A Spring awakening - and all that's happened in between

As I watch the rain sheeting across the fields from my window, I don't feel very much like packing for going camping, so I thought I'd take a few minutes to update this blog first. It's been a while - sorry.

So, what's been happening in Bertie's world since the last post?

We were really pleased with the way the Amazing Spaces Christmas episode turned out. The filming in October was lots of fun, even though it felt a little bizarre being all tinselled up on Halloween. We were then asked to go to the Christmas Party, held in a yurt in Surrey, for the final filming for the show. The best thing about that, was being able to meet so many of the other people who had featured on the series, as well as being able to see the crew again. We spent a fair while chatting with Emma (Lunafloat), Adam (Big Green Bus), Rew (Landrover coctail bar) and the lovely Max (Reestore) - and the children very much enjoyed the indoor play area at the venue!

We weren't expecting to get such a big slice of the eventual programme, but it was cool for us to see the way they'd recut the original footage and mixed it in with some new bits to give an update. Hope you enjoyed it too.

And then we put Bertie away under his cover, and tucked him in for the winter.

We decided it might be fun to go and collect our Christmas tree in Bertie this year - but when we piled in (wearing the obligatory antlers) and fired him up, sadly we encountered the same old
problem with no fuel, no spark, no vroom. Cold and wet are not the friend of an old engine. So we tucked him away again.

The new year has seen a rather major change in our family, which has meant that Bertie has been a bit neglected for a while. In February we adopted a little boy - so now 'a family of 6 and a dog' are a family of 7 and a dog. This isn't the forum to write much about our adoption journey, but in a nutshell our thinking is that lots of kids need families and we have a family to share, so it makes sense to bring those two things together.

We have, therefore, been rather busy changing nappies, making baby purees and picking up soggy rice cakes from the floor - and Bertie has been waitng patiently for us to get back to him.

Meanwhile, spring has sprung here in the countryside - as the view from my bedroom window (on a sunnier day than today!) will show you:

And so now, May half term is upon us, and the baby is a little bigger, and we're ready to head off on another adventure.

Our friend Toby came round and sorted the engine issues for us, at least temporarily. The wonderful Rob Kitchen (from http://www.norfolkclassiccars.co.uk) is away in Africa working on a rally, so Bertie's long-overdue major overhaul is still a few weeks away - but for now he goes, which is good enough for me!

We have been making a few little adjustments inside Bertie over the past few days (having had all winter to do it, clearly we shouldn't have left it to the few days before going away, but there you go). We now have new curtains across the rear doors and the connecting door to the front cab. This gives us privacy in the rear of the van in the evenings when the lights are on - and should result in fewer unsuspecting campers being flashed as we change for bed! I have hung them on net curtain wire, so all that is visible in the daytime are a couple of eyelet hooks in the wooden trim at ceiling height, and then they can quickly and easily be put in place at night. We have a drawer in the kitchen cupboard, and are intending to put a couple of shelves in there today too - pics will follow once done. And generally he's been cleaned and cleared and prepared, and tomorrow will take us on another adventure.

London bound

We had a very random out-of-the blue phone call on Friday afternoon, asking if Bertie would be free to come to London on Monday to appear on the 'Alan Titchmarsh Show'! George Clarke was a guest on the show, promoting the Amazing Spaces series, and they wanted to be able to show one of the builds from the series to add some interest to the piece. Since most of the projects are either too big (double decker buses), or fixed in one place (houses/beach huts/tree houses etc), Bertie seemed the logical choice...

I must admit to never having seen the programme... or actually knowing that there was such a show ... but it was very flattering to be asked, so we tried hard to find a way to be able to say Yes.

Jonathan was working, and knew he couldn't take a day off to galivant around the country in Bertie, and there was no way I was happy to drive by myself all the way into and through central London - so we placed a quick call to Jonathan's lovely parents, and managed to organise child care and an extra driver with the one call...

