Gnarls Barnley

Two months, two whole months ive been here in the countryside, I can barely believe it!

In return for the very comfortable and hospitable home I am helping out, and Marc and Laura are so relaxed I kinda take it upon myself to do what I think needs doing and it seems to be going down well. a bit of cleaning and a bit of cooking here and there, some decorating and fixing things.  We are working on the barn at the end of the garden, and what a mighty beast it is, over 20 years old and in definite need of repair. Marc and Laura work from home all day, I potter about and at weekends we launch ourselves full pelt in a  somewhat amateurish and enthusiastic attempt at rebuilding and repairing the roofless and skeletal barn.  until one evening, we were chatting about me being single etc and Laura had a swipe on my behalf on my Tinder account.  Over the next few days I had many matches and spoke to a few, a pleasant and somewhat entertaining diversion. One chap was a carpenter and when I told him of the barn he got quite animated and gave all kinds of advice, culminating in a social distancing date of sorts where he drove over (only about 15 mins) and we went for a talk and a walk.  He seemed more enthuse about the barn than may disarming company so I duly and socially distantly showed him our efforts.  He expressed concern and shored up some of the perceived weaker areas and gave us a load of advice.  The next day (I told you he was keen) he called and said he was worried and would be over at the weekend - this wasn't by invite but bemused and also slightly concerned by this we allowed it.  Let me tell you the barn is large, and we were confident but soaking up the advice.  Lets just say Mr Carpenter decided that the barn was rotten, we needed. a new barn, he would help us build a new barn, to our design and specification free of charge. We were stunned and readily agreed to all his ideas - some of which were fabulous, a bigger barn, dormer window, a mezzanine!! woohoo.

I spent Friday taking down the old barn, carefully with a crowbar and hammer, it took all day and was exhausting. Finally it was on the ground.  Mr Carpenter arrived and helped me to clear the area, I cooked food and we had some wine, he slept in my camper van on the drive in readiness for the next days work. 

Saturday came and we headed to get timber, loaded up and back we built frames.  Soon the grand design began to shrink, why didn't we have a flat roof, what about three box shapes. All the beautiful ideas turned to dust and as we were being offered free help it was very difficult to argue agains this.  Laura did, thank heavens and nicely put ti that we wanted a pitched roof, a single barn building and all the tings we had discussed.  Mr C didn't like that Lau didn't agree with his awesomeness and accused her of getting 'the hump' We learned how to deal with our carpenter friend and by the end of the weekend we had an acceptable skeleton.  Mr C however was not quite the convivial gent he had been - especially when I refused twice to 'come for a cuddle' in the van and we made several amends to the barn being built the way he wanted to do it. When he left on Monday we were slightly relieved as it did feel like he was a stroppy site foreman and we were the confused apprentices!

So, we had a barn, a new fresh pale wood skeleton, we had Youtube and we had hope! 

Cancelations and Escalations

Wow, for once im gobsmacked at the speed of this virus across the globe, and the response by the authorities.
In a matter of days things have gone totally crazy.  People buying toilet roll (go figure as the suits certainly isn't one of the symptoms) and pasta. Ironically sales of Corona lager are down, this both amuses me and concerns me at the level of stupidity in the country can affect the sale of a lager by name association. SMH.
Anyway the girls and I left it to the wire with regards them coming out to see me for the big road trip and eventually we came to the agreement that it wasn't a good idea, especially with Mr Trump closing the US borders to EU citizens, it was just a matter of time before the UK got involved and I could definitely foresee trouble ahead.  I mean major attractions were closing, Disney, Yosemite, the bloody  Eiffel Tower.  I have to admit breathing a sad sigh of relief when we cancelled plans.
I slightly relaxed and went for a long walk and on my return Leigh, sold sensible and practical Leigh suggested I may like to consider my position and location in this debacle of virus.  I had barely considered it, soo I mentally listed the pros and cons... there was no cv in Santa Barbara , I was in a nice house, I wanted for nothing. BUT my visa was diet to expire in a few weeks, us has 27 million under insured citizen and an unspecified huge amount of illegal immigrants, and trump was making some random demands on the borders etc.  Potentially I could be stuck for months, unable to move with an expired visa (you can never return if your visa expires)
I began to look at flights and discovered they were thin on the ground. I was slightly panicked.
After hours of searching and much deliberation I booked a flight.

