Demolition 101

Having lived in Puku for a couple of weeks now, I've been itching to gut the interior and begin the transformation from trusty horse lorry to Amazing Adventure truck of Awesomeness. I have a little leather notebook dedicated to Puku that I write/sketch/draw in every day.  I have everything from scale floor plans to hanging vege garden ideas scribbled inside.  All very daydreamy and exciting.

Finally, today was the day we took hammers and crowbars to the interior: After a punishing 24 hour shift at work I woke early this morning, poked my dad with my toe as he slept in the cabin below and encouraged him to get on the road - we were driving Puku down to her next home in Oxfordshire where she will be worked on by my dad and I (and a vast array of other interested friends) over the next few weeks.

Coffee in hand, trundling along the M56, miles were passing painfully slowly. Huge great articulated lorries were overtaking us by the dozen and we couldn't work out why - didn't they have the same speed limit as us? Another hour passed and without a radio we were wondering if we could keep eachother company for the endless hours we looked to be in the road.  Then slowly a sinking feeling filled me, our speedometer was in km/hr.. we (when I say we, I mean Dad) had been piously driving along the motorway at 60kph, that's 37 mph. For two hours. That's a grand total of 84 miles. Ouch.

Shaking our heads and with every bone in our bodies tickled with laughter we sped off into the horizon and arrived home by lunchtime.  Aside from taking a large tree branch off whilst reversing (my fault this time), we arrived home without hazard and set about dismantling the interior dividers that separates the horse and the living compartments. Easier said than done. This box had been made to last. Crowbars, circular saws and plenty other pieces of kit have been employed throughout this afternoon to fell the partition and dismantle the seating.

Tired and extremely satisfied, tonight I sleep in my old bedroom in the house as the dust settles in Puku and we get ready for round two tomorrow..

Here are a few pics from today:

Puku looking pretty pleased with herself hanging out with the HGV's:

The 'before' shot:

The first screw coming out!

Half way there.. a lot more work than it looks!

Getting there..

Nasty tack-on panelling and hideous horsey paraphernalia all had to go!

Et voilà! Day one complete. Next stop? Taking off the rest of the panelling, including the roof, pulling up the floor in the horse half and binning that horrible little sink/hob combo!! Not that I didn't love having it last week to cook my bangers and mash with.. ❤️

Week one in pictures..

Day 1 and I'm in! Along with all my belongings.. Thank goodness for all that space in the horse part:

I walked to the local cafe for takeout and a rainbow appeared overhead on my way home!  Must be a good omen:

Home, tired, hungry and happy. Supper number one, not the most glamorous of meals but food has never tasted so good!

Hmm, night falls. Didn't think about electricity. 

Day three and electricity came, for a short while.. until I moved the truck, forgetting she was plugged in, and snapped the hook up. Mr Clarke (my A-level physics teacher) would have been proud: I stripped the wires (with a bread knife), re-connected the ends, insulated them with spare cable covering and crossed my fingers. Well, more like, crossed my fingers, moved the gas bottle out the way, hid behind a wall and flicked the switch:

And hey presto! My newly purchased LED sticky-back wall lighting shone into existence:

and so I got busy putting it up. It provides a much warmer glow than the picture portrays..

(you'll be pleased to hear that since then, not only has my lovely neighbour fixed my cable properly, but I have installed a massive solar panel to give me all the energy I need 😎)

Day four and trouble is brewing. One of the flat owners is out to get me. Gypsies and traveller folk are very common up here (unlike hippies, who seem to stick to the warm, tolerant womb of the South West) and have a very bad rep. I've heard second and third hand that this person wants me gone, despite everyone else being wonderful and warm and welcoming.  I put this sign in my window to try and speak with him - he's not introduced himself and doesn't live in the building so I have no way of being able to talk to him.  You'll see I've signed Dr Parker - that's because he thinks it's a man living here!! That's how little he knows! 

Nevertheless, home improvements continue! Saturday morning I went to a really sweet little garden centre. I got so excited and nearly bought everything in sight! I have plans to put hooks on the outside of Puku to hang box planters so that I can have flowers, herbs and veggies growing.. This visit I made do with some Busy Lizzie's (apt I thought!), a Moroccan mint so I could make tea, and some sunflower plants to bring happy sunshine vibes:

I still need a few more old pots to make it look pretty, but it's a joy coming home to a green step:

Celebrate! Not only do I have cute plants but I have gas. I swapped my old bottle today (Sunday) and just in time - the weather has turned so the stove is doubling up as a heater.. I can not wait to cook a lazy Sunday breakfast next weekend!! 

I LOVE my neighbours ❤️❤️❤️❤️ I came home to this! I can only surmise that this is their response to Martin the Mean saying I have to leave the back yard by tomorrow...  Brilliant!!!! He can't argue with that!!

That's it for now... I'll let you all know how Martin the Mean takes the blockade..

The morning after the night before..

I'm sitting on my sofa, sipping some french press, listening to the morning chorus as the sun streams in through the open windows and door.  I don't think I've been this excited about waking up since I stopped believing in Father Christmas...

Going to sleep up in my little cubby hole last night was so lovely, it felt like a cocoon. There's room for my queen sized mattress so I'm not exactly slumming it but height is a premium - with the mattress there I can't sit up tall in bed... but to be fair right now I don't care! In a week I suspect my view will have shifted towards one of structural design, welding and roof heightening. Or just blasphemy.

