It’s all NOT going to plan. Michael is still working very hard on the van. Ceiling still down. Still needs to be run in 500 miles and taken to the garage as there are no reverse lights
Michael has not kept to any of my timescales and to be honest I can’t see us leaving on the 7th march. There is nothing I can do all my work has been kept to schedule. I need to sell the car this weekend as the insurance runs out but I can’t how will I get Ella to school and do the running around. will ring the insurance in a bit perhaps they will give us another week such a control freak and I am totally out of control, how much more can I take? How much more can Michael take? Will we ever get away?
The roof is up, yahoo. Adrian my nephew came around last night to help Michael and it there it’s actually there just got to paper line it and paint it now. I could help with that but Michael is so finicky when he’s working and no one can do the job as well as he can so I just leave him to it.
Michael is still rebelling and insisting that our leave date is the 9th when in fact it’s meant to be the 7th. The van has to go back to the garage this week and it still needs to be run in 500 miles before we load it up. Another job I offered to do but Michael came back with no you can’t as he needs to keep an eye on the temperature and oil etc. what he thinks I can’t see these things I have been driving for 25 years!
Two weeks today till lift off going on Michaels time scale. Dick is looking much better! Roof sorted. Now for the roof rack and the inside. It’s got to go back to the garage on Tuesday evening and also has to be run in. hopefully this weekend. Then it’s just a matter of getting it packed up and we are off. Starting to feel excited now so fingers crossed we are on our way
so sorry if ive been a moaning moaner but its hard for anyone to realise what stress we have been under.its all right for rich people who decide to do this they just buy a new van and off they go.this is camping on a real tight budget and every penny counts.
Monday, 23 February 2009
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
money money money
Yesterday the van went up to the garage for all the work and a new mot as ours is due to run out 1 day before we are due back, yes another twist in our tale! So I thought my husband would once more be returned to me and stress free. No such luck! He’s out in the shed spraying something for the van; dear of him I realise he is trying to make everything perfect so that when we are away it will be stress free. Saw some friends this week who had great pleasure in telling us all about the hijackers throughout Europe who hold us English for ransom.o k I was a little worried at first until I thought to myself why on earth would anyone in Europe want to ransom an Englishman at the moment don’t they know we are in a recession. Got the European breakdown insurance today saved a packet as I joined the camping and caravan club for £42 and got 10% of my motor insurance and only £214 for the breakdown compared to the £600 odd quote I got from RAC just goes to show you need to shop around. Took me two days on the internet and phone but hey ho some cash in the bank to pay for the repairs.
Lots of people have been saying how brave and adventurous we are to be going but I don’t think brave I think the world is an enormous place and I want to see as much as I can before I die I don’t want to wait till Ella is grown up, why should she miss out on this adventure because of age and .I don’t want to wait until I’m retired to look around this planet I want to live for the day and enjoy experiences now that I might not be able to enjoy later. Not that Im saying older people won’t enjoy travelling but as the years go by things change and you want to experience different things in different ways.
My god I can hardly believe that this time next month will be the last day in our home for 6 months. Things are not going that smoothly though the van is still at the garage, the bits we ordered for it only half have turned up and Laura got laid off from her job today, it never rains when it pours. Got to sell our car soon but I think the neighbour may be interested so that should save the advertising and all the blag talk that goes with selling a car to a complete stranger. No Arthur Dailey needed. Went to see my sister Nicola today who suffers from MS she is a great inspiration to me on how I DON’T want to live my life and why you should do everything you want when you want as you never know what’s round the corner.
More expense today on the van! You need different gas connectors so we are changing to LPG as this is available throughout Europe, but you need all sorts of connectors and valves and new gas bottles. You would think that camping was camping where ever you were but apparently not.
This is not the easy carefree trip we imagined it to be.
My nephew and his wife visited today to drop off their beautiful daughter Jessica who is having a sleepover with Ella and they seem to think that all these obstacles that keep getting in our way are a sign telling us not to go.puppycock…..that is a negative way to think as we have had all these things done we can be 90% assured that they wont need doing again while we are away. Money is real tight now maybe its lottery ticket time!
