BACK TO BASICS IN THE STORMY WEATHER
One of the things I am loving about my travels is that I am reconnecting with old friends and I am having time to think about many of the good times in my life. Forty years ago I was a nurse at Pinderfields hospital in Wakefield. I shared a flat with another nurse called Jayne.
We had such a lovely time and became great friends. I went to her wedding with Scott and became godmother to her daughter Laura. ( but I have to say I was not the best of godmothers) When my relationship with my daughter's father broke up when she was four, Jayne was there to support me over the years. Always helping with Sammy's birthday parties etc. We had not seen each other for twenty five years. Even though we did send Christmas cards regularly and message on Facebook. Life always got in the way. So I was thrilled when she messaged that they were in the Lake District for the weekend and could we meet up.
I was topping the water up in the motorhome with a watering can, back and forth from the water tap, and they spotted me in the distance. I saw them walking towards me and it was like time had stood still.
We just connected like old times. And here was me going through another heartbreak to bore her with!! but she didn't seem to mind and was as supportive as ever. We walked through the woods and along the lakeside to Coniston and had a lovely Sunday lunch and catchup. When we parted company we promise we would not leave it too long this time before we saw each other. I am no longer constrained by a work rota so that makes life so much more flexible.
The next day I packed up the motorhome after spending a week near Lake Coniston and headed off to go back to Lancaster near my sister again. I followed my sat nav instructions, but I have to be honest I passed three little signs, at various intervals along the road, saying 'Road ahead closed'. Somehow in my head I wanted to believe that it would be open when I got to it and I hoped that the signs were not true. I was also loving the drive along the edge of Lake Coniston.
Even when a car driver coming in the opposite direction waved his hands as if to say its is pointless heading that way because the road is closed, I ploughed on. Guess what? I came across a team of road workers resurfacing a section of the road and it was well and truly closed. I sat in the motorhome for about five minutes just looking at the situation ahead of me as if that would somehow change things! Then I got out and walked up the road and luckily I noticed a large gateway and drive that I would be able to turn around in. Remembering my disaster of the last three point turn in the campsite when I cracked the back of the motorhome I was nervous of three point turns!
I drove up and began to do the three point turn, fortunately for me one of the workers came along and guided me so that I was able to make a good job of it and head off back down the road the way I had just come.
As I drove I saw another motorhome doing exactly what I had done, ploughing on in that direction despite the signs saying it is closed. So when we were alongside each other on the narrow stretch of road I motioned for him to open his window and I let them know that a couple of miles up the road it WAS CLOSED for resurfacing, so they would be best to find a good spot to turn around.
My Sat Nav tried to redirect me back around to the same stretch of road. But I plumped for a left turn at a junction and hoped that eventually I would be heading the right way. Thankfully the Sat Nav recalculated and took me over the steep hills across the Lakes in the direction of Kendal. Storm 'Brendan' was gathering momentum and the winds were picking up. Some of the winding roads climbed pretty high and I was fearful that I would be blown away in my motorhome.
I drove through the Lake District in the howling gale force winds with my heart in my mouth especially on some of the steep bits. At one stage I could see in my wing mirror that the section of the motorhome over the driver side was hanging off a bit and really getting caught in the wind. I felt so stressed watching it and it seemed like miles before I could find a safe place to pull up. With the strong winds I had visions of it just flying off altogether and disappearing into the distance. I pulled over and managed to reattach it. I have to get it seen to though because it would have been an expensive disaster if it had ripped off.
I do feel very useless and vulnerable when parts of the Motorhome go wrong. Bits just keep coming off so I have to try and mend them. I have a dish now that I put the nuts and bolts in and then I will take the motorhome to a place and ask them to reattach them. But the motorhome still functions perfectly well without them. The hook on the bathroom door keeps falling of, the little handle on one of the overhead blinds unhooked and I cannot get it back on, one of the blinds on a skylight come detached and it has disappeared inside one of the mechanisms never to be seen again! so I have to open it and pop a T towel in to block out the light on a night time. The latest thing was when I took the toilet cassette out to empty, part of the mechanism fell out. I felt so worried that I was going to be left without a working toilet, which would not have been good. But when I replaced it into the cupboard and checked inside the motorhome the loo still functions perfectly well. So I have hung onto the piece until I find someone who can show me where it should go and what it is for.
