Our Diary
|
|---|
As the new chapter in our lives moves forward we are now putting the bus up for sale. All interested parties please call us on 0797 1938415 for details. After lots of deliberation, soulsearching and debates we have decided not to continue with our journey. The needs of the family have changed since the concept of the idea some two years ago and the somewhat later than planned departure. We are currently finding a base in Oxford, the children are on their way to starting back to school and Amy is looking for a job and going to sixth form or college. Brian is working and I am looking forward to finding my sanity. There are no regrets we had the idea, undertook the conversion and had a change of lifestyle even if it was for a short time than we anticipated. We thank everyone who has followed our journey over the months and given us moral support during our low times. We are moving on to the next chapter of our lives and who knows where that will lead. We will not be continuing with the diary, I hope you have enjoyed reading our exploits. Farewell x x x
Tuesday 18th March 2008 We had a visit today from Tony, he popped in for a cup of tea and a chat. We had planned to go to Headington and he kindly agreed to give us a lift but Brian came back early and was starting the huge bonfire off so the boys were keen to stay around and help. The farmer from the next field is getting the area’s ready for the lambs to be born, estimated date of delivery 28th March. Alex has been putting all the straw in the pens and is very excited about it all.
Monday 17th March 2008 The fields are flooded because of all the rain so our usual route to the shops is out of bounds, unless we can use a boat. We walked around the road route which seems to take five times longer and when we got back we were all tired out. We are hoping for the rain to stop as the bus is feeling damp, yuk!!!
Sunday 16th March 2008 Our friend “Bruva Brian” came for Sunday lunch and we had a lovely roast leg of lamb. I attempted Jamie Oliver’s hotcross buns with orange marmalade and custard. I wouldn’t say it was that brilliant, it reminded me of Christmas pudding, very rich and spicy. The kids weren’t that impressed either so maybe that’s one not to try again. We had a nice afternoon with Brian, catching up over the last six months
Saturday 15th March 2008 It was a busy day. We had a surprise visit from “Aunty Sue” who we haven’t seen for six months so we had some catching up to do. Steve picked up Brian to go and view some Winnebago’s with him, he is joining the ranks of full timers and is trying to get everything sorted out before his house is sold in a few weeks time. Amy met her friend Tom in Oxford and they came back for a few hours. They left about 5pm for Tom to catch his bus but unfortunately they got held up in the traffic and Tom missed the bus home. The next bus wasn’t until 11pm so we decided it was best if he stayed the night on the bus. An hour or so later they got back to the bus like drown rats. After tea we settled down to watch TV and Snowy paid us a visit. Finally at about 11.30pm peace descended, everyone was in bed. What a day!
Friday 14th March 2008 The boys and I set off early for a walk to the village. Before long we reached the charity shop and had a good rummage around. We picked up four video’s and headed off to the bank and bakery. They boys tucked into a rather large iced yum-yum. Feeling fit we set off on a long walk to Asda taking in the aquarium on the way. My feet were killing me and Sam was complaining about his legs hurting but there was no alternative, we still had about a two mile walk back with the shopping. It was warm and sunny and eventually we made it back to the bus, we had been gone for three hours and were exhausted. After lunch we watched a video and before we knew it Brian was back from work
Thursday 13th March 2008 I suppose it was only a matter of time before the boys discovered the joys of mud fighting. If it hadn’t of been for the fact that Alex is the taller of the two you would not have been able to tell them apart. They were covered from head to toe, it was even inside their ears. There was no way they could get in the shower so they were showered using the outside shower, the water was warm but the air was cold so there was lots of squealing. I had to peg the clothes out on the line to dry them out and crack the mud off before they could even be washed. A few people raised an eyebrow when they saw the washing on the line, they must have thought, dirty cow, what was it like before it was washed.
Wednesday 12th March 2008 Brian has been working today and hopefully there is work for the rest of the week. I set up a washing line as the wind is blowing and I thought it would be good for drying. The washing line that I bought from Asda was a bit flimsy and as I was hanging the clothes on it, it started getting lower and lower with the weight, eventually the clothes were nearly dragging on the floor so only a few bits and pieces could be dried at any one time. A long drawn out job but there’s no alternative.
Tuesday 11th March 2008 The BBC are doing the research on the roads and looking into any problems we may encounter on the journey down so it should be a good journey for us without much hassle. I have been in touch with the local bus garage just to do some checking for ourselves. The roads are suitable and we can drive right down to Lands End on the A30. There is also a parking area that we can use so we should be OK.
Monday 10th March 2008 The weather is bright but not that warm, the boys don’t want to stay out for to long but after school they do get out for a short time. We had a call from the BBC and the filming that we have been talking about is to take place at the end of March. We have to be in Lands End by the 27th, our next adventure is taking shape.
Sunday 9th March 2008 We took a morning walk to Asda, over two fields, following the path of the river and finally reaching the road that leads to Asda. It’s quite a way when you have bags of shopping to carry back so it’s a trip for two or three as it’s easier to get everything we need. Again covered in mud we arrive back at the bus, the joys of living in the country! Saturday 8th March 2008 Caroline and Amy arrived back at around 6.30am. Amy had a lovely week. Brian was out for the day so the kids and I had a lazy day, walking around the farm, doing some exploring and generally getting covered in mud.
