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)
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
After living and travelling fulltime in the van for almost 7 months now, we have begun to understand what is important for us to own and to have on hand and easily accessible to us everyday. Storage space is at a premium in here and must be considered wisely, that means we often employ a… Continue reading Sealing the Ceiling – Day 1
*This post was assembled in November 2017, during our 3rd month living in Dixie, our 2nd month on the road in England* Neolithic sites, Iron Age forts, any kind of Dolmen, standing stone or stone circle, or other artefacts or remnants of ancient civilisations attract us. Stones in particular have so many stories, fables and… Continue reading Stories of Stones (A Photo Gallery)
William does 100% of the driving in Dixie, I have never driven as much as a car nevermind a house and that is most likely the way things will stay. But being co-pilot comes with its own pressures, I'm chief cigarette roller for example, which is a full-time position in itself, I'm the entire navigation… Continue reading By Hook or by Crook! (Whatever will be, will be)
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)
Achill (pronounced Ack-ill) Island, Irelands biggest island, tethered to the mainland of County Mayo by a single bridge, is almost as westerly as one can get without falling off the country altogether. We drove in from the Mullet Peninsula on Monday afternoon, a lazy, winding route that took us leisurely along the stunning Wild Atlantic… Continue reading Boycotts, Bog Holes and Booleying (or, The Start of the Affair)
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)
the backwards van 