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

[Ankita Vj (India)]

Wow...now i know when this member of your lovely family joined you...i m loving going thru your archives, more than i anticipated...

[Gran Pendergrass]

It is during this time that I get to remember my father who would always have the idea of renting a car that looks like the above's picture. We would always have the best summer getaway way back when my father was still alive.

[Junior Perrera]

The best thing about camping with your family is that you get to have more quality time with them. We are all happy that your camp is successful and we hope to see more of your trips soon!

[Nik]

Hi Lucy,

I am so excited by your caravan! It is going to be a joy watching you transform it and I can't wait!

I have been an avid fan of your blog for over a year now and can't tell you how much I have enjoyed following your wonderful creations and the glimpses into your life that you so generously share with us. My husband jokes that we have to set the alarm 10 minutes early in the morning as he often finds me at Attic 24 when we should be out the door and off to work!

I wanted to ask if you would like some of my Mexican oilcloth? (www.vivalafrida.co.uk) It isn't because I want you to promote the oilcloth or anything like that and I'm not trying to flog you anything, it is just that I thought it might be a good way to say a big thank you! If you do think you could use a couple of metres please let me know what colours/patterns and I'd be delighted to send you some.

PS - Have you ever thought about writing a book? (when you have got a bit more time! :o) I think it would be fantastic, I have found your patterns so much easier to follow than most others and I'm sure a publisher would be interested! xx

[Gail]

Have you seen the fabric with gnomes and caravans on it (we call them trailers in the US but I like caravans better)
http://www.michaelmillerfabrics.com/Upload_WebPages/1160_HTML/Gnomes%20and%20Trailers%20Layout.pdf It is by Michael Miller Fabrics and it is adorable.

[Marilyn]

This is my dream!

[Sandi]

Lucy, all I can say is I laughed my way through your posting. I loved it. Glad that you enjoyed your first caravaning outing. It will make great memories.

[Joy]

We have a caravan and it's so nice to get away. I can't wait to see what you do to yours. I flicked through that book on caravans ina shop only last week. It's fab.

[Kieren]

Dear Lucy
Lovely post.....I have made at least 15 huge blankies in the last 2 years many of the rainbow ones can be seen at Glastembury as my Naomi s friends all wanted there own one when they saw hers i used some of the wools you have mentioned and they are pretty ok and wash well on 30 deg don't be scared of the cheaper brands i always do the stripes that you have done . and i can work on overdrive and also speedy to finish i am always impatient as i just love colour ... its food for my soul !!
I first used Rowan when i saw your blog a year ago but have to say its gone up in price and i have gone back to the the value ones try ...Rocco baby you will like the colours i have also used the one you have listed love it . we have a caravan in the garden and its undergoing a face lift even painted daisy's on the outside we don't tow it any more its ancient 30 years old !! i have bought the cool caravan book too .. Lotsalove Kieren from Cornwall

[Joyce Stewart]

I haven't read any of the other posts but I'm going to suggest that you call it 'Coco' - why? When we were bringing up our boys there was a Ladybird book with a poem for each mode of transport and other things such as a caravan - and the poem for it is....and I CAN remember it...you couldn't ever forget it...
I'm Coco the caravan
Travelling far
Two wheels to rest on
And carry me far
Windows with curtains
A real home from home
A warm friendly welcome
Wherever we roam.
Glad you enjoyed your weekend...that campsite looks wonderful but it needs kids to liven it up...good kids that is....and yes, we never wanted to be at the posh sites...we wanted to be very rural for the good life.

[Else]

What have you done to me - I now want a caravan that I can call Daisy Bob...

[Donna :)]

Love it all, and you and the children are starting on an adventure of memories.It is such a wonderful way to vacation with children. I am very partial to camping and lover of the outdoors. It has brought us the greatest pleasure through the years and my girls have nothing but the fondest memories of all our camping and hiking adventures! May you have a treasure chest too of fond memories! And happy decorating!

[Jeannette..aka..Bonzogirl]

just a thought.. to embellish your "caravan of love" even more....a delight to be found on leeds indoor market....a 3/4ft foot garland of kitschy cheeriness for a mere pound..abit hibiscus like...really fab and jolly..ideal oomphing up the caravan into the magical place..mingled with bright hooky madness!!!grooooovy

[Cindy Rush]

Now you've got me wanting a caravan to decorate! My husband will absolutely say nooooo.....we just bought some land a couple of years ago and haven't even built there yet. We don't have the time, he'll say. But I'm thinking, what if I get a dilapidated caravan that doesn't go anywhere. Something to sit on the land and spend the night in once in awhile. I'm gonna look! In the meantime, could you help me out. You're so good with granny squares. I bought some granny squares (or at least I think they are) at an auction and I'm trying to get an idea of what to do with them. If you have a moment, check out my blogspot and give me an idea of what to do. I have grown to love granny squares because of you, and I'm learning to make them, but these are a different sort of square. Cindy

[lemon]

Sorry, I did sth wrong.
Let my try again: http://picasaweb.google.com/114866761325652789857/Knitting?feat=directlink

[lemon]

Dear Lucy, underneath there is a link with some of my mothers (78 years old) knitting: after I told her about you, she asked me to photograph them and send the photos to you!
With our love!
(me, my sister and my mom)

Knitting

[Katie]

I have lurked for a long time reading your lovely blog but the caravan love has brought me out! At the moment only three out of five members of my family are up for a caravan (unfortunately the one who would have to drive it is a little unsure)but I will show them your gorgeous posts and I know we will get a unanimous vote

[Baukje]

I love Conny, why not??? She'll be a member of your family and she'll be very feminine (is this a n english word???)
I am very curious which would be your creations for Conny;

[Laura]

oh you are so inspiring with your wonderful joyous spirit over your new adventure of camping in your new yet to be named caravan. you have motivated me to take our trailer camping as well and to redecorate it.... ours is named hummingbird" and we need to take flight soon now that we have seen the last of the snow and well into memory making good times...wishing you many memories with your wee ones.

[Lauren]

Now I know why I have been so tempted to buy for, sew for and just plain decorate our new camper! Thank you for making me feel normal! Working on pillow covers right now and I love the inspiration from snailtrails! Think our camper will be more adorned than my own home! Probably because it's small and every little thing counts. I'm even contemplating a handmade shower curtain for the miniscule shower. What am I thinking? But its so much fun! Happy trails to you and your family!!!

[Anja]

Oooo, such a perfect weekend!!!!
I'm so excited for you!
We love caravaning as well and camping... anything that brings us close to nature. An falling a sleep with the sound of wood......... mmmmmm, bliss

[Laura]

I like Sirdar Snuggly DK for brightly coloured acrylic/nylon blend yarn which is actually very soft and lovely and washes well.

You could also go for a blend, this is 50/50 and doesn't break the bank: http://www.modernknitting.co.uk/wendy-mode-dk-21539-0.html

[Sally]

This sounds like so much fun! Can't wait to see your caravan make-over. :)

[Ximena]

Hello! beautiful pictures and beautiful that car stock, very nice colors as you always have
in your blog. Greetings from Uruguay.
Xime

[Michelle]

Love you blog and your crocheting.

We have a camper also here in the US, had it about 11 months now, still trying to make it homey, ours is parked about a hour away, so really hard to do.
Enjoy!