THE GREAT MOVE

 On the 29th July we had sold the van and counted our pennies to buy the new lodge. One load of goodies had already gone to Rich in Nantwich, then there was the  rest which was way too much for one tip in the off roader. Now't else for it, hire a small van for a day.

The move went well but finding logical places for everything took a lot of time. Then it was home sweet home!

OUR LATEST PROJECT, A LODGE

 I expect, dear reader (is there actually one!) you know we have a static caravan in Grassington North Yorkshire see post 8th August 2020. Well, that 380 miles from home which is just too much to drive in one day. Di had been looking around for quite a while to find another site closer to home but a reasonable distance to get the "on holiday" feeling. I tried to calculate it but it required "AI" maths!!

Well, on 4th June on the way home from Grassington, we planned to call in on a few sites in the West Midlands area. Having browsed the internet we found a really superb van- now classed as a "lodge" as it was 44ft x 14ft with a full residential specification. It was due on site on 27th June. We were taken to the pitch which looked really rough but the view and potential after installation made us think we couldn't afford to miss this one. The cost would need some careful planning, not the least of which was selling our present static caravan.

The system to sell your pride and joy goes like this- In conjunction with the site manager you decide on a price, they take photos,write a description and place on their web site. Offers are made to the site who negotiate with the buyer. You eventually agree and the buyer pays the site. They take 15% plus VAT and charge for an electric and gas service with 2 gas cylinders. What's left is yours!!!

JUMP FORWARD MANY MONTHS

 Heck, such a lot has happened, Barney has just had his first birthday and calmed down such a lot since losing his first teeth. The puppy teeth were so small and sharp they cut us so many times, Di needed to go to the minor injuries unit on one occasion to get the wound on her finger dressed. He ate absolutely everything off the floor but didn't seem to upset his tummy.

With such a large area at the lodge (what do I mean, see later post) he still has not been let off the leash, I'm considering getting a tracker!

AND THEN CAME BARNEY

 After many searches on the internet we found an 8 week old pup in Market Drayton about 10 miles south of Nantwich. Quite convenient on our way to our static caravan in Yorkshire. Rather surprisingly, his great great grandfather was also Timmy's!

We collected him and drove for 3 hours up to our cara in Grassington, he was quite happy on Di's knee for the journey. First job house training, we had a lot of accidents which were to be expected. He couldn't meet other dogs as he hadn't had his second vaccinations so I had to carry him around the site and let him do pees and poos in an area between the vans which was rarely used by other dogs.

The photo on the right shows just how small he was next to my shoe! On his first night he cried to go out from his crate early morning and the the next night he waited until I got up at 7.30 !

So just how did we choose his name? Just after we lost Timmy Di had a vivid dream where we had a dog called Barney and the breeder's name was Barnfield!

We spent the first 2 weeks of his life with us at the caravan then went to Rich's in Nantwich for the weekend then home to Devon. He traveled very well with no mishaps. Toilet training started in earnest with regular trips to the garden and praise for success. Looking back it didn't take long.

SADDEST DAY OF OUR LIVES

 His last night.

Timmy passed away at 11am today at the vets. He had collapsed twice and regained conciseness after a few minutes of cuddling. He seemed to get over the first one which an ultrasound scan revealed a tumor on his spleen. The vet though it may have bled causing a drop in BP. 

After the second one a few days ago he was reluctant to eat and eventually gave up yesterday. He wandered about aimlessly not seeming to know where he was, didn't seem to know how to eat and had a very bad head twitch. also seemed unable to walk without his rear legs collapsing. It became obvious that we needed to go to the vet the final time.

Our conclusion was that he had suffered 2 strokes and the vet confirmed our suspicions. There was very little could be done so we had to make the awful decision. The vet was very compassionate and left us to say goodbye. He then just went to sleep on my knee with both of us kissing and stroking him. An awful experience. There seems to be reminders everywhere and the temptation is to clear up but that smacks of trying to forget him. That will never happen, we loved him too much. Don't know how I will live without him.

Some thoughts about another dog but much too soon.

