Too much snow!
A progress update…
We stayed in the UK while Simon finished the launch of a website project which, I’m happy to report, is up-and-running. There’s still plenty of work to do when we get to France, but the time for leaving is almost upon us!
But now it’s snowing in Britain. The heaviest snow the country has seen for 18 years! Common sense says that you don’t travel unless you absolutely have to, but does that apply to us when we’re driving to the snow anyway?!
In the last few weeks we’ve dusted off our snowboarding gear and had our snowboards serviced at Big Dreams in Wareham. I think we’ve learned that the back of a van, through hot Spanish weather and cold English winter, is not the best storage place for a snowboard. They have a metal edge all around and ours were pretty rusty and not in a good state - quite aside from the scrapes in the base from riding in Avoriaz until the very end of last season when the snow barely covered the rocks. Oops. After a good grind, wax and edge-tune at Big Dreams they’re looking fit for the slopes though.
In van news…it’s had a trip to Essanjay in Poole to look into the smell of gas we’ve had in the living area of the van. They found leaks from not one, but 3 joints! This was probably caused over a period of time by bumps while driving. I’ve been working on the bodywork of the van. We wanted to treat the rust without having to strip any areas back to bare metal and eventually worked out a method of attack. So I’ve been washing a section, t-cutting to remove dirty black runs, remnants of old stickers and lettering that had become visible again, and orange rust stains, then covering the rust with Hammerite, finishing off with paint mixed to match the ‘polar white’ of the original paintwork and, finally, adding a coat of wax for some protection. It’s not a quick job, although the end result is a great improvement, and it won’t be a surprise that I haven’t quite finished….Another reason why I want the snow to go away!
When we start the journey south to the Alps we’ll be blogging as much as we can. We’ve added some useful, informative sections and articles to the website including a page about campervan hire. Hiring is a really popular way for people to make their first venture into motorhoming and allows travellers the flexibility of self-drive for a holiday without the commitment and outlay of purchasing their own van. By listing some companies that offer this service our visitors to the site can see a way of tasting the lifestyle without going the whole hog!
February 6th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Have a good tour I,m looking forward to your blogs GOOD LUCK TO YOU BOTH
February 6th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Good thing you got away when you did - the UK has ground to a halt today!
February 9th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Hi, - enjoying your blog so far and will be keeping an eye on future posts.
I’ve just returned from living in France for a few months doing some editing and design work for someone preparing to publish a book.
So I come back to the UK (wednesday) and find myself single, homeless and pretty much broke, as soon as I land!!! I’m thinking of getting some fast money from a few jobs, aquiring a van to convert and setting off to explore Europe for a while. Maybe I’ll find the time to write two books I’ve drafted out myself?
I’m a trained shiatsu massage therapist and personal yoga/martial arts trainer, and wondering about trying get work on the trip in ski resorts or anywhere where people might be. Perhaps you’d give me the low-down when you hit a resort to see if that something that might work? - Lucy, your list of resorts is most helpful thanks.
Well this is meant to be a comment so I best stop typing… Drop me an email if you get the chance. BEST OF LUCK to you both and SAFE TRAVELS… Joel
February 10th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Thanks for your interest Joel. It sounds as if you need some good luck right now too!
we’ve seen notices advertising massage therapists in the town here in Morzine. They usually go to people at their chalets so that avoids the need for expensive premises. Obviously you would need to build relationships with some holiday companies and chalet owners to get them to keep your details available for their guests, but I think there would definitely be opportunities. Living in a van has it’s challenges though and you would have to be well set-up and organised to make sure you could offer a professional service - as well as keep yourself well-presented! All the best, Lucy