27 days to go!! Well maybe, we are thinking of maybe waiting an extra week, that’s an extra week’s wages. Yes things are that tight. Michael has been working flat out doing things for the van even though the van is not here. He is meticulous in every thing he does and I know when we are away all his hard work will pay off and we will all reap the benefits.
Oh my god! Just been out to look at the inside of Dick and I don’t think we will be going anywhere the ceiling is hanging down we have had a leak and the whole lot looks fucked! Michael thinks he can fix it but it looks awful. Was going to take some photos but for some reason my camera is not holding a charge. This is a major setback oh my god. And to top it all paid out a bomb to get van mot and all this other work done and it doesn’t seem to make difference.26 days to go.oh my god. AND I forgot to mention that when the van was at the garage we had a cold spell, snow and everything well Michael forgot to winterise the van and empty the water so the pipes have busted and the hot water system is not working. It feels like the adventure is over before it begins
Feeling very depressed today. God knows how Michael must be feeling, because even though the van looks bad to me he’s the one who has to do the repairs. Well not exactly. Last night my nephew Adrian came over to have alook.hes a carpenter and has done this sort of thing before on mobile homes up north. He seems to think that it will only take him and Michael one day to sort it. I can’t remember all the details but have a look at these photos and you will understand my depression with only 25 days to go.
Lots of people have been saying how brave and adventurous we are to be going but I don’t think brave I think the world is an enormous place and I want to see as much as I can before I die I don’t want to wait till Ella is grown up, why should she miss out on this adventure because of age and .I don’t want to wait until I’m retired to look around this planet I want to live for the day and enjoy experiences now that I might not be able to enjoy later. Not that Im saying older people won’t enjoy travelling but as the years go by things change and you want to experience different things in different ways.
My god I can hardly believe that this time next month will be the last day in our home for 6 months. Things are not going that smoothly though the van is still at the garage, the bits we ordered for it only half have turned up and Laura got laid off from her job today, it never rains when it pours. Got to sell our car soon but I think the neighbour may be interested so that should save the advertising and all the blag talk that goes with selling a car to a complete stranger. No Arthur Dailey needed. Went to see my sister Nicola today who suffers from MS she is a great inspiration to me on how I DON’T want to live my life and why you should do everything you want when you want as you never know what’s round the corner.
More expense today on the van! You need different gas connectors so we are changing to LPG as this is available throughout Europe, but you need all sorts of connectors and valves and new gas bottles. You would think that camping was camping where ever you were but apparently not.
This is not the easy carefree trip we imagined it to be.
My nephew and his wife visited today to drop off their beautiful daughter Jessica who is having a sleepover with Ella and they seem to think that all these obstacles that keep getting in our way are a sign telling us not to go.puppycock…..that is a negative way to think as we have had all these things done we can be 90% assured that they wont need doing again while we are away. Money is real tight now maybe its lottery ticket time!
27 days to go!! Well maybe, we are thinking of maybe waiting an extra week, that’s an extra week’s wages. Yes things are that tight. Michael has been working flat out doing things for the van even though the van is not here. He is meticulous in every thing he does and I know when we are away all his hard work will pay off and we will all reap the benefits.
Oh my god! Just been out to look at the inside of Dick and I don’t think we will be going anywhere the ceiling is hanging down we have had a leak and the whole lot looks fucked! Michael thinks he can fix it but it looks awful. Was going to take some photos but for some reason my camera is not holding a charge. This is a major setback oh my god. And to top it all paid out a bomb to get van mot and all this other work done and it doesn’t seem to make difference.26 days to go.oh my god. AND I forgot to mention that when the van was at the garage we had a cold spell, snow and everything well Michael forgot to winterise the van and empty the water so the pipes have busted and the hot water system is not working. It feels like the adventure is over before it begins
Feeling very depressed today. God knows how Michael must be feeling, because even though the van looks bad to me he’s the one who has to do the repairs. Well not exactly. Last night my nephew Adrian came over to have alook.hes a carpenter and has done this sort of thing before on mobile homes up north. He seems to think that it will only take him and Michael one day to sort it. I can’t remember all the details but have a look at these photos and you will understand my depression with only 25 days to go.
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