Can't wait any longer!!!

The front of the line up!

First sight of the ginger car in with the posh cars! All the cars were either black, whire or silver (apart from three other cars - red Ferrari, yellow Ferrari and green Chevy) we stood out like a sore thumb in our 70's ginger!

Craig and Jim the photographers about to be squashed by Richard and Jamie in the Bentley!

Perfectly framed by to beautiful cars! From the front of the line up it was Lambourgini, Aston Martin (carbon wrapped), Aston Martin, Jaguar, Dodge Viper, GRANADA, Porsche!!!!

Cannonball Run Europe 2011

So the big day finally arrived and we were heading to a very posh hotel in Surrey to meet everyone and get ready for the off! The excitement was unbelievable - people had come from America and Norway to take part, all the cars were lined up ready for photos!

Everyone had time to wonder around, take pictures and admire the beautiful cars before lunch. We had a lovely barbeque on the terrace, I don't think anyone believed us that it was the first time this year John and I had sat outside without coats on!

The line up of cars was fabulous! We were the only "old" car there and we certainly got a lot of attention. As we lined up someone commented "that's a PROPER Cannonball car" John was chuffed to bits! We were feeling much more confident with the car as we had a very good run down from Cumbria with no problems.

We were setting off on the same day as the Silverstone Grand Prix, luckily for all the Formula 1 fans we had time to watch it before the Drivers Briefing at 2.30pm. It was definately getting difficult to sit still after a while - knowing we were going to be driving all night and just not being able to wait to find out where we were going!!!!

Watching the F1, I don't think anyone could sit still! We were on tenterhooks and we weren't going to find out until we were in the car which ferry port we were going to!!!!

Day One of our big adventure.

Our first day was at Twickenham for the Middlesex 7s! It really is a good day out and it is great fun to watch 7's rugby - it is a lot faster than "normal" rugby! The 7's match day is always geared towards raising money for charity, three this year Wooden Spoon (a childrens charity that helps young people who are challenged either physically, mentally or socially), Help For Heroes (supporting our Armed Forces) and of course the RFU Injured Players Foundation who support people who have had a catastrophic injury through rugby - as you all know John is an injured player so a member of the club!!!

A rare picture of us both together! All ready to go and have fun! The IPF always have a hospitality area at the 7's and they were very excited to see us in the ginger car!

We were there good and early, the stadium is never full apart from "big" match days so there is always an atmosphere of a party - everyone always dresses up for some reason - we saw monks, where's wally (about 20 of them all dressed identically!) a group of santa's, men in togas, cowboys, and even Elvis! It's always a shock to see big burly men in little pink tutus!!!

We had a lovely lunch and got to meet up with people that you only ever email or talk to on the phone, so it really was great! There are some other injured players who you only ever see at Twickenham because we are all from different parts of the country and only ever meet up on match days!

We watched some awesome rugby, we were supporting Esher who got all the way to the final only to be beated 12-19 by Samurai. Pictured above are Brazil and Durham University, Brazil won that match! Afterwards we took the banners off the car and were waved off, ready to prepare for the excitement the following day - and boy was it exciting!!!!!

Cruising on Windermere

I know I am supposed to be telling you all about the Cannonball Run but this is something that John and I were invited to last Thursday and it is to do with fund raising so I thought I would tell you about it! We advertise on the Bay Radio, they have really gone out of their way to help us with publicity for the Cannonball Run, even to the extent of doing phone interviews every day with updates of how we were getting on and really pushing the charity side of things. We of course are incredibly grateful and had great fun going to the studio in Lancaster for our preliminary interview. Silly me I completely forgot to take any pictures!

Every year The Bay organise a cruise on Windermere for all the businesses who are associated with them. So last Thursday evening we went to Lakeside (the south end of the lake) to board the steamer!

It was a cloudy evening with a few spots of rain, a typical Cumbrian summer day in other words!

The Mallard - the little car ferry that runs from Bowness-On-Windermere to the Sawry side of the lake so you don't have to spend hours driving round. The ferry is on chains connected to each side that pull it backwards and forwards, the only problem is if there is too much water in the lake (if it rains to much!) the ferry can't run!!!

Catching the last of the sunshine looking towards Great Langdale, very beautiful!