As for personal grooming/living, there are a few "must buy" items: the obvious (I mentioned last night),a gas tank to allow me to start cooking, and a brown water tank to collect my waste water - brushing my teeth last night I realised my sink emptied onto the path beneath me. Holding frothy toothpaste in my mouth whilst putting on shoes to go and find a suitable spot to spit reminded me of the many pieces to this puzzle, and the long long road to conversion I have ahead of me. 

This was just meant to be a little hurrah! piece.. I have to get to work :) but now the ball is rolling and the mighty project has begun I will be sharing the ride: the good, the bad and the ugly, as often as I get the time..

The simple things give the greatest pleasure: my first morning, my first coffee.

And the realisation of the chaos within! Usually when my house is in chaos it reflects my mind, but today I have great clarity and calmness.

The day has finally come!!

As I lie here, nestled in my duvet, my whole body is fizzing with excitement.  My toes are subconsciously curling and I can't stop smiling. I think you have guessed why...  I am no longer in my airy, double glazed Georgian flat, I am tucked away in Puku's little sleeping cabin for the very first time.

At about 7pm tonight, after several hours of packing and cleaning, I set the burglar alarm and closed the door of my flat for the very last time.  I squeaked with excitement, bounced down the stairs and drove my car, laden with my worldly possessions, off towards my new home. Not far mind you: three streets and thirty seconds later I swung into my new driveway to be greeted by Puku peeking at me from behind the dangling branches of a beautiful horse chestnut tree.

This may seem like a fairly simple undertaking, but the journey we have both been on just to get to this point is worthy of a moments reflection and and celebration.  This is my dream coming true. 

Some people see vehicles as mere objects, but this old girl has a beautiful energy.  She feels like a grandmother, inviting you in to her gentle, loving, mischeivous heart. And as I began to unload my boxes, I sensed a new partnership, a vow to future adventures, form. Which may explain why the pair of us have already had a scrape with the local law enforcement..

But that's a tale for another day.  Right now I need to figure out how I'm going to pee. In my excited flurry to move in I seem to have neglected to plan for natures most basic of callings..

Mmm, bubbles and beautiful views.

Meal number one amongst all my piles of possessions? It has to be take away as I sit and dream about the interior design challenges ahead of me!

Progress report #1

It seems the digital world runs at a far quicker pace than the make-yourself-homeless-and-buy-a-truck world, and I have felt my coat tails tugged a few times this week for an update. You know who you are ;)

The homeless side is going very well, my landlord has rented out my flat and I am assured that I need to vacate by the 9th June. Purchasing the truck, on the other hand, is proving a little more tricky. Being a complete newbie to the world of big diesel engines, I have been on somewhat of a crash course in what to look for and what to avoid.  That, combined with my desire for the truck to look beautiful, has made for slim pickings. I do however have one lovely horse box in my sights. She's having her MOT this week and if all goes well, and if my bartering skills are on top form, I will own her by the middle of this week...

Which leaves me the weekend to insulate her, install the essentials and find a secret parking spot before going back to work!

No pressure then.

Here's a sneak peek.. fingers crossed she'll be mine soon:

T minus 30 and counting..

For those of you that followed my last blog in Panama, it will come as no surprise to you that I am again on the move! I have given up the lease on my apartment and will be out on the streets in a month. Which gives me a very real deadline for realising one of my dreams:  purchasing an old horse box and converting it in to a dazzling house truck, fit for a barefoot queen..

I'm not 100% sure what Liverpool City Council will think of my plan, but I'm hoping to find a friendly little spot to park up in.  To my advantage, the circus has just come to town so there are plenty of articulated trucks and new faces to hide amongst until I find my place.  The question of my HGV license also needs to be addressed, but these are mere details.

Why? I hear some of you cry. Why would you possibly want to give up your apartment for a box on wheels?!?! And I'm afraid, if you are asking that question, I don't think I'll ever be able to provide a satisfactory answer.  Those people who know me well will just shake their heads, smile and raise a glass to toast my next adventure. 

Interestingly, for me, it is not solely an adventure, it is a compulsion, a need to push my boundaries.  It has taken me years to even get close to understanding what is important in life.  And the closest I have come is that I have to live true to myself: distill my dreams, challenge them to make sure they reflect my essential self, then go after them with everything I have. 

And for me, curiously, pouring my time, money and energy into creating a cozy house on wheels couldn't make me happier.  Perhaps it soothes my panic at the thought of staying in one place for too long. Perhaps it supports my ideal freedom, of having the capacity to head off into the sunset with my loved ones and possessions in tow. 

Some may see it as foolish, and I understand it seems almost bonkers.  But there's something pure and cleansing about stripping back.  Having lived in communities with only the most basic amenities, it doesn't seem daunting in the slightest. I will need to adapt, but that is partly why it appeals to me. 

Spiritual masters talk about a sense of mission. A calling.  A purpose. I am yet to find mine, of that I am sure. But I believe that this journey, and the choices I make, will help me understand myself and the world around me better.  This is all I can hope for. 

It is my intention that this blog will be more than an avenue of expression, it will be a portal to connect me to the very many treasured people that have touched me along the way.  I love you,  I think of you often. You know who you are. 

With no further ado, I'm off to find a mechanic to take a look over a little horse box that I have my eye on, after all, I only have thirty days to make this happen.  Wish me luck...