When I eventually got to the certified location site near Lancaster it was horrendously windy and the rain was pounding down. I secured the bicycle on the back of the vehicle because I had visions of it blowing away in the strong winds. The location is very basic with no electric hook up. I have two gas cylinders so I have gas heating and I can cook with gas and turn the fridge to run on gas. I settled down inside and lit some candles and enjoyed listening to the trees blowing in the wind and the rain pattering on the roof of the motorhome and I felt so cosy and safe. I felt happy that I am actually doing what I had dreamt of doing and talked about doing for so many years. I need very little in my life to make me happy. I messaged my sister to say I was back in the neighbourhood and she said I could stay at hers if I was worried about the stormy weather. I explained that I was in my element and I loved being back to the simple life and feeling at peace in the candlelight in my motorhome.
I do have a leisure battery that I can use and have lights on all the time and run the fridge but it would only last a few days so I chose to only use it when necessary to make it last longer. And it is just as easy to change the settings to gas. I always have one full gas cylinder and one on the go.
I wrapped up warm and sat beneath a lovely warm blanket and had some soup, and cheese and biscuits. I wrote some of my blog then settled down to read. Something I never seemed to have had enough time to do when I was working. I also felt quite stressed at times when I was working and found it hard to concentrate on a good book. So I am loving the feeling of getting into a good book. My latest book is ,An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones. I can highly recommend it.
The next day the weather was very blustery again so when my sister messaged to see if I fancied going to the cinema in the afternoon to see 'Little Women',I jumped at the chance. I could not remember the last time I had been to the cinema. We plumped for the two o clock showing but beforehand we went to Marks and Spencer's to stock up on sweets because the pick and mix is so expensive at the cinema.
We then headed to the cinema which unsurprisingly on a midweek afternoon was virtually empty. We had nearly finished our sweets before the film started much to our mutual amusement! I can highly recommend the film it was fab.
But the irony was not missed on me when Jo tells Teddy in the film she cannot marry him because "SOMETHING IS MISSING". And it was funny to see my sisters reaction when she realised that it mirrored my recent heartbreak when my boyfriend told me he did not love me because there was just "SOMETHING MISSING", she turned to me and chuckled awkwardly.
Later on back to the Motorhome and I cooked us a delicious dinner of spicy chicken, new potatoes and Liz brought some cheesy cauliflower and broccoli. It was delicious.
I do love having people over for dinner and cannot wait for the warmer weather and bright nights to have a lot more sociable times.
We had such a lovely time and became great friends. I went to her wedding with Scott and became godmother to her daughter Laura. ( but I have to say I was not the best of godmothers) When my relationship with my daughter's father broke up when she was four, Jayne was there to support me over the years. Always helping with Sammy's birthday parties etc. We had not seen each other for twenty five years. Even though we did send Christmas cards regularly and message on Facebook. Life always got in the way. So I was thrilled when she messaged that they were in the Lake District for the weekend and could we meet up.
I was topping the water up in the motorhome with a watering can, back and forth from the water tap, and they spotted me in the distance. I saw them walking towards me and it was like time had stood still.
We just connected like old times. And here was me going through another heartbreak to bore her with!! but she didn't seem to mind and was as supportive as ever. We walked through the woods and along the lakeside to Coniston and had a lovely Sunday lunch and catchup. When we parted company we promise we would not leave it too long this time before we saw each other. I am no longer constrained by a work rota so that makes life so much more flexible.
The next day I packed up the motorhome after spending a week near Lake Coniston and headed off to go back to Lancaster near my sister again. I followed my sat nav instructions, but I have to be honest I passed three little signs, at various intervals along the road, saying 'Road ahead closed'. Somehow in my head I wanted to believe that it would be open when I got to it and I hoped that the signs were not true. I was also loving the drive along the edge of Lake Coniston.
Even when a car driver coming in the opposite direction waved his hands as if to say its is pointless heading that way because the road is closed, I ploughed on. Guess what? I came across a team of road workers resurfacing a section of the road and it was well and truly closed. I sat in the motorhome for about five minutes just looking at the situation ahead of me as if that would somehow change things! Then I got out and walked up the road and luckily I noticed a large gateway and drive that I would be able to turn around in. Remembering my disaster of the last three point turn in the campsite when I cracked the back of the motorhome I was nervous of three point turns!
I drove up and began to do the three point turn, fortunately for me one of the workers came along and guided me so that I was able to make a good job of it and head off back down the road the way I had just come.
