Tuesday 1 October 2019

#55




#55

Early November 2017 I set off on a different journey. After a lifetime of much convention I decided to do something different now rather than wait until I retire. I never really understood the idea of retirement, doing something to pay the bills for 40-50 years before you get to do what you want seemed crazy. Better to do what you like while you can, and why stop doing that by retiring? You only live once, and in the middle years you start to ask what you want to do for the remaining time. I'm over 50, but fit, nothing stops me doing what I want to and I'm very thankful for that. Common sense tells me to do things while I can. Convention can wait till another time. So I moved out of my flat and bought the biggest Motorhome I can drive.



The beginning of the journey kept me so busy, recording it was erratic. So now I’ll start by catching up, and thereafter share things as they happen. (well I’ll try)







Monday 27 August 2018

The Boys from the Blackstuff, Mount Doom and a Dragon.









After weeks stranded at mothers, I needed another place to stay and wait for medical results. I can’t fit on her driveway so being parked halfway on the footpath both leaves me with a listing ship whilst inside, and an unwelcome obstacle for passers-by. And using electric hook-up is a no-no, as having a trailing cable crossing a public footpath is likely to get me sent to Guantanamo Bay. No I needed somewhere level, out of the way and accessible so people could fetch me supplies I couldn’t carry, like fresh water, propane. This took some doing. No-one I knew had a driveway big enough or any other space at all. However, as my son joked about parking in the yard where he worked – I said “ask your boss, see what he says”.

Well, Big Boss didn’t mind – and despite my offer to pay something but he wasn’t even bothered – and I could even hook up to the electric. Well, this was a gift horse I’ll not be examining to closely. I attached by bicycle to my van and with a little help, I moved the single mile to what I later called Mordor.

There’s a simple reason for this, everywhere is black, the ground, the work, the men, the machinery and anything downwind. It’s a yard where tarmac is processed. Interestingly much of what we drive on is recycled. When a road needs renewing, its torn up, trucked over to the yard, processed, then trucked back to a new road project, added to some tar in a big machine and laid out for us to drive on (me too I hope). There are shovels, conveyers, excavators, and a stream of articulated tipper trucks coming in and out.
In addition to the Bosch-like scene, there is a factory that spews out steam from towers that light up with red eyes each night, and in the opposite direction, a gas tower. It burns day and night. It has a life of its own, normally it has yellow flame, but sometimes it spews out enormous black smoke, like you’d expect in a war zone, spitting and crackling as it tries to clear its throat. But most of the time it breathes out like a dragon. At night, the flame spreads a beautiful glow across all the reflective surfaces, the fields of truck trailers nearby, the ever-present oily puddles in the macadam and the dinosaur-like machines in the yard. It’s flickers like a candle in a Dickensian bedroom. When the atmosphere is overcast, the pulsating glow spreads across the sky like a distant apocalypse – sometimes making the local news. Here in the yard it makes the black mountains of macadam look like Mount Doom. The gas tower is a dragon and the paper mill beyond is the Eye of Sauron. Who would expect to find such beauty in this pit of filth. Isn’t life so surprising?  

So here on the edge of a decommissioned chemical plant I now reside. How long for I don’t know, at least until medical tests have been exhausted, after that, who knows. A longer-term plan will need to be hatched if I cannot drive – otherwise it will be the back to the Road.
























Wednesday 14 March 2018

Blackout




I spent two weeks off work sick after which decided I was well enough to return. I left the place I had been staying with a three and a half hours journey back to my hometown.
I enjoyed the journey as I always do, not as much as the outward one, because that is always one of promise, the unknown, and adventure - but I enjoyed it anyway. There's something beautiful about just traveling along watching the world pass by and the ever-changing horizon. Like life really, one big journey meant to be enjoyed in the moment, which is all we really own.
I visited my Mother and started to prepare myself to return to work the following day.

