Happiness is ...

[motacyclist]

It would appear so

Hooray!!!

 

[GrannyJen]

And ...

After all that hassle, and having again gone through all the evaluation process on small motorhome V Camper ... Cali V Conversion..... Cali V Marco Polo..... Conversion v Conversion ....

Having a Cali compared to all other permutations is still a no-brainer. I could not have been where I was today without a less than 2m vehicle, would not have thought of going there without the security of 4WD, would not have done a 240mile round trip in so much comfort in anything else and would not have felt confident in anything else.

Now I am going to finish this glass of wine, make my bed, sit in my swivelled cab seat, possibly have another small glass, and look forward to a comfortable, warm and secure nights sleep.

 

[GrannyJen]

An ill wind ...

Got home tonight after a long day of Cali grinning ...

couldn't be bothered to cook... local pub looked terribly blokey and not the place for a demure, shy single woman ...

So went to the posh place.

"Sorry madam, full" said the prancing huffy pillock who looked at me as though I was something the cat dragged in .. "goodness, low life from the caravan site, definitely not our type of person"...

Went into the rough-looking blokey pub. Hugely pleasant landlady, found me a nice table to sit at, lovely food, wine half-decent, really nice people all said hello, now live music playing, glass of wine on the table, the Lamb cutlets superb,

a nice warm snug cali to go home to...Jen is in her heaven

 

[GrannyJen]

This place is off the planet!

Pub is heaving, band playing, people dancing, no one grumbling, food brilliant and as cheap as chips - (although I had mash) ...

This is what I love about travelling, pull in and find somewhere like this, just superb!

 

[MattBW]

First two weeks in September are always my chosen weeks off, I made the mistake of going two weeks earlier once during half term, awful experience.

 

[GrannyJen]

Happiness is ....

Coming home, cleaning Albert, repacking, and getting ready to go away again

 

[DavidofHook]

Glad to see that you have Albert back Jen. I just hope that he behaves himself.
Interesting trip you are doing.... have you read 'The Sea On Our Left' By Shally Hunt? She walked around the UK coastline with her husband. The direction they walked is obvious. However, they seemed to walk separately, him a long way ahead of her, while she complained, and I cannot remember if they were still a couple by the end of it!

 

[GrannyJen]

Glad to see that you have Albert back Jen. I just hope that he behaves himself.
Interesting trip you are doing.... have you read 'The Sea On Our Left' By Shally Hunt? She walked around the UK coastline with her husband. The direction they walked is obvious. However, they seemed to walk separately, him a long way ahead of her, while she complained, and I cannot remember if they were still a couple by the end of it!

Not a book that I have read.

I know her feeling though ... I walked Lands end - JoG three times and often looked up towards the end of a 25 mile day to see a back yards in front of me...

I often complimented myself on my will power ... that back at times seemed most deserving of something sticking into it

 

[DavidofHook]

Not a book that I have read.

I know her feeling though ... I walked Lands end - JoG three times and often looked up towards the end of a 25 mile day to see a back yards in front of me...

I often complimented myself on my will power ... that back at times seemed most deserving of something sticking into it

Blimey Jen, you're a hero. Once would be enough for me.

 

[GrannyJen]

Blimey Jen, you're a hero. Once would be enough for me.

Yes but when you have a doctor suggesting that in a few years you may never walk again you have to do something. Besides, that doctor was a pompous, patronising bubble of hot air . He needed to be proved wrong.

 

[GrannyJen]

Happiness is being free again....

Parked up in Chinon, walked up to the castle this afternoon where one of England's greatest kings popped his clogs. raised a glass to Eleanor of Aquitaine, thought of Richard coeur de leon who was born in the same castle, planned my wine buying itinerary for tomorrow and now sat in Albert, warm, cosy, waiting for my Lasagne to cook and enjoying a fine chinon red.

A Cali is wonderful,

 

[WelshGas]

Yes but when you have a doctor suggesting that in a few years you may never walk again you have to do something. Besides, that doctor was a pompous, patronising bubble of hot air . He needed to be proved wrong.

That's called " The Psychology of Healing ". It worked didn't it. Used to use the same tactic on some of my patients. Worked frequently. Couldn't care less what they thought of me as long as it did the trick.

 

[GrannyJen]

That's called " The Psychology of Healing ". It worked didn't it. Used to use the same tactic on some of my patients. Worked frequently. Couldn't care less what they thought of me as long as it did the trick.

