Saturday 5 October 2013

Life Is Good

I've now been on the same site for some time which suits me down to the ground.

Only a 10 minute drive to work and being on a 5 acre field with no one but myself it is lovely and quiet.
Sunset from my front door.

Spending too much time at work at present which is taking it's toll, so easing off for a couple of weeks and as I write I am currently resting in Cornwall with some fabulous company!

Life is full of twists and turns, and so a new chapter of my life begins and it's all looking rather rosey!

Till later........


Monday 26 August 2013

Sunny Bank Holiday Monday

Well after a few beers last night I woke a little groggy!

Thankyou to the Wychwood Brewery makers of Hobgoblin for a fine ale.


An unusual day for me as I find myself not working! So not wanting to waste it took a stroll out along Hurst Spit to watch the boats go by.

I was down there a couple of hours with my flask and packed lunch (how sensible) and just watched life pass on by.

It certainly is a busy shipping channel! 


This was one of the prettiest yachts to sail by.

It's only a narrow stretch of water, thats the Isle of Wight in the back ground! The current is wicked!

Ended up talking to someone who was in a similar situation as myself! It was a bit weird talking to a stranger but we both said it had helped! I wasn't the only one seeking solace at the spit. Funny world we live in!

Well tea time of steak and kidney pie and an early night a busy week ahead!

Till later........

Sunday 25 August 2013

Restocking The Caravan

My first full week in the caravan and no major disasters!

I've landed on my feet regarding the site. The guy who looks after the site not only do I work with his brother but he used to drive buses Himself. So am being made to feel very welcome.

Small world!

Life continues and this week has all been about discovering things.

I discovered that I can leave my socks on the floor and world panic does not errupt. I didn't have a cheese grater or a plastic jug!

So with those revelations I will leave you - enjoy the remainder of the holiday weekend.

Till later.....


Thursday 22 August 2013

And Life Goes On

It's been a week since I found myself back in the caravan.

Having had time to reflect on things I find that my emotions amd thoughts have completely changed.

It's funny, I didn't actually realise how bad things were until I was out of the situation.

I'm sleeping better,  eating better and generally feeling a whole heap better.

I've got things to look forward to, a great set of friends supporting me and I'm living cheaply!

So I'm not wallowing in self pity, life is to short - watch out world I'm back!

Till later.....

Sunday 18 August 2013

The Price Of Mince

Shopping for one is as I found out yesterday absolutely no fun.

I had decided to cook myself a chilli. Looking at the smallest packet of mince - £3.99 holy cow thats expensive. We use to buy a pack and either make a massive dish and freeze it or divide the mince and freeze that.

In my new single status this didn't seem a good idea. So I had a thought - buy four prime beef burgers at £2.50 and mush them up.

This is what I did and the chilli turned out perfect! So if yr fed up with high prices of mince - follow my lead!

Now sat here sweating due to the amount of fresh chillis added washed down with a bottle of "Barefoot" Califonian white zinfandel  there is only one thing missing.

"M"

Till later.......

P.S. Many thanks for all your comments especially Eunice, Rob and Jenny. Miles away but closer due to the power of the blog!

We Have The Power!

It's been a couple of days since I moved in to the caravan and I'm slowly settling in.

Several problems I discovered.  No power (240v) I had 12v via a discharged battery and could see juice on the meter in the van.

It's taken till this morning to have the inclination to do anything about it.

So after a bit of head scratching and consultation with my Dad I came to the conclusion it was the 240v isolator at fault.

A quick trip to screwfix and £9.80 later I came back fitted it and the old saying of "Let there be light" became reality.

The 12v battery is now fully charged, but the one other problem I have to contend with is the water pump!

I think it's finally time to get a new one fitted.

Thankfully one of the lads at work is an ex plumber so will see if he can source one cheap.

So the rest of the day is being spent cleaning the van out as it is minging, then I'm going to cook a chilli con carne - extra chillis!

As I now have power I can recharge my phone and play music. I also have great internet access as well.

I realised I haven't eaten properly so thought it about time I started looking after myself. No one else is going to so best I get on with it.

Here is the view fm my window at the moment, the site owner is layed back about how long I stay which is also a huge relief!


I had also fforgotten how much the caravan moves around in a storm, last night was very windy!

Well best crack on till later........

Thursday 15 August 2013

A Path Well Trodden

So here I am, back in the caravan!

With it being the height of the tourist season here on the South Coast I thought it may be difficult trying to find a site to stay on.

Luck for once was on my side. As you can see its packed out!


