Countdown

Somewhere in the depths of our 1TB external hard drive, amongst archived 'C' drives from defunct PCs, there lies a forgotten Excel spreadsheet listing motorhomes of desire. Ten years ago we began taking Sunday trips out to Brownhills, Oaktree, Don Armotts;  baffled by the differing layouts, cab styles, brands, and chassis, we made a spreadsheet with our requirements listed across the top, and differing motorhomes down the side. What does that reveal?

1.  I'm a boring git obsessed with planning - true
2.  We were, even in our late 40's hankering after a freer existence - true
3. That, despite our utter ignorance, we really, really, really really wanted to buy a motorhome.

But, with three kids at school, a mortgage with lots of noughts on the end and shiny vehicles of desire with lots of noughts on the windscreen - what hope was there.

We are, nothing if not determined. The conclusion on the spreadsheet was simple - the motorhome we needed was a Rollerteam 600g, with a rear double bed and a big garage beneath.

 It never happened.

Instead, last year we acquired Maisy, an LMC Liberty of a certain age with....a rear double bed and a big garage beneath. Proving...dreams can come true.

So, when I announced to my staff in November 2012 that I intended to take early retirement, someone asked, 'What are you going to do?

I hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Drive onto a ferry in Dover with a single ticket".

That dream has been a bit slow to come to fruition. Gill kept on working for another year, that really helped the finances. Our youngest still had to sit her A levels - now she has, and she's off to Uni in three weeks.

Just to complicate matters, for some weird reason connected with having dropped out of University in 1974, I decided it would be a great idea to do an M.A. The dissertation is due in soon, and I will make the hand-in date with only a minor mental breakdown.....

Best of all - the insurers have OKed the plan to leave Maisy in a secure parking place in Alicante over Christmas. Gill's sorted the Tesco Clubcard points so we get a cheap tunnel crossing. The damaged window in the van has been fixed today and we did get change out of £500 (£2,38). We've invested in a Safefill refillable LPG system...

Soon, very soon, end of September, we ARE going to drive into Calais without a return ticket. Moral of the story....simple. You CAN make your dreams come true.

So where will we go? South of France, Spain, then perhaps on to Portugal after New Year. Wherever we go, we won't get  lost; we could rival Amazon for the number of  guide books we've got in stock....but for now, back to the dissertation!

....some days later

Dissertation more or less finished, (I do know an awful lot more than I used to about postmodern French theorists,,,,now that's going to come handy when I need to swap the gas cylinder...)

So, in celebration of 20,434 words of unmitigated, but fully referenced waffle, I decided to clean the van.