No it didn't work,

I got referred from my South West Hospital to an eminent bloke in Hammersmith hospital who referred me on to this ass at the Royal Neurological hospital. All he wanted to do was trial a new medicine, write papers and make video's and I was his star actress. Well, I would be, I was always told that I was a first rate drama queen

Years later I got a phone call from some bloke in Denmark who explained he was an eminent doctor in Copenhagen still wanting to use the video of me enacting the worst of my symptoms and was I really still alive?

After explaining to him that I was in training to run a Marathon (sadly not to be) I explained to the eminent Dane that I took my inspiration from an eminent Englishman who despite having only one eye and one arm still managed to kick the wotsit out of the Danish navy at the battle of Copenhagen.

 

[surfer-rich]

Happiness is being free again....

......... waiting for my Lasagne to cook and enjoying a fine chinon red.

A Cali is wonderful,

Just out of interest Jen, how were you cooking lasagne? It normally requires on oven.

 

[GrannyJen]

Just out of interest Jen, how were you cooking lasagne? It normally requires on oven.

I have a quest 800w 9l portable oven and stopping on a campsite, so have 230v electricity.

It's brilliant, very light, normally lives in it's own plastic box in the boot but currently having to live in the passenger seat footwell as the boot is full following my visit to Domaine De La Chevalerie

It bakes garlic bread better than my megabucks electric range cooker at home, crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. My Lasagne from frozen took 45 minutes.

 

[surfer-rich]

I have a quest 800w 9l portable oven and stopping on a campsite, so have 230v electricity.

It's brilliant, very light, normally lives in it's own plastic box in the boot but currently having to live in the passenger seat footwell as the boot is full following my visit to Domaine De La Chevalerie

It bakes garlic bread better than my megabucks electric range cooker at home, crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. My Lasagne from frozen took 45 minutes.

Sounds good, I'll check it out. I love cooking in the van (with a red or 2 of course) but only having a stove does limit the options.

 

[GrannyJen]

Sounds good, I'll check it out. I love cooking in the van (with a red or 2 of course) but only having a stove does limit the options.

You can buy them from Amazon or Ebay, around £23, quite robust for something so light and simplistic,

 

[Skylark2.0]

You can buy them from Amazon or Ebay, around £23, quite robust for something so light and simplistic,

Looks great

 

[GrannyJen]

Having popped into the mega-sized Leclerc at Saumur and picked up some very nice looking lamb cutlets so tonight is garlic bread, lamb, green salad and a small glass of Grand-Mont, Domaine Chevalierie.

currently with my quest mini oven ticking away on the table ... Heating on 1 as it's quite cold, Jen's playlist of "camper classics" playing away in the background .... I am in paradise.

 

[andyhull]

sooo jealous sounds great

 

[GrannyJen]

sooo jealous sounds great

and ...

The nice thing is I am leaving tomorrow to make my way slowly home, but no idea yet where I am going.

My wine-buying done having indulged one of my night jobs I will probably indulge my day job, heading off towards Bayeux, probably popping in to see an interesting bit of old needlework, and then the following day meandering along the D day beaches before finally ending up in Le Touquet Friday night. Where I will stop tomorrow night will be a mystery until tomorrow night

 

[Dottie]

I have a quest 800w 9l portable oven and stopping on a campsite, so have 230v electricity.

How do you justify the space for the oven, as well as a portapottie?!
I'm always on the lookout for ideas and this looks good. Was wondering about a
Halogen oven.
Either way, space is always an issue.

 

[GrannyJen]

How do you justify the space for the oven, as well as a portapottie?!
I'm always on the lookout for ideas and this looks good. Was wondering about a
Halogen oven.
Either way, space is always an issue.

I am often travelling solo so have loads of space unless, like now, I am wine buying so in that case the oven sits in the passenger footwell

Basically I pack the van for what I need. If I'm doing without campsites then the oven stays at home and the little 12v oven gets packed. On this trip I've had electric every day, even on the two aires that I stayed on.

 

[Skylark2.0]

I am often travelling solo so have loads of space unless, like now, I am wine buying so in that case the oven sits in the passenger footwell

Basically I pack the van for what I need. If I'm doing without campsites then the oven stays at home and the little 12v oven gets packed. On this trip I've had electric every day, even on the two aires that I stayed on.

By 'eck, luxury lass!

 

[GrannyJen]

By 'eck, luxury lass!

Indeed...

These craft skills that are lost with lack of use ...

I stood in the middle of the pitch, I had a coil of cable at my feet and a blue round thing in my hand, staring at it with an air of total confusion, my best "damsel in distress" look slowly emerging when a Gallant Frenchman arrived ...

Excuse Moi Madame, C'est une plug pour électricité" ..... and as I stood sheepishly looking at him, with my best "my hero" look ..... so he sprang into action and ever so manfully plugged it in ....

Oh Concorde cordiale......