Going back past Bowness looking back towards the north end of the lake. We had a lovely time despite not being the life and soul of the party! John and I were still struggling from a lack of sleep and the gentle rocking of the boat really made it difficult to keep our eyes open! At one point we were propping each other up hoping no one noticed our lack of conversation! Not to worry we are nearly back to normal now - it was worth it!!!

We're back!

We have made it! What an amazing week we have had, you will have to forgive me, I know I promised to keep you updated but it was the most full on experience of our lives! I have masses of photos and stories to tell but I really need to catch up on some sleep first! So watch this space over the next few days and get ready to see the most amazing cars (and people!)

Unofficial start!

The ginger car has come to work! We are all packed and ready and have come to work until lunch time, then setting off to Lancaster to be interviewed on the local radio station The Bay! The car has been having lots of admiring looks from the general public! I have just finished doing a few last minute jobs like having a spare set of keys cut - we only had one set and have spent the last year worrying about shutting them in the boot by mistake! John and I are a mixture of excitement and fear at the moment, the car is running beautifully apart from one small problem - starting! The automatic choke is not working as it should (even though it has been to the garage a LOT in the last few months) once you are going it is fine, it just takes a few minutes to think about it! Hopefully she will behave herself on holiday! Well all that remains is to wish us luck and keep your fingers firmly crossed for us! I will be putting up lots of pictures and videos over the coming weeks so look out for us!

We have a winner!

We have a winner! M Philips from Bristol is the lucky winner, we will be posting your prize today! Congratulations!

Last chance to enter.

Don't forget this is your last chance to enter our competition to win an IPAD2! All you have to do to enter is type "IPAD PLEASE" into the promo box when placing your order, it's as simple as that! We will be picking the winner (at random) tomorrow 1st July 2011 and announcing the winner via the usual channels - Twitter, Facebook, here on the blog and on our website. Good luck!

Preparations in full swing!

It feels like we have been preparing for a long time now but really we have just begun. The long haul of getting the ginger car in a fit state to get to the motorway (let alone all the way around Europe) is finally nearing completion. We have now started doing the fun stuff and stocking up for the trip!

The check list is impressive;

• Passports


• Driving Licenses - we are still waiting for John's new photo one - but not panicking yet...


• Insurance documents


• Car log book


• MOT certificate - got a nice new one!


• Medical insurance card


• Breakdown cover


• Roadmaps of Europe


• Sat Nav


• Headlight adapters


• Warning triangle


• Fluorescent jacket


• Spare bulb kit


• First Aid kit


• Fire Extinguisher


• Tool kit


• Crash Helmet for track day


• Red Bull and Buzz Gum!!!

There is also an "if you have space"

• Tyre weld or mini spare


• Spanner/socket set


• pliers


• oil


• cable ties


• gaffer tape


• water


• petrol can (with petrol in it!)


• spare fuses


• wheel brace and jack


• hose clips


• cooland hose repair kit


• coil of stout wire (to tie your exhaust on with when it falls off!)

We are taking EVERYTHING on both lists as well as some extras - oh the joy of an enormous boot!

• Haynes manual - bible for how to mend car!


• tow rope


• extra oil (special stuff for our old girl)


• pillow - for sleepy heads in the middle of night drive


• spare parts - hoses, spark plugs, etc


• mobile phone - for when we break down in the middle of the night/on top of a mountain!


• laptop - to keep you up to date


• Sports mix sweeties


• A big bag of GOOD LUCK

Fame at last!

John is famous! We have had a few mentions in various magazines, yesterday we received this months copy of Touchline magazine (it's the rugby magazine from Twickenham!) It's a really nice write up, John is very excited about it!

You may recognize the picture, it is the one we used on our website here. The picture was taken last year by the signpost that said "L'Alpe Du Grand Serre" (the start of the REALLY BIG MOUNTAINS in the Alps. Thats why John is looking excited and a little scared!

Back to this year at the moment everything is so far so good. The ginger car is now the proud owner of an MOT certificate and we had a short test run on Sunday. It went well but we have decided to fit a new thermostat and a new top hose on the radiator. The car was running slightly hotter than we thought it should (it had a new radiator last year so it isn't that) it is more a case of being on the safe side - we really don't want an overheating car on our big adventure! That means this weekends work is organised!

