A week ago exactly I went, with my dearest friend Rah, to Mudgee to pick up the van. It was a good drive - especially for me as I could take photos out of the window - a rare treat. We arrived late in the afternoon and Oooh-ed and Ahh-ed over the van for a while. It looked gorgeous and inviting with all of Emma's lovely welcoming touches. Then we popped a few of my things in the van. She started to feel like mine! Rah was heading on to Canberra so she dropped me back out to the vineyard and the van in the morning. Michael 'ran me through' the solar stuff, the water pump stuff and other stuff. I say 'stuff' because that's how I felt....stuffed with thick cotton wool - my brain said.....'computer says NO'! It really didn't go in. For me, and many others I'm guessing, new technologies really only settle in once the situation to use the bits and bobs occurs. Michael suggested I take the van for a drive and stay somewhere for a night or two to see if anything need adapting or changing a little bit. A great idea. I drove all the way to the Mudgee showgrounds, 2 klm. perhaps. I relaxed a bit and, super physically and mentally exhausted, I slept. It was so so so cold. With the diesel heater still in it's box in Michael's workshop and not in my van, I really felt the feezing -7 morning. It was 4 deg in the van! The good thing was though, in the early morning misty cold the young kangaroos were out playing. I thought of my friend Alice knowing she'd loved to see a good photo if I could get one. Freezing cold forgotten, I watched and photographed the kangaroos through the van's back windows. The next morning I tried out everyting. I heated the water, that is, I turned it on. Miraculously the gas sprang into life and heated the water for my first shower in the van. While the water heated I used the Airhead composting Loo. Easy! The shower worked really well (a bidet shower with a trigger to stop the water flow while soaping) and I only needed to pull the curtain around 1/2 way around. With shiny clean hair and body I was ready for the day. I used the STEALTH Scrubba- the biggest one that's also a backpack and an out door shower- to wash my 2 days worth of clothes. All merino under layers and over layers. The wash bag performed brilliantly and in 5 minutes the washing was hanging over the fence 🙂 Next? Fill the water tank. No can do. My hose had the wrong tap fitting for the showgrounds taps. I have the adapter now so I'm good for all tap sizes. What's with the Bogged Blog you ask? Well that was the next morning. At dawn I decided to go for that drive Michael suggested. So off I went chirpilly singing something and didn't notice that the end of the bitumen road wasn't actually the track it was thick thick mulch covering a 45 deg slope to the side of a hall. The arse end of the van slid, the front wheels bogged and I jumped out, just slightly scared that the van might actually just fall over. What to do?? I know...call the NRMA I called them and a lovely NRMA guy was there within 15 minutes. I must have sounded a little flustered when I said it might toppel over. He look at the situation. Over, under, around, over again, under again.. and then said, 'If I try to pull you out I think it will topple over. I'll call you a tow truck'. He made a couple of calls, said goodbye and good luck - and left. I wandered up and down crunching on the frosty grass with nowhere to sit for 1/2 hour until Denis arrived and said, 'you got me out of bed just for this?' He did say it with a smile though. Denis assessed the situation and lowering the tray on his truck he hooked up the van (who was called Mike the van at this point) and with some fancy positioning and pulling, with me sitting in the driver's seat taking comands like, 'keep the steering wheel pointing the way it is', up she came. PHEW! She's no longer called Mike. Mike the van got bogged! Later that day the diesel heater got fitted and a few little things got fixed, like catches on the drawers, that with some weight decided that coming oout was good while on the road. Coming out is always good except when you are drawer full of stuff. One more (nice warm cosy) sleep in Mudgee and then I headed home stopping to take photos. I'll put some here soon. (Done!- check out the tab ‘Photos from the Road’) Exhausted, I took the turn off to the Lookout above Tamworth. Definitely worth it, an amazing view. Then I crept into the back of the van and slept for about 2 hours. The next stop was for the best Chinese food i've eaten for years at a place called ???(I'll get back to that) Was it Werris Creek? I finally arrived home in Dorrigo at about 6.30pm. It was a long few days! Today i've moved more of my treasures in, sorting and leaving half behind again. I cooked a proper meal tonight. This is my van, my home. Right now she's called "The Mouse House". I like that, it makes me smile 😊 I shall have fun moving the three mice around.