Friday 7th March 2008 The boys were up and out early this morning. Feeding the chickens and helping to put the horses out into the field. The sun is shining and everyone is happy.
Thursday 6th March 2008 Around 5.30am the cockerels started crowing and it seemed like then didn’t stop until 7.30am. It is certainly different from the seaside. The boys were up and out early. They are in their element running through the fields, looking in on the sheep and horses and trying to find eggs in the chicken runs. They reluctantly started school and were keen to get finished and get back out to explore.
Wednesday 5th March 2008 We packed up early and set off by 9.30am. Heading towards Brighton to a garage on the A33/A27 junction that sells LPG. I phoned ahead and checked out the canopy size, we were in luck 4.4m we could get under. The roads were clear and we made good time. We arrived at the filling station to find it was a bit of a tight squeeze but we got diesel, LPG and oil. The only thing we needed to do was top up the air in the tyre but we couldn’t do this here so we set off again and headed for the Pease Pottage services. We located the lorry air pump but instead of inflating the tyre it deflated it. We were worried that we might now have a flat but after discussing things with another driver we decided we should be OK to carry on. There is not another service station until Oxford, we really are poorly equipped in this country compared to France where they are every few miles with rest areas in between the service areas. At Oxford we were able to put air in the tyre and before long we were off again. We have a friend who has a farm in Oxfordshire and around 5pm we pulled into our new home for the next few weeks. We are waiting for a call from the BBC about filming in the middle of March so we can take it easy for a few weeks. We have all the facilities at the new location. We even have a hook up which means we can not only us the electric kettle we can run the washing machine and put heaters in the bedrooms. Luxury. Amy is having a good time and went to London with Caroline to the Theatre, it was a complete surprise and she really enjoyed it. Her week away is proving a success I think she will be sad to leave
Tuesday 4th March 2008 The re-cycling car park is not a very inspiring place to stay so we moved the bus onto the sea front and had our days schooling looking over the sea. We made our muffins which turned out to be a great success and were eaten within no time. Alex and I had a trip to Morrisons to stock up. We weren’t able to get any fresh water so we had to carry water back. We were really loaded up and it took us ages to get back as we had to stop every few minutes to give our arms a rest. Eventually we got back to the bus and made some lunch. Before long it was getting dark so we moved off back to the re-cycling car park. There really isn’t much going on down here. We can’t seem to find an alternative place to stay along the coast so we are heading inland to a farm that we know to try and get the doors fixed.
Monday 3rd March 2008 We pulled onto the beach front so the boys can play on the beach. After school the weather changed and it turned really cold and windy. We met Shaun who was parked up next to the bus. We had a chat for half an hour and he gave us a t shirt that he had produced for a band promotion he had been doing. He chatted about the 70/80’s when he worked as a roadie for the punk bands, the sex pistols and the jam. I found the local supermarket and did a bit of shopping. Sam wanted to make some muffins so I bought the ingredients. I carried the bags of flour and sugar and what was probably to much other stuff back to the bus. When I got back I thought my arms would drop off. I made it just in time before a hail storm and it turned freezing cold. We sat and watched a film and then made our way back to the car park for the night. We had been hoping to meet some local people who could tell us about good places to park but it hasn’t happened so far.
Sunday 2nd March 2008 It was not too bad of a night, there were a few cars racing about but in all not too bad. We woke to an awful smell that after some detective work uncovered a box of festering lug worms. What a stench. That was the first job, get rid of them. We set off early and called in to get some LPG at Polegate. The attendant told us to go round to the HGV pumps on the other side of the station. When we got there we found they didn’t have LPG pumps so off we went again round the station and into the normal bay. After locking on the LPG pump and finding we still couldn’t fill up I went to find the manager to discover that they had actually run out of LPG but no one had put the signs on. It’s not like we are a small vehicle able to nip in and out at will, this vehicle is a huge beast so being messed about didn’t go down too well. Off we went to find our place for the night, Seaford, just along from Newhaven. There was a lot of wood washed up on the beach and the boys had a brilliant time making camps on the beach. We couldn’t park on the sea front so we pulled in for the night in a re-cycling depot car park. Not the most exotic location but safe and clean with a good view of the sea. The ferries pull out just across the bay sailing to Dieppe and it is nice to watch as they sail out at night fully lit. We miss our spot in Hastings but things must move on.
Caroline paid us a visit and we did an exchange, Amy went back with her and we had the dog. We decided it was time to move on from Hastings, after lots of goodbyes we set off later than planned and the sun was going down. We pulled into the car park at Hastings old Town, this is where our visit to Hastings started some four months earlier. We had fish and chips and watched a video. The bus is full to the brim with bikes, wellies and things we seem to have collected along the way. Friday 29th February 2008 We got our old generator back, some of the terminals had become loose, these were reconnected and the frayed pull cord was repaired. The new generator however is a different story. The capacitor is not working, this is the main and most expensive part. We will have to pursue a replacement or a refund as you really wouldn’t expect to have to replace parts on an item that is only a week old and that has had only 15-20 hours running time. We are making some changes to our website to make the advertising more prominent, on a few of the pages it is getting lost as the pages get longer and longer. Thanks Gareth for your help with this.