And so Richard and I set off for London at half eight yesterday morning. It was cold, and a bit rainy, and we were pretty apprehensive. To be honest, I didn't sleep too well Sunday night. Having only driven Bertie myself for about 5 miles ever, and with Richard never having been behind his wheel, the prospect of a 200 mile drive was a bit daunting. Not to mention the fact that we've never taken him more than 75 miles away from here!

I took the first stint behind the wheel, and quickly remembered how heavy the steering is, how tricky it is to keep him going straight (he has a tendency to drift to the left, and a distinct disinclination to be corrected smoothly), and how interesting changing gear can be. We had an issue with him cutting out

at low revs a few times, but sometimes he idled just fine - which kept me on my toes at roundabouts
and junctions!

Richard took over the driving before we reached London, and I am very grateful that he did all of the central London section, not something I really enjoy even in a normal car. It was a lot of fun pootling past the Olympic park, the Shard, looking across the Thames at Tower Bridge etc, and seeing Bertie reflected in all the plate glass windows :)

We caused a bit of a stir when we arrived at the studios - it seems the health and safety people weren't terribly happy at the prospect of allowing him into the building. The first question was how much fuel we had in the tank - but since his fuel gauge doesn't work, I wasn't really able to give a very scientific answer to that! I also couldn't be too scientific on the answer to the question of how much he weighs - no idea at all!

However, once we had jettisoned our petrol can and gas bottle, we were grudgingly allowed to proceed.

Getting Bertie up the ramp, and around some tight corners, into the scene dock behind the studio was pretty hard work - I was literally hanging on the steering wheel with all of my weight to try to turn him, with the tech guys laughing at my inability to drive... slightly humiliating :)

Still, he made it in, and then was pushed from there into position in the studio, for us to wipe him down and pretty him up... We got a great reaction from most of the crew, some of whom had seen him on Amazing Spaces, and some who hadn't.

The filming was fine - it's a number of years since I've been in a TV studio, but I loved the buzz and seeing how the live shows came together.

George and Alan did a great piece about the series, and a good section inside Bertie, talking about his great design (smug me) and beautiful interior (thanks Awesome!).

It was good to see George again, and he and the crew were genuinely thrilled that we had made the effort to come down.

The journey home was fairly uneventful, though long, and we made it home about half 10 - I am still exhausted!


Well done Bertie - 205 miles in one day, and still looking stylish ;)

MOT time...

I can't quite believe that it's been a year already, but the MOT is due on Bertie. We decided to take him back to the same garage as last year, Wooleys. They remembered him from last time, but hadn't been aware of the TV programme. They were impressed by the difference in him though!

Jonathan did the honours of driving him carefully on to the ramp so they could do the test, and stayed in to show off the lights etc. Apparently it was a bit disconcerting being raised and lowered on the ramps...

Anyway, in contrast to last year's big bill, this year he passed straight through with flying colours (or at least, no advisories!)... And so we're set for another year.

Jingle bells, jingle bells ...

We were asked to do a final day of filming for the 'Amazing Spaces' show, for a small section in the Christmas special episode. So - today we have been pretending it's Christmas!
Tinsel, stockings, warm spiced apple juice, gingerbread, carols and lots and lots of fairy lights... It's been a lovely day :)

Holidays are here again!

It's only been one night, but we feel like we've been on a proper holiday...

This crazy half term week looked like it didn't hold any opportunities (or decent weather) to get away in Bertie, so we had consoled ourselves with putting a couple of day trips on the calendar. However, our schedule for the next couple of days changed suddenly, and with the St Jude storm blowing itself out pretty quickly in our neck of the woods, we found a tiny window in which we could hit the road.

I booked a campsite at the third time of trying - the first was closed for the winter, and the second sounded a little unsure about 6 people staying in one small van and suggested we try elsewhere! We checked the directions on the net, found the relevant page on the Norfolk map, chucked some clothes in a bag, duvets in the seat boxes, dog food in the rear storage and clean water in the tank, and we were off...

