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Sunday 7 August 2022

No big trips out but lots of van time

And another week - whoosh. It is strange (in a good way) having a van as my everyday vehicle: the feeling of obligation, that I "ought" to go off somewhere, make use of the vehicle and do something "significant" which I always had with Bill has gently melted away. I had an event to attend on Monday evening and was organised enough to arrive about 40 minutes early. Instead of just sitting around I made a mug of tea, sat in the back of Blue Bus and just relaxed, it was quite, quite lovely.



The main van activity this past week has been cleaning. Semi-obsessive "let's do this properly" cleaning which involved snow-foam, a hand wash, then a degreaser, then a iron/corrosion remover, then another wash, followed by Himself going over the whole van with clay, then a polish, then a carnauba wax. Yep, eight processes which should have been nine but I missed out the paint restorer stage because I didn't think it was needed.

Yes, it is a lot of work but why not? I do not live in a dirty house so why would I want to go out and enjoy myself in a dirty van?



All this insanity has been spread over four days and wasn't nearly as tiring as it sounds.




And talking of tiring: yes, the fatigue and effects of long-Covid are still ever present. I continue to read, research, think, and do my best to look after my body in the hope that being sensible for a few months (or as long as it takes) will give me the best chance of, one day, being fully recovered and back to my previous energy levels. Reading Bruce Campbells' site and learning about pacing, and stopping before you are worn out has been exceptionally helpful. As has the friend whose emails give support and advice - thank you my dear, you know who you are. 🥰

I am sure at some point Blue Bus and I will go away on holly-bobs, but in the meantime I am focussing on relaxing and:







14 comments:

  1. The ability to just make a brew, sit and enjoy the brief time is priceless. For me in our caravan, although I love the van itself, the park and chats with our lovely neighbours, the best bit is the knowledge that I have nothing special to do. Or, rather, nothing urgent and housework/home related to do. Life is at a completely different pace there. I hope being sensible enables your body to return sooner to pre-Covid levels.

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    1. Thanks Sooze, you are right - being away from the housework/home related stuff is the key. I sometimes wish I could be one of those people who just doesn't "see" things that need doing in the house and can ignore it all, but I can't ☹️

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  2. Your Blue Bus looks wonderful after all your hard work, it puts my car to shame although brother-in-law did wash it for me when I visited him :) Pacing yourself is hard to do but totally necessary and it's good to read that you can sit back and relax in your lovely Blue Van whenever you like. I like that meme xxx

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    1. Cheers Eileen, I thought that meme would make you smile. What a lovely BIL you have, xx

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  3. Blue Bus is such a pretty colour, it would be a shame to have her covered in muck, much nicer to have her sparkly and shiny. There's no rush to organise trips out, just so long as you're getting pleasure from her then she's money well spent.

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    1. Thanks Jo. BB is relatively easy to clean after the massive bulk of Bill and yes, still at the honeymoon stage and every single time I get into the van I smile.

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  4. You made me smile when you mentioned the pre event brew up and relax in BB - we do that with Zeb. It is bliss! And the joy of returning to the van from a day out - whether walking or visiting or our recent uni-graduation day - we would crack on the kettle, change our shoes, sit down and breathe - before driving home. It has been a game changer! xxxxxxxxx

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    1. You are absolutely right Kate - being able to have a sit, and a brew and just "chill" before moving on, it is bliss and a game-changer. Still getting used to the novelty of it all 😊.

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  5. It looks wonderful, just look at that mirror like reflection!!

    I think I would even be sitting down with a cup of coffee after a trip to the supermarket ... just because I could :-)

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    1. Thanks for the chuckle Sue, because I confess I have done exactly that! Loaded up the groceries, drove a mile down the road, and chilled out. It was lovely but felt really, really strange - I shall clearly have to do so many more times until it stops feeling like I am doing something naughty 😀.

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  6. You've made me feel very guilty. I had my transport fully dealt with inside and out professionally just before Christmas. It doesn't show the dirt very much. I keep it clean inside and it does get washed but it will probably have to last for a while before it gets the full TLC attention again.

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    1. Graham, the last thing I would ever want to do is make you, or anyone else, feel guilty because I had one of my "fantatic" moments and spent a silly amount of time cleaning a vehicle!

      I'd rather think how much you helped a local person and supported their business by having yours done professionally. 🙂

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  7. That's a very thorough clean!

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    1. I agree Jules - slightly obsessive but she's definitely worth it 😀

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