AND SO IT BEGAN WITH MOTORHOMES IN 2005

 

We decided to see more of England and reserved the Murvi Morello GU05 BYB, realistically a campervan. We chose all the extras and waited 6 months for it to be completed. After a caravan with a fixed double bed it was painfully too small. The bed was a nightmare having to be slid out with the backrest of the bench seat and the front seats forming the bed base. We requested additional padding to be put on the overhead shelf above the sliding door as Di encountered it too many times.

After 6 months of  struggling to find parking places, we were either too long or too heavy or just plane banned in car parks. The idea of packing up every day to go out did not go down well. It was just too much trouble. Disaster, we started looking at motorhomes finding we could have had a better larger coachbuilt one for less than we paid for the Murvi. It had to go, the local converter took it back and paid us in cash, naturally we lost thousands.

This was the answer, tow a small car. Nice proper motorhome with 2 long bench seats which slid together to make a huge bed. and a rear kitchen and shower room. This was the Autocruise Starfire EL HY55 DYT

Oh heck, they've started making motorhomes with fixed beds. Now that sounds just perfect for us. The Bessacar 560 WA07 LSO. Made by Swift who took over Bessacar, mores the pity! Lots of silly mistakes like uneven bed supports, use of white mastic not silicon sealant, leaking gas locker, water from windscreen dripping onto unprotected to of engine, judder in reverse gear, oh I could go on and on!

So then came the Autocruise Startrail HX58 FNR, exactly the same layout as the Bessacar but with a much better build quality. We were very happy with this .... for a while!

Damn, we went to a motorhome show with no intention of buying anything until we saw the Adria Coral S670 SLT WA10 ADX! Twin fixed beds, bathroom across the back, fixed table behind the cab seats, just perfect for us.

The only problem we had in 5 years was a serious leak from the screws fixing the roll out awning due to poor workmanship by the dealer. It was a very good van and served us well.

I was told I'm too old at 73 to be driving a 25ft motorhome and we need something shorter. No, I don't agree but anything for a quiet life and the Adria was getting a bit antiquated. The dealer offered us a ridiculously high trade in, so we bought it, the Dethleffs Advantage HX15 CUV, just 20 inches shorter.

 What a mistake, nice van, well built, twin batteries and charging unit were knackered and replaced under warranty BUT wrong layout for us. Twin beds high up over the massive garage ( as they call it). Everything in boxes with what you need in the bottom one!! Steps up to bed, not good for Di, silly recycling cooker extractor. We knew it had to go!

Ah number 7, the Burstner Nexxo Soverign 720 WJ16 LYG, a cracking van with a damp patch on delivery! We almost rejected it but reluctantly accepted it subject to a roof join being resealed and subsequently covered with a strip of plastic. Lots of nice features and our favorite layout the same as the previous Adria. Clever idea, the TV retracted into a space behind one of the cupboards.

Sadly after a few years I detected damp on a side panel. The dealer needed to examine it to confirm it was covered under warranty.

While the dealer was examining the damp patch on the Burstner Di wandered off to look at some new vans. Disaster, Di found an Adria Coral 670 SLT PLUS  WA18 FZF with the same layout and you guessed, we decided to buy it. The decor was very modern based on a luxury yacht. Even the beds were better being lower. Definitely our best yet number 8! God knows how much we spent over the 15 years, then again it was our guilty pleasure.

The rest of the story is told in the 2 posts below.

If you want to comment, we're always interested to hear from you. You can find us on glynmaggs@yahoo.co.uk The comments link below does not appear to be available unless you are logged into the site.

2 YEARS GONE SINCE LAST POST

 

This is where it all started! On the left my mother, Lily, Derek Gough and me hiding in the background.

Yes, doesn't time fly! We are now dedicated static people and settled into the home and away lifestyle. We seem to spend more time in the static than the home base. In many ways life is similar but at the static location we see very many more people to chat to or just pass the time of day as our location is on route to the pub, the Gamekeepers.

Do I miss the motorhome, well no not really, in fact I'm relieved not to have the hassle of driving it through narrow lanes and the need to be super alert at all times for idiots trying to pass or pull out in front of me. Also the sheer cost of touring at almost £2 a litre for diesel and 22 mpg would be crippling. I also don't miss fetching and disposing of water and toilet waste. It's a bit like the relief when you stop banging your head on a wall and wonder why you put up with it at the time!