The site we chose was the wonderful 'Whitehall Farm' in Burnham Thorpe: http://www.whitehallfarm-accommodation.com
A complete stab in the dark, but it turned out to be absolutely perfect for our needs. A lovely quiet field with countryside views, short grass and very few bumps, almost no other campers, clean and adequate facilities, and only £14 for us all for the night. Can't ask for more than that!

We pitched up (after a short quibble about the prevailing wind, direction of the slope, distance from the one other tent etc) and then walked the couple of miles along country lanes to Burnham Market, the nearest small town (large village?). Sandwiches and cakes from the bakery, eaten outside on the village green in the late autumn sunshine, were just perfect. The smaller children found the walk back a little too much and needed to be carried, and it was almost totally dark by the time we made it back to Bertie, but it was a lovely excursion.

Once back, Bertie came into his own as we quickly warmed up with the stove on and hot drinks and then dinner cooking. Games of  cards around the table together passed the rest of the afternoon, then a meal of lemon chicken (well, quorn!) and rice... The electric coolbox is perfectly adequate for our needs at the moment, and I'm very glad we didn't invest the time and money into installing a real fridge.

After tea we read some stories and played another game, and then J took the children off to the toilet block while I rearranged the furniture ready for bed. We decided to change the sleeping arrangements this time, after some issues last time. The two little girls were in their hammocks again, but the older two took the places on top of the kitchen, and Jonathan and I made up the whole double bed below the hammocks for us. This was a much better option, espcially for Jonathan, as it meant that he could stretch out fully in bed, and sleep much better.

We were really toasty warm, and left one of the roof vents open for ventilation through the night. It did rain overnight, but we stayed dry and warm, and all slept well.

After replacing the tables for breakfast the following morning, it was time to make our way home again. It is just so fantastic to be able to pack up in 10 minutes, turn a key and be back on the road... Campervanning is just the best!

Great feedback, and another trip out

We've had so many lovely comments from friends, family and strangers too... Bertie is getting lots of new twitter followers too :)

Here's just a few of the comments:

@MpbEunos: After showing the family @bluemooncamper on George Clarke's Amazing Spaces, it has been decided that it is the best thing ever! I need one!
@DomesticMrsH: Wow did you see @GCAmazingSpaces last night? You really should check out this stunning project @Bluemooncamper #creativespace
@bethtow: @MrGeorgeClarke @Bluemooncamper such a clever use of space - love it!
@melly_mel101: @Bluemooncamper what a fantastic holiday camper van! well done, he's beautiful!

@MrGeorgeClarke: Bertie the Ambulance is one of the cutest and inventive projects I've ever seen...what a lovely project for a lovely family #amazingspaces



On Saturday we went into the city to do some shopping, and I had five separate people come up to me during the afternoon to say how much they enjoyed the programme, and to compliment us on Bertie. Crazy, being recognised as 'someone from the TV'! One guy even shouted down a crowded street, "Love your ambulance!"!


Bertie took us to the woods on Sunday, doing what he does best. We had a lovely walk in the forest with good friends, finding a rare couple of hours of sunshine. And then we all piled into the back of Bertie for hot chocolate and biscuits... Perfect Sunday afternoon.

Amazing spaces, amazing day :)

It's been a crazy, bizarre, tiring and very wonderful day!

Jonathan was up at first light again, off to the paper shop in the local village, to get a copy of the Eastern Daily Press - and here is the article:


Short and to the point (!) but a lovely photo.

Twitter and facebook have both been buzzing all day with friends and strangers alike excited about seeing Bertie on the first episode of the new series of 'Amazing Spaces' tonight. The day also involved lots of normal stuff - toddler group, shopping, housework etc - alongside the craziness.

