Oooh wah, guess what I did????...

Filled up the diesel tank with petrol!!!!

We are at Sandwich, and we'd come across from Winteringbury. Before we left there I went into the Shell garage, and topped up the tank with 'diesel', but although I have been very careful in doing this, the more I think about it, the more I believe that the person ahead of me had put the filling nozzle in the wrong holder, and I didn't notice it. 
This may well mean that other people before me have also done the wrong thing, but I know I put the nozzle back in the diesel holder after I finished, and therefore I might have screwed up the next person!

So, the upshot of all this is, that at the point we were to drive off to find a nearby launderette, the car wouldn't start! No real panic, just called the Hertz rental people emergency number, and within minutes they had told me that an AA person would be with us within the hour. They came in 30 minutes, and soon told me the bad news. Then, that AA man arranged for someone else to come out and drain the tank and refill it with at least some diesel to get us going. Very efficient, and I am so impressed that it all happened on a Saturday morning as well.

The good thing that came of it, was that whilst I was stood outside waiting for the AA man, I discovered that there was a market going in the Market Place. (Good place for a market that).

The better thing, was that the market stalls were selling all things French, and Lee wandered over there and bought some fine delicacies for our lunch, like fresh-out-of-the-oven baguettes, still warm! Plus, some beautiful squidgy-raw milk-creamy brie cheese, and some freshly made chorizo, and some olives. Just the sorts of things you can deal with in a self-catering place.

The car was fixed, and we then had our yummy baguette lunch, and we can still do the washing tomorrow. Who knows what Hertz will say, or do, or charge us for any "damage", but at this point I don't care, and we do have some sort of coverage with the travel insurance.

Interestingly, the second AA man said he sometimes does this drainage/refill thing about 5 times a day! You would think that manufacturers would invent something that doesn't allow you to put the wrong fuel in your tank, like a petrol nozzle that won't fit in a diesel tank, or vice versa!!??