Month: September 2018

Bodyguard – some thoughts

(SPOILER WARNING!)

As you’ll know if you’ve seen my recent posts, the main thing that’s been keeping me entertained during my two-and-a-bit weeks of living in my van has been watching all of BBC’s much hyped and highly popular thriller Bodyguard, which for the most part I’ve enjoyed immensely. I came to it not because of the hype though, but because of the writer. I recently binge watched all of Jed Mercurio’s hugely enjoyable bent copper drama Line of Duty on Netflix, and hearing that he’d come up with this high stakes blend of cop drama  and political thriller, I was keen to watch. Continue reading “Bodyguard – some thoughts”

Vanlife, the third week. Day 16: Sunday

Day 16: Sunday

This morning, I wake up with the inevitable hangover that follows such a night.

It’s raining outside. Quite heavy rain in fact, and it makes a fair racket pattering against the roof and skylights of the van. It’s actually quite a soothing noise though – there’s a reason you can buy all those relaxation CDs with the sound of rainfall – and helps to soothe my aching head while I gradually recover. Continue reading “Vanlife, the third week. Day 16: Sunday”

Vanlife, the third week. Day 15: Saturday

Day 15: Saturday

So yes, I did spend last night in the van, despite not actually having to. And I’m going to do it again!

The reason is to go out for a proper evening with Layla, with neither of us having to work the next day (or meet a mortgage adviser, in her case). As we’ve been going to the Royal Standard so frequently, we decide to go a little further afield, to the Empress pub on Thoday Street. Continue reading “Vanlife, the third week. Day 15: Saturday”

Vanlife, the second week. Day 14: Friday

Day 14: Friday

My last day in the van for a while? Maybe – but there’s a weekend coming up, and I’m still rather enjoying it, so I might stay in it for one more night. It’s really starting to feel like home, more than my rented bungalow in Stretham ever really did after my partner and I split. Continue reading “Vanlife, the second week. Day 14: Friday”

Vanlife, the second week. Day 12: Wednesday

Day 12: Wednesday

I’m up with the dawn as ever, and I gratefully utilise my mum’s kitchen for some tea and toast. I’d had a vague idea of stopping briefly at my brother’s again on the way back, but a bit of a check of Google Maps route planning nixes that idea. I have things to do back in Stretham – mainly posting eBay sales – and the stop would put me slap in the middle of the dreaded A10 rush hour, where traffic sits impatiently still while waiting for its occasional turn to move forward two metres at 2mph. Continue reading “Vanlife, the second week. Day 12: Wednesday”

Vanlife, the second week. Day 11: Tuesday

Day 11: Tuesday

My last day at Trelay, and that means I need to fix that floppy TV aerial so it at least doesn’t cover up the rear number plate. Borrowing a handy ladder (the place is full of them), Tom watches in the role of Health & Safety as I climb to the roof of the van and have a poke around. Continue reading “Vanlife, the second week. Day 11: Tuesday”

Vanlife, the second week. Day 10: Monday

Day 10: Monday

As ever, I wake up early, the Cornish sunlight streaming through the skylights and the too translucent roller blinds. It’s a rather cloudy sky, and that sun only peeks through sporadically, but it’s a pleasant enough temperature. I’ve no idea when Tom will be up and around – we did drink quite a lot of beer last night and stay up rather late. Continue reading “Vanlife, the second week. Day 10: Monday”

Vanlife, the second week. Day 9: Sunday

Day 9: Sunday

I wake up early, as usual – the influx of daylight through the skylights and the thin blinds always wakes me up not long after dawn. Fortunately I’m connected to my brother’s WiFi network inside the house, so I pass the time reading the Guardian and watching iPlayer until the house residents wake up. Continue reading “Vanlife, the second week. Day 9: Sunday”

Vanlife, the second week. Day 8: Saturday

Day 8: Saturday

My first big trip in the van, and everything’s ready to go! Everything, that is, apart from me, as I once again wake up in the White Horse car park with a hangover. A quick glance out of the window reveals that Phil must have been too drunk to drive himself, as his car is parked next to me. What an enjoyable night. Continue reading “Vanlife, the second week. Day 8: Saturday”