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

[Gill]

Oh I miss my caravan! We travelled all over Scotland and had a great time. Our first trip was a bit stressy-a cable end missing,one of the legs getting jammed,finding the heating didn't work(it was April-gale force winds and snow)but it didn't deter us! I know you'll love driving Miss Daisy or whatever you decide to call her. Hope everyone soon picks up.
Lots of love and stuff

[melissa]

There's nothing more durable than Red Heart Super Savor for afghans. 8oz for $4. It's a bit stiff out of the bag, but once it's washed, it becomes super-duper-oober soft and snuggly! If it weren't for Red Heart, I couldn't afford to crochet.

[Pati]

Hello Lucy! I'd love to have a little project to decorate also! Sooo exciting! As for names...here you have a few suggestions: Attica (straight from your Attic), Janis Joplin (a bit of hippie charm), Marilyn (so femenine!), Lolita (sexy!), Betty (sounds like a lovely vintage name to me)..... You'll let us know. Enjoy! xxx Pati - an Spaniard in London

[Jenni at Baa-me Kniits]

What a lovely weekend camping in the van...I have caravan envy :-)

[Tracy]

How exciting for you all! My best holidays as a child were in a little van a bit like that. Your caravan doesn't quite look like you on the inside yet but it is going to be fun to see how you brighten it up and give it the Lucy touch.

[Diane]

Hi Lucy
I can reccomend Clippesby Hall in Norfolk for very child friendly and adult friendly camping holidays. Its the most wonderful place - you would love it. You get lots of space and its part private forest. It has a swimming pool and its own little pub (NOT a clubhouse)in case you dont feel like cooking! Its in the most beautiful part of the Norfolk Broads too. If you need any more info - let me know,
Diane (Camping enthusiast)!!!!

[Angie]

Oh what fun. I just know it will be absolutely gorgeous when you have finished with it. I think Daisy is good.

[JuicyFig]

Ahhh, wonderful caravan holliday - reminds me of Silverdale when I was a kid!
2 fantastic sites if you venture as far as Lancashire in the morcambe bay area, HOlgates (very posh these days) and Gibralter farm - very basic but fantastic for kids to explore.

As for yarns, the black sheep company has an online shop, designer yarns (a lot of discontinued lines) but more than 50% cheaper!

Kath
x

[Karen Lizzie]

I'm feeling very jealous of your Wendy House on wheels!

For the van blankets I would look to see if you can find a yarn with at least a small percentage of wool in it. They seem to keep their shape better and have a little more elasticity. I am almays disappointed when I use all acrylic yarns so I think it is worth the extra money to keep all your work looking good. It also feels nicer too.

Keep on Blogging, I love it. You are top of my favourites list and my first read of the day.

[Gemma]

I agree with Little Man Bob is an excellent name for a caravan (after all you will be "bobbing along") won't you?

[Dominique from France]

What a beautiful weekend you crossed ! I understand your enjoyment and your excitement. It is as to return to childhood and to play in a hut...
I wait for the new blankets ... Look at these links. They are 2 french books wonderfull with a lot of gipsy caravans ..
http://www.amazon.fr/temps-roulottes-Jeanne-Bayol/dp/2700606795/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273650206&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.fr/Roulottes-Une-invitation-voyage/dp/2700603877/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273650206&sr=1-2
Have a good day

[Jacquie]

Connie the Caravan , Perfect !!
Gorgeous images Lucy.Your enthusiasm is so contageous:0)
I use Bonus for my crochet.I think it's great for everyday items.
Jacquie x

[Jackie]

Lucy ~ what a fabulous way to spend a weekend. It certainly sounds like you all had a lot of fun. I can't wait to see the your caravan when you start to work your Attic 24 magic on it and begin to transform it into a bright and colourful beauty. Hope that your little people are starting to get over all their little bugs too! There are just so many little bugs doing their rounds just now. Enjoy the rest of your week:O) xx

[Tara]

I can think of no name more suited for that caravan than Dolores. As to the yarn thing, you CANNOT spend tons of money on blankets that will be used repeatedly on camping trips! I make blankets for my (4 year old) nephew and (7 year old) niece for Christmas, and acrylic was the only practical choice. When they get older and more responsible, I'll make them nicer ones. So don't feel guilty about using acrylic for your outdoor blankies; it gets the job done!

[Ann]

Lucy, you are such an inspiration! You make camping out sound like so much fun :) I've never done it but hubby and I are thinking about getting ourselves a little pop-up trailer so we can take our little man. It seems like a wonderful way to really connect with family. Plus I never thought about how I could personalize a camper! What wonderful and colorful ideas! Can't wait to see what you end up doing to make your little caravan all your own :) Have loads of fun!

[Maddi]

P.S. I vote for the name Annie.
Like the musical. ;)

Maddi <3

[hill upon hill]

OOH, AAh!

Now here is perfection: a creative project that the whole family can enjoy and fantastic memories created with the thrill of travel!

[Ellie]

Hi from Toronto, Canada. I've been enjoying your blog for quite some time now. I love your enthusiasm and also your bright colours. Whenever I open your blog and see all the bright colours it makes me feel happy. Personally, I love earth tones. I can't wait to see how you re-decorate your camper van. I'm sure it won't stay in its current colour scheme for very long. Enjoy the dreaming, the camping and the decorating adventures!

[Munaiba]

I think your van has "Florence" written all over here! Lol What a lovely weekend you had. Thanks for the gorgeous photos.

[Maddi]

Acrylic yarn? Even you!

Seriously, acrylic yarn can be very snuggly, and is very practical. Best of luck, and thanks so much!

Maddi <3

[Christine Warren]

Congratulations Lucy! You are going to LOVE your caravan and all the camping you do in it. We have been camping in a travel trailer (that's what we call it in the US) for 8 years now and we LOVE it! I know you will have years of fun in it. Enjoy!!

[jeannette]

http://www.sunset.com/home/architecture-design/mobile-homes-design-00418000067401/page9.html

i just read this in the dentist's office about a young california architect who remodelled his own old airstream. lots of good ideas including cork floor, and his office is in a cargo trailer. can't wait to see what you do>

[MarmaladeRose]

Hi Lucy.
How exciting! Just had to pop by to say I used Stylecraft Life with 25% wool for my blankets. It's cheap and cheerful and was fine to work with. Not laundered them yet but it is machine washable. Go for it girl, the money you save can be used on your next camping trip.

Bainbridge Ings in Hawes is a very nice farmers field with a shower block. All the caravans park around the edge of the field so the children can play in the centre.

love fi x

[Casey]

Lucy, i am new to your blog and i am addicted... i am ashamed to say that when i have some free time i look back to see all of the other lovely things you have made and to hear your lovely stories about what you have been up to and the beautiful views from your windows.
this is the first time i have made a comment, and i dont know if you read all of them you have a lot of fans!!! but i would like to say that J has come up with the perfect name, i definitely see your little girl as a "Connie" especially when she is all prettified. although daisy is a pretty good name too...
anyway, you are a fantastic inspiration, keep it up!!
love Casey x x x

[Heather]

This is certainly one of your dreams come true Lucy !! I so agree with you about the "early morning " bit...nothing to beat that first fresh, quiet early morning communication with the new day. Hope all your little people get really well soon.
Name for the caravan ? Henrietta or Connie. Will you name before or after your "special " transformation ? will you keep a caravan journal ? Whatever you do, enjoy your latest friend/project !!
Heather xx