 And here i am in Calgary Alberta.
Todays journey begins at 7 am, I took the early morning bus from Santa Barbara to LA passengers 4, roads so clear we were an hour early, then a flight to Calgary. As I approached my seat I saw a toddler and tried not to visibly groan but, contrary to the norm she was an absolute delight and slept all the way after a brief chat! ive sat next to worse behaved adults. I was a good student and held any coughs , tried not to touch my face and acted as if the whole world was lava. Arriving in beautiful clean empty eerie Calgary airport I have a three hour layover(where im currently sitting in a bar writing this) next I fly nine hours into London Gatwick, then another bus to Coventry to see Kim and Ian and get my van.
A beautiful new Dreamliner awaited me for the next leg- Calgary to London Gatwick. Taking my seat I note that the huge plane is at about fifty percent capacity and all the passengers are spaced evenly, there are no people sitting directly together. I can’t recall if this is strange or not but it pleases a sense of order and balance in my brain.
The journey was enhanced by Deadpool 2 and A Star is Born, but not really any sleep, never mind, the white wine was excellent and the Danish gentleman next to me reasonably amusing.
Arriving bleary eyed at Gatwick I grab a coffee whilst waiting for the coach to Birmingham.
Again numbers are considerably lower everywhere and now I’m picking up a sliglhty strange atmosphere about me, people very definitely trying to get home, not the usual holiday/business trip vibe. The bus trip also showed less busy motorways. England is chilly and sunny but does still feel welcome to me.

time to get a proper job, or is it?

I always knew the day would come, I didn't realise it would be quite like this though.  Trying to find work in a pandemic strewn country where thousands were on furlough (id never even heard the world furlough until 2020!) and many many businesses were closed was going to be a job in itself.  Coupled with not actually knowing what I wanted to do or where.  Anyway cv freshly updated I entered the world of job websites for the first time in over 22 years. Wow what a different place it is. CVs are electronically scanned for keywords and unceremoniously dumped successful ed if none appear, no longer are further employers keen to know where you have worked since you left school or whether you intend to have children. I noticed that Carer and Delivery Driver jobs are about all that are on offer and decide im not massively keen on both.  Needs must I applied for a couple of driver jobs whilst listening to the news.  Hearing the government are employing 25k Contact Tracers to help track and control the spread of Rona I hit google  and see if I can find one of these roles.  Soon enough I see a Midlands agency are employing and send them my cv.  Its a WFH role for a minimum of 12weeks full time, rotating shifts covering 8am-8pm 7 days a week.
Within days I get a call to say I have been successful and would be starting soon.
As I write I am six weeks into my new role as a Covid Contact Tracer. Im aghast and impressed that in all this time that ive had two calls to make, whilst I understand why (issues with data and less cases now anyway) its a shocking waste of money.  So ive got creative with the 7.5 hours a day I have to spend by my pc.  A £50 sewing machine and a bunch of clean old duvets and I was in the face mask making business in the blink of any eye! Ive sold over 70 masks and have a nice store of them.  Oh and I bought a Horsebox.....

I thought it a plan to perhaps run a horse box gin bar and operate at the new smaller event we are now allowed outside. I spent a few weeks repainting it, recovering the floor and getting the electrics sorted. It was the most fun doing it all - even the girls came over to help test it out - the hangover was enormous haha.  Right now im triple tasking and its keeping my mind and body nice and busy! 

Living on the beach

 Ah, its a dream isnt it, find somewhere nice to settle on your camper for a while, a quiet beach just a little out of town, a little bar, a few other friendly campers.  Life is good.  The little guy comes every morning to comb the sand in his tractor, he even waves now, three times a week the bins are emptied.  Locals fish off the sea wall, dog walkers and joggers enjoy the gentle breeze as they go about their days. I think ive found the best place to be 'stuck' if or when the second lockdown comes.   Feeling quite smug i settle nicely into a sort of routine.  Wake up, wash, clean inside van, walk the beach into town, explore, but provisions, return to van, sit in sun and read, cook dinner and relax. Very nice indeed! 

I have a new neighbour John who also lives in his van (posher motorhome tho) so we have hung out a bit and had a laugh.  Last night we had huge storms, arc lightening across the bay, rain pelting down on my roof alot of the night.  Ah well im cosy in my little van and life is good. a bit of rain is all part of it isnt it?

Waking this morning the 'bit of rain' is now A LOT of rain! Im still looking out fo the window and messaging my new neighbour and still feeling cosy.  An hour later, thunder and lightening are still very much present and i look out of my window to see a river flowing rapidly under my van.  Brain kicks in, im on sand, there is a lot of water. Oh shit. Do i try to move and risk bedding myself in?  Do i wait it out - surely the storm will pass and it'll be all fine again? Checking my weather app theres another four hours of extreme weather. John braves it and heads for higher ground, i jump into the drivers seat and - filled with terrifying visions of being towed out of a big wet sandy hole - begin to drive. John calls and talks me through the route, im having hot flushes driving into large sandy puddles worrying im not going to make it to the other side. Swearing i slowly make it the two hundred or so yards off the beach and into the port. Bloody hell that was terrifying and exhilarating all at once!

