly and noisily whilst shaking his head a lot and looking serious - she thinks it's something to do with the fact that he doesn't quite know who his dad is but I think he needs to get to the nearest A & E for safety's sake as soon as possible...

On a positive note, the splitscreen bus needs to go get his health check soon; I wonder how long his list of faults will be...

Something is definitely going on in the rose tinted world of SWMBO to have put an enormous grin on her face over the last few days - I can't put my hubcaps on it but I've definitely seen the signs before - let's just say I can feel it in my spark plugs!!!!

Could it be that we're going to a new show this weekend brought to you by the same people that have given us Bus Types and All Types? None other than Dub Mania at Weston Park, Shropshire - ... It could be that I suppose - but I suspect it's something even more exciting that's getting her all agitated... More exciting? Surely not!

Could it be the forecast for great weather to come over the aforesaid weekend? Possibly - but although the promise of a bit of sunshine might often raise a smile, her current lengthy good mood can't be attributable to just that...

Could it be Henry, the mild mannered janitor.... Whoops! I'm getting carried away now.... ;)

OK. Seriously! Could it be that the Myles Smith wearable art collection debuts at the Big Blue Bully Bus trade stand this weekend?

Cue the sound of a nail getting a resounding crack on it's metallic bonce... I suspect this is the true cause of much of the great one's inability to keep a lid on her boundless enthusiasm for life and all things VW. Can't say I blame her - from what I've seen there's a nice little selection of watercooled beauties up for grabs - all individually handpainted by a master of the airbrush, the extremely talented Derbyshire artist and sculptor, Myles Smith.

She Who Must Be Obeyed must have been in a really good mood today - I've been to the car wash AND she's hoovered all my carpets. I'm now all clean and shiny and ready to attend Van Jamboree this coming weekend at Newark Showground :) She's even stocked up on gas and some charcoal for the barbecue - must mean business!

All Types tomorrow for me and SWMBO - but today I get a new leisure battery :) Must remind her to look out for a new quaterlight too but daredn't push my luck as I overheard her moaning about the possibility of needing new tyres soon. She's started referring to me as 'The Money Pit' - a bit harsh I think :(

After finally thawing out from Stanford SWMBO is now looking forward to taking me to All Types. She's also planning to take some newly designed charm bracelets incorporating some really cool enamelled bus charms with rhinestone detailing. They're very pretty and proved to be really popular last weekend as they sold out within a hour or so of the stand opening up to trade! She's put a picture of one on the homepage if you want to have a peek :)

1 May 2010 12:04:58 BST: Just stopped off to fill up with petrol ready for the trip to Stanford Hall tomorrow - can't think what SWMBO meant when the guy at the counter asked her if she wanted a receipt and she said that that would be good as at least it showed evidence on paper that Dick Turpin is alive and well and living in Leeds! I thought she saved all her receipts for the accountant but apparently she must be dabbling in historical research in her spare time... ;)

22 April 2010 15:02:20 BST: SWMBO is back from her dealings at the market with a smile on her face as she is now officially showcasing selected Big Blue Bully Bus goodies free of charge until 5th July at 'How Bizaar!'!

The 'How Bizaar!' stand gives free business support, rent-free shared display space for 12 weeks and specialist retail advice and help from a sales coordinator and the people at the markets office. If you have a Leeds postcode and an idea for a business you can apply for a space there although the waiting list can be quite long... The stand can also be used to promote new services and products or if you're an existing market trader seeking to diversify your product range you can use the space for low risk test trading. At the end of the twelve weeks you can decide how best to go forward and further develop your business - whether that means applying for your own market stall, shop premises or simply walking away with no further strings attached.

'How Bizaar!' is located at units 147/148 on Row A in the 1976 Market Hall within Kirkgate Market. Contact the sales coordinator, Paul Rydell, on 07760 750604 or 0113 234 1919 to discuss your idea with no obligations.

Email: paul@urbanbiz.org.uk

or text 'biz' to 82055

or visit www.sharingthesuccess.co.uk and go to the 'How Bizaar!' page.

21 April 2010 07:22:55 BST: Now recovered from Bus Types (Wasn't it cold on a night?), She Who Must Be Obeyed is busy getting stuff ready for a delivery to Leeds Kirkgate Market tomorrow - a twelve week showcase for selected Big Blue Bully Bus items at 'How Bizaar'.

The collection will include jewellery, greetings cards, bags & accessories, artwork, gift items and collectables with a VW theme. Check the Facebook fan page for regular updates of what's happening and keep a look out for some exclusive new additions to the Big Blue Bully Bus range...

15 April 2010 23:01:12 BST: Well, She who must be obeyed has been packing stuff into my every nook and cranny today ready for our trip to Bus Types tomorrow - lots of nice things have been stashed away including some lovely phone socks with campervans on (one even looks a bit like me) and some very nice pewter earrings in the shape of little VW Beetles. They're so cool I think if I had ears I'd be tempted to get them pierced so I could have a pair!

Should you be coming along to the show please feel free to drop by our way and say 'Hello' and maybe even sign the Guest Book :) See you there!

4 April 2010 14:13:53 BST: As I should have been in South Wales this weekend, She who must be obeyed and Mr Other Half decided it would be nice if I still had a bit of a run out over the Easter weekend. So yesterday I went on a nice jaunt up to Northumbria along with my two bull terrier mates. Lots of castles to look at and a particularly good beach at Bamburgh (or so I'm told because I did all the hard work in getting there and then they made me stay in the car park!).

Ratty and Biff (the double trouble Bullies) got sand all over my interior and Mr OH got mud all over the outside. I think he possibly thought I'd turned into a Synchro overnight ;)

It was a very good day out anyway and lovely to be getting out and about again :)

Happy Easter folks! Love Vince :)

1 April 2010 10:34:52 BST: Can anyone tell me why today is called April Fool's Day yet you can only catch someone out until noon? Should someone be getting on to Trading Standards since it's being mis-sold to us year in, year out?

30 March 2010 21:06:45 BST: Tredegar has now been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions!

Definitely downhill from here!!!!!

30 March 2010 09:13:29 BST: Only two more sleeps to go to Tredegar and snow and wintry showers forecast for the next few days... :( On a happy note She who must be obeyed is all packed up and ready to go; she's very well organised at the moment but it all goes downhill from here!

21 March 2010 22:01:43 GMT: Nothing to report right now - my owner (She whomust be obeyed) is busy getting ready for Tredegar and giving me a pre-season check and internal titivation.... ;) Just over 10 days to go until the start of the show season for me and I noticed we had a pretty hard frost last night - Not time for my owner to put the thermals away in mothballs just yet methinks... :(

Think I'm going to work on her to buy me some nice thermo mats so I can have shiny windows...