Creating........ a CAMPERVAN

Where did September go? 

For me it was a month filled with frustration, with measures of patience and persistence that I did not know I possessed.  The promise of a campervan never materialised.  We made so many trips to the converters that our car eventually drove itself, and Mr Converter commented ‘if I see any more of you Sandie we’ll have to get married’.  My LSNED pages lay empty on my workspace, and most days were filled with the mundane and mediocre, exhaustion and exasperation.

But there were sprinklings of special days of course.... such as my husband & granddaughter's shared birthday.  So there was a gathering at the weekend and then a lovely day spent with my daughter, followed by roller skating after school.  And our much enjoyed holiday to North Wales.  Even the wind and the rain could not temper our spirits!

And while thinking about how to write this post I visited Julie Ann Shahin's blog.   And I wondered about serendipity again because she relates a wonderful story told by Andrea Scher, which I thought was just beautiful.  Andrea says that :

 "Buddists believe that when a lot of things are going wrong all at once,

it is to protect something big and lovely that is trying to get itself born,

and that this something needs for you to be distracted so that it can be

                                                                born as perfectly as possible"

Did this relate to our Campervan?

Because with September's passing we FINALLY have possession !!

And I can reveal the story of it’s making...





Take one van and dismantle........

Cut strategic holes

Spray colour of choice

  
          Then start to assemble.....

          Line with carpet for insulation
          & comfort

          add windows

          flooring

and a roof.

                Build furniture......

                add a sink,

                water,

                toilet and

                electric.


                                                
                                                                                                  And finally...........       

 

           fit seats, newly

           upholstered in rosy red. 










                                                                           
                                                                                And here it is!  

I could come up with a string of metaphores to describe our experience, and truth be told, this has been like a bad pregnancy and difficult birth.  But most parents eventually forget the trials and tribulations and soon become besotted with their new off spring.

At the moment I am trying to think of a name for our camper.  Something that will roll off the tongue and give rise to interesting ideas and projects.  I've already mentioned that I plan to have a Log Book to record our overnight trips and camps.  I'm sure a name will spring to mind when my mind is quieter.  But if you have any suggestions they'll be greatly welcomed, because I know there are a lot of creative and clever minds among my blog readers and friends.  And I will offer a small giveaway if I choose one of the names suggested.

We finally accepted the camper on Saturday and we lost no time in having a night away.  Hopefully we can start to get back into a normal routine again, and catch up on all the other things that have been neglected along the way.  At the moment our excitement is still slightly marred by exhaustion and the amount of effort needed to bring this together, but like new parents, we will soon catch up on sleep and I'm already making plans of where we shall go and what we will do.

Oh, and by the way, I'm making space for some creative stuff to take along.... of course!!

One dark morning.....

Every month Sian tells a story. Sometimes I join in, mostly I just read other peoples.  But this month Sian's story immediately took me back to an experience many years ago and I thought I'd share it.
 
I had a horse that I kept on a local farm and while I was feeding him I suddenly felt a presence.  It was early hours and still dark, so I was surprised that anyone would be around.  But I glimpsed a man looking over the stable door and then he disappeared.   I looked to see who it was, and saw a  man walk down the yard and through a five bar gate.  I thought it might be my imagination or a trick of light, and just assumed it had been the farmer moving around.

A little later I saw the housekeeper and she told me that Mr Butcher had not been out yet this morning.  He  was feeling meloncony because it was his deceased son's birthday that day.  I never told them about my experience and to this day I wonder about it.  It felt so real, and too much of a coincidence for it to be my imagination.  I'm a pretty grounded sort of person and not one for flights of fancy, so I'm happy to think it was the farmers son, popping round to see his dad. 

If you want to read more stories, just follow Sian's link above.