campervan tips

Now we’re cooking with gas!

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I am hoping to go on a mini road-trip sometime soon, but it’s been much more complicated to organise than I expected. The main problem is trying to coordinate being away with various work and home commitments, but there are a few practicalities too – one of which being that the one of the gas hob rings wasn’t working. Cooking on one ring is okay for a night, but would get frustrating on a longer trip.

After a bit of googling I decided that it was the thermocouple that was the problem, found this video about it: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZcfYDh9we9w … and with a bit of moral support from my dad, I’ve fixed it! All ready for the road!

L

All girls like flowers!

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All girls like flowers… and that includes Nessie! Fresh flowers aren’t so practical in a van, but these ones make every dinner table look great. They are handmade and were given to me as a gift.

Table set for dinner with a steel wine glass, a bowl of risotto and a vase of flowers made from fabric.

And these are a craft I did on a holiday some time ago at Manor House Hotel – and only finished off recently! They are made from quilled paper.

A notice board with thermometer and notepad held in place with loch ness monster drawing pins. In front a tiny vase of paper flowers.

You’ll also see the updated pin board. The latest addition is the thermometer which I think will be really handy. The Nessie pins were a gift a long time ago from a friend, but they have now come into their own. The board itself is made from cork place mats stuck onto the van wall with velcro.

Looking forward to lots of adventures in my home from home this summer.

L

The advantages of having a blog!

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A few weeks back I mentioned that I found my van Nessie difficult to drive in the rain because I am relient on my wing mirrors – and the side windows don’t have wipers! You can read about my various water-based problems here: This Nessie doesn’t like water!

But there are advantages to having a blog!! One lovely follower got in touch to suggest a product I might find helpful – rain-x. It’s widely available and I got a bottle in B&Q when I was on my Yorkshire roadtrip.

It was easy to apply, but I’ve been holding off blogging about it, because there’s been so little rain recently to test it out! Last weekend, on a drive back from the New Forest, I did finally get caught in a heavy shower, and the rain-x did make a difference. The water formed smaller droplets and seemed to run-off more quickly.

I put it on my wing mirrors as well as the windows, using a microfibre cloth. Poor Nessie rarely gets a wash because she lives on the street and I live upstairs, so I don’t have a hosepipe and it’s not very convenient to carry buckets up and down the stairs. Given this, there is also an additional benefit of her windows just being clean!!

Although we’re now all equipped for wet weather, I’m hoping there will still be plenty of sunshine for camping in this summer!

L