Counting our belongings back into Dixie after her cosmetic facelift is a great opportunity to reduce, reevaluate and reorganize our things. I was struck by the volume of soft furnishings we had accumulated and therefore had to remove from the van before we started work, it turns out most of the things we own serve… Continue reading Moving Back In (or, #Vanlife: The Essentials)
Let's stop calling this renovation that ceiling related name now that it has grown so much bigger ok? Ok. 😊 Day 4 was warm and bright. After late breakfast (and another sad goodbye to the uni-bound offspring ) we set out with shopping list in hand to pick up what hopefully was the last of… Continue reading Sealing the Ceiling no more… let’s just call it Day 4!
Look at where we have found ourselves on the morning of Day 3, Dixies walls were gleaming brightly. With rain forecasted for most of the day and grey clouds hanging over Dublin we had limited time to finish the painting and air the place out well before it got dark. Luckily both colours dried well… Continue reading Sealing the Ceiling – Day 3
Here is where we left you yesterday, remember?! Dixies walls, roof and doors were carefully painted with 2 coats of sealant and left to dry overnight. All the problem areas, the damp and dark wood you saw yesterday drank at least 3-4 coats and some of the cream metalwork on the door got a little… Continue reading Sealing the Ceiling – Day 2
What is better than Pancakes on Pancake Tuesday? Vanakes on Vancake Tuesday! But what is even better again is weather mild enough to enjoy cooking outdoors. We were lucky this year, on Sandeel Beach on the Hook Peninsula, County Wexford in February the sun cooperated fully and the day was fresh and bright. William whipped… Continue reading The Unconventional Oven: Easy Campfire Bannock Recipe
We had been taking it easy for a few days, parked up safely outside number 109 in Dublin to catch our breaths, a couple of administration details needed to be ironed out and no better place to hang around than the house I grew up in. Some bureaucracy in life is unavoidable; modern humans need… Continue reading Laying low in Curracloe (or, Saving Private Dixie)
Recently, we have both been lucky enough to spend a bit of time with our families. "Going home" always means Mammies house, and whether its in Mayo or Dublin, Mammies house always means noisy kitchens, lots of great food and hours of chatting, catching up long into the night. Its been a lot of fun… Continue reading Thanks for the Tea (Thoughts After 5 Months)
We woke at sunrise in a massive and deserted carpark tucked away up high between the Mourne Mountains in County Down, Northern Ireland. Such a great free place to park up, one of our best finds yet, it had stunning views, picnic tables, bins and various signposted routes to follow through the forrest. We walked… Continue reading The Mountains of Mourne (23-01-18)
Stranger: "So how far are you going to take this thing?" Us: "We don't know...... Greece?" Unfortunately for him, W.E. (William and Elizabeth) misunderstood his question. We've had a lot of visitors to Dixie by now, and we have visited a lot of our friends at their houses, sometimes for a few hours and sometimes… Continue reading Living, Not Surviving (or, This Is Not A Test)
As W.E. (William & Elizabeth) sit on the 11:30pm ferry from Cairnryan, Scotland to Belfast in Northern Ireland, W.E. are reminiscing on our 3 amazing months wildcamping in Wales, England and Scotland, and have broken it all down for you into numbers: -90 sunrises and sunsets -82 different morning views -5000+ miles -2 minor medical… Continue reading 90 Days Across The Irish Sea
the backwards van 