We took Bertie on the school run for the first time this afternoon, so our children could show him off to their classmates and teachers, which was a lot of fun. Then, at the prime drive-time slot of 5.50, I did the first radio interview of my life, on BBC Radio Norfolk. It felt like a blur, and I probably should listen again to find out exactly what I said, but friends and family said I came across well :) It was an added bonus to be the 'and finally' story on the news bulletins at 6pm and 7pm too!

It was pretty cosy on the sofa this evening as 9 additional friends and family members arrived around half 7 to join us to watch the programme.... And at 8pm we were on!

The show is just soooo fab anyway, and we were really happy with the way that Bertie came across. Very, very pleased. I expect we'll be watching it a few times over the next week :)

Paparazzi!

The EDP photographer came this afternoon to take our picture for tomorrow's paper. The highlight for me was having to move Bertie into position (Jonathan was still at work at this point), as I haven't driven him myself for months.

Once again the children were very patient and great at being in the right place at the right time - hopefully there will be some good shots for the paper to choose from.

I had a telephone interview with the journalist as well, so we're looking forward to seeing what's in print tomorrow.

Read all about it!

Jonathan was up super early this morning to go to the paper shop in the next village and snap up some copies of the Sunday Times. He also came back with a Radio Times and a couple of other TV guides...

Lovely photos, and a great article!

Not so fast

So he does live, but all is not right with the world...

We charged up the battery as instructed, and then Jonathan decided to take him out for a drive to get him filled up with fuel in advance of our trip on Saturday. He returned after about 10 minutes, which meant there had to be something wrong - the garage is easily 15 minutes each way from here.

There is just no power in the engine. It starts fine, and revs OK, but when you try to use it to move Bertie, there's almost no response. Jonathan said with his foot to the floor he struggled to get above about 10mph, and as soon as he got to any kind of hill, he thought he was going to stop altogether. So, in that 10 minutes he had only been about half a mile, turned, and inched his way back.

How quickly we return from celebration to despair.

Looks like I'll be back on the phone to Mr Kitchen tomorrow...

HE LIVES!!!!

Rob came at 10, and took less than an hour to get Bertie going... The sweetest sound to my ears :)

He had to replace a few bits and pieces, and some wiring, and apparently there is still an issue with the carburettor filling with fuel, but he goes!

We need to charge the battery up, but we should be good to go to Awesome (at last!) on Saturday...

Thank you so much Rob Kitchen from Norfolk Classics.
http://www.norfolkclassiccars.co.uk

And a very shiny rear end...

Well, the day is getting slightly better, in that Bertie is home.

At last, the welding is finished. We went back to CWD today, and towed him home... I'm still not happy with the look of the boxes, and they seem very low to the ground, but I am just so relieved that it's all finished and we can move on to the next stage (assuming he ever runs again!)

So here's his shiny rear end:

And here is the crew pushing him into the parking space outside our house:

A knight in shining armour?!

I think we have a mechanic!

Dan sent me an email with details of all the work he's done so far, and then also some suggestions for people to contact. Since the engine is not dissimilar to an early Land Rover, and since those engines go on for ever and are pretty fixable, it seemed a good idea to maybe try a Land Rover garage or specialist (though not really a main-dealer type!)

Anyway, I had a very useful chat with a guy called Rob Kitchen today who works over in Swaffham, and I think he may be the man we need - and he (after some gentle persuasion) has agreed to come over tomorrow to check Bertie over.

Hoorah.

OK, this isn't funny now...

So, we still don't have Bertie back - apparently he'll be done by Tuesday, but I've heard that before - and now we don't have a mechanic either - and he's still not running.

This is not funny anymore.

I spoke to Dan on the phone this morning, and he wants out. I totally, totally understand - he has a very busy life building his own cars (check out the Trident Iceni, Dan's baby: http://tridentsportscars.com) as well as trying to find time for his lovely family... And Bertie is turning out to be more than just a quick fix for a friend. So, I totally get it - but now we're in a bit of a hole!

