I have a friend (let us call her Neurotic Nancy) who, no matter where she goes, checks out the fire escapes/drill/meeting points. She packs her case weeks in advance and takes every conceivable type of shoe with her. I kid you not that on a day trip to the Isle of Wight, she had five pair of shoes in the boot of her car and three types of hats. She never travels alone and would not dream of going anywhere unless she has checked and double checked the traffic updates. She packs extra sandwiches and bottles of water in case of any traffic jam and the AA would be proud of her emergency breakdown kit. She travelled by plane last year and practically stalked the airline before departure.
It is with absolute conviction that I can say that I cause Neurotic Nancy hours of anguish at my absent-minded, nonchalant approach to travel. She despairs of my last minute packing of a spare pair of knickers, flip flops and a toothbrush. She knows I like to plan but my planning is of places to visit and activities. I have not used a tour operator for years and will put a trip together myself, booking each leg of the journey separately and staying in a variety of accommodations. I enjoy luxury but equally would be happy travelling 2nd class, staying in hostels and living on chocolate digestives. Do I get nervous - yes, I do but it is an excited nervousness and I feel such a sense of achievement when I have survived.
When I informed Neurotic Nancy that I was thinking of buying a caravan, she promptly informed my eldest daughter that I was obviously under far too much pressure at work and needed a break. Since that time, she has been curious but obviously does not want to encourage my recklessness any more than she needs to without appearing rude. So, picture the scene when I showed her the photographs of my little Eriba Puck 'Greta'.
Greta is a 1960 something Eriba Puck. I purchased her from The Vintage Caravan Workshop in Bognor Regis as a custom restoration project. As expected, I have had to wait nearly a year for work to start on her so have had rather a long time to plan however, work has now started, my endless lists are being re-written and I am ever so slowly panicking! What if Neurotic Nancy has been right all along!!!!
I spent so long this morning pondering the meaning of life and questions such as ...will I be ok driving a caravan on my own/ what if I get stuck on a lane with a large truck coming at me and I forget how to reverse/will I remember everything I was taught on my course/what was I taught on the course (last weekend)/ will I remember the flamingos and gnomes (and other such essentials)/what if the caravan isn't level and falls over/what if someone steals the caravan with me in it/what if the combined weight of me, the car and caravan is illegal/ what will I do if I need a wee in the middle of the night/will I ever be able to drive in Europe/will I ever be able to choose a curtain fabric that I got into my car ready to go to the shops and realised there was no steering wheel - yes, I had got into the wrong side. I think most of my deep and meaningful questions were answered there and then.
This is what happens when you mock The Caravan Club. I am now frantically trying to find my magazine to check out the life insurance adverts I so quickly scoffed at.
I sought to reassure myself by reading up on life/camping hacks. 'Things can get a little bit tricky when we are left to the mercy of Mother Nature' said one site and suggested using an acorn cap as a whistle in an emergency. Why not just take a whistle? This needs further exploration and a new post on hacks however my fears have been dispelled (for tonight) and all is well with the world as a fellow Pucker has posted on Facebook 'I am 76 years old and I can tow a puck. Before I bought a small Porto loo, I peed in my fire bucket. Go on, you can do it x' Thanks Julie - Kampa Fire Bucket with lid £5.99 - sold!
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