Caravan Love

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww just L:O:O:K at that cutesome little caravan, doesn't she look sweet sitting quietly in the early morning sun dappled shade??

We had a lovely, lovely time at the weekend, it was a hugely exciting trip for us, our very first outing with our new girl. She did us proud. So well behaved! So warm and cosy and homely! Everything was OK with her, everything worked, nothing went wrong. Pheww, a little quiet sigh of relief there. It was indescribably exciting to pitch up at the caravan site on Saturday afternoon and know that for the next 24 hours this little 14ft x 7ft space would be our home, I was like a Big Kid with a much longed for new toy. Can't tell you how much I enjoyed pottering around inside, trying everything out, getting aquainted, opening  and closing doors, opening and closing the curtains, switching the lights on and off, finding places for all our bits and pieces in the many little cupboards, making up the back-end bed for the Little People to play on, putting the kettle on to make tea, ahhh it was all so much fun! 

The site we stayed on was very grown up, very orderly and well kept. No other children to be found, it was a site full of posh looking modern caravans with big awnings and people of a Certain Age sitting inside watching television. It wasn't quite "us" (think we would be happier in a farmers field) but it was undoubtedly a beautiful site, and we really enjoyed our stay there. Well truthfully I think we would've enjoyed staying absolutely anywhere because the fun was definitely to be found within our four little walls.

On Saturday Little Man was still working his way through the tale-end of his illness (a throaty achey virsusy type thingy) and was also in the process of passing it on to his sister, so we were a little limited with what we could do. We did try a walk in the woods on Saturday evening,  but truthfully neither of the Little People were well enough to go far. They both simply wanted to stay inside the caravan snuggled up in our camping blankets which suited  me just fine. After all, we've walked through Strid Wood dozens of times, but this weekend was all about Caravan Love.

Night time in our cosy little van was great, despite Little Lady waking me up at 1am feeling poorly and with a high temperature (note :: must purchase and make up a little first aid tin for the van). J and I made up our bed at the front of the van, and it was oh so super cosy! He had insisted that we take easy and practical sleeping bags, but I had double-insisted (with authority) that no-no-no we needed an egyption cotton fitted sheet, plumpety-plump goose feather pillows with my lovely designers guild stripy pillowcases on and a duvet. A proper bed for a good nights sleep, none of that annoying zippity stuffy sleeping bag business for us any more. The Little People however seem to get a huge thrill out of sleeping bags, so they were very happy to snuggle down top-to-toe in the bed at the back of the van. And what about Little B?? Well he has his very own baby sleeping bag and went to sleep very happily on the fold out bunk above the Little People, sleeping soundly till 6am.

My favourite part of any camping trip is without a doubt the very first early morning bit. The bit of the day when you first wake with the rising sun, stick your head out of the door/window and take a huge, long, deep, heavenly breathe of Fresh Air. Oh I LOVE that little moment of the day sooooo much! Its a close call though cos my second favouritist part of any camping trip follows closely behind when I'm sitting snuggled up in duvet/blankets with a mug of steaming hot tea in my hands :: absolute bliss.

Early on Sunday morning, I really, really, totally loved those two bits of the day, they filled my heart with joy. But as the day happened to be gorgeous with clear blue skies and sunshine, we didn't sit around in the van for long...as soon as my tea was drunk and Little B fed, I upped and dressed and out for a walk with Little Man.

These photos that I'm showing you were all taken on our early Sunday morning walk, at about 7am or thereabouts. It was absolutely beautiful. B:E:A:U:tiful. The countryside here in North Yorkshire is looking so lush and green now, the trees beginning to wear their fresh new spring green leafy coats. We walked and talked, talked and walked and then headed back for breakfast....

...orange juice and a cafetiere of fresh coffee, with croissants warmed up in the little van oven. Due to the huge messiness of Little People + croissants, we took the van table outside and ate breakfast al fresco, it was lovely! A little chilly perhaps, but lovely all the same.

So that was our first happy trip away in our caravan, and what a success it was.

