Today was supposed to be a day of getting essential tasks completed before we travel to Finland tomorrow. Getting the dogs wormed (a requirement for travel to Finland) and getting Basil his long awaited service. The first part went well, the second not so well.

Our appointment at the vet in Tallinn was at 9 am and so we set off nice and early and arrived at 8.30. We even managed to find a space for Basil’s large derriere in the vet’s car park. At 9, Sarah took the dogs in while I rang to find out if the Fiat dealer had got Basil’s parts in. The service department were late in, so I joined Sarah until I could get hold of someone.

The vet Loomade Kiirabi Ou were first rate. They all spoke good English and gave Mabel and Melek a good check up before worming them and updating their pet passports. Melek didn’t like having a thermometer up his bottom (who would) but what we haven’t told him yet is that’s he’s lost half a kilo and so he will be having some extra treats, which should make up for that indignity.

When I finally got hold of the service department at Fiat, they told me that the parts were not showing on the system but they could have arrived in the warehouse, so he would check and call me back. Having nothing better to do, because it was bucketing it down with rain, we drove over to the Fiat dealer to chivvy the service department up. When we arrived and saw that it was essentially a BMW main dealer, presumably with the facilities to service Fiat Ducatos, I was not optimistic.

I went in and Margus, who I have been in contact with on the phone and by email, had not been to the warehouse. He asked me to wait in the plush BMW customer area, with golf putting green, mega TV and lovely coffee machine. Basil waited looking incongruous amongst the sea of shiny teutonic metal. Basil is, of course, German, but he is not sleek and after nearly 8,000 miles he is certainly not shiny.

When Margus returned I was not surprised that the parts were not in the warehouse. He said if they arrived later in the day he would give me a call. I was not going to hold my breath. I don’t think the BMW service engineers would be happy soiling their hands on what is essentially a Fiat commercial vehicle!

We have visited Tallinn before, but it would have been nice to spend the day in the old town. But as I mentioned it was raining cats and dogs and the forecast was for more of the same, so we headed back to our campsite.

I did a bit more research on Finland and started looking for Fiat service centres all the way up to the Artic Circle! My first few phone calls were not promising but I will redouble my efforts tomorrow.

When we arrived at Vanamoisa Caravan Park yesterday they were very keen at reception to tell me that the campsite had a children’s zoo on site. They were particularly proud of their “cross between a rabbit and a kangaroo” which they told me that even Tallinn zoo didn’t have. This has caused much amusement in Basil over the last 24 hours – Sarah correctly insisting that marsupials and mammals can’t interbreed and me, tongue in cheek insisting they can and constantly referring to the mythical creature as the Kangarabbit.

Well, after a day in Basil with rain hammering on the roof, sometimes you get a little stir crazy. It got so bad today that I decided to go and have a look at the zoo, rather than look at any more Fiat service centres on the internet. I thought I had chosen a gap in the rain, but as soon as I stepped outside I was hit by a hail storm.

I persisted and the zoo was as lame as I expected. There were signs saying do not feed the bears (at least that’s what the picture on the sigh said, I can’t read the Estonian), but if there were any bears they were hiding well amongst the rabbits and sheep.

The bears were hiding well amongst the sheep and rabbits

I saw the famed Kangarabbit, which turned out to be a Mara – a rodent from South American, I think.

The famed Kangarabbit. The brown rabbit in the background is his father!

It was a way to fill half and hour before going back to my Fiat dealer searches and gave me a few photos for your delectation.

A giddy sheep

A highland cow, feeling very much at home in the Estonian weather.

We have now seen everything, we think, as far as outlandish motorhomes are concerned. A Finnish family have just turned up in a full size modern coach which they have converted into a motorhome! There appear to be five of them in it, so they should have plenty of space!