Inspired!

To know that we have inspired others is a wonderful feeling, so thankyou to those of you who have thought through the whole process, weighed up all the options, taken flak from family and friends and gone for it!

I heard today from Mark and Cheryl, another couple just 11 days into full timing! Seems that more and more people and seriously thinking about it and then doing something about it!

I also heard from Christine yesterday who says shes been inspired by what we are doing, and do we have any tips for them with two young kids.

Well, my obvious thoughts are get a big van with the right layout and a big awning, the rest is just down to organisation and having the right mindset.

I was reading a forum post the other day (yes, one I havent been banned from) and it was from a couple with young kids, quite a few negative comments, and dont do its, coming from so called experienced caravanners and the like!

Whats wrong with it, will the kids dissolve if they get wet? Will limbs fall of if they get cold whilst enjoying the fresh air, will they grow up respecting and understanding the countryside with the changing of the seasons. Or would you rather they were wrapped up in cotton wool, left to vegetate infront of a tv or x-box?

If I had young kids, this is exactly the sort of life I would want them to have, right now I could be sat with them watching tadpoles in a pond, or whats left of it as the lack of rain is drying it out rapidly! or out walking in the forest looking at the ponies.

As Ive said before, anything, and I do mean anything is possible if you put some thought into it. Before we started this lark, we had only owned a caravan for a year and the longest time we had ever spent in it was 4 nights!

We are not experts, the hose and nozzle story proved that point clearly! But, we are willing to break the boundries of what is the norm, and thats to live in a brick box, shut off from the outside world, where stimultion comes from the tv and watching nature programmes. Hey, try something radical like getting fresh air, and seeing it for yourself! It really is all out there!

So what inspires me? Well, waking to birdsong, looking at the stars with little or no light pollution, freedom to live (within reason) of where I choose. To cook and eat outdoors on a regular basis, it always tastes better that way doesnt it?

To be able not to worry about cash flow, what bills there are, are paid with no problems and that is such a huge relief I can tell you!

Its almost to a stage now where we feel we are on holiday all the time, we come back to our caravan and its relaxing. Ok, we have just had our first experience of undesireables, but thats not bad in 8 months is it? I can put up with that.

Also hearing from others who are doing the same as us, and from those who are still at the "Im not sure about this" stage!

We have been full-timing for over 8 months now, its seems like ages ago we set out. We have learnt so much in that time. With a severe winter well and truely behind us, the question is knowing what we know now, would we of still done it?

Bloody right we would of! Its brilliant, the winter was a challenge, nothing more, we got over every problem that we had, not that we had that many, but, we did it. And if we can do it, so could anyone with a postive attitude.

If you are unsure and want further information from us, please feel free to email us at bakers_cottage@btinternet.com Ask as many daft questions as you like, we really dont mind. One of the reasons why we started this blog in the first place was to help others who were thinking of full-timing. We couldnt find anything much about it at all, hence the blog. So dont feel silly asking questions, thats what we are here for!!

Off to have a glass of vino and start cooking outside, oh yes!

till later........