As I drove I saw another motorhome doing exactly what I had done, ploughing on in that direction despite the signs saying it is closed. So when we were alongside each other on the narrow stretch of road I motioned for him to open his window and I let them know that a couple of miles up the road it WAS CLOSED for resurfacing, so they would be best to find a good spot to turn around.
My Sat Nav tried to redirect me back around to the same stretch of road. But I plumped for a left turn at a junction and hoped that eventually I would be heading the right way. Thankfully the Sat Nav recalculated and took me over the steep hills across the Lakes in the direction of Kendal. Storm 'Brendan' was gathering momentum and the winds were picking up. Some of the winding roads climbed pretty high and I was fearful that I would be blown away in my motorhome.
I drove through the Lake District in the howling gale force winds with my heart in my mouth especially on some of the steep bits. At one stage I could see in my wing mirror that the section of the motorhome over the driver side was hanging off a bit and really getting caught in the wind. I felt so stressed watching it and it seemed like miles before I could find a safe place to pull up. With the strong winds I had visions of it just flying off altogether and disappearing into the distance. I pulled over and managed to reattach it. I have to get it seen to though because it would have been an expensive disaster if it had ripped off.
I do feel very useless and vulnerable when parts of the Motorhome go wrong. Bits just keep coming off so I have to try and mend them. I have a dish now that I put the nuts and bolts in and then I will take the motorhome to a place and ask them to reattach them. But the motorhome still functions perfectly well without them. The hook on the bathroom door keeps falling of, the little handle on one of the overhead blinds unhooked and I cannot get it back on, one of the blinds on a skylight come detached and it has disappeared inside one of the mechanisms never to be seen again! so I have to open it and pop a T towel in to block out the light on a night time. The latest thing was when I took the toilet cassette out to empty, part of the mechanism fell out. I felt so worried that I was going to be left without a working toilet, which would not have been good. But when I replaced it into the cupboard and checked inside the motorhome the loo still functions perfectly well. So I have hung onto the piece until I find someone who can show me where it should go and what it is for.
When I eventually got to the certified location site near Lancaster it was horrendously windy and the rain was pounding down. I secured the bicycle on the back of the vehicle because I had visions of it blowing away in the strong winds. The location is very basic with no electric hook up. I have two gas cylinders so I have gas heating and I can cook with gas and turn the fridge to run on gas. I settled down inside and lit some candles and enjoyed listening to the trees blowing in the wind and the rain pattering on the roof of the motorhome and I felt so cosy and safe. I felt happy that I am actually doing what I had dreamt of doing and talked about doing for so many years. I need very little in my life to make me happy. I messaged my sister to say I was back in the neighbourhood and she said I could stay at hers if I was worried about the stormy weather. I explained that I was in my element and I loved being back to the simple life and feeling at peace in the candlelight in my motorhome.
I do have a leisure battery that I can use and have lights on all the time and run the fridge but it would only last a few days so I chose to only use it when necessary to make it last longer. And it is just as easy to change the settings to gas. I always have one full gas cylinder and one on the go.
I wrapped up warm and sat beneath a lovely warm blanket and had some soup, and cheese and biscuits. I wrote some of my blog then settled down to read. Something I never seemed to have had enough time to do when I was working. I also felt quite stressed at times when I was working and found it hard to concentrate on a good book. So I am loving the feeling of getting into a good book. My latest book is ,An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones. I can highly recommend it.
The next day the weather was very blustery again so when my sister messaged to see if I fancied going to the cinema in the afternoon to see 'Little Women',I jumped at the chance. I could not remember the last time I had been to the cinema. We plumped for the two o clock showing but beforehand we went to Marks and Spencer's to stock up on sweets because the pick and mix is so expensive at the cinema.
We then headed to the cinema which unsurprisingly on a midweek afternoon was virtually empty. We had nearly finished our sweets before the film started much to our mutual amusement! I can highly recommend the film it was fab.
But the irony was not missed on me when Jo tells Teddy in the film she cannot marry him because "SOMETHING IS MISSING". And it was funny to see my sisters reaction when she realised that it mirrored my recent heartbreak when my boyfriend told me he did not love me because there was just "SOMETHING MISSING", she turned to me and chuckled awkwardly.
Later on back to the Motorhome and I cooked us a delicious dinner of spicy chicken, new potatoes and Liz brought some cheesy cauliflower and broccoli. It was delicious.
I do love having people over for dinner and cannot wait for the warmer weather and bright nights to have a lot more sociable times.
“I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.”
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