A small site with no facilities, 10 mins drive to work, the beach or the forest and all for £12 a night including hookup!

I know where I would rather be but as that is not possible then this is home for the next 7 days at least.

Today has been spent packing and unpacking, not an enjoyable experience.  So this evening it was fishcake and chips and a look at the sea.


This is at Barton, the first picture looks out towards the Isle of Wight. The second towads Bournemouth. 

So of all the places to be single I guess I'm pretty lucky!

Till later. .....

At A Crossroads

It's funny how life can change. Here I am at a point in my life where I should be settled down with my family around me and enjoying life!

However, life is never simple. Not for me it seems.

So here I am at a crossroads. Wondering which way to go.

I want to believe that there is always hope, yet having been down this road before I can see the direction that I really do not want to take clearly stretching out in front of me.

Today I find myself packing my belongings, I own little when it comes down to it, so travelling light!

Could I have done more to stop this from happening? Of course I could. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

I still hold out a glimmer of hope, but it is the faintest of lights shining out across a turbulent sea, and at the moment I am in a deep trough of a wave, the light completely extinguished.

So a busy day ahead of me, lets hope that having the caravan laid up for a year that everything works as it should.

Will be certainly finding out later!

Thursday 18 July 2013

Another Year Passes Me By

I find myself in the very unusual position of not only having a day off, infact two days off consecutively, but I'm also off on my birthday!

Generally I do not celebrate my own birthday, probably due to the fact that as a kid my birthday fell during the summer holidays, so was never able to invite anyone so ended up not having parties.

This kept going into adulthood where they would pass by unnoticed as the years rolled on.

Milestone birthdays came and went with no fanfares, the last one being my 40th where I took myself off to West Bay and had fish and chips. I hadn't met "M" then so I was keeping myself company.

This year is no different, a quiet night in, tuna steaks on the menu with a couple of beers. The sun is shining and it looks like it will be another warm day and evening. A perfect evening with "M".

We are off to Ireland in a weeks time to celebrate "M"s brother's 50th birthday. Lots of family travelling over from the mainland and he is holding it in a pub, so no doubt it will be packed with friends! Really looking forward to it.

I don't have a problem with other peoples birthdays, just mine!

I guess because I do not celebrate my own birthday, I have serious problems remembering others, parents and sisters, nephews, nieces and friends often get forgotten, ok, I lie, always forgotten!. Not intentionally, they just do not play a part of my way of thinking.

Over the years, have I got any wiser? Probably not.  I've become more cynical and far less trusting which is not a good trait to have. However I worry less than I use to.

Maybe I will surprise everyone one year and hold a big party! Or maybe not..........

Till later...............

Monday 1 July 2013

Getting Ready For Ireland

Over the last few weeks we have been totally undecided if we were going to buy a roof tent for the Pajero or just buy a traditional tent for our two weeks in Ireland.

There are pro's and con's to both, but finally we have come to a decision.

We chose a tent. Why? Well there are a number of reasons:

Firstly through the month of June I only managed to accumulate a total of 3 days off out of the entire month, and I don't think that July will be too much different. So by the time of our holiday, I will be well and truly knackered!

So we have changed the idea of our holiday from being a constant tour to staying put for a two to three days then move on again. I need some downtime to recharge the batteries.

A traditional tent would be perfect for this, as with a roof tent if we wanted to take a drive to the shops we would have to pack everything up and that equals hassle!

It almost feels like we have come full circle, tent, caravan and then back to tent again!

The tent we finally decided on and bought was a Higear Gobi 4, since buying it we have decided to go back and buy the extended awning for it.
It's spacious with a good sized sleeping compartment, the front area with three entry points, and the ground sheet is completely attached. You can also stand up in all areas of the tent.

So even if it is lashing it down outside, we can still sit inside if need be.

When we got home we went out to the camp site field and put it up. It took us 50 minutes to suss out how to do it all, which wasn't bad for a new tent. Realistically, now we know what we are doing and how it all assembles I reckon that will be 20 minutes.

Bugging out took less than 30 mins and we got it all back in the bag!

We also bought a couple of camp beds. I've had some bad experiences with blow up beds, (don't ask) and "M" wasnt keen on the idea of being catapulted out each time I turned over.

Whilst we were wandering around Go Outdoors we came across a rather nifty looking item.

When we have been away in the Pajero we use for cooking a single gas stove like the one below.

It has been absolutely spot on and lasted me for 13 years! On our last trip a foot managed to come off and so it developed a bit of a wobble, so we decided to buy a new one. As they were only a tenner it seemed daft not to.