Thursday 28th February 2008 The weather is good so we have solar power as well as a full batteries. We are trying to make headway with sorting out the new generator. One of our friends suggested we should take both of them down to a plant hire company for them to have a look and see what is the matter with both of them. Brian and Tommy went off and an hour later came back with a hire generator that we can use until we have one or both of ours sorted out. I dyed Amy’s hair bright red, I didn’t have any gloves so you can imagine what my hands look like. Fortunately it’s not permanent so hopefully within a few days I will be back to normal.
Wednesday 27th February 2008 Amy and I went into Hastings to buy some trousers for her work experience. She is looking forward to spending the week with Caroline. We were sorted out within half an hour and back on the bus to St Leonard’s. Our new generator gave up the ghost last night. Now we have two that aren’t working. Luckily we were able to borrow one for the evening to get some heat and power. We tried to contact the company we bought it from but can only deal via email so it makes it a long process to sort things out. We had to give the generator back at 9pm but the batteries are fully charged so we should get through another day.
Our friends Steve and Julia came down from Rugby to visit us for the day. We had a rather impressive chocolate cake from the local bakery, I don’t need an excuse for chocolate cake but a visit from old friends is certainly a good reason. I spent what felt like the whole day cooking bacon rolls, just like old times. It was a good day, relaxing and fun. Steve presented us with a box of video’s from his attic, his Scooby doo collection is quite impressive. Monday 25th February 2008 We finally had chance to catch up with Martin to discuss a trip to Ireland to visit him. The outcome was that things are not what they were when he last lived their some 20 years earlier and he didn’t think it would be a good idea to take the bus. We must respect his judgement and therefore our plans to travel Ireland are now closed.
I woke early to hear faint groans from the boys room, after investigation I found Noah clutching his stomach about to throw up. He was pretty miserable about the fact that it was his sleep over and he was ill. I telephoned his mum and she came to collect him plus all the bits and pieces that had accumulate on the bus the week, fishing rods, skate boards, a bike, back pack, with a full boot and a sick child clutching a bowl in the back seat we waved her off. It was a bit disappointing for the boys to have lost their friend but they enjoyed the warm weather and rode their bikes and played on the beach. Saturday 23rd February 2008 The boys played outside for the best part of the day. It gave us a chance to do the obligatory cleaning, you wouldn’t believe how much sand gets bought in on shoes. Noah was having a sleep over, it’s the first time we have had anyone staying apart from Caroline, and the boys were excited.
Friday 22nd February 2008 It was that time again, we had to fill up with LPG. This time there was no confusion we knew the route in and out. Bradley and Noah came along for the trip. The filling station was quite so we didn’t take up too much time. Filled up with LPG, Diesel and unleaded for the generator. Full stocked with fuel and a few chocolate cookies we returned to our parking space. It took less than an hour round trip. A record for us. The weather is warm, the sea is calm and life is good Thursday 21st February 2008 Sam and his new found friend Reece were invited to lunch and to play with another new friend Kelly. Kelly’s gran had kindly offered to pick them up mid morning. Late in the afternoon they returned after a busy day of walking in the woods and a home cooked lunch. They had a wonderful time. Many thanks Francis. We had a surprise visit from our friend from Oxford, Tony and his three children. The weather wasn’t that brilliant so we couldn’t spent too much time outside but regardless we had a good day catching up on old times
Much to our surprise this morning we found a rifle laying along side the bus. I thought it belonged to the TA so called in and asked them to call round get it. It had been decommissioned so could not be use but it was still not the sort of thing you want to leave laying about so it was in safe hands. Noah’s mum called in with a bag of groceries including some hot freshly cooked beetroot. Brian’s absolute favourite. Needless to say it didn’t last for long. What a lovely treat. The rifle wasn’t actually from the TA but they were tracing it’s owner who would no doubt have a few questions to answer.
Tuesday 19th February 2008 We had a meeting with Emily Stein from BBC2. She wanted to discuss the possibility of us taking part in an programme about living in alternatives to traditional houses. After a couple of hours Emily returned to London and we await her call in a couple of days when she can fill us in on the details.
