Sunday...6 April 2014

So it stands to reason that after going to great lengths to tell you how we pack up and move our little red wagon, I probably should also tell you  how we set up camp once we arrive where ever it is we were going. The arrival goes something like this:
Himself decides where the van is to be parked and I am instructed to stand on a certain spot as a guide and then he backs or drives the rig into place, only stopping when I raise my arm to suggest he has got to where he wanted to be. Easy really!
Of course there is some minor to and fro-ing to straighten us to the site but he usually gets us more or less exactly where we should be without too much fuss.
In the middle of all that backing up, we need to keep an eye on overhanging trees and electricity lines and also other caravans, vehicles, people, animals, infrastructure such as taps and power boxes and hoses as well as the actual lie of the land which is very rarely dead flat!
The next step is to get out the spirit level. This is placed on the back bumper of the van to decide if we need to add blocks to raise or lower anything to make up for the terrain. When we are fairly level I push the button to lower the back legs. This is serious work, I broke a nail once! Himself lowers the front legs, and the tailgate of the vehicle and prepares to disconnect from the turntable.
Once disconnected he adjusts the height of the van and places the tripod under the hitch. He designed and made the tripod to take the bounce out of the front when we stay anywhere for a bit.
Next we open out the three slides and attach warning flags to the bottom of the bedroom slide as we have discovered the edges are at head height!!!  Himself has several marks on his head from accidentally bumping into them. I did it too once and damn near knocked myself out. I was quite giddy and needed a lie down. My head hurt for days.
So now we have our 'feet' on the ground and are as level as can be managed given the location. Next comes connecting to the water and electricity and if available the sullage as well.
While Himself continues with putting out our camp chairs and table and setting up the awning and any matting the site needs to be comfortable,  I start the inside set up by getting things out of storage and putting them back into place for ease of use during our stay. My first priority is to turn the fridge on as soon as power is available and to boil the kettle for a much needed cuppa once the camp is complete. Himself finishes the outside set up and then comes in to tune in the TV and/or the Satellite system if it is needed.
After our cuppa,  we go to the shops and stock up on food and drink for our stay and if needed we top up the fuel tank ready for any sight seeing in the area.
And that folks is pretty much what we have been doing each and every time have stopped in the last four years.  Like the pack up procedure it becomes fairly routine with the only difference being the need to fit to a particular place.
I do occasionally find myself feeling slightly disorientated and sometimes get startled when noises come from an unexpected direction in the first couple of days at a new location, but if we stay longer than a few days I adjust fairly quickly.