But what caught our eye was a griddle which sits directly on top of the stove like the one below.

As we were not taking the cadac with us, this seemed like a good idea and once more at less than £7.00 what could possibly go wrong!

I must say after trying it out, it is an amazing bit of kit, if you have one of these types of stoves you must get one. The fat drips into the base tray and the food cooks wonderfully!

The only down side to these types of stove is that it uses butane, and at low temps they simply do not work.

For my trip in April I am hoping to buy a multi fuel stove so I can run on unleaded. I have this horrid feeling that come April on the North coast of Scotland I may well still be camping in the snow! Certainly April this year they still had plenty of the white stuff still around!

We also bought some sleeping bag liners. Our sleeping bags are 3 season and although they were not terribly expensive they are bloody good! Infact too good, so with the warm weather (fingers crossed) unzip the sleeping bag and you still have a cotton cover over you.

In the Army we had liners, but I don't think I ever knew anyone who ever used one!? Not much good when you're in sh*t state and you get in still with your boots on!

We are both looking forward to our trip, the ferry is booked. We are going from Fishguard to Rosslare, from there we haven't decided yet!

The only dates we have to keep is the weekend of the 3/4/5 August as it's "M"s brothers 50th birthday weekend. It should be a good one!

Also hoping to catch up with my old mate Paddy Breadbin who is returning from France with his all singing and dancing motorhome that same weekend. It could all get a tad messy!

Till later...............

Sunday 9 June 2013

Lands End To John O'Groats Challenge!

I think I'm having a midlife crisis!

We have just bought a sports car, and now I'm looking at doing something a bit mad by going from Lands End to John O'Groats.

I say Lands End to John O'Groats but actually once I get up the top end I'll be heading along the Scottish Northern coast to Durness. Then South to Margate/Dover along the Southern coast of England and back down to Lands End - approx 2600 miles!

A corner to corner challenge! Just going one way would be normal and logical, but everyone does that!

So how do I intend to do this journey?

Well, as I'm not an athlete, (no shit)! walking, running or riding a push bike is out of the question. 

So what would suit an over weight middle aged bloke?

Maybe take the MX5 or even the Pajero with the roof tent (which we still haven't found yet)!

No, it needs to be sensible, rugged, comfortable and reliable. I know a Honda C90 Moped! (or similar).

So that is the plan, ok, not much of a plan but it's as good as it's going to get at this stage.

The date will be April 2014. I've two weeks leave in which to complete the task I've set myself.

I've already planned a route, which may or may not change, and I've been putting together a wishlist on Amazon for the equipment needed.

But first I have to find a motorbike, then I have to complete my CBT training, which is basically a test to ensure that I know my left from right and can read a road sign. Along with other necessary life saving techniques such as checking blind spots etc.

Why a Honda C90 (or similar), well it's the simplicity of them that appeals to me. Also the fact that so many were made that parts are in abundance, they are ultra reliable and are more than capable of carrying my svelte like body up North and back again!

In my quest to find a bike I came across these folk at Riders Motorcycles. They are not a million miles away and they import a Chinese copy of the famous Honda C90. Their version is a 110cc so a tad more powerful and it's cheap!




Follow the link HERE to see the spec of the bike for those who wish to know these types of things!

The only snag with these brand new bikes is that it comes in a crate and you have to assemble it yourself!

Well for £795 what could possibly go wrong!

So bike found, route sorted (ish) just need a few other bits and pieces and off I go!

Actually the planning has taken a bit of time so far as there is a lot of things to consider when riding a bike and staying away from home for two weeks.

Just thinking about what I need to ride the bike is a hurdle, seeing as I have only ever ridden a moped once which was in Spain with my old Army mate Paddy Breadbin. But that doesn't count as I was pissed at the time, and our safety attire then consisted of flip flops, and sun lotion!

So far I have a pair of gel pants and a lot of determination!

I will be setting up a separate blog for this escapade, along with a way of donating money to my chosen charity which rather predictably will be "Help For Heroes"

You can visit my new blog for this escaped here - http://fatblokestravels.blogspot.co.uk/

If you so wish, which would be rather nice of you, please make a donation however small via my justgiving page at http://www.justgiving.com/Julian-Mauro

So off now to look at one man tents, multi fuel stoves and crash helmets!

Till later......................

Thursday 6 June 2013

Simply Camping And Camping Simply

Camping comes in all sorts of different varieties, from Static Homes to living rough finding shelter where one can.