Monday 18th February 2008 I woke about 6.30am as a car alarm was blaring, from the window I could make out flames close to the bus. I raced downstairs to discover one of the beach huts was on fire. I called the fire brigade who were already on their way and it was apparently a car that had been set on fire and had also set a hut on fire. It wasn’t long before matters where under control but the beach hut is burnt beyond repair. We did our schooling this morning as we were hoping to keep going through the week, even though it's half term we had some things to finish off. Noah came round for Alex and they spent time on the beach building a raft. Several hours of work produced a raft that floated for about two minutes before sinking into the sea. With the idea abandoned they spent the day playing on the beach and riding their bikes. Alex was allowed to cycle to Noah's house where to his absolute delight he found Noah had a 6ft pine snake. They stayed long enough for Noah to change his wet clothes and came back for an afternoon on the beach. Sam found a friend who lives around the corner, as it is half term there are quite a few children about. He is happy now to have his own friend and they played on the beach for the afternoon. We had a major clear up on the bus. Brian's angle grinding had resulted in everywhere being covered in a fine black dust. It doesn't take that long to do the whole bus so by the end of the day all the jobs were done. Sunday 17th February 2008 We woke up feeling quite glum within a few hours we would be unable to even boil the kettle for tea, the solar power was working but this alone would not keep us going. We discussed our options. To get the generator repaired would take some time as we have to locate a local dealer first. To purchase a new generator would take several days and our current level of stored electricity wouldn't last until then. We discussed trying to get to a location where we could hook up and at that very moment one of the local's pulled up, opened his van and sitting in the back was a generator. He had in fact just purchased it from someone in the beach huts right next to us. He kindly agreed to us borrowing it for a few days until we could get a new generator arranged. How lucky was that. The gloom had lifted and we carried on like nothing had happened. Alex and Noah cycled to Halfords to get a new tyre of Noah's bike. Sam felt left out so we walked along the beach road to meet up with them. When we arrived the boys had hot dogs, I popped into Tesco's to get a few bits and pieces and we caught the bus back. Brian was feeling industrious and as it was warm decided to tackle to problem with the doors. It has been pending since we got back at the end of December but there hasn't been an opportunity to carry out the work. Out came the angle grinder and before long we had a new plate for the door. We still have to lift one side as it has dropped out of it's runner but we had made good progress for the day. After a lovely roast dinner we finished the day searching for a new generator. Found one on eBay, paid for it and arranged for it to be delivered on Tuesday.
Saturday 16th February 2008 Alex was off and out as soon as the tide started to go out. The great fossil hunt was on. He took the camera to record the events and after several hours they returned with their find. The remains of what we all thought was a fish. Unfortunately it was not complete, part of the body had broken off at some stage but it was still a sizable find. It was a really warm day and lots of people were milling about, three young boys approached the bus and were asking questions about the refit and where we had travelled to. One of the boys, Noah, arranged to come back and fish with Alex later in the evening. True to his word and much to Alex's delight he turned up with his fishing tackle and they spent the evening fishing and chatting on the beach. Our worse nightmare presented it's self tonight, our generator broke down. We had enough power to last the evening but after that we would be unable to use the water, heating and have no power to do anything at all.
Friday 15th February 2008 A local fisherman Taffy offered to collect lugworms for Alex as he has been unable to fish for a couple of days and for some reason his own efforts have produced a very poor amount of worms. Taffy called in around teatime bursting with excitement, whilst digging for worms he had stumbled across a fossil buried in the sand. The tide was coming in so he was unable to dig it out but he planned to go back early Saturday morning and wanted to know if Alex would like to join him.
Andy and Mark from Roadpro came down to fit a new satellite dish. It involved lots of in and out of the bus so the boys and I planned a field trip to the fisherman's and maritime museum in Hastings. Around about 11am scaffolding arrived to be put up at the back of the bus so Andy and Mark could work safely on the dish. The weather was overcast but luckily no wind. The boys and I spent several hours at the museum's. Wandering round looking at all the things that had been washed up on the shore. Just along from where we are parked is a prehistoric forest and we saw an acorn found at the site that was about 4000 years old. It was perfectly preserved. Lots of treasures from the wreck of the Amsterdam were on display. Along from where we are parked you can view the remains of the ship
Wednesday 13th February 2008 Well another year older, it’s my birthday, 44 today. The kids got up early to sort out the traditional breakfast chocolate cake and presented me with some lovely presents. All my favourite things, chocolates, a nice bottle of wine, more chocolates and cards. A lovely bouquet of flowers arrived from Caroline. After a fairly uneventful morning we finished the school work and Brian took the boys to the skateboard park again. Sam has had a repair to his board and it seems to be working fine now. We are looking forward to our trip tomorrow and everyone went to bed feeling happy and relaxed
Tuesday 12th February 2008 We took advantage of the weather and visited the skateboard park a little further along the shoreline. I must say that Hastings and St Leonards do have some good facilities. With good rail links to London at reasonable prices it seems a good place to set up home again should we decide at the end of our adventure to settle back in the UK. Doing this journey in the bus has presented us with lots of opportunities that never would have come our way had we continued with our old lifestyle.
Monday 11th February 2008
Monday 4th February 2008 Brian and Sam had a field trip for English. They enjoyed a good morning out. The days are whizzing by and I can’t believe we are into the first week into February already, we can only hope for a break in the weather so we can do the jobs on the bus that are outstanding, it has been dragging on for what seems like forever.
