Preparation, preparation, preparation

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Preparation, preparation, Preparation!

Nothing shocks me! It is actually happening! Ella and I are doing a road trip to Morocco!

.....And so it begins....

We have managed to come by a converted camper van. It belonged to the father of a family friend, and now it is for sale. Ella has often talked about wanting one, but I'm not sure that she honestly believed she would actually get one!

The deal was done on Sunday 6th August. It is a red LDV Convoy. It's a beast! It is actually 20 years old, but as we know it's full history, and the amazing skill set of its prior owner, we are confident that this is a great buy. The previous owner was a well known mechanic on the racing circuit; he also worked independently, restoring and building cars. He converted the van for his personal use, working around the country with his son, at various racing tracks.

The first task is to get it taxed and insured so that Ella can get it to the garage for a full service. It proved itself to be in great shape!

Now on to the next pitch; Kate and Elliot's back garden in Welton. The inside is all basically done, but it's very tired and dated; so the internal renovations can begin.

Ella went through the mill a bit over the next couple of weeks. She struggled to engage someone to do the joinery work that she had planned in her head. She had her vision of how she wanted it to be, but getting someone to do the work was harder than we anticipated! Finally, two weeks later, Ben came through, bless him! He agreed to come to the rescue, and complete the work.

My job was to make all the new curtains and a roller blind, and re-upholster the seating/bed. I can't lie, I was certainly challenged!

As the days, and weeks passed, both Ella and I would come home each day....with supplies! It's definitely a, spend, spend, spend' project!

The excitement is rising as we show each other what we had bought, daily; then plan our next buys.

Our shopping was relentless at first, but as we ticked things off the list, the buying slowed down, and the jobs started to get done.

I finally finished the curtains, and re-upholstery done; this was a happy landmark in time. Things were coming together. Simultaneously, my tiny house was brimming with 'stuff!'

Ella got more excited as Ben got to work on building a seating and table area in the back end if the van, it will also offer further storage space. The table will drop down into a second bed. The benefit being that the back doors can be opened to view the beautiful evening skies in Morocco, whilst in bed! What a vision!

Whilst the work was going on, we worked together on planning the forthcoming road trip!

There's a lot to consider, timings, van speeds, ferry times, toll costs, diesel costs, length of driving times..... phew! Ella did a great job planning it. All ferry tickets are booked and paid for; we have a plan in place.

The plan is as follows:
Set off with a wave off from Beth & Ross'a house on Friday 22nd September.
Share the drive to Portsmouth, have a nap.
Take the 8am ferry from Portsmouth to Santander in Northern Spain.
Hull to Portsmouth international port
Santander to Tarifa

The next dilemma to arise is that the new seating area will need cushions that will be used for seating, but will also double up as the mattress for the bed. I did feel this job was beyond my skills. I've never made curtains, or done upholstery before, but I did it! I wasn't confident in this next job though!

I got a price from an upholsterer, but it was way over budget..... so here goes. Ella and I got our heads together, and yes, we worked together and got the job done! New seating made and upholstered. I also managed to throw together a couple of matching cushions!

As the work continues slow and steady, as Ben is fitting it in, in between working, the shopping continues! Although there was a bit of a hiccup about 10 days before take off day; I got kidney stones, I was so ill, and it looked very unlikely that I would be able to drive, luckily, I recovered quickly! It's all back on!

Ella got the truck back to Beth's house on Sunday, since then she has been painting, carpet firing and I've been cleaning.

Now, it's almost ready to go!
Woodwork done
Service done
Painting done
Carpets done
Cleaning done
Shopping done, but continuing!

Last night we emptied Beth's garage, and packed the van. It was great to see Ella so excited to see it all coming together. The new cushions went in; I'm really pleased with my handiwork. The curtains fit great. The bedding was packed in, all the little extra touches, each made a contribution to the brilliant end product. Putting the fairy lights up was one off the final touches!

I should also mention all the extra shopping for the new house in Morocco, food shopping.... and gifts!

Tonight Ben is coming up to do any final touches. Today I need to pack!

Tomorrow, we will drive over to have a few checks with cousin Billy, things like battery checks, water, oil and tyres, and EU road preparation. Then we will be going to do a final show of the van to my Dad. He has helped Ella to make her dream come to fruition. I think he's as excited as Ella is to see the end of, the beginning of this journey for Ella.

Well, it's a done deal! It's 10pm, my bags are packed, and I'm ready for an early start tomorrow.

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Comments

[Leonie]

Woo Hoo !!
Glad to be back so I can read these - Loving them - keep the blog coming as I think I am as excited as you guys now :)

[Lesley2912]

Oooh…. I didn’t see your message!
Hi Leonie, so sorry, I haven’t been on here since that last post. I ended up in hospital in Tangiers. I had to have an emergency operation. £2k later, I had to fly straight home. 5 days after that I had an emergency appendectomy…. But I’m back! X