I need to find (and find the money to pay) someone who can come to us, can fix Bertie, and can do it within the week so we can keep on schedule...

Happy Bank Holiday weekend everyone!

Not a happy bunny

OOH, I'm so cross!

We went to pick up Bertie from the welders as we had arranged, and he's STILL not finished. And they didn't even call to let us know.... So we turned up, and Pete was working away, surprised to see us - as though we'd never agreed to collect him today. But he's not done, so what can you do?! We agreed to come back tomorrow to get him; I'm not pleased at all.

But also - I'm really unhappy with the aesthetics of the back boxes. Pete had said he was going to put a couple of side lockers on, as well as the central box, to add to the storage space, but it doesn't look anything like I expected. There are big gaps between the three sections, and it's all so shiny and so angular - I guess these guys are industrial welders, so I maybe shouldn't have expected anything more, but it's just so ugly.

Poor Bertie - What have I done to him?!

Happy details

I got loads of samples of fabric in the post today to choose one for the bunks - and I think I've made a choice :)

Who cares if he doesn't go - he will have pretty things!

Here are a few of the samples

This is the one I have chosen. It's a heavy weight canvas, blue and stripy, and comes from these lovely people:
http://www.kidscurtaincompany.co.uk

I have made it into a little Barbie-sized bunk with some straws to help explain to the children how their beds will work in Bertie!

Delays

We had hoped to pick Bertie up today, as arranged, but we hadn't heard anything from them so Jonathan called - and he's not finished. Apparently we can get him on Friday after 4. I'm a bit narked, especially as Jonathan came home from work early today to make sure he was available to help with the towing. Also, Dan can't work on him easily over there, and I was hoping to get him to do some more bits during this week.

Welding progress

I popped in to CWD over lunch to drop the seatbelts off, and to check on progress. The back step has now been cut away, exposing the extent of the space, and also the extent of the rust (!), under Bertie. Pete has been making a big box from aluminium to go beneath this space - it is really big and heavy, and will give loads of storage room - but I'm a bit concerned how low to the ground it appears to be. Pete says it will be fine, and probably once it's in place it will sit higher, so I expect I'm worrying over nothing.

Forgot to take the camera with me, which I'm really annoyed at myself for, as it would have been great to have a record of him with no back end!!

Happy birthday Jonathan!

Welding take 2

We towed Bertie back to CWD today for the next stage of his work. We have talked through lots of options to do with replacing the back step area, and building in some storage, but until the current floor is cut out, it's tricky to see exactly what spaces we're dealing with.

Dan suggested the idea of having a pull-out drawer beneath the back, on some super-strong runners like they use on race trailers for pull-out sections. I LOVE that idea, and it could make a back deck area between the doors to increase (albeit slightly) the living area. The horse-box conversion that was on the last series of Amazing Spaces, and which inspired George's fold-down caravan wall, used that idea of having a patio/deck off the ground...
I drew up how it would be, and showed it to the welders, but they rather poured cold water on the idea :(

Pete the welder said he didn't think the undercarriage has the strength to support something like that, and would be worried what it would do to the integrity of the vehicle... Very practical, and probably true, but I'm still sulking! He was also worried about being able to keep such a drawer water-tight, because of where the joints would need to be. We agreed that it will probably be better to build a storage bin into the floor forward of the step, with a lift-up access in the floor, and a second storage box under the tailgate with a step fixed to it. He's going to start removing the old step tomorrow, and then I guess he'll know more about dimensions etc.

We also talked with Pete about our new ideas for the bunks, and asked him if it would work to use the seat backs to support the hammocks. We talked over a few options, and agreed that they will fix some u-shaped brackets to the tops of the frames to hold poles to make pipe cots.

In further news, I have today ordered some seatbelts, so that Pete can weld the fixing points onto the frames before he finishes. I have no idea if we've got the right ones - who knew there were so many options?!- but let's hope they're OK.