It was a busy day with people popping in to say hi, we were late starting and finishing school. Sometimes it happens that way. Brian went to get some fuel for the generator, that should keep us going for the next two or three days. Thursday 31st January 2008
Amy staggered in around lunchtime after spending the night at Bradley’s. She was sporting a pair of exceptionally high heeled boots and beamed from ear to ear as she proudly plonked her foot on the sofa revealing them in all their glory. A pair of bondage type winkle picker. The sort that I had long given up. Having moved into the comfort zone when it comes to shoes and I ended up sounding like my own mother saying, you’ll regret buying those, you’ll have bunions, corns and any other terrible foot affliction that can be earned by wearing high heels. We all did it though didn’t we, because we loved them. Schooling went smoothly today, Sam seems to be making some headway at last. It was a wet and dismal day again and I can’t wait to be able to spend some time outside. Gary and Lisa called in with a present for Brian, chicken livers. Fried with onion and garlic they were hugely appreciated. In return we cooked for Bradley, scrambled egg on toast. We had a visit from Robin Gibson from BBC South East Today. He would like to come over and film us for the local news. He will be coming at 10am tomorrow. Tuesday 22nd January 2008
Thursday 17th January 2008 Wednesday 16th January 2008 At last the sun is shining, the wind has stopped and the windows are open letting the bus air through. We have been asked to take part in a BBC 5 live programme on Thursday and their outside broadcaster is coming to see us tomorrow. Alex has been fishing most of the day. We were late starting school today, it was after 12 before we got going so we didn’t finish until mid afternoon but everyone was in good humour.
Tuesday 15th January 2008 Amy and Bradley went into Hastings to buy tickets for a show next week. It was a horrible day again, wet and windy. I finally uploaded all the information to the site. I was able to check the stats and we have had over ONE MILLION hits since August. Alex had a call from Newsround and did a short telephone interview for a piece to be put on their website. He was very excited about it. Now that we have had chance to sort things out and I have finally got myself back together we are talking about when we have to move on from here. We are thinking about going to Ireland. We have some friends over there and Brian was made most welcome last time he was there and promised that at some stage he would take us all over so maybe now is the time. It won’t be for a few weeks yet.
Monday 14th January 2008 At last I have managed to get the codes for the website and got the site back onto our computer. The diary can at long last be updated. It has been over a month since we have been able to update our site, it also crashed due to the volume of traffic we received since our feature in the Guardian. Gary has been so kind and allowed us to use his broadband to update the site. Thanks to everyone for their support and lovely emails. Alex and Sam have been lugworming. A bumper crop today. Alex wants to go fishing but it’s too windy. Tim very kindly gave me a lift to Tesco’s. Our stock of tins has been replenished. Bradley is back from his trip and came round for a visit. Sunday 13th January 2008 Saturday 12th January 2008 Friday 11th January 2008 After school Amy and I went into Hastings to visit the internet café. It has been too windy to put our dish up, we don’t want to risk damaging it. We have had lots of emails following our feature in the Guardian, it's so nice that people take the time to contact us. We had a quick look round the shops and looked for some more video’s, I cast my mind back to all those that we disposed of before we left but I had transferred them onto the hard drive, not expecting it to break down so soon. Such is life Thursday 10th January 2008 Wednesday 9th January 2008 I woke up with a terrible bad back, just as Brian has got over his now I’m wandering round like an old woman. Resting it doesn’t seem to do much good so maybe I will try keeping on the move. The website has crashed as there is so much traffic we have exceeded the bandwidth. The wind is so bad we can’t put the dish up incase it gets damaged. The forecast is for severe winds and storms for the next few days. We will just have to sit it out. Tuesday 1st January 2008 Alex was straight out of bed and on the beach with the fishing rod. Not even or a drink or anything to eat, he’s got his lugworms and he is away. He’s like a thing possessed. Sam is stood by his side. Amy is a bit lost as Bradley has gone away to visit his mum for a couple of weeks, she’s spending time on the internet chatting to friends in Oxford. We had a nice roast dinner a bit later than planned and spent the night chatting and reading as still no TV. We spoke to Caroline she went into work early. It was a lazy day we didn’t cook just had cold meat and pickles, the usual stuff. We walked on the beach. It was busy down the lane with kids on their new bikes and scooters and everyone trying out their new fishing rods. It is a relaxing time. Tuesday 25th December 2007 It was a real damp and murky day, the fog didn’t clear for most of the day. We passed the time getting ready for the big day tomorrow, it’s like waiting for the arrival of a baby. It seemed like it would never happen but here we are on the verge of the last leg home Finally we have some better weather. The sun is beating through the windows and we have a chance to air the place out. The boys can actually play out which keeps them a bit more occupied. Amy and I went for a shower because we can’t fill our tanks up at this service area, there isn’t a tap, what a stinking place, the water was cold. This is a horrible services. For a Shell station it is very basic. Highlight of the day. There was a grey heron just outside the bus, Brian and Alex tried to photograph it with Amy’s camera, luckily her’s was in her bedroom, but it was a bit too far away. The boys found a baby rat that was on it’s last legs, they gave it some bread and it perked up a bit Friday 21st December 2007 Brian had been up every two hours to start the bus and is absolutely shattered. If it carries on like this I am not sure he will be able to drive during the day. We are doing about 150 to 170 miles a day, at 40 miles an hour it takes forever. We are trying to get as close to Calais as we can. We will not park in calais for the weekend because of the imigrants, it’s too risky. We drove through some really bad weather, freezing