I personally have done all of it and more or less everything in between.

During my time in the services we managed to survive in some fairly inhospitable places. 

Myself and my good friend Mark were two of the few who survived several nights out on the Northumberland moors of Otterburn whilst the elements tried to kill us off! With only a sleeping bag and poncho to fend off the driving freezing wind and rain.

A good number of them had to be evacuated out after going down with hyperthermia. We were found the next day brewing up and getting on with it as others were carted off.

I once had to dig myself out of a tent whilst in Germany as 4ft of snow had fallen over night. I was buried as it had drifted completely over my tent!

So camping is not new to me at all.

However the luxury of a 4 berth caravan with island bed, shower, loo and full facilities on board with a massive awning is something else.

But, is that really camping?

I've got to honestly say no, it's not. We have now wild camped in the Pajero on a good few occasions. No plans or agendas, just following a road to see where it leads to.

Then when it's time to pitch up for the night we look for a suitable spot where we are likely to be undisturbed, cook and brew up, then bed down for the night.

Making sure we leave zero footprint when we leave in the morning.

The urge to travel seems to be getting to me, probably inspired by my old mate Will Geordie English who I was also in the Army with.

He has taken a scooter to Africa, and has ridden around the world on another bike!

He has just gone over to America to travel from Florida to Alaska and then I think the rough plan is to head to Mexico! You can see his blog here!

Another guy  Ed Marsh who I came across recently has taken a Honda C90 Cub around the world! Also in another trip up to the Arctic Circle! This is one crazy guy, and if you watch his video's on youtube is a funny bloke. You can see him here!

Anyway time to go as I've just caught myself looking at C90's on ebay! Cheap and fun or what?

Till later...................

Wednesday 29 May 2013

Caravan Motorhome and Camping Washing Machine Review

Washing clothes whilst living in a caravan full time can be easily sorted by doing one of three things.

Buying a low wattage camping washing machine, using a laundrette or a combination of the two or not washing your clothes and smelling like a pikey!

So we decided early on in our adventure to buy a small twin tub washing machine. Just to do the essentials and also to cut down the time spent in the laundrette.

The one we chose was small and cheap, it was the OneConcept DB003 Mini Camping Washing Machine (2kg Max Load, 120W Spin Cycle & Quiet operation) - White


It has two wash cycles and a spinner which works amazingly well for such a small machine. To give you an idea of what it is capable of washing, 3 to 4 shirts at a time is about it's maximum coping load.

The manufacturers guide is a max of 2kg and runs at 120w.

We used it all the time we were full timing and it worked a treat.

Filling it up was a pain at times, but being small it took a couple of large pans of boiling water, topped up with water from our spare aqua roll, a fill up to rinse and Bob's your uncle.

Draining was simple, just let it drain away in the grass!

When we moved into our static last July, it had no washing machine, so we carried on using this combined with trips to the laundrette.

Sadly a few weeks ago it finally gave up the ghost and the spin motor stopped working correctly.

This little machine which is intended for occasional use, took some right abuse from us and lasted being continually used for over 2 years.

As we are not sure how long we will be here in our static, we decided against buying a normal machine, simply due to space - there isn't any!

We took a look through Amazon and ended up with a better load capacity twin tub machine.

It's bigger but just as light, "M" has not problems in moving it about when I'm not around.

It is a  OneConcept DB003 Mini Camping Washing Machine (5.8kg Max Load, 160W Spin Cycle & Quiet operation) - White (I know they call them the same name strangely)! with a max load of 5.8kg and running at 160w.

It works really well and just as good as the last one with an excellent spinner and an obviously greater load capacity.


Both are light, portable and easy to use. To be honest we would not of wanted to full time without one.

The cost of using a laundrette can be extortionate, so buying one of these really does make financial sense.

OK, it takes time to do the washing, but armed with a book and a beer it can become an enjoyable pastime! Just got to be positive about these things!

Till later.......... 

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Planning Our Trip To Ireland

The last week of July and the first week of August will see us heading over to the Emerald Isle.

It's "M"s brothers 50th birthday who lives way over on the East of the island. He moved over a number of years ago and has carved out a successful life.

So we aim to travel over on the Sunday, spend the week travelling around, with him for the weekend, then if we can try and make it North to meet up with an old Army mate of mine who has caught the motorhome bug!

We will be taking the Pajero, and camping light.

I must say that I sleep like a log in the Pajero, in fact better than when I am at home, but "M" does suffer, probably due to the fact that I'm big and she is little and there is limited space in the back of the Paj which I generally take up!

