camclife – 2gocaravanning

After 6 years of only working a summer season this year we decided to also work 2 months of the winter season. Instead of finishing work at the end of October we carried on our 12 days off/on contract and finished at the beginning of January. It was means to an end and meant we could get the final renovation jobs completed in the cottage without having to save up all year to do so.

Winter working brought with it a whole new feel to the site, days got shorter, darker, wetter, colder, there were tonnes of leaves to be raked, wet and muddy floors to mop and taps to unfreeze. No-one sitting out in deckchairs sipping drinks in the evenings, no sausages sizzling on bbq’s, everyone scurrying to and from the shower blocks eager to get back to the warmth of their unit. The site was still full most of the time as people travelled up, down and across the country for pre Christmas visits to friends and family, or stopping over after visiting the spectacular Christmas Winter Wonderland events at Warwick Castle. There were even a few arrivals on Christmas Day and New Years Day. The year ended on a final flourish with a race event on New Years Eve. The whole front area of the site was taken over by the Jockey Club to host a day of racing and revelry. Food vendors, drinks bars, coffee shacks, prosecco waggons and marquees for live music set up where the previous day were caravans and motorhomes, it certainly was a different look for the site. Twenty pitches on the gravel area were still open and occupied by members, most of who regularly book 12 months in advance every year to secure their spot for such a dazzling occasion. The day isn’t without its anxieties for us as the site managers but all passed off well and judging by the shouts and cheers as the horses crossed the finishing line it seems that many went home with more pennies in their pockets than they arrived with!

Autumn arrived and the leaves were falling

After this event the site was winding down, with only 3 days to go until closure the arrivals were fewer and it was starting to look empty. Following the final departure on the 4th Jan the gates were closed, windows boarded, taps removed, pitch markers and signs brought in cleaned and stacked, office paperwork archived, systems closed down and a final facility block clean done. The keys were handed over and we pulled out 2 days later heading back to home to start the work that we had just earned the money to pay for!

We had already lined up our trusted tradesman to make a head start before we arrived home so things were well under way with renewing the staircase and replacing the log burner and fireplace. It did cross our minds that who on earth would choose to have a log burner taken out and have to wait 2 weeks for a new one to be installed in the month of January? Well that would be us – and when we had snow for 3 days and the builder couldn’t get back to us we questioned our sanity even more. After what seemed a very long two weeks we finally had the cottage back to ourselves and could relax in our lovely new (and warm) surroundings. That hopefully should be the last of our major renovations completed, everything I envisioned when we bought the place 3 years ago is now in place, that is unless I think of some extra little upgrades that would be ‘just right’. Can you hear the groan from Steve there?

Ooohhhh – If we worked next winter maybe we could then have………?

We have just completed another month in lockdown (69 days to be precise and counting) and it has been, well, uneventful really. Sunshine has been endless, day after day of clear blue skies, occasional fluffy white clouds and light breezes, it certainly has convinced us that the South has better weather than we are used to hailing from half way up the Country in the North Midlands. Living our life 90% outside that makes being on the South coast a definite bonus. Considering there has been three Bank Holidays since the lockdown started its been hot hot hot here, a most unusual occurrence in British weather history. Steve is chasing the shade between the awning and the kitchen/bathroom pods, and I’m bobbing between one chair in the sun and one chair in the shade when it gets too hot even for me. Can’t even begin to imagine how different lockdown life would have been for us so far if the weather had been typically British, and we had been confined to the caravan and awning listening to wind and rain on the roof. Not half as pleasant is all I can say.