I have to tell you it's been amazing to read all your comments on my last post, to find you all as excited as I am about this caravan of ours. You've made the whole experience so much more thrilling for me, you've amplified my own feelings and made me unbelievably giddy with excitement (well I can quite easily get giddy on my own, but as I say, you have added to it all a gazillion times over). I was pondering on it over the weekend, pondering the thrill of starting out on a new adventure, building new layers of Family Memories. So precious! So amazingly good to know that we will hopefully be creating some top notch Childhood Memories for our Little People in the coming weeks, months and years. I don't possess any childhood memories of the camping or caravanning variety (although I have so often wished that I did), but it's not too late for me either, I'm pretty damn sure I can still memory-make at the ripe old age of forty one :o)

And then of course there's the other dimension to owning a caravan of this sort :: the Makeover Potential. I dream about our caravan most nights, dream of how she will look once I begin to prettify her up a little. My dreams are multicoloured and hippety-hop-happy I can tell you! It's going to be a gradual process though. For the time being we are keeping our caravan in a storage place about ten miles away which makes getting to her a little more tricksy than if she were parked right outside the front door. And then there's the daily restrictions I have of the babyish kind.....but I will do what I can when I can and I know I'll get there in the end.

Am doing some yarny pondering at the moment too, looking into which yarn will make the best and most practical van blankies....thinking I'll probably step away from my usual (expensive) natural yarns and go for *gasp*shock*horror* an acrylic yarn....ho-dee-ho, how about that then??!! I've been email-chatting with the lovely Helen who I discovered is the lady behind the snailtrail granny blankets, and she tells me she uses Hayfield Bonus for a lot of her blankies. I'm also looking at Stylecraft Special DK which I've found in a local shop. Will most certainly keep you posted on Van Blankie goings on.

And finally, two more things..... firstly I created a little inspirational caravan gallery over at Flickr which you can find here, please feel free to let  me know if you find any more inspiring images on your travels in cyberspace. And secondly, we are still debating a name for our New Girl...so far Little Lady is asking for Flower or Daisy, Little Man has suggested Bob, and J suggested Connie (good lord YES he blew me away when he came up with a name, I was fully expecting him to laugh me into next week over The Naming Of The Van)

Right-oh, I really must go now, I've got Little Lady home from school today and she is pulling at me asking to go ice the buns we baked this morning.....

See you all soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Comments

[Rachel]

Whoo hoo!! Your first trip out! So exciting, there's just something delicious about the whole thing!What a lovely family weekend!
Rachel x

[Pom Pom]

You are so fun! You are such a happy, rollicking writer. I loved reading about your cozy time of camping in your new girl. I love the early morning air, too. I can't wait to see what you add to your sweet little purchase, making it more like a rolling home all the time. I wish Little Miss health and rest. Next time the children are out in the caravan, they'll feel well and they'll want to create their sweet childhood experiences. Good for you. Fun for all of us!

[Angie]

So excited about your caravan, and very much looking forward to hearing of your adventures and the re-decorating!! What fun!

[IpuKris from Finland]

This will be so lovely, it seems like I would be getting overexited of this camping thing, even it is not me who is going around and enjoying camping:-) Sooooo lovely of you to tell these weekend stories with the Van (could it be called Annie?)....I feel like the summer of mine will be very exciting (even beeking behing a tree or something a like).
Keep on rolling. This will be fun:-)

[Yiota]

What a great first caravan outing! I can't wait to see how you decorate her!
And I loooove the British counrtyside, thanks for the pics!

[Christina]

Yeah! Success on your first excursion! I too love love love that early morning wake up to fresh crisp air and sunlight. Ah... You remind me of last years camping trip (tent only of course). I am happily celebrating with you at all of the potential blankies, curtains, etc. that you have in your Caravan future! Wishing well your little ones. Today is my son's bday and I have lots of fun to get to myself. Have a wonderful day.

[Erica]

Wonderful newsy post! The first outing sounded perfect even with the random hiccups. Regarding a name, I humbly submit Prunella!