So with that in mind and the fact that we have spent a bit of time camping in the Pajero and enjoy the freedom it gives us to roam we came to the conclusion that a roof tent maybe just the trick!

Why not just an ordinary tent? Well, a roof tent is quicker, simpler and no matter if the ground is uneven, rocky, knee deep in water, a ploughed field or a tarmac drive we would be able to pitch in a couple of minutes!

They are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but I think it is worth the investment.

So now the hunt is on for roof bars, and a roof tent!

Sourced some, but as always I'm looking for the ultimate deal.

Life here on site goes on, with a steady flow of campers coming and going, at the moment they are getting wet as it's tipping down and I'm enjoying the afternoon off after starting at 0530 hrs and with the day off tomorrow I may just have a few beers and be in my bed for 2100 hrs! Rock n Roll!

Till later...........

Monday 6 May 2013

Cornwall Adventure May 2013

We set off on Wednesday, dropping China dog off in Bournemouth we headed South West in search of more sunshine, friends and beer!

As it was quite late in the day, we aimed for somewhere in Dartmoor to rest our heads.

The Pajero is kitted out for wild camping so all we had to do was find a good spot. Now luckily on our last trip down we earmarked some places which would be suitable for a bit of wild camping.

We didn't take us too long to find a great spot, off the road and with a good view for the morning.



We had just brewed up and the bacon sarnies were on the go!

On arrival I had cooked steak with onions and mushrooms in a baguette - Tasted even better being out in the open.

Next day we headed out of Dartmoor and towards the Cornish coast, no plan in mind, just head for the sea.

We stopped off in Redruth for a resupply and a wander around, not a great deal to see, but these were in the pedestrian part of the town.


Bronze cast dogs, but if you look close they are made from old wellington boots!

From Redruth we headed to the coast at Portreath, then followed the road hugging the sea southwards. The sun was out and it was warm so we decided to see if we could find a small campsite so we could laze around, relax, have a few beers and a shower.

We called into one who wanted £18.00 for the night, a bit steep as that did not include hook up and the place only had a shower and loo so as we were not wanting to pay that we moved on. 

Another place was still closed and had not opened yet! Obviously did not need or want the money.

We then saw an official tourist camping and caravan sign, to our right, followed it down a windy road, and I do mean windy and very narrow. After managing to turn around at the bottom we headed back up the lane. It had gone, completely vanished.

Now if I had been towing our twin axle down there by now I would have had the right hump, fortunately in was just the Pajero, but please if you close your site down, which we later discovered that this had happened. Take the bloody sign down!

Then we discovered a little piece of heaven!

The Trevaylor Caravan and Camping Park just a stones throw North of St Just. The 

Run by a husband and wife team Charlie and Michelle, who made us very welcome indeed. The site has a great layout, and although has approx 70 pitches is segregated by high cornish walls, which are basically stone walls covered in grass to make big banks so makes the site feel much smaller.

There were not many on site, which we were surprised about considering the season had started, but that was better for us as we had the pick of where we wanted to go.

The shower and loo blocks were clean and spacious, complete with a laundry room. There was also an onsite shop and a bar with meals available! Hardstanding is available for those who don't like the feel of grass.

We asked the owner if the bar was open and he said that he would open it if we  wanted to have a beer, so around 1900 we headed for a pint. Lager on draught, bottled cornish beer and some rough cider on tap. 

Had a few pints and slept like a baby!

All in all a great site and well worth a visit, so if you are ever down that way, then book in here.

The details are: Trevaylor Caravan and Camping Park, Botallack, St Just, Penzance TR19 7PU

Tel: 01736 787016
Email: trevaylor@cornishcamping.co.uk
Website: www.cornishcamping.co.uk 

Not only that but talking with the owner he told us of a great walk down by the coast to some old deserted tin mines. The views were amazing. We would never of known about this if we had not of stopped here as it is not signposted anywhere.

(Now this is where I would of inserted some pictures, but as I can't find the lead for the camera, and as waking "M" is a hanging offence I shall leave them for another time!)

Another little touch which we thought was spot on, was a young German lad was back packing the coast on his own. He needed to get the bus the next day, so the owner took him by car to where he could get his bus! Now I'm not saying he could do this at the height of season, but as it was quiet we both said how kind it was to go out of his way to do this. After all he was German!

We left from here after a very leisurely start to the day and headed further down and around the coast.

Now, our main reason for being down this part of the world is that we have good friends Sharon and Thomas who live in Helston. It was her 40th birthday on the Friday and drinks, food and laughter were planned for that evening.

