Cate's Diary

Oh Cate. What a whirlwind with the camper van!

I am glad you bought it in the end. I know you had the night terrors about the whole venture, but, in my opinion, this doesn't mean there is anything 'wrong' with you. You just did something that would change your whole life. It's fucking scary. I think you will have loads of adventures in it, and, as you said, you can always sell it on if you decide that it's not for you.
 
Cate said:
G is nagging me to get on the move to go for a drive with Betsy, but I am still sitting in my chair in my dressing gown as I feel a bit stuffed after a double perfume whammy yesterday
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I hadn't even thought about that but of course a van makes even more sense for you: it makes you less dependent on luck and trusting strangers for decent air when you stay somewhere over night.
 
Emilyrose said:
Oh Cate. What a whirlwind with the camper van!
I am glad you bought it in the end. I know you had the night terrors about the whole venture, but, in my opinion, this doesn't mean there is anything 'wrong' with you. You just did something that would change your whole life. It's fucking scary. I think you will have loads of adventures in it, and, as you said, you can always sell it on if you decide that it's not for you.
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I’m glad we bought it too Em. I had a good test drive today with G & Arch. I feel really comfortable driving it. I really do think it will get us out & about more & will be fun.
LaMaria said:
I hadn't even thought about that but of course a van makes even more sense for you: it makes you less dependent on luck and trusting strangers for decent air when you stay somewhere over night.
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It will once I get rid of the lingering fragrance from her scented candle, LaMa. I can’t imagine spending lots of time in the van as she’s small, but it will certainly offer us a lot more freedom to have our own space at other people’s places. It’s the minor details that my brain has trouble getting around- like waking up for a pee in the middle of the night. I think the portable loo can stay home & a nice bucket with a firm lid might be a better option :blush5: There really is not much space. I’ll investigate further!....
 
Scented candles are almost as bad as incense for me. Would probably be worse if they produced the same amount of smoke.
Cate said:
I think the portable loo can stay home & a nice bucket with a firm lid might be a better option :blush5:
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:rotflmao: That did make me laugh but at the same time: people had bedpans for centuries, if not millenia!
 
Scented candles are horrible. I’m getting rid of the smell thank goodness.
I may have to practice with the bucket peeing! :eek:
 
Your bucket conversation made me laugh! They do have buckets with toilet seats where you put a plastic bag in, so it's not so messy. If you used those compostable plastic bags, that might be a greener option. And small, composting toilets are a really popular option, too. There is a lot of discussion on Youtube about this topic if you are interested.

Do you use vinegar and water to get rid of smells? When I was a renter, I always wiped down all the walls with it, and it always made the place so fresh. Scented candles give me the hugest instant headache. Sorry you have to deal with that!

I hope you are enjoying the planning with the van. I love those sorts of puzzles with what is most convenient and takes up the least room.
 
I also can't handle scented candles--they're so intense.
The pee bucket makes sense to me if it saves you space for sure! If you were spending long trips with the van a proper portable or composting toilet would be better I think but just for a night away I'd go with the bucket myself.
 
Hi, Marsia & Liza. My brain gets so bogged down (pun intended) with things like where to pee in the middle of the night, so as not to let Arch escape etc. We have an unused camping toilet that was given to R, & it would be best in a small tent outside but how it all works is a bit of a mystery & emptying into dump stations & all that sounds a bit euww, but I guess we'll work it all out once we are out there. It would take up a lot of space on the floor inside, which there isn't. G doesn't think we need an outside tent for it, but I do & I'm trying not to buy anything that's not essential.
We're visiting our camping friends today & she is cooking us pizza & in their new outdoor pizza oven & they are going to give us some lessons. :) They have a 10-month-old Jack Russell pup, who Arch gets along with well. We plan on going on camping trips together.
 
LaMaria said:
Ah, the eternal differences between men and women...
Hope you enjoy the fresh pizza and Archie has fun with his young friend!
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Ah, yes. I think we’ll stay where there are proper toilets first up, but I may get G a suitable bucket.
We had a lovely day! The dogs got on extra well, the wives got on extra well, the husbands got on extra well & we will spend much more time with them now we have a camper :)
 
Hey Cate, I am just catching up and congrats on Betsey! She really looks great. I am sure you will have lots of fun. Do you think you will use her mostly for shorter trips, of might you go for weeks at some point? For longer trips I would suppose you would want to go to Australia or mainland or whatever you call that big island to your north... Is that a reasonable thing to do? Are there ferries for cars?

We have also made a camper decision, we have ordered a very small travel trailer, or I believe you say caravan. Probably not much bigger useable space than your van. It was a hard decision, but in the end I decided I would rather not own another car, and for longer trips being able to unhook from the trailer and drive around more easily was attractive. We don't get ours until May or so, they are way backed up on things here. I will probably post pictures when we get it.
Cate said:
It’s the minor details that my brain has trouble getting around- like waking up for a pee in the middle of the night.
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Funny, I have been thinking about the same thing. Ours does have a flush toilet, but it would be better if water usage was minimized, it has quite small tanks. I am thinking of getting a bottle, like they use in hospitals, a lot smaller than a bucket. Here is one that's designed for both men and women, don't know how it works for ladies, but for me they work fine. https://www.amazon.com/AWOKEN-Bedpa...616332639&sprefix=urine+bottle,aps,211&sr=8-6
 
Cate said:
We had a lovely day! The dogs got on extra well, the wives got on extra well, the husbands got on extra well & we will spend much more time with them now we have a campe
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So great to have some really good camping buddies. Sounds like you could have some really fun times in your future!
 
@alligatorob - That's great that you have bought a camper too. I think we probably call what you have a camper trailer. Does it pop up & expand? Either way that's great. I think you're right about the portable potty things. In the one you linked you have to take the funnel out & screw the lid on each time & in the middle of the night that might get messy :eek: I'll do some homework I think. Thanks for that idea. I'll probably get us one each.
@LaMaria - I definitely would need some practice! :blush5: but it would be better than going out in the dark to a shared toilet block (or bush)
@liza - I am so glad to have some really good camping buddies. We both really love their company. I can't wait to get out there adventuring.
Our van is currently with the mechanic & he says it's looking good so far. He has done lots of campervanning so will be an even more invaluable neighbour.
G & I went in for our annual blood tests today, dropping Betsy off along the way. We have also both managed to get appointments for a covid vax next week. We had a breakfast picnic after the tests, Arch had 3 walks, we bought some fresh fruit & veg & then some sheep tucker & were home by 11 am, after checking how Betsy was going on the way home. It was a very productive morning.
 
Cate said:
both managed to get appointments for a covid vax next week
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Great news!! Hope it works out well for you. Let us know how the blood tests turn out, good I hope.
Cate said:
Does it pop up & expand?
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No, its fixed and quite small, 16 ft (~5 meters) total length. Most are much larger, but we don't need to live in it, just a more comfortable way to camp. I spent a lot of years tent camping, in comparison this will be luxury. "Camper trailer" would work here too, particularly for a small one like ours.
 
You’ll have fun in that, Rob. I would love to see a photo of it. PM me if you’d prefer.
Betsy is so old school she doesn’t have any USB ports & has a 6 stacker CD player. I asked the mechanic if he could take it out, but he didn’t want me to, so I left it in there for now. He may be right. I have stacked it with a mix of 60’s & 70’s music & I always have my portable speaker & can connect to my Spotify. We have to have music :)
 
I’ll have to wait 3 months after the first, LaMa.
 
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