Empty pitches ready and waiting for members return

As we look around us surrounded by all the empty pitches, reading on social media how fellow caravaners, motorhomes and campers are missing out on being able to use their outfits, we are aware of how lucky we are compared to those who haven’t been able to enjoy the freedom of being away in their treasured home from home yet this year. The site should have been full to bursting this week with us run off our feet ensuring every blade of grass was in its rightful place and with a cheery smile and wave being dished out to all. Instead we have a very quiet back garden, we can hear every bird’s song, every fox’s bark and owl’s hoot – of which there are many. It is so quiet we even heard a nightjar calling which was a first for me. There is a lot of wildlife on the site that wouldn’t normally be so brave at showing themselves if there were people around. A family of deer are enjoying living in the copse right in the centre of the site, rabbits and hares are basking in the late evening sunshine nibbling the daises and buttercups on the play field, moles have claimed the tent area showing their presence by the many mounds of earth hills that appear overnight, pheasants stalk about the ferry pitch area and strut their stuff along the service roads. There are three species of woodpecker hammering in the trees overhead, Lesser Spotted, Great Spotted and Green. Blue tits, Great Tits, Finches of all descriptions, Thrush, Wren, Jay, Robin to name but a few that visit the bird feeders and of course Rooks that give the site its name sit on the fences keeping watch over their namesake. The glorious sight of Red Kite and Buzzards soaring overhead waiting to swoop down to catch their prey always makes you stop to look up and watch, mind you with Belle now living on their patch the rodent population is seriously scarce so they might be going hungry.

I have always had a fondness of wild flowers, seeking them out and learning their names from an early age whilst exploring during caravanning weekends in Devils Bridge Wales. When your parents caravan only had electric in the later years, never had any tv signal, mobile phones weren’t invented and books were the only source of information, many evenings were spent looking up the days flower finds, copying and colouring in the drawing and cataloguing where it was found. Oh what a simple pleasure that kept me occupied for hours, now I just take a photo on my mobile and within seconds its filed away on a ‘cloud’.

We are still crafting to while away the time, I’ve had a go at quilling, inspired by Kirstie’s Carry on Crafting program, Steve has moved on from drawing sailing boats to trying his hand at perspective street scenes and outlines of the female form – we shall say no more on that subject, just that I haven’t had to be a life model yet thankfully! He is now learning French and Spanish so our conversations may get a bit limited in the near future if I don’t keep up with him. He does grasp it quickly to be fair so that will stand us in good stead for our adventures in Europe once we are allowed again.

Following the easing of lockdown to enable us to travel further afield we made the 340 mile round trip journey to home and back in a day. We needed items from home that we originally thought wouldn’t be needed for a while as we planned to be going back home plenty of times to collect them. Summer clothes weren’t initially even on the ‘leaving home list’ as it was February when we left with no glimmer of warmer days on the horizon, so when lockdown arrived along with the sunshine we were totally unprepared clothes wise. A trip to Tesco, being the only shop open to sell clothes alongside food, and being lent items by the other site managers got us through for a few weeks but we longed for our own favourite summer attire. Steve was also desperate for his bike and I wanted my mini sewing machine to have a go at various little projects. It was a flying visit to home to see Mitch and Chloe and the house. It still has a roof on so we are very proud of them for managing that! Neighbours were a bonus to see on the drive (you know who you are!) and a great socially distanced catch up was had. A socially distanced visit was then made to both Dads, then onto Jess, Simon and grandson Harry. Very strange and sad not to be able to hug our family but a necessity to keep everyone safe. We had a good journey back to site with a car packed to the roof of more ‘essential stuff’ and arrived back weary but very glad we had been able to get to see our loved ones even if it was for just a few minutes each and from the end of the driveways.

Days blur from one day to the next and we lose all track of time, day and date. How hard are things going to be to conform once again to a structured day of work life? Very I think. We are having a taste of retired life but we know luckily with the bonus of still being paid – although currently furlough pay- but a full wage is still a necessity for a good few years yet. Some days we quite like being semi retired but other days we really need to get back to a new normality and get on with what we came here to do.

Catch up with us next time as we go into our third month of furlough and semi-lockdown. Hopefully we will have some news about site openings and life resuming in a new normal way.

Tag: camclife

Winter Working

Lost in Lockdown