During our trips back to Devon we replenish our supply of drugs for us and Timmy. During our last trip home mid June 22 Tim had a flea infestation, probably our fault for not keeping up the monthly treatment. A shower with dog shampoo proved to be ineffective and we were due a visit to the vets anyway so he was given a tablet for the fleas. It was remarkable how fast they all died and I was able to comb them out much to his and our relief. The plan was to depart back to Grassington the next day so I used the very large aerosol can of house flea treatment as we left. It has had 6 weeks to work so hopefully all will be dead by the time we return on the 7th Aug.

On 6th July Tim passed out as he was "cleaning" our evening meal plates. ( we have a dishwasher so it's quite hygienic!). I thought he had suffered a stroke or heart attack. I immediately cradled him and he regained consciousness, admittedly a bit confused. he seemed ok if a bit shaky and pooed on the carpet! I slept with him on the sofa all night. 

The next day we phoned the local vet who could see him immediately. She did blood tests etc and recommended an ultrasound scan. Fortunately with new equipment this can now be done without a general anesthetic. The results showed he has a tumor on his spleen which had bled out causing the collapse. The bloods showed he was replenishing it ok. It could be removed but we have decided at the age of 15 it isn't fair and he would probably not stand the anesthetic.  He's happy enough with his life, still enjoying food and going for short walks so we spoil him as much as possible!

NO MORE MOTORHOMES !

The last supper!!!

As usual it was a quick decision, we seem to do things this way! Post the first Covid restrictions we hastily booked for 2 weeks at the CMC site at Malvern, we've been there dozens of times and that's the problem, finding places to go where we haven't been before. Previously we had caravans for 25 years and then motorhomes for another 15 years. The phrase "been there, done that, got the T shirt" comes to mind. I must admit to being nervous driving the beast as a crunch would be just so inconvenient having to then take it to the supplying motorhome dealer for repair. 

So, Di had an idea to look into static caravans, we knew the site attached to the CMC one at Grassington near Skipton in the Yorkshire Dales.

The ball started rolling, what would we get for our superb 18 month old Adria motorhome, how much would a new static cost? A day spent browsing the internet and making phone calls revealed it was a very real possibility! No time like the present, jump in the car and drive to Grassington a mere 250 miles!

This is a link to the site click here, It has a pub, The Gamekeepers with a restaurant and bar meals (dog friendly), a gym, a swimming pool, a sauna and a hairdresser. All sufficiently remote from the plot we chose not to be a problem with noise etc.

There was a choice of 3 statics available but one really stood out from the rest, a Swift Bordeaux with 2 bedrooms one with an ensuite bathroom, twin beds in the other, an additional shower room, open plan lounge diner and kitchen.

We're absolutely delighted with our new home but have been prevented from using it from Christmas until April 21 due to the Covid lockdown.

Our Toyota Aygo, originally bought for towing behind the motorhome, was proving to be just too small for doing the 380 miles each way so it had to go! Now what car would be suitable? Rich suggested a Ford Kuga or Puma, I liked the Toyota CHR. We had a look at the CHR at Christmas but Di thought it looked wrong at the back. The Puma had all the bells and whistles like adaptive cruise control and collision avoidance systems, so that was it! The third lockdown was now in operation just after Christmas so a test drive was banned, so was visiting a car showroom, however you could "click and collect"!! (I did manage a crafty test drive). 

We collected on 6th January but couldn't go back to the Static due to lockdown. This was unfortunate to say the least as we left just before Christmas with the intention of returning for new year's eve, having left the fridge/freezer and veg rack full, oh, plus Christmas tree and decorations!

It is now 11th April, the day before restrictions are lifted and we are poised at Rich's in Nantwich ready to make the last 120 miles back to the static. Just as an aside, it's 5C and snowing!!!!!

2019

        

Putts Corner CAMC Site, Sidbury, Sidmouth, EX10 0QQ

And now to find some photos of where we went in 2019 (this is work in progress... upload itinerary)

Now then cat, your'e supposed to run away in fear!

We bought a new car but Timmy made a new friend at the dealer.

Corfe Castle. Di was so pleased she managed to walk to the ruins.

Push Di!!!

Our new Motorhome, little did we know how long it would last or how much we would loose in 18 months!