Day 6: Thursday
It’s really necessary.
The first thing I notice on waking up is that my breath is condensing in the air – this is not an occurrence I’m used to while being indoors. It’s not great big plumes or anything, but it’s noticeable. It’s definitely chilly. Continue reading “Vanlife, the first week. Day 6: Thursday”
Day 5: Wednesday
OK, I’ll admit it – I haven’t had a shower since Sunday.
Yes, the van does have a shower installed, but I’m cautious about running out of water; if I have to drive to get more, I may lose the cushty parking spot. Besides, there are well-equipped showers in my work’s swanky new premises – but I keep forgetting to take a towel in with me. Continue reading “Vanlife, the first week. Day 5: Wednesday”
Day 4: Tuesday
A bit quieter today, with a routine starting to be established.
Tea is not so good this morning – I’m pretty sure the non-fridge has caused the milk to go off. It doesn’t smell bad, but the tea definitely doesn’t taste right. Oh well, there’s bean-to-cup espresso machines at work, so I’ll go with coffee. Continue reading “Vanlife, the first week. Day 4: Tuesday”
Day 3: Monday
The first day walking to work from the van!
First though, time to use the toilet for the morning ablutions. Thankfully, I remember to open the blade before weeing into it, and close it after flushing. Seems fine, and should present no problems for the rest of the week.
I also have to make my first cup of tea in the van. Fortunately, a bit of reading had showed me how to work the cooker – you have to hold the gas knob in for ten seconds or so after lighting it, just like the fridge, as a safety measure. Turning on the water pump, I fill a pan from the tap (I haven’t yet found anywhere with a stove top kettle in stock), boil it (fairly quick), and tea is forthcoming. Nice. Then off to work… Continue reading “Vanlife, the first week. Day 3 – Monday”
Day 2: Sunday
I wake up with a hangover.
I probably didn’t need that last can of Punk IPA (nor, if I’m honest, at least one of the preceding pints in the pub). Fortunately the bed is still comfy, so much so that I keep putting off the necessary trip to the hedge until my bladder is near to bursting. Then it’s back to bed; more music, read some comics on the iPad, and wait to feel better so I can drive back to Stretham in preparation for a full week in the van. Continue reading “Vanlife, the first week. Day 2 – Sunday”
A day by day account of my first week living full time in the van – I thought it was a good idea to try it and see if I could cope while I still had the safety fallback of my rented bungalow in Stretham.
My usual carsharing buddy was about to take two weeks holiday, and the parking space we use is at his work, so that meant having to catch the train from Ely to Cambridge and back at £4.90 each day, twice the cost of the usual drive. What better time for a first attempt at living in the van – I can park in Cambridge and walk to work. No traffic jams, no fuel costs. Lovely – hopefully… Continue reading “Vanlife, the first week. Day 1 – Saturday”
I’ve been absent from blogging for some months now, for all sorts of reasons. Principally, none of the shows I regularly blog about were on air since the mediocre end to The Walking Dead’s eighth season, and without the self discipline that comes from writing about a new episode each week, I didn’t have much writing incentive.
I’m also still trying to put my life back together after my traumatic split with Barry, my longtime partner, which also resulted in me having to move out of the house and live on my own for the first time in my life. And I still haven’t come up with much of a plan, but at least it was summer and the weather was lovely (a little too lovely, with some rather oppressive heat) So I didn’t spend much time in the house and became a rather too frequent habitue of the local pub. Continue reading “So, I bought a van…”
“All this is just what was. There’s gotta be something after.”
(SPOILER WARNING!)
So finally, FINALLY, that’s a wrap on the All Out War, in a mostly satisfying and thoughtful season finale for The Walking Dead. It’s been two and a half seasons since we first encountered antagonists the Saviors; that’s over two years ago now. Their presence has been, since then, almost a default format for the show, and it’s a format that’s got real tired. Thank heavens the series can finally do something else. Continue reading “The Walking Dead: Season 8, Episode 16 – Wrath”
“If they won’t end it, you have to. You have to give them a way out.”
(SPOILER WARNING!)
It’s the penultimate ep of this season of The Walking Dead, and for the first time in about two years there’s the beginning of some resolution to the plot. That’s not to say this ep has redeemed what went before, or even has the sense of building momentum you’d expect the week before the season finale. But at least there’s some movement. Continue reading “The Walking Dead: Season 8, Episode 15 – Worth”
“I found myself. Some version of myself, a better self. Still, it always feels like it could just be swept away again. But that doesn’t mean it will, and it doesn’t mean I couldn’t find myself again if it does.”
(SPOILER WARNING!)
It suddenly occurred to me, watching this episode, that this season of The Walking Dead is nearly at an end – only two more eps to go after this one. I really hadn’t noticed, as the increasingly draggy All Out War plot has shown very little sign of building momentum, just ambling along, mostly uninterestingly, with no apparent end in sight. If it was World War 2, it would be early 1943 – each side has had some significant gains and losses, but palpable victory for either doesn’t seem in sight yet. Continue reading “The Walking Dead: Season 8, Episode 14 – Still Gotta Mean Something”
Simon’s Incoherent Blog 