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.
6 Comments
Laurell Woolhouse
27/7/2018 10:19:50 pm
The mice talk in Narnia. Glad to hear your home is becoming yours. xx
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Inspiration for sure
28/7/2018 10:38:07 am
A true inspiration
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Nes
29/7/2018 06:18:35 pm
The van looks wonderful Clare...and it’s sounding like your adventures together have already started....
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Christine
30/7/2018 11:27:14 pm
The mouse house is looking great. Wonderful interior. Have fun and stay safe. Cx
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Irene.
5/8/2018 09:53:35 am
An amazing start to your new home. It looks amazing.
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Clare
6/8/2018 11:18:51 am
Thank you for the lovely comments. After 2 weeks in the van I am feeling quite ‘at home’.
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