cold but luckily no snow, that’s our mission to get as close to Calais as we can, ready for Monday. Caroline rang and said we could try and get us on an earlier ferry but it would cost us £60.00. I think we would rather hang about over here for another two days than waste the money on the ferry. That would buy our christmas lunch. The journey passed quite quickily today, we are counting down the miles. Alex has been bird spotting, there are lots of eagles on the side of the toll road. He has seen deer in the fields and seems quite happy sitting taking it all in. The kids can’t have the tv on for the whole journey as we haven’t got enough electric to last for the whole day without the generator. It wastes too much time to set it up just for a short while so we have to cope with what we have. Because we are short of water the washing up is piling up. We have not had a shower for over a week. The laundry is also mounting up. We can’t dry anything. God I feel miserable. We pull into the services, the last fuel station before Calais and this is to be our home for the next three nights. This has to be the worst place we have stopped at for facilities. The shop is basic and the shop assistants are rude. Thursday 20th December 2007 Brian had to get up every two hours to start the engine, we were worried it would freeze. The camper van behind us was not very appreciative and at 4am reversed out and blasted it’s horn to show their disapproval. The windscreen was thick with ice and it took us 15 minutes before we could even think about moving. The water pump is frozen, the sink waste is frozen and we all feel in poor shape. There was no water at the Aires so drinks were kept to a minimum. The kids came straight down from their beds, onto the back seat and we were away by 9.30. Brian is driving with his gloves and hat on as the temperatures are low. We drove through banks of freezing fog, it all looks very christamasy but god it’s cold. We seem to be living on French bread as it’s quick and convenient. We stopped at lunchtime and put the generator on for a short while as our batteries are low, it seems the cold has reduced their ability to hold the power. The boys found two cats living wild in the service area. We drove until it was almost dark. One of our headlights is out so we can’t carry on after dark. We also like to pick a spot to park where we can get the generator on. Again another freezing night. Amy and sam are sleeping in with me. The problem is with the ice that during the day if we get any sun it all defrosts and drips into the rooms. It is not pleasant. We are planning to go back to Hastings or St Leonards. We are looking forward to going back. On a positive note is this all part of the great adventure! Wednesday 19th December 2007 Looking like death, we awoke at 6am. Brian had been awake every two hours, checking the engine. I had woken when the engine started and slept lightly because of where we were parked. We wanted to get started early. There was thick fog but we needed to press on anyway. We wanted to be back for Christmas and the only way to do it was drive all day. Get in as many miles as we could. Outside everywhere is white, freezing in the fog. Inside the bus it’s freezing, Brian is frozen to his seat. The fog was thick but we had to press on. The kids all sat in sleeping bags on the back seats, too cold to even bicker. The evening was the worst yet. There were icicles hanging from the bedrooms it was that cold. When we built the bus we thought we would be in Spain or Portugal basking in the warm sun we hadn't planned for this cold weather. We all sat wrapped in quilts and sleeping bags and the hot water bottles came into their own. Sam was feeling unwell and wanted to sleep in with me. I already had Amy in with me so the three of us tucked up in a single bed was compact to say the least.
We had an absolutely bitter night, ice on the inside of the windows. We all have extra quilts and our hot water bottles, what a good investment. At first light we got ready to move off, the kids were up straight out of bed and on the back seat, still in their quilts and with fresh hot water bottles. It is absolutely freezing, you would not believe in a week the weather could change such a lot. All around the trees are frozen, it looks very christmasy. Just wish we had central heating. With a few quick stops for tea to warm us up and a quick bite to eat we kept going towards Lyon. We had arranged to meet Andrew Harris, who was already in Strasburg, at a junction on the way to Lyon, it was a services marked on the map. We got closer and closer and then we realized it was no longer there and we found ourselves going through the peage and on the toll road. The plan to meet had fallen apart. Within a few minutes we were hurtling towards Lyon, out of the corner of my eye a caught a sign about a 7.5 tonne weight restriction in Lyon because of roadworks. We had to change the planned route. I started to hyperventilate, where did we go now. Brian was shouting, which way, which way. Follow those lorries I shouted, puffing in and out like I was about to give birth. Up and around a bend we caught a sign for a service area and we pulled in. Brian opened the door and I felt I could fall to the floor, I could not take any more of the decisions about which way, our experiences with bridges, wrong routes and narrow french roads has totally shattered my nerves. I stood on the step, my legs quivering and tears in my eyes. I just want to get back to England I cried, I felt as weak as a kitten. We phoned Andrew to tell him we had missed the meeting point and by some strange fluke he was parked on the opposite side of the road and pulled up next to us within a few minutes. We managed to find a way to get money, Western Union, Andrew kindly drove me into Lyon. Although very pretty the Christmas decorations would have presented a real hazard to us and the tram lines over the streets would have us caught up like a spider in a web. Andrew typed in the quickest route back to our bus and we were stuck for hours in the Lyon rush hour. It gave me time to look around the sights of Lyon, it’s very cosmopolitan and twinkles away with all the decorations for Christmas. It took us about one and a half hours to get back. It was too late to move to somewhere more suitable so we had to stay in the service area for the night. The lorries parked around us and we were like a wafer thin piece of ham in between two big chunks of bread, blocked in at the back and the front. It was quite intimidating, we usually pick a better place to park. The temperatures were dropping and Brian decided to start the bus every two hours to keep the engine warm