Then on the Saturday we had tickets for the Masked Ball at Porthleven.

Firstly friday, much was drunk and eaten that day and as the day progressed to the evening and the evening into the next morning at around 0330 hrs we thought it might be a good idea to collapse!
Early afternoon Friday

The next day was slow to start but gradually picked up pace as we got our vehicles down to the site, back to the house for more grub, Thanks Toby for cooking the beef it tasted amazing.

For the masked ball we are lucky enough to know a very talented and wonderful lady called Shirley Davis a professional Milliner. She has a massive collection of masks in stock all hand made by herself, mine even had an old pair of my glasses built into my mask!

You can find her on facebook here at STUDIO 12 just click the link to see more, all her contact details are there. If it's fancy dress, costumes, or even wedding hats and veils you're after then you need to speak to Shirley!


"M" in her amazing outfit


My good self, looking like a cheap extra from a dodgy horror flick!

Many people made a real effort to dress up, and it was an amazing spectacle, which we both said we were glad to of seen. Not sure if we would do it again, due to it being more of a rave, than a festival which is a bit of an assault  on the ears to say the least!

Myself and "M" both said we know now what it is like to become old! On the way into the main entrance point we both spotted a tent saying "Tea and Toast" see, said we were getting old!

Tucked that away in the memory bank, and at around midnight we both decided that this was exactly what was needed.

However, on finding out that the cost of said "Tea and Toast" was £4.00 each, with a quick, you can F**k right off! For that I want Assam tea, brought form China in a silver casket, served by a scantily clad beauty whilst being hand wafted by giant palms, my tea served in Royal Doulton with lace doily napkins, silver spoons and my toast well done with dripping butter cut into triangles and hand fed!

As we were in a canvas tent with hay bales to sit on we headed back to the Pajero to brew our own!

Once there we decided that our days of raving were over and retired to the sound of surf hitting the shore, well we would of if it wasn't for the heavy bass line making the ground tremble and the sounds of young and innocent teens throwing up.

Another sign of us being old is that in the morning we were sat out in our chairs looking out to sea with a brew in our hands. Two young girls walked by and said "aahhh bless - so sweet" all we needed was a rug over our knees to keep the chill out to complete the picture!

But I do have to say it was a laugh and an experience which young or old should be had!

Sunday, with no clear plan we headed back to Sharon and Tom's house, mooched around and caught up with everyone else and around lunch time we headed back North.

Our original plan was to head back to Dartmoor and wild camp for a final night, but as we drove on it became fairly obvious that what was needed was our own beds.

So after a full on couple of days we drove back home, happy, tired and with some great memories!

Till later.....................

Monday 29 April 2013

Army Vs Navy Rugby 2013




I've just returned from the annual Army versus Navy rugby match held at Twickenham.

To say that I am not feeling on top of the world is an understatement!

I went straight up on Friday evening where I met up with an old friend. The last time we had clapped eyes on each other was nearly 30 years ago.

We grew up in Shaftesbury together and have known each other since the tender age of 13 or 14 and it was me who was responsible for him following in my footsteps and joining the Royal Corps of Signals. He went on to do his full 22 years and gain the rank of WO2 and Squadron Sergeant Major.

As you can imagine we had a bit of catching up to do!

That took care of friday night, Saturday morning started as we meant to carry on with a pint for breakfast. It was mostly down hill from here on in!

Photo: Start as we mean to go on! Army v Navy

We had stayed in Slough and we decided to get a taxi into Twickenham rather than take the train. We agreed a price with the driver which was just as well as he then managed to get lost several times! The M25 and A30 (both directions) plus Terminal 4 Heathrow were all visited before we managed to get near and vacate the taxi at "The Winning Post"  pub.

A few more beers were consumed before we made it to the stadium.

Finally meeting up with my old mate Mark, which was just as well as he had my ticket we made it in with minutes to spare!

More beer and trips to the loo's later and the Army beat the Navy 43-26. All though at one stage they did have a 19 point lead, but at half time it was all square.

Photo: Best view of the day!

I reckon we had the best seats in the stadium!

After the game it was back to the Corps beer tent for more drinking and meeting old friends who haven't been seen in years. It was a bit of an emotional days.

I saw someone who I thought I knew, went up to him and said, I know you, but don't know where from, his reaction was to hug me like a lost brother! What made it worse, he remembered my name and it wasn't till this morning when he tracked me down on face book that I realised what his name was!

