Hi everyone, we have moved to a shiny new blog site!
Blogger has been a great free host from the start for us but it has a lot of limitations, especially in the e-commerce area. Also it gives us an exceptionally long web address to tell people about which isn't very professional so I felt it was time to buy our very own domain.
So without further ado, I present thewakiway.co.uk! It has a nice ring to it doesn't it?
Click here for the new blog welcome post>
Sunday, 13 October 2013
Monday, 30 September 2013
Honeymoon: Week 2
Initially we was only going to spend the one night and start back down South later the next day, but as the weather was meant to be so nice we decided to make it two nights. I'm so glad we did, on Wednesday we took a very long walk along Balnakeil Bay with the hot sun beaming and it felt like we were on a tropical island! Who would of thought we'd have pictures like these from the North coast of Scotland!?
One toe in the sea though soon put Ryan straight on the idea of going for a swim so we made do with lying on the beach smiling instead! :)
The are many traditions about Wedding Cake, many of which seem to include keeping it for many years which we're not in a position to do. Instead we thought it would be nice to bury the last slice in the most Northerly point of our hike where we were feeling happiest with the Holiday. Being Pagan I like the idea that a symbol of our love and union has been returned to the Earth for safekeeping and can help things grow in such a beautiful place. When looking around for a spot to bury it in I found a white feather in the grass so, reading it as a sign, I used that spot and kept the feather for tying to my staff with the other symbols I've received over the years. Below is a panorama from the very spot of our buried cake!
As the sky was still clear, at night we wrapped up warm and walked over to the observation point on the cliffs away from the lights of the camp site to do some stargazing. We've always lived in rural areas so are used to having a good sky full of stars but this was really something else! The Milky Way was so clear as a line over our heads, we lost count of the number of satellites that tracked past and saw no less than 8 shooting stars! It's always a humbling experience when faced with something of such magnitude when we as humans are so small, and we lay there on the ground for ages sharing ideas and our wonder of the