Well life sometimes likes to throws you a curve ball - and here it comes.
While sitting at the dinner table I felt something strange happening, I wasn't sure what, but I knew I had to lie down on the floor (which I don't remember doing) My next memory is of me sitting on the floor leaning against the wall, looking at a small damp patch on the lino in front of me. I reached out to touch it and it was warm to my fingers. OK - that's where my head has been. While I was out cold. I wondered how long I had been unconscious as Mother appeared at the door from her walking the dog and knew something was wrong, she said I looked pale and confused. Damn right I was.
Well, we both put this down to the fact that I hadn't eaten all day as I never get hungry, and I guess as I had been alone had no idea (we later learned that the reason I don't get hungry is that some of my medication eradicates my appetite, to the point that I never feel hungry at all. Sounds great doesn't it? well not really, it means I can easily miss multiple meals and have no idea) So I ate an apple, an orange, soup and bread - which made me feel much more alert. Solved.

Well, one torpedo wasn't enough for this curving ball, as a couple of hours later, the same feeling visited me, and again I was out cold on the floor. Witness's say I was delirious for some time - although I do remember wanting to wake up from a terrible nightmare where a number of people were staring at me, talking to myself about wanting to wake up (but I already was..)
Lucidity did not begin to return until I was in the ambulance, and I felt like I had got my own head back - even though I wasn't sure why I was in the ambulance.
So, after a few hours in the hospital, a few tests and a long wait on a bed in a corridor full of other patients on beds too, I got to see a Doctor. During my wait in the corridor I myself had become a fully qualified Doctor, and when a meticulously presented man wearing a stethoscope came to find me, I fully expected him to tell me I was Diabetic. A good explanation I thought.
Well, he is the Doctor, and I am a middle aged man who lives in a motorhome. It was the epilepsy, come back to haunt me after ten whole years of being suppressed by Sodium Valporate. "Your going to tell me I cannot drive" I said to the Doctor. "I am doing - is that a problem?"

I left the A&E department with a strange mix of emotions, partly devastation, and partly thinking of the staff. I thought how lucky we are to be able to simply dial a number after which, a mini hospital on wheels arrives at your door, all down to the amazing people who staff the NHS. Am I as good as them in my job?

It seems that there is something called 'seizure threshold' regarding epilepsy and other neurological conditions. Normally, the medication works fine. But, some things, if they're bad enough, can trigger seizures again. Luckily it didn't happen on the road. Luckily I was with someone.

So for now it seems my 'gypsy' life is over, and I have more questions than answers.


I'm wondering what you call a traveler that doesn't travel. Oh, and I'll set an alarm to remind me to eat.


Tuesday 23 January 2018

Highsided Windward


Before I started, I thought finding places to park might be difficult, or that I would run out of places quickly. Well three months on and its (so far) not been a problem. Some of the locations I use seldom, some regular. On this night, I settled down at a regular spot - its quiet and I share it with up to thirty trucks.

 

However, by 11 pm I was already awoken by the van rocking about in the wind. Normally I go back off to sleep but this was much rougher than before. The prevailing westerly was on my nearside and what I desperately wanted to do was park facing into it - Windward. But that would have meant blocking the entire road. I wondered how strong the wind actually was so I checked the weather on my phone. It forecast strong winds that would increase during the early hours - hmmm. At this point my son randomly text me about something unrelated - so I took the opportunity to ask him for a more detailed weather report:



 
I was alarmed at the fact that although it was already very windy - it was going to get even worse! I got out of bed, got dressed and went outside. As I watched my van rock about I noticed how warm it was. As I was re-entered the door I looked at the truck in front of me, a forty foot articulated HGV carrying shipping containers. Did I just see it move in the wind? did I? Indeed I did. It could weigh more than 40 tons - and its MOVING. You don't need to do the math to figure out my (Ive just realized at eleven feet high its 'high-sided') 3.5 ton van can blow over a lot earlier than a HGV...


Time to MOVE.

I drove about 4 miles to a sheltered spot, during which I got blown about quite a lot, reluctant to go over 30 mph - and I can tell you I looked very closely at every single tree on the way. 


















Tuesday 16 January 2018

Mary's Invasion





I had invited a colleague to join me in my lounge whilst parked at work. It had become dark as it was about 4 pm. Shortly after settling down to a nice cuppa,  we heard a knock at the door. I opened the habitation to find a torch shining in my face:

"Oh, it's you! I thought the gypos were moving in!"

It was Mary the Estates manager.

"Come in Mary!"

She came and sat with us but declined coffee.