Even worse, I just had a message from him saying that meeting me had made his day! I couldn't even remember his name! Terrible!

With a crowd of over 72,000 squaddies and matelots a new world record was achieved for the most people watching an amatuer game of Rugby.

All I can say is that the atmosphere was just incredible, there were some unforgettable sites of people making fools of themselves and partying hard.

Another statistic I heard was that more beer is drunk on this one day than all of the 6 nations games held at Twickenham!

It was an awesome day, after a late night curry I finally managed to get the last train back to Slough and to my hotel.

Seeing old friends who you haven't seen for so long was very emotional and worth every penny spent.

Can't wait for next year, maybe "M" will come with me to witness the mayhem and total carnage next year! I for one will definately be going!

Thankfully I have the week off which was just as well, as it is now nearly 1400 hrs on Monday and I'm still not feeling right!

More wild camping in the Pajero from Wednesday onwards, heading to Cornwall for a 40th birthday party on friday night, then a Masked Ball Festival on the Saturday! - You should see our costumes!

Till later.............

Sunday 14 April 2013

Who Else Full Times In Their Caravan?

I have just spent some time catching up with emails from folk that have written to me asking advice on full timing.

This got me wondering, actually how many of you out there in the real world are actually living the dream?

I know of a couple of you that are, but it would be great to hear from anyone who is currently living full time either in their caravans or campervans.

Since starting this blog I have received a fairly constant amount of emails asking for advice, which is great.

When we first started to look into living full time in our caravan I found very little relevant information to hand, which was one of the reasons why I started to write the blog.

So don't be shy, say hello and share your story here with us, what's worked for you, what hasn't worked, the highs and lows so far.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Till later...........

Friday 12 April 2013

More Chinese Confusion

I make no apologies for finding this funny, I have said before that I am not politically correct, never have been and never will be.

Here is another little incident that tickled me and I hope it does you as well!



View Larger Map

Above is a map of a road that I travel down, which will all make perfect sense once you read through below!

I stopped in Christchurch to pick up a Chinese lady, who said in her thick Chinese accent "One Way Weturn Please"

I repeated - One Way (Weturn) Return? well, you can have a one way ticket or a return ticket, which do you want?

She said "Weturn - One Way"

Looking confused I said, lets start again. Where do you want to go?

She said "One Way"

I said "One Way"

Yes she said, "One Way Weturn"!

Then it dawned on me so I said so you want a Return ticket to the Runway?

In an exasperated voice she said "Yes - One Way Weturn - Thats What Ive Been Saying"!

Indeed you have Madam !

All aboard!


Wednesday 10 April 2013

Caravan And Camping Season 2013

And so with Easter arriving so do the campers!

It's been a quiet winter here on site, with no one in over the last couple of month, but that is mainly down to the fact that the field has been inches deep in water.

Glad to say it is drying out nicely now and the approach into the field has had new gravel put down as it was a complete bog.

We have been working hard all winter, in fact I've been flat out,  this being my first day off during the week since around January! The rest of the time it has been 6 days a week, having only Sunday's off. Hence the lack of writing on here.

Easter weekend saw a full site, even had some hardy campers in a tent. Now that is just a bit too cold for me as we have been still getting frosts first thing in the morning.

So what have we been up to? Well apart from working not a great deal.

Not strictly true as back in March we took a week off, packed up the Pajero and headed over to Wales.

The plan was to drive over to the South Western tip and then head up the coast and meet up with old friends in Caernarfon for a long weekend.

We set off with a rough location for our first night as we would be wild camping in the Paj!

Not setting off till the afternoon did mean we were pushed for day light, so by the time we got to Haverfordwest it was all ready dark. Heading off along a side road towards the coast we eventually found a spot right on the coast over looking the sea. 

As it was pitch black we could not see the actual coast line, but knew it was down below us somewhere.

We had taken along some Moroccan Lamb stew to heat up on our gas cooker and with some crusty bread we ate listening to the sound of the sea below us.

Settling down for a good nights sleep in the Paj we woke early just as the sun was rising.

What a treat awaited us. It was clear, in fact it was -3 but toasty in our sleeping bags.

We had stopped just before Newgale Beach. A long stretch of sandy beach it was spectacular.



We really had now idea when we stopped that this would be what we saw when we woke up.

The just to finish things off a couple of race horses turned up and pounded their way through the surf! Amazing.

I was still up top when they arrived and by the time we had got down on the beach they were just returning. The owner was watching them with interest and we had a quick chat. We watched them go into the sea up to their belly's. One horse had been in the sea before but for the other it was it's first time. It was evident that they were enjoying it immensely.

