"GO WITH THE FLOW"

"GO WITH THE FLOW"

I am so excited, I have finally purchased my motorhome, but it was not easy making that final decision.  I spent hours searching the internet and going to various motorhome dealers all over the place, to find the one I wanted. The problem being that I was not really sure what I wanted and there were so many different layouts. Invariably the one that I really liked was about ten grand outside my budget.
But when I went inside this little two birth tribute it just felt right! and I am so happy. I am currently trying to think of a name for her. It has a shower, toilet, sink, gas hob, oven and grill, fridge freezer, microwave central heating, water tanks (they are adding an extra element for me that will heat the water when I am in cold remote places, so that I am not stranded without water) and plenty of storage spaces.
I signed on the dotted line at 'ELITE MOTORHOMES', BANBURY and paid my deposit, but I won't pick it up until the second week of September. That gives them time to do a thorough check of it and get it ready. I am filled with fear and excitement that this is really happening.
So many people ask me what is my plan and when am I going etc. The beauty of what I am doing is that there is no plan and it is very very flexible.
For years I have worked in jobs where I have had to follow rota shifts. I have had to literally beg for days off and time off to go to family weddings, parties etc. Now I am very much my own boss. I can schedule my day any way I feel the need to.
That is what I want to do with this adventure...."Go with the Flow"

But to begin with I am having to put pressure on myself to sort out the logistics.
 I have given notice on my flat. Cancelled bills and insurance polices and taken numerous bags of STUFF to the charity shop. I have also put various bits of furniture up for sale and farmed out some other bits to friends to store for me whilst I am on my travels.
Although I am not moving out for another three weeks someone wanted to buy my beds, so not wanting to miss the opportunity I sold them straight away. This means that I am currently having to sleep on my sofa. I just imagined it was good practice for sleeping in my camper van and to be honest it is quite comfy.
I got in touch with the local council today to see what I had to do about being on the electoral register and when I explained why I was planning to do, she informed me that I would have to register as homeless, which amused me because my family are convinced I am going to end up like 'The Lady in the Van' in the Alan Bennett story.

I also want to know what I need to do about a doctor and dentist when I am on the road. Thankfully when you reach the grand old age of sixty the good old NHS starts being concerned about your well being. So I have had a screening for bowl cancer, and a general health check which included blood pressure, cholesterol weight etc and so far so good. (ok so I do need to lose a bit of weight and keep an eye on my cholesterol ) Which is a nice way to start my retirement.

Today I filled in a form to see if I can claim back my income tax for this year because I will only have worked for six months of the year. Hopefully it will be a healthy rebate, which all goes in the pot.

As I approached my pension age I wondered if I still had any pension owing from when I was a nurse  over thirty years ago, so I checked on the internet and sent off the forms. Happily to discover that I did have a few bob left in my NHS pension. Yesterday I filled in another form to claim that back and that too will add to the pot of money I will have to live off with my tiny BBC Pension. I am not worried about having far less income because I would rather have quality of life and freedom and I will cut my cloth accordingly.

I need to finish this blog now and crack on with sorting out all my STUFF and deciding what I really want to keep and what I want to take to the charity shops. It is quite cathartic at times, reading through old paperwork or looking at old photographs. It is so easy to get distracted and to just lose yourself remembering all the key parts of life that have brought you to this place.

I have one grown up daughter called Sammy and as I pack things up I realise we have had so many adventures together and so many laughs. Thankfully for me she had the adventurous spirit from being very young and was willing to travel to all sorts of places with me and embrace the food and cultures.
We even literally packed a bag one day and jumped in the car to head off and see if we could find the Loch Ness monster! when she was five. We drove all the way up to Scotland. Sadly we did not find it but she did get a little certificate from the museum on the side of the Loch.

And when she went off to university I took a gap year from BBC TV and packed a rucksack and went off around the world on my own for a year. (She met me in Australia and we travelled together for a few weeks) Needless to say she is not surprised that I am heading off yet again, this time in a Motorhome to explore Great Britain.

Like I said it is easy to go off at a tangent and get distracted, I was heading off down memory lane there and that will not get this flat packed and sorted.

If you like what I am doing please follow me on Instagram too
shuvonshuvoff and encourage your friends and family to do the same
shuvonshuvoff.blogspot.com

I am hoping to keep you entertained and will also start vlogging about my adventures when I set off. More about that to follow.



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