The Snooze Palace
Thursday, February 24, 2005
The Snooze Palace
It’s been so long since I had a chance to write here. Half term holidays have meant that there’s been hardly any chance to sit down and write. It was a good break though and I managed to keep a wonderful secret which became a wonderful surprise for my children and partner.
For years I have hankered after a camper van. Before I was ill I had beach huts where I would spend time and work and draw and paint. After The Illness that all went awry. There was no time and energy to go and paint and repair the poor old hut and I had to sell it. That was in the day when I was incapable of walking further than about 3meters let alone driving and the hut was 30 minutes drive away.
That was all 4 years ago and since then I have managed to visit the sea maybe 4 times --- and most of those visits in the last year. I still cant drive more than about 30 minutes without becoming tired and foggy. In the past few months I hit upon the idea that if I could find a way to have a rest at my destination I could drive to the sea and back alone ---enter the camper van –my beach hut and snooze palace on wheels.
The van is 30 years old. I was just going to College when it was ‘born’. It’s left hand drive so we can take it to see relatives in Belgium easily and my children ( and partner) love it. The day after we got it the children were up and dressed by 6 a.m. (unheard of) and wanted to go out. By 7.15 we were sitting in the van by a local lake watching the ducks and geese and drinking tea and eating breakfast. I was completely shattered by the time we got back at noon but it was worth it. The amount of pleasure the van has already given us is worth it.
After all the trials and tribulations of the past 10 years I think we all deserve a bit of ‘jolly’ and to fly a little and this van fits the bill.
Someone has resprayed the poor old girl in red with a white ‘Starsky ‘n Hutch’ stripe down the sides . All I need now is one of those brown and white cardies they used to wear.
For years I have hankered after a camper van. Before I was ill I had beach huts where I would spend time and work and draw and paint. After The Illness that all went awry. There was no time and energy to go and paint and repair the poor old hut and I had to sell it. That was in the day when I was incapable of walking further than about 3meters let alone driving and the hut was 30 minutes drive away.
That was all 4 years ago and since then I have managed to visit the sea maybe 4 times --- and most of those visits in the last year. I still cant drive more than about 30 minutes without becoming tired and foggy. In the past few months I hit upon the idea that if I could find a way to have a rest at my destination I could drive to the sea and back alone ---enter the camper van –my beach hut and snooze palace on wheels.
The van is 30 years old. I was just going to College when it was ‘born’. It’s left hand drive so we can take it to see relatives in Belgium easily and my children ( and partner) love it. The day after we got it the children were up and dressed by 6 a.m. (unheard of) and wanted to go out. By 7.15 we were sitting in the van by a local lake watching the ducks and geese and drinking tea and eating breakfast. I was completely shattered by the time we got back at noon but it was worth it. The amount of pleasure the van has already given us is worth it.
After all the trials and tribulations of the past 10 years I think we all deserve a bit of ‘jolly’ and to fly a little and this van fits the bill.
Someone has resprayed the poor old girl in red with a white ‘Starsky ‘n Hutch’ stripe down the sides . All I need now is one of those brown and white cardies they used to wear.
Monday, February 07, 2005
Love in every stitch
Just like everyone else I haven’t kept my New Year Resolutions --- one of which was to start a blog and write it regularly but then I’m not comfortable with deadlines and ultimatums any more so I’ve only got myself to please.
Since I last wrote everything’s been up & down. My daughter caught a bug and gave it to me, so she’s been home and there’s been a lot of comics and watching CBeebies, nice drinks and cuddles and making things til she gets better. That’s been good but kept me from my own stuff. All the same I have managed to clear more junk from the studio and to finish going through my Mum’s stuff. She died almost a year ago now though it seems like yesterday.
When she was dying she was determined to knit a jumper for me. It was too much for her really but she was ever brave and determined and in the end she managed the back, front and half a sleeve and there these sorry bits stayed in a bag until last month. I cannot knit well and neither can my partner, but I found a woman at our local wool shop who would finish it. In truth, poor Mum had got muddly towards the end and was knitting it from odd bits and pieces she had to hand. The jumper is stripy and though there was plenty of wool in some colours there was none left in other colours. This dear woman at the wool shop matched up wool in her shop, unpicked the half sleeve and reknitted in new wool so it would match the other sleeve she had to knit. Two days ago she called to say it was ready.
Its so lovely to have this jumper my Mum worked and struggled so hard to make and to be able to wear it and so lovely that this other woman took such care. I was really touched by all the love and generosity in that one garment. It has gone some way in re-establishing my faith in other people.
Since I last wrote everything’s been up & down. My daughter caught a bug and gave it to me, so she’s been home and there’s been a lot of comics and watching CBeebies, nice drinks and cuddles and making things til she gets better. That’s been good but kept me from my own stuff. All the same I have managed to clear more junk from the studio and to finish going through my Mum’s stuff. She died almost a year ago now though it seems like yesterday.
When she was dying she was determined to knit a jumper for me. It was too much for her really but she was ever brave and determined and in the end she managed the back, front and half a sleeve and there these sorry bits stayed in a bag until last month. I cannot knit well and neither can my partner, but I found a woman at our local wool shop who would finish it. In truth, poor Mum had got muddly towards the end and was knitting it from odd bits and pieces she had to hand. The jumper is stripy and though there was plenty of wool in some colours there was none left in other colours. This dear woman at the wool shop matched up wool in her shop, unpicked the half sleeve and reknitted in new wool so it would match the other sleeve she had to knit. Two days ago she called to say it was ready.
Its so lovely to have this jumper my Mum worked and struggled so hard to make and to be able to wear it and so lovely that this other woman took such care. I was really touched by all the love and generosity in that one garment. It has gone some way in re-establishing my faith in other people.
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