Back up to the top and bacon rolls cooked up with hot coffee. Now this is camping!

We set off in a Northerly direction. Hugging the coast all the way up to once more it started to get dark and decided it was time to try and find some where to stop for the night.

Again we relied on instinct and having looked at a couple of places we finally ended up at Barmouth, we travelled down a track to Barmouth then headed out on the spit of land to the place where the Barmouth Ferry leaves, parked up, cooked up and got our heads down for the night.

As it was completely dark when we arrived imagine our delight when we woke to see this!

I've got to say that this is not my picture as the camera died at this point but this was our view!


Once again we had struck lucky!

It was extremely windy, having a pee even facing down wind was a challenge, to the point where I had to change my trousers due to the wind suddenly changing direction! Much to "M"s amusement!

After more bacon rolls and coffee we set off once more.

We hugged the coastline and wound our way out towards Aberdaron and around the peninsula and started headed North once more, stopping along the way for lunch in a tiny pub over looking the sea. The name of which completely escapes me!

Time getting on meant we had to stop to look for another place to park up. After a few places were discounted we ended up just south of Caernarfon, right next to it's airport. I say airport, it's more of a heliport.

Here we cooked again, brewed up and watched the sun set.

I think over the three nights the latest we were tucked up and snoozing was 2100hrs!

Next morning it was even colder, the butane was freezing up on the cooker, so with constant changes of cannisters we eventually managed a brew and our final breakfast before we booked in later that day to the Black Boy Inn at Caernarfon.

This is a great place to stay, 5 mins from the castle and a real friendly place.

Kate and Mark were to join us for the Saturday, it so happened that the Rugby was on and so we watched the Wales game, where we supported the Italians much to the disgust of the locals. The pub was heaving, but some good friendly banter was had.

We were expecting the TV to be turned off once the game had finished as England were playing, but much to our delight it remained on where we were totally out numbered, out cheered but not out drank!

Myself and Mark entered the pub at 1100hrs and remained at the same table till 2230hrs! A good session! Amazingly we both made it down for breakfast the next morning!

Later that day we said our goodbyes and headed home.

The exhaust on the Pajero was by this time blowing like a Trumpet Major's bugle after being run over.

New exhaust bought on the internet a few days later and she is now running sweet as a nut.

Sweet as a nut is not how I would describe our trusty old Landrover Freelander. Not long after we bought it the head gasket went. As it was under warranty all was not lost so we had it done, but it still used water.

For the last few weeks it had started to run a bit lumpy with tick over being all over the place. So as it was well due a service we booked it in. Bearing in mind we had just put it through it's MOT just the previous month at £350.00

During the service it was found that the back drums were knackered and this with the service cost another £300.00 - Thanks!

"M" drove it back from the garage but said it still didn't feel right, so next morning on my way into work I found it to be worse than when it had gone in for the service.

I had this nagging thought in my head that it may of been the head gasket again, but dismissed this as surely during the service, (oil change) etc it should of been spotted? The fact it was still running like a bag of nails after the service would of given it away.

I checked the the dipstick and there it was, enough emulsified oil to replace a jar of Hellmans Mayo!

Back to the garage, where it was confirmed. Now at this point I was a little cross that the garage had failed to spot this obvious fault, then proceeded to have me for the £200.00 for fixing the brakes knowing the gasket was shagged!

So do we repair or scrap it? After much thought, it was decided to scrap the car, a new head gasket, would cost around £700.00 with no guarantees that it would even fire up, as remember this is the second time it has gone.

Sadly she went last friday. Ebay? No, to a local recycler (scrap dealer) who gave us £200.00

It was easy with no fuss, paid in cash and to be honest a good price considering it was knackered!

Being upset about it did not last long as on Saturday "M" picked up her new toy - A Mazda MX5  Eunos 1.8i. A Jap import. Yes, I like my imports due to the fact you get a load of extras that the UK cars just did not have.

We had been looking for one, and luckily came across this little stunner. She was built in 1994, imported in 2004 and with only 2 owners since then, (1 the importer, 2 the enthusiast) has full history with it being serviced every 6 months.

A new Mohair hood, 12 months MOT and 6 months tax for £1400.00 - Bargain.




We have had a couple of days out in her and she drives lovely, even had the roof off over last weekend - glorious!

So there you have it, that's us about up to date. I'm sure I've forgotten loads that has happened, so will try and write more when I can!

Till later.......................