Update on Ginger...

It's less than four weeks before we set off and the ginger car is still in the garage! So far she has has had her electrics checked, her spotlights put back on, the cigarette lighter works again (and we need that for Sat Nav!!) and made the horn work again - we need that for the MOT!

We also had a bit of a problem with the battery draining itself overnight so obviously that was a top priority, I really did not want to ask a Ferrari driver if I could use his car to jumpstart ours every morning on the Cannonball Run!!!

Now every thing electrical is up and running so a big thank you to Phil Benson he did a brilliant job.

Now the car is at a different garage (Phil only does electrics)having last minute things done like a spot of welding on the sills, little bits and pieces and then an MOT. After all of that the car gets to come home and we get to test drive to make sure everything is ok before the adventure begins!

Would you like a pretty picture?

We have been framing canvas pictures for nearly a year now! We sell them in our shop and they are a great success. We can now offer them to our internet customers! And of course at the same prices as the shop, i.e. no postage and packing! The beauty of these pictures is that they are completely personal as it is your picture that we frame.

1. You email us the image you want.




2. You tell us the size you would like.




3. We print the image onto canvas.




4. We frame the canvas.




5. And we put it in the post to you!

The only things you have to worry about is making sure the subject in the picture is not too close to the edge, as the framing involves wrapping the canvas around the bars, we don't want to chop the top of your head off!!!

The canvas pictures have been very popular (especially in the run up to Christmas) they are also very popular for birthdays. We have also done christenings and this morning framed a picture celebrating cycling from John O'Groats to Lands End! Anything to do with sporting achievements is also popular, we have done pictures of everything from cross country running, equestrian to ballet! Have a look and see what you would like done! You can find out more information by going to our website http://www.kc-inks.co.uk/PHOTO_CANVAS_PRINTING/PHOTO_CANVAS_PRINTING/

This is so new we haven't even got a button on the front page - but it is so exciting I just couldn't wait to tell you!

YAY! We have success!!!

We had some really good news today! We are on the first page of Google!!!! We have been working very hard "behind the scenes" on SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and this is an incredible result!

We have been targeting certain key phrases they are:

• EPSON INK T0715



• EPSON INK CARTRIDGES T0715



• EPSON T0715 MULTIPACK INK

I know that this doesn't make a huge difference to you dear customer (because you are already here!) but it will do a lot to get our name out there to new customers. And we are really excited about that!

Getting closer......

It is getting more and more exciting the closer is gets to adventure time!!! We got a letter giving us pointers to remember before we set off, details about driving licence, maps etc, the letter itself is nothing to get bothered about, but at the same time it is SO EXCITING!!! How often do you get a letter about the Cannonball Run?? Don't forget we are doing all this for charity so if you feel you can donate even a little click here. You can read a bit about John, if you scroll down to the bottom you will find the Just Giving links. Thanks!

Epson compatible cartridges - pre order now!

We finally have an arrival date for the new range of Epson compatible cartridges! We will have them in stock on MONDAY 20th JUNE! You can pre order them now, you can find T1285 here http://www.kc-inks.co.uk/Inkjet_Cartridges/Epson_T1285_Compatible_Multipack_Free_UK_Delivery_on_all_orders_–_Prices_include_VAT/

We have had a very long wait for these compatible cartridges! The problem was the chip - manufacturing by hand worked perfectly, it was just mass producing them that caused a few headaches, it has all been worked out now, but that's what the delay was! You can find T1295 here http://www.kc-inks.co.uk/Inkjet_Cartridges/Epson_T1295_Compatible_Multipack_Free_UK_Delivery_on_all_orders_–_Prices_include_VAT/ Don't forget you can pre order these cartridges now but they won't be posted until 20th June! Of course we always have the genuine cartridges in stock if you just can't wait! http://www.kc-inks.co.uk/index.php?p=catalog&mode=search&search_in=all&search_str=t128 http://www.kc-inks.co.uk/index.php?p=catalog&mode=search&search_in=all&search_str=t129