Todays lesson - only park up on the beach in good weather.  Check weather daily.

Now wheres the kettle 

Vanlife, the early days.

 I aways knew would be a challenge, ive only really used my van for weekends and max 3 nights at a time. living in it is a completely different vibe!

Less is definitely more, unless you want to find yourself packing, unpacking and repacking several times a day.  Its also useful to find items that have multiple uses, such as my table, it used to have one leg and would clip to the worktop inside the van, now ive added two legs and I can use it outside as well. Multi use items are worth their weight in gold! 

Also, I don't have a fridge for space reasons and also as a veggie I have less that needs to be kept cool. I shop at Lidl/Aldi and local veg shops every 2-3 days so usually have fresh stuff at hand. 

Water, I have two ten litre tanks under the sink (one fresh and one waste water), in my biggest cupboard.  These are used up so fast and space is at such a premium that ive whipped them out, filled the cupboard with food and drink and now use a collapsible bucket for washing up.  Ive four five litre bottles in the back that I fill up when im near water.

Loo - having a loo on board is essential - Covid has ensured that all public loos are now bolted shut, I understand why and am so glad I have my little portaloo. It tucks nicely into the gap where the fridge would have been and I can empty it at the many service stations on the motorway.

Cooker/gas - I have a fixed two burner hob and use it at least twice if not more a day.  The gas here is super cheap and I rarely eat out so its a great tool                                                            .  I also heat water to wash myself, hair and washing up. Totally needed - I know some people have a outdoor kitchen but I like to get the kettle on whilst im still in bed! 

Talking of beds, mine is a rock and roll bed, its a bit firm and its a pain to put out each evening - so if you can afford it get a fixed bed and check that mattress! I don't have room for a topper so I gotta get used to it! Also bedding takes up a surprising amount of space - it fills my wardrobe area at the back so my small amount of clothes are in a backpack I keep in the cab. 

Power - Im running a laptop, phone, sewing machine and my Garmin. Not a huge amount but I do like to have enough power to not have to drive about or start my engine.  On board I have two super light and thin solar panels on the roof (£200 kit from Amazon) and a leisure battery under the drivers seat featuring a split charge system. This is more than adequate (it helps being in Spain of course!!) 

Whats missing?

After just five weeks im more experienced at living in the van and the two biggest issues are my back (no high roof so often bent over whilst doing jobs and shower - all the beach showers are wrapped up so its not an option (unless you use them after dark!) so I wash in the sink. a few times kindly ex pats have let me use their showers - gosh you really do learnt to appreciate the small things!!

Bike - id love a small folding bike I can nip about on when visiting towns rather than driving my van to small villages etc.  I am on the lookout for one!! I did bring my mountain bike but its bulky and im always worried it will get stolen.

Vehicle 

The way I see it you have two choices - a spacious high roofed vehicle that offers comfort and full facilities, with the downside that you are more conspicuous, you can't get under many barriers in car parks (usually 2 metres max) and fuel consumption is not as good. Or, a smaller vehicle (such as my VWT5) that has good economy, can go almost anywhere, is pretty stealth (and I do like to stay on beaches and in more scenic places and really don't like caravan parks and campsites etc)

In summary the key is to get organised, think hard about the size of vehicle you want to live in. There is a definite trade off either way.

Keeping your van clean and tidy needs discipline and everything needs its own place, its surprising how easy it is to lose things in such a small area!

If you are thinking of living the van life some of these pointers may help you :)

Roadtrip!

I set off yesterday from Valencia to explore the coast south and beyond.  As always I join a few groups on Facebook at the towns im passing through to gather info and find places to park up for the night. I use a selection of apps and don’t always hit the jackpot as its often not a safe feeling or not pretty.  I do love a black!!

A fellow van dweller from Bristol, Marc, kindly recommended Xeraco a week earlier so I got in contact and he met me and showed me a great spot right by the beach. 

After a quiet night, (lets not talk about all the mossy bites that wake me often)  I woke early this morning to the sound of waves and set off in a previous failed mission of some sea caves along the coast from Denia called Cova Tallada (Cova is cave - geddit?).  Recently id showed up at 10am only to find it swamped with tourists, something ive been trying to avoid where possible.