Monday 17th December 2007 Sunday 16th December 2007 We spent a cold and miserable day trying our best to keep warm. The kids are in trying to keep in good spirits, they are looking forward to Christmas. We are making decorations and trying to pass the time. It was a sad day as we pulled out of Palavas les Flots, we needed to get water and find somewhere suitable to park. We had decided to go back onto the Aires. We had been trying to find a bank before we finally left Palavas les flots because we now didn't have our cards to use cashpoints we were totally reliant on having cash available to pay for everything, it seemed there wasn't a bank in the town. We checked out the possibility of going into Montpellier but there wasn't a good route for us. We don’t want to drive the bus into these little towns to find a bank as it creates too much of a problem. We are in a predicament I don’t know what to do for the best. Thursday 13th December 2007 We awoke to the sun blazing through the window, the vicious wind from the previous night had dropped and I peered out. All around were flamingos feeding in a lagoon, some taking off right in front of us. It was a truly fantastic sight. We were parked as close as you could get without actually being in the water. Alex and I went to find bread and milk. Next to us was a lovely park, beautifully landscaped with lakes, area’s for boules, football, tennis. A huge complex for sport. We wandered through and found ourselves walking next to a little inland waterway, the fishermen were pulling in their nets, full of whitebait and shrimps. Gulls and Egrets were swooping into the water, there were hundreds and their noise was almost deafening. We walked into the little town and found ourselves walking down the street we had driven down the day before, it’s amazing that we managed to get the bus down it at all. We got a few supplies and headed back to the bus. We had to find somewhere to park up, the place we were in was totally unsuitable but it was no point moving until we found somewhere, we couldn’t have a repeat of yesterday. Alex and I walked to the motorhome park, it was perfect, only one problem there was a bridge and we couldn’t get under it. We walked for about five miles in total, there was no where to stay. Brian has to stay behind on the bus as our doors won't shut properly after the break in so we can't leave the bus un-attended. This area was very residential and just a small strip of land surrounded by the lakes. We couldn’t stay here. The time was getting on so we decided to stay one more night and move on in the morning. We spoke to several people and there was no where in the arsea we would have to move on. Sam has broken out in a terrible rash all over his body, it' like big red blotches, I think it's because of his anxiety. Wednesday 12th December 2007 It was the day we had been waiting for. We all needed our spirits lifting. We were just about ready to leave when we had a visitor. Nuno from Portugal. His lorry was parked up close to the bus. We had a good chat about the bus, life in Spain and Portugal and the time passed. We pulled away in anticipation of what lay ahead. We followed the signs for Palavas les Flots. We had looked at the maps and it looked like we had a good plan, all the right elements. We drove over a small inland waterway and everywhere you looked their were flamingos feeding. Egrets were flying over the rushes and it really was like paradise. Alex was in his absolute element. All we need to do now was find somewhere to stay. We followed the signs into the town. It was a tree lined avenue that lead down to the beach. There was a small car park right in the harbour. The boys ran straight out and played on the beach. It was lunchtime and the shops were closed for siesta. We had gone through a barrier that would normally been shut and the parking limit was 2 metre's. We therefore had to move and headed off into the unknown. Within a few minutes we were in a small tree lined avenue, not quite single file but two very small roads. At the bottom was a roundabout. Cars were parked all round the edges and each exit had a NO HGV, Coaches or no entry sign. We had one choice so we took it. Off we headed over a bridge and a man pulled up in front of us to prevent us from going any further. We were heading into a camp site but it was closed and their was a barrier. We had to turn round, not an easy task and a whole factory of fish packers came out to view the spectacle. We turned round and headed off back down the same road. We were back on the round about again, No exit for HGV’s, No coaches, where to go, I sort of calculated that technically we were not a HGV so off we went. We found ourselves in the centre of the town in a narrow little strip of a street suitable for a moped, not a double decker bus. People came out of shops to take photo’s. I had bought postcards earlier in the day showing streets in the town, now we were driving down one of those very streets. By god it was tight, the kids were shouting you hit the curb. At the end, no entry signs’ all over the place we had to carry on the only way we could, the road certainly wasn’t built for us. We found ourselves back on the roundabout again. It was like a dead end. Back round the roundabout, which way now. I plumped for back to the fish packing factory, there was another roundabout up ahead with an exit with a 7.5tonne weight limit. Go down there I screamed. Finally, we were out of the town and back on the main road. We pulled up for a breather. We couldn’t park on the side of the road, we decided to follow the larger vehicles. Ahead was a garage so we pulled in fuel for the generator and asked about parking. We were apparently right next to a motorhome park. We breathed a sign of relief. At last we had found somewhere. We need to turn round. Is it clear Brian shouted and a car whizzed past lights flashing on top, it’s OK I called and off we set. Hurtling round the corner came a lorry, far behind it’s escort car we were in the middle of a convey. We had no choice but carry on we couldn’t stop and get off the road. Finally we came to a roundabout and went round twice to get out of the convoy vehicles. We headed off back the way we came. Now it was dark, we had no place to park and the kids were all miserable, they had wanted to be on the beach. Tomorrow we promised and they seemed happy with that. We only knew one place to park so we headed off back it was pitch black, we had no water but had stocks of food so we stopped and put on the dinner. Everyone was unhappy about where we