New Kodak Cartridges

We now have in stock the new Kodak cartridges! The range consists of a standard black, extra large black, a colour cartridge and a twin pack which has a standard black and colour cartridge. The standard black is £9.50 and has a 335 page yield. You can find it at http://www.kc-inks.co.uk/Inkjet_Cartridges/Kodak_30_Black_genuine_3952330/

The extra large black is £14.74 and has a yield of 670 pages. http://www.kc-inks.co.uk/Inkjet_Cartridges/Kodak_30XLB_genuine_ink_cartridge_3952363/

Kodak 30 Colour is a tri colour cartridge with cyan, magenta and yellow ink. Yield is 390 pages. http://www.kc-inks.co.uk/Inkjet_Cartridges/Kodak_30_Colour_genuine_8898033/

And finally the black and colour twin pack! Priced at £23.48, the yields are 335 pages for the black and 390 for the colour. http://www.kc-inks.co.uk/Inkjet_Cartridges/Kodak_30_Combo_Pack._Black_Colour_8039745/

We have all these cartridges in stock today!

Win an iPad 2!

To celebrate the changes we have made to our website we are giving away an iPad 2 (with Wi-Fi and 3G) worth £499!!! All you have to do to be in with a chance is write "IPAD PLEASE" in the promo box when you place your next order. The prize draw will take place on the 1st July 2011 and the winner (chosen at random) will be announced in the usual ways - on the blog, Facebook, Twitter and of course on our website. Go to our website to order and be in with a chance! http://www.kc-inks.co.uk/ Good luck!!!

We've been making changes!

Here at KC INKS LTD we have been working very hard and have made some changes to our website, making in a lot easier for you to use! Here is a list of things we have improved;

1. You don't have to be registered any more - you can log in as a guest and shop!


2. One page checkout - this is a BIG ONE. No more jumping through hoops - one page and you are done!


3. You can review the cartridges, and read other customers reviews too!


4. You can look at your previous orders, making it much easier if you can't think of your cartridge number!


5. ONE THING HASN'T CHANGED - YOU STILL GET THE SAME SAVINGS, GREAT PRICES AND PERSONAL SERVICE!!!

So have a look and see if we have succeeded in making things a little easier for you! http://www.kc-inks.co.uk/

Epson Cleaning Cartridges

We have finally managed to source some Epson cleaning cartridges for the T0715 range! They are very easy to use, you just take out the normal cartridge and put the cleaning cartridge into the same slot and set the printer on a cleaning/maintainence cycle. Instead of your ink levels going down, the flush in the cartridge is cleaning your print head! Of course you will only need a cleaning cartridge if you have a nozzle blocked or you feel like the printer needs a good clean. Here's the link to our page http://www.kc-inks.co.uk/Inkjet_Cartridges/Epson_T0711_T0714_Printer_Cleaning_Cartridges/

A heads up.

This is a heads up for some news that we have been expecting for the last few weeks and is now happening. We have been notified by our suppliers that certain HP cartridges are now running low on stock as a result of the tragic earthquake and subsequent events in Japan. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it. The cartridges are HP350 (Standard and XL size), HP300 Black and Colour (Standard and XL sizes), HP338 Twin Packs, HP343 Twin Packs, and all HP363 Black (Standard and XL size), Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Light Cyan and Light Magenta. As I have said there is nothing we can do - I know it is a real inconvenience but spare a thought for the people in Japan, for example 15 people were injured in the Canon factory alone. I don't have information on the other brands at this time but considering that most of them are Japanese there will almost certainly be more shortages. So if you use any of these cartridges stock up now - we simply don't know when we will be getting more - we do have stocks of all the above cartridges so if you want them get them now! Don't worry you will be the first to know when we do eventually get them back in stock!