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She was Juniper, then she was Dandelion, now she is definitely (quite possibly) called 'Narnia'. You can't really name a van until she is born can you? I saw the cab door with the port hole and said to myself, 'this looks like the door to Narnia and then I saw the next door, the most amazing, beautiful hand crafted door...the door behind the door and it definitely is Narnia behind this door! I feel so attached to this new 'baby' of mine. It's taken me a couple of days to share. You understand I'm sure. I can't remember feeling so possessive about anything! I sure chose the right people to bring my plans and dreams to fruition. A million thanks Michael and Emma. But now, I'll share with you and let you be amazed too😊 I bet you say, 'WOW!' Not only does my door have a window, a beautiful leadlight window, one of the ones Michael showed me when I first met him in May, before I even had a van, before I had even sold my house, but I was even able to plan to use both of them, and here they are. A beautiful statement indeed. You have no idea how many scribbled plans, messages, screen shots and phone calls go into a remote van conversion but we did it, we understood each other and here are the results. And if that wasn't perfect enough, Michael was able to do what I wanted and make them into windows that open with stunning brass window keepers. As if the outside were not beautiful enough... Here is the inside of the door. I have decided to keep the inside of the door as it was made, with the curved wood showing. It wasn't easy to make but it sure is loved and appreciated. In two days time I'll be travelling from Dorrigo to Mudgee and I'll step inside 'Narnia' for the very first time. I'm a bit dopey from pain medication but there's definitely a layer of excitement 😊 I dropped my empty van off about 8 weeks ago and there she was, an empty cargo van sitting in a vineyard. Full of nothing but great ideas ands plans for an amazing home on wheels. Because she grew into life in a vineyard I wanted a cupboard handle made frome old gnarly vine wood. I want to take a bit of the vineyard with me as I travell or as I sat still, exploring the space around me with my camera. So here there are, possible handles made from hand whittled old vine wood. I may whittle them further, when I see a pattern perhaps. They may end up being totally different...you just never know. Six days in hospital, with the very best of care, and I am on the mend again - soon to be ‘on the road’! While I have been lounging around, having meals brought to me (and medication for the pain) Michael and Emma have been busy in the van. So much has happened. The gas is in and the stove and hot water system are working. The water pumps are in and working...I think. The timber has all been Danish oiled to protect and bring the grain and lustre in the wood. The ‘pull out table’ has been fitted and looks beautiful. The secret bathroom has been lined and fitted with amazing taps. The air head toiled goes in next. The spice rack and a little row of tiles have been fitted. and much more...... I’m heading down on Friday. This part of my journey is almost over. I’ve watch ‘tiny house’ and van build YouTube videos until I’ve watched many of them twice (or more) I’ve drawn 3 grid books full of plans, I even made a mock van with cardboard. I’ve sold my house. I’ve sold (or given away) 98% of my possessions. Many, many thanks to my beautiful friends for helping me, especially Nadia, Helen and Bruce, Anke, RaH, Ali, Amanda and the many who helped kick it all off by coming to the ‘Penny Auction’. I’ve packed up my treasures. I’ve stayed in a Winnebago. I’ve stayed in Hospital. I’m now staying at Nadia’s house, with 2 wonderful people while she is on the road in her much loved and well travelled 1985 Toyota HiAce. So here you are, a slide show of new photo’s of what’s been happening in Mudgee. Photos (except Dorrigo park) taken by Michael. See you soon in a big white van, clare 😊 There’s more! What lies behind this door? You won’t believe how neat it is.
The little heart just shows how much love is going into this van. Well right now I am here. Dorrigo hospital. That awful shingles pain increased so much I was admitted to hospital and on morphine injections for a couple af days. I didn’t have the umph to do much at all so this may be a very small update. I had a room mate last night, a lovely woman called Barbara. She was so ill they took her away to observe her more closely. This morning they closed the curtains, between me an a new patient who was in terrible pain. To reassure this new patient, I said, ‘don’t worry, the woman who was here last night sounded awful and she’s still alive’. She said, ‘that’s good’. The nurse opened the curtains. It turned out it was the same woman. We laughed at that one😀 The van is progressing fabulously and I pick it up in two weeks time. For a while even the van wasn’t exciting me because I was in so much pain but now, down to 7 pills morning and night and great care, I am here, sharing some news and pics with you. The solar panels are on the roof and the electrical bits and bobs are in. We have power! The awning is on and looks pretty good in green. |
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