were because it was isolated and dark. We had an unsettled night, Sam woke up screaming in the night thinking we were going to get broken into again. How can you re-assure them that it won’t happen, all you can do is your best. The weather is getting warmer but we are keen to get to the coast now. Although this terrible thing has happened to us we are trying to remain positive for the future. We thought we might make good progress today. We stopped at an Aires for showers and everyone felt refreshed. A driver in the lorry in front came onto the bus and bought a bag full of oranges. They were a welcome relief. Its been so long since we had fresh fruit or vegetables that I was worried we might all get scurvy. We pulled into the services for fuel and realised that the budget buy clock we had bought was losing time and it was actually an hour and a half later than we thought it was. We didn’t want to get to the coast and be looking round in the dark for somewhere to park so we parked up for the night. The area was nice, it was warm and the trees were all Mediterranean. There was a little park for the boys to play. We put the internet on , at least we have one laptop left, we caught up with a few jobs. Everyone was disappointed that we hadn’t got to the coast but sometimes it is not always possible to keep to the plan. In the evening a couple of drivers from the lorry parked next door came to look at the bus and bought us more oranges. Our communication with the outside world has virtually ground to a halt, we can’t update the website as everything is gone. We have to keep a stiff upper lip for the sake of the kids. We were woken about 3.30am, there was lots of noise and a commotion outside the bus. The police were outside, shouting and shining their tourches in the window. Brian was disorientated and didn’t know what was going on, he could just hear shouting. The doors to the bus were jammed open with a petrol can forced in between to keep the doors apart. Brian started the bus to open the doors as they were jammed. The police boarded the bus and kept saying computers. We didn’t have any idea what they were talking about and we started looking around the bus. We discovered that we had been broken into. Somehow they had forced the doors apart and whilst Brian was still asleep came in and out of the bus taking our things. Why Brian didn’t wake up we don’t know, but they managed to get away with our laptops, camera, mobile phone, money, coats and other bits and pieces. They rifled through the cupboards to find the cables for the computers. Brian was in a deep, deep sleep he didn’t hear a thing. He said when he woke up it was like he was at the bottom of a deep pool trying to swim to the top, it took a long time to come round and he was very disorientated. It is possible that he was gassed. This happens apparently to lorry drivers and motorhome owners so we have found out. The kids were obviously very upset. Their laptop had been taken, their school work was on it and all their photo’s. On my laptop was all the info for the website, the codes, all the photo’s, lots of things that were really irreplaceable. I had just done a download of the camera and it was all gone. I went with the police to do a statement, it was a bit drawn out as my French is non existent and the French police spoke only broken English. They were however very kind and got me lots of water, I kept feeling thirsty and shaky. I felt upset and tearful. The police informed me that the driver in the lorry next to us had telephone the police. He had seen three men, two on guard, one inside. They had forced the doors and proceeded to pass things through the gap in the door until they presumably had accomplished their deed. They ran off on foot across the lorry park. At first light we moved the bus to another part of the lorry park, more exposed but in full view. We were all shell shocked. We hadn’t realised there as a huge children’s play area not far from where we were parked. An area where the boys could ride their BMX’s, a rock climbing wall, swings etc. They had a good time, it helped them for a moment to forget the events earlier in the day they were feeling as distraught as everyone else.
Sunday 9th December 2007 It started off raining but after a few hours the sun came out and it was warm and sunny. Brian tried to get our satellite TV working as it needed re-aligning so the dish went up and then down, up and down but we still couldn’t get it into a position that would work. Back to DVD’s again
It was a damp start but then around 12 O’clock the sun came out and we headed off again. We planned to stop at an aires to deal with the loo, once that was done we all felt a bit better, our facilities were restored. The road stretched out before us and all you could see for miles was flat land, not a hill in sight, no trees, just ploughed fields.. After an hour or so the landscape started to change, forests started to come into sight and it was quite hilly. After a short while the forests cleared to reveal hundreds of vines clinging to the side of the hill it was quite amazing the difference in the scenery in just a few miles. We pulled into a service area that was very nicely set out with little wooded areas dividing off the car parking. We are close to water, can pick up fuel for the generator, everything we need so we bedded in for the night. Sunday 2nd December 2007 - Reims We all woke up refreshed. It is a bit noisy with lorries running their engines for what seems like hours at a time. After breakfast we caught up on a few jobs. Our loo is full and we are unable to empty it at the moment so we are using the facilities at the services. Amy and I used the shower at the services as we are running low on water in our tank, it was not the most luxuries but we are clean. It has been a miserable day with drizzly rain, there’s not much to do here and the boys can’t play out because it’s muddy. We met a driver from Southend, Graham, who joined us for a cup of tea and a chat. He was just heading ack down to Milan and wished us well. We had the windows open to try and air the top of the bus out a bit and a small blue tit got in, trying to catch it was quite a job, all three kids wanted to help. After a few frantic minutes Alex had it, then there was a scuffle, loud commotion , and then.a thud, the bird had fallen from Alex’s hand and was laying on it’s back with it’s feet in the air. Alex was shouting “you’ve killed it” and cradled it in his hand. He took it out side, within a second the fresh air hit it, it flipped over and flew away. Close shave for the blue tit. |
A lovely gift from our visitor