Caravan love

Oh how I love old caravans.

Last visit this year

We had a beautiful shunshine filled few days at the caravan last month. It was the last overnight stay at the airstream as the campsite closes for the winter. No caravan for 4 months!!! Not sure how we will cope but roll on March is all I can say.

Enjoying the Trailer!

Well it is still not all done but we are just enjoying staying in the Airstream now and will use the winter months to get stuff done. Thought I'd post a few pics of us relaxing and the Airstream looking good covered in bunting. The lovely fabric bunting is from Bunting Boutique and it is hand made from vintage and retro fabrics by my good friend Sue.

Summer of Fun

The airstream has certainly changed our lives this year and we have spent many a weekend in the outdoors while the kids ran about in the fresh air. Some of the best times have been when friends joined us for day and weekend visits and I thought I'd post a few pics from our youngests birthday weekend.

Sprayed Fridge

Pat primed the fridge months ago but we couldn't decide on a colour. We just couldn't get the correct pink to match original so we went with cream. It looks really lovely!

Check out the interior

Light at the end of the tunnel!

Well it finally feels as though most of the big jobs are done. It will always be ongoing seeing as it is 50 years old but the old girl is looking good and I thought I'd share some pictures of her from this weekend. Don't get me wrong, there is still a long list of jobs but it seems achievable now and not too daunting!

The bedroom

The bed upholstery is done and cushios are made. These pictures show the bathroom area behind the fold out bed and looking the otherway you can just see the sofa.

Some pics of the outside

We had a lovely sunny weekend at the Airstream so I managed to get lots of
good pics, it helps that Panasonic fixed our camera!

Making her look pretty

In between rain showers this weekend we got some jobs done, aside from a couple of little varnishing jobs inside Pat and some friends put up a picket fence around the trailer. It is really just to hide all the essential junk we keep under the trailer like fire pit, garden chairs, wood etc.

We have moved the Airstream about 100yards on the site to a more sheltered pitch which is a lot more level!

Wet weekend

We had our first wet weekend at the Airstream last weekend and it seems we have no leaks (phwew). Luckily the sun awning I ordered from Riverway Leisure
recently had arrived and it slid straight into the airstream canopy awning perfectly. It is brilliant so thanks to whoever posted about them on My Cool Caravan Facebook wall. I don't have a picture yet so you will have to settle for an interior shot!

The push we needed!

I don't think I have mentioned on this blog what got this whole crazy Airstream adventure (for adventure read hard work) started.

Although we have been aware of Airstreams for a long while and thought 'one day....' something pushed us over the edge. That something is this book 'My Cool Caravan'. It is an amazing book and it somehow gave us the extra push we needed to jump into the caravan life.

Chris and Jane also have a website and Facebook page and have just released another book 'My Cool Campervan' and although I have no intension of getting a campervan, the pics look so good this is going on my wish list too!

But beware if you do get this book you might just find yourself the owner of a caravan a few months later!!

All pics in this post are from the 'My Cool Caravan' book.

Veneer and varnish

Well the job list seems endless but each visit means more jobs get done. Pat was determined to get the galley looking smarter so he applied the iron on veneer to the side of the fridge and to the dividing wall between galley and bedroom.

Veneer went on and then he stained it to match original wood (see pic). Unfortunately next morning the veneer has bubbled in places but a bit of work with the iron and it was flat again. It has all been varnished and it looks lovely, its amazing how much better it looks.

Some pics of the inside

Some pictures from the inside. We are far from finished but thought I'd post a few pics. I have been scouring flea markets for good fabric and stuff to make the trailer comfy. I also have friends that have given me some great vintage fabrics to help me out, Sue gave me some lovely pieces and I made the oven mitts below. The curtains around bed/sofa area are from Snoopers Paradise and Lucy gave me lots of curtains from her stash.

As my best friend lives very close to the campsite we go car booting some weekends and I found this lovely crochet blanket for £2, Looks great on the sofa!

Pull out bed

Last year Pat and his brother pulled out the original water tank and removed the bed frame covering it. In its place they built a smaller couch frame and put a water heater in there.

This means we have more floor space mid trailer but we need to build a pull out single bed. Pat and I finally came up with a simple design. It will be a wooden flat panel that folds in two for a seat and folds out to make a bed. I have constructed 3 slide out legs for lots of support.Now I just need to order the foam and cover it, fingers crossed I have enough upholstery fabric left!

Windows

As we sat eating our lunch the other day our kitchen window glass just feel out! Luckily it didn't break and luckily it happened when we were there. Pat bought window trim a while ago from Vintage Trailer Supplies so it was a perfect time to start that job.

He has done half the windows now, this meant removing all the old putty. cleaning up the metal channel and fixing in the smart new trim.

Airstream evenings

Although the days are filled with jobs that need doing, in the evening we just relax around the fire pit, bliss!

Spring is here!

Well what a fantastic month. We have been to the Airstream every weekend for the last 4 weeks and I am a true caravan convert!! I have always loved camping but this is great - everything but fresh food and clothes are waiting for you, just unlock and flick a switch and you have a holiday home. Such a great change from city life. So good I haven't had time to upload pics til now.

There is still loads of work to be done and hiccups to be gotten over (a window fell out while we were eating our lunch the other day. Water system had a few leaks but slowly things are getting done.) The best bit is spending so much time outdoors.

Check out the boys running wild in the green outdoors!

The Big Day!!

Well finally she (no name yet) is home. Two hours on the road, much reversing, a trip through the woods and we have a home for the Airstream. Roll on the sunshine.

I have to admit that I never thought this day would come. Apart from the fact it has taken many, many months of weekends to get it in a habitable state, for some reason I was convinvced it would be lying in a crumpled heap along the motorway on moving day! This probably has something to do with the fact that aside from our flat it is the most expensive thing by far that we own, so it a bit nerve wracking when thousands of pounds is hurtling down the road at 60mph.

But it is here now so I can breathe a sigh of relief!

Cleaning up before the big move!

More clean and Tidy photos!!