I drove through the mountains in the early mists, orange groves for miles and small smoke plumes where the farmers were clearing debris. It was beautiful. The oranges are not yet ready im reliably informed and they are bitter as hell, they look so luscious and orange you just want to try them only to be bitterly disappointed (lol) Also I learn that if a field has no boundaries, subject to fair use like your internet package, you can help yourself.  Im not busy looking for pomegranate, butternut, orange, lemon, and all manner of goodies to fill my little rucksack!

Arriving at the nearest road to the caves I was one of only three cars, brilliant! 

Id read up on the hike, 45 mins and a little tricky, they weren’t wrong!  Narrow paths  up and down the cliffs sheer drops and chains to hang on to! Ive noticed on the last few hikes ive been feeling a small degree of vertigo, I hear its common in women of a certain age and it makes me quite disappointed and more determined to go on, that said im so glad I got new boots a few weeks ago, the grip is insane!

Reaching the caves I scrambled up the wet rocks - my t short was wet and it wasn’t the sea, more fear of slipping and the strenuous hike. A few pics and a drink and I trekked back to the van in a now almost full car park.

Back on the road I was already thinking about where I might park up this evening. Looking ahead I was going to pass Benidorm and Alicante, neither of which I fancied.  I prefer small towns and pretty little villages - but it was interesting to drive through the almost desolate tired tourist hotspots.  Very strange to see empty restaurants and quiet streets. 

After a couple of failed attempts at not so suitable spots I found talk of a peninsula online La Manga, with a spot right at the end.  It was a good hour out of my way but you have to work for the good stuff sometimes!! On I drove and I passed so many high towers like buildings, some hotels and some residences, many for sale and again empty streets, although it is out of season and only 24 deg! After what seemed like forever the road narrowed - I had the sea either side of me and it felt a big wave would wash you away! I was at the end finally and arrived almost on a little beach.   A couple of other vans were there and both not super friendly so i walked on the beach and made some food.  And this brings me to now.

A Spanish guy in a motorhome has just pulled up next to me, we’ve had a chat, Jose (oh please rolls eyes) has gone fishing - this is about all we can manage to work out as our command of each others language is so bad haha!! 

Anyway im going to sign off and enjoy a glass of wine and the cool breeze of the med.

Snapped!

We are still awaiting a repaired camper van from our lovely friends here in Hamilton, North Island.  Im pretty sure they are sick of the sight of us - nice as we.  It cant be good having two travellers invade your home and spend days out while you have to work. Days out in your car....Todays day out was a trip to Tauranga and Rotorua.  We set off in the drizzle with flip flops in the boot and a bunch of hope.  We knew we had arrived in Rotorua by the nasty rotten egg smell emanating from the steaming and impressively large Rotorua lake.  I jumped out of the tiny Roadster and immediately regretted my wardrobe decisions, shorts were really not the best idea in the cool drizzle.  Having the briefest touristy walkabout i returned to the safety of the soft top.  Lloyd jumped in and started the engine  - his comment 'the accelerator has disappeared' made me dissolve in giggles at the sheer stupidity of it, he pointed and also began laughing, i looked down, indeed the accelerator was no more, it had literally disappeared.  For some daft reason we were unable to compose ourselves for some time.
A deep breath and a good look with the torch on my phone and it appeared the pedal had completely snapped in half! Jeez this wasn't good.
I found a nearby garage on google maps and we managed to limp the car there with the use of hazard lights, lots of accelerator wiggling and some high gears.  A smiley local guy said he could weld it and we went off in search of the alleged 'best pie in New Zealand'. Now don't get me wrong, best anything is good but i see such claims daily across New Zealand, and indeed Aussie.  We found coffee and pies and they were indeed very good.
After a long walk the call came to say the car was fixed, a good job done at a fair price and we were back on the road to Tauranga, to meet Angry Garry.  Garry was a chap we had met previously and id nicknamed him (to his face and he agreed!) as he is a permanently cross chap.  His son was fun and we had a couple of drinks and a beer.
I sit here typing waiting to hear if the camper van has passed its WOF or Warrant of Fitness, same as an MOT but NZ.  If so it means we can finally head to Wellington.

In other news, i have decided to take December off and have arranged a house/pet sit in Vietnam for a small dog.  Yknow those fluffy white ones the Asians love to trim and use decoratively.  I hope he's good, i haven't much dog experience, apparently he's super hilled and even has his own Instagram page. Eeek.  December will be spent taking care of myself, reading, planning and exploring Vietnam. There's even a scooter with the job!
Quite excited.