"I have to keep an eye out y'know, anything can appen round ere, I really thought we might have a gypsy invasion! and I'm not avin that!"

(I have yet to figure out what is so wrong with gypsies)

Mary (as most do) had many questions about how I eat, keep warm and keep clean. She was amazed to find the I have a boiler for the central heating, another boiler to make hot water, a shower, kitchen and 7 berths.

"where do you park it at night?"

"Well, wherever I stop I guess.."

Well, if you need to leave it here just tell me - I'll inform security - you can't sleep here mind! Oh - and why don't you use the shower on the 4th floor?"

"there's a shower?"

So, Mary's 'investigation' proved quite fruitful for me, I now have another safe place to park if I need to - and a shower that doesn't use my own resources. 









Friday 12 January 2018

Pitch Black Switchback






Freedom has taken on an entirely new meaning since I got the motorhome. Planning has become so much more unimportant and just knowing I can change my mind at any time is a revelation. I really can just make stuff up as I go along.

During the Christmas break I fancied a day trip. I headed to the Peak District mainly because I knew it would be quiet and after slowly crawling my way up the snake pass I stopped at the top. It was quite snowy, and for most of the half hour I was there it was busy with cars arriving, people getting out, doing selfies the turning around and driving off again. Madness.


After watching this bizarre spectacle for a while, I continued along the pass and stopped in a lay-by adjacent to Ladybower Reservoir where I spent a few hours just writing, wandering, brewing up.
 

After watching the sunset,  I set off for a friend’s house in the valleys.

For no conscious reason, I set the Satnav to guide me. Shortly after setting off  I saw width restriction - but couldn’t read it quickly enough. Later on, I saw another sign:  'Length Restriction >9.9m<  

(I am 7.0m)  it's OK then. I haven't often seen a length restriction, and wondered why it was in place.

By now the night was black, crooked trees curled over the top of the road only visible in a pool of light made by the headlights, as the road ahead slowly unfolded on the Satnav, a hairpin bend began to appear and I quickly realized why there was a length restriction - it was quite a sharp turn - the approach was steep downhill and the exit was steep uphill.

Hairpin after hairpin appeared on the Satnav - a good job as I could see very little with my own eyes. Approaching the last one it was so dark the bend ambushed me, and just as it appeared in front of me, I was horrified to see the the exit - it was so steep I quickly resolved to take the corner much faster than I wanted so as to avoid lifting off the throttle – I was concerned I might not make the gradient. The engine worked hard without complaint and eventually made it to the top. The rest was easy, and it was only upon arriving at my friends house did I realize it was actually boxing day - making stuff up as you go along sometimes means losing all track of time.



 So know I know what my van can do, and I also know that Mortimer road looks just like something out of Sleepy Hollow. 


Never again..


Tuesday 9 January 2018

White Wolf in a Black Forest

Breeze the dog has only recently learned to play, run, explore - when I arrive at his house in the motorhome he knows he's going on another adventure - he leaps in and sits in the cab like a sentinel.

2.00pm

We headed to the forest for a walk whilst the light lasted. Soon after our arrival, we wandered off, taking note that the carpark would be locked at 5 pm.


It was snowing as we arrived, everywhere was white, much more than the city we left behind. Breeze walked in the snow wherever he could - thankfully avoiding the mud - (the cleanup process on returning to the van is a bit of a chore) we wondered if he had ever been on snow before as he padded around sniffing. He looked whiter than ever against the snowy landscape. It quickly became dark and we didn't really know where we were anymore. The Blair Witch loomed. The clock was ticking and 5 pm was approaching fast - I suppose we could always stay overnight if we got locked in I thought...

The path petered out and we found ourselves in a black abyss. Despite having a good sense of direction I wasn't at all sure where to head, but instinct led me to cut further into the blackness toward what I hoped would be a lake.

4.50pm

Somehow we found our way back to the trail, quickening our pace. We happened upon a hut, lit from within and we all stopped and gazed upon the scene. Owen said it looked like the game Skyrim, Tom suggested Game of Thrones. I guess we all had our own ‘I'm in a movie’ moment simultaneously. I was thinking of Jasper's house in the 2006 film Children of Men, only this was a lot, lot darker.


The carpark didn't close on time.