Epson Compatible Cartridges

We have been trying to get compatible cartridges for the new Epson cartridges that came out before Christmas for some time now. Unfortunatly we still can't get them. Our suppliers have told us that the problem is with the chip on the cartridge. The difficulty is that the chip can be manufactured by hand but not mass produced and that is what is causing the hold up. More bad news is that they have no idea when the compatible cartridges will be ready - it could be next week if someone has a EUREKA! moment or two months if nobody has that lightbulb moment. On the plus side we do have the full range of the new genuine cartridges here are the links http://www.kc-inks.co.uk/products/Epson_T1281_Black_Genuine-1564-0.html http://www.kc-inks.co.uk/products/Epson_T1291_Black_High_Capacity_Genuine-1569-0.html http://www.kc-inks.co.uk/products/Epson_T1301_Black_Extra_High_Capacity_Genuine_C13T13014010-1594-0.html http://www.kc-inks.co.uk/products/A_THREE_PACK_OF_Epson_T1302_T1303_T1304_C_M_Y_Extra_High_Capacity_Genuine_T1306-1598-0.html The cartridges are T1281 (Black), T1282 (Cyan), T1283 (Magenta), T1284 (Yellow) and T1285 (Quad Pack). T1291 (Black), T1292 (Cyan), T1293 (Magenta), T1294 (Yellow) and T1295 (Quad Pack). T1301 (Black), T1302 (Cyan), T1303 (Magenta), T1304 (Yellow) and T1306 (Colour Triple Pack). I will keep you updated, as soon as I hear anything I will let you know - hopefully it will be soon!

The finished engine

Finally on Sunday night about 8 o'clock we finished!

This is what we did:

1. Inlet Manifold


2. New Gaskets


3. Sump Plug


4. Core Plug - this was the worst!


5. Oil Change


6. New Oil Filter


7. Steering Wheel - we had it changed to a racing wheel last year because John couldn't get his knees under the original one - he is tall! The garage put the new one on squint so we straightened it!


8. New Air Filter


9. Changed the Points to an Electronic Ignition


10. New Distributor Cap


11. New HT Leads


12. New Spark Plugs


13. New Coil


14. Electrics


15. New Alloy Wheels and Tyres


16. New Chrome Rocker Covers


17. New Chrome K and N Air Filter (John is very excited about this - I don't know why?)

And finally putting some air in the new tyres! Jess has given up hope of us ever finishing and has gone to sleep!

The finished engine!!! Lots of chrome that I now have to polish. As you can see I haven't done it yet! The only thing left to do is the spacing on the tappets and to take the car for a test drive to make sure everything works. Wish us luck!

Engine work part 2

We had a LOT to do to the car! Dad worked pretty much non stop for six days! I love this picture of John and Dad concentrating.
I don't know what John is doing - maybe he is inspecting our work! John is intent on growing some serious seventies side burns to match his seventies car. As long as he doesn't grow an afro and wear a tank top and bell bottoms I can just about cope!

These are the old fuses made out of porcelain. I have a big pack of spares just in case..... I would take a spare engine in the boot if it was possible because I just know something will go wrong and guess who will be trying to fix it yes little old me..... I can foresee tears and maybe a tantrum on the side of the road!

The engine in bits, the light you see is Dad's it is amazingly bright and you can stick it under the bonnet or on the side of the engine so your hands are free, I am definately going to get one!

This is the hole where the sump plug goes, it is very important as it keeps all the oil in the engine. We took it out to change the oil and the thread on the engine block was completely stripped so we couldn't put the sump plug back in. This was serious and could have scuppered everything - the annoying thing was that we actually had another sump but couldn't take the engine out of the car to change it - we didn't have the lifting equipment. We tried thread sealer but it didn't work. I then spent the day running around all the garages, tool shops and even tractor dealerships in Kendal (and may I add that everyone I talked to was extremely helpful - people in Kendal are lovely!) I eventually found what I was looking for - a heli coil or rethreader. So that was another hurdle overcome!

This is my best little helper Belle!

We did a lot to the car!

Here is the evidence that we did lots of work on the car! Just to remind you it is a Ford Granada Mk 1 Ghia, it is John's pride and joy!
This is the engine with most of the top of it. We have removed the air intake and the rocker covers. Listen to me talking as if I know all about engines! I knew not much at all before last week but I really have learnt a lot!

This is a difficult picture to make out but it is the hole where we took the leaking core plug out, it is just below the black pipe, you can see where water has been running down the engine block. This was horrible to get out and even worse to get a new one back in!

Thats my Dad's hand, that is where the core plug is, it is on a difficult angle. It was one of those jobs that if the engine was out of the car or up on ramps it would have been a five minute job instead of an all day job! We won in the end though!

Two little helpers! Kara and Jess (the greyhound) as well as John and Dad's feet!