[Julia]

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

This looks like the BEST fun!! Oh that first thing in the morning feeling you describe, its the lovliest thing isnt it? Im deeply excited to see how you revamp your little home on wheels, and look forward to many more stories!
Julia x x x

[cozy kitchen by the sea]

FUN. PURE and simple FUN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
xo

[Julie]

Well looks you had a grand time. Connie is a good name for the caravan. I use a lot of Stylecraft Special DK it is love to work with.

[lily boot]

Ahhh! Divine! I can't wait to tell my boss in the morning. I introduced her to Attic24 'cause she wants me to teach her how to make your beautifu granny squares. And there she was on Sunday night completely lost in the loveliness of your blog and shrieking to her husband (co-owner of the bookstore where I work with them) - we must order this gorgeous caravan book! And lo! we have. I can't wait to get it in. But now, we Boots, and my bosses all want our own caravans! Your weekend away sounds utter bliss and I do know exactly what you mean about that first thing in the morning thing - it's just utterly different when you're away from home and the ordinary. :-) Enjoy your iced buns.

[Puppet Lady]

So glad your first outing went well. May it be the first of many!

Janet

[vanessa]

Oooh thank you for sharing! I felt like I was there too.....and it was so much fun! I love to get up each morning before anyone is up. To sit in silence with a hot cup of tea is bliss, and in the summer, I just sit outside and listen to the birds. Like you, I don't have any real memories of camping out, and really want my children to have fun memories of doing it......and I also think that one is never too old to create some lovely camping memories for oneself!!!!!! he he! Have a lovely day and hope the illness quickly passes for the family xxx

[Jill]

After reading your post yesterday I started looking for caravans (trailers here in Colorado) on line. I love camping, too. The possibility of revamping a tiny space is appealing. I can't wait to read more about camping in the UK and how you transform your little beauty!
Jill

[Karin]

Ooohhhhh, what a great story. Love to read that these simple things make you so happy.
~X~ Karin

[Julie]

just thought I would post about the yarn i currently use, 100% acrylic, DK, at £1.30 per ball. http://www.texere-yarns.co.uk/texereshop/153_Bonus_DK_by_Hayfield.html

[Tanja]

Dear Lucy,

I just wanted to let you know that I finished ripple blanket following your instructions. The instructions are perfect and I had a lot of fun doing it. Thanks for the pattern.

Best regards, Tanja

[Julie]

lol having followed the links i didnt need to post mine, oh well. ic an recomend the hayfield as its nice and soft. however i have not used any other yarns so cant comment. i do know i will be buying this unless its discontinued as i love it :)

[Nina - Tabiboo]

The stuff of dreams Lucy and your lyrical words just make it all the more for me.

Enjoy, indulge and pamper this wonderful new adventure and memories in the making.

take care,

Nina x

[Brianna]

Looks like you had a great time. I have noticed that the English LOVE to caravan! LOL. Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

[Jennifer]

Gosh, Lucy, what a wonderful post. Felt like I was there! Like everyone else, I look forward to hearing more of your adventures and seeing lovely pictures of your camper fix-up! x x Hope Little Lady feels tip top extra quick. xx

[Sally]

Hi Lucy. Glad you had a great first night in your lovely caravan. I am currently using Stylecraft Special DK and it is fine -infact quite soft. I too have used Rowan Pure Wool for blankets in the past, but the granny blanket I am currently making is a picnic blanket. I won't be stressing too much about laying it on damp grass or having food dropped on it as it's not costing the earth to make.Can't wait to see your Attic 24 revamp!
Sally x - Portsmouth.

[Jennifer Cox]

Hi Lucy - I'm so excited for you. How about naming it Attic24 1/2?

Jen in Boise!

[Laura]

Loved reading your story of your family's weekend adventure!! Can't wait to see what other caravan adventures await!!

[Laura]

Oh, it sounds like such a wonderful weekend for you all! Can't wait to see what you come up with for decoration. Caravans are not my dream weekend, but I love reading about how much people enjoy them :D

For cheapy yarn, I use Cygnet DK superwash merino, which is still natural, cheap as chips (I get it for £1.85 a ball at my local charity shop) and I utterly and completely adore. It feels snuggly and comes in lovely bright colours :) Or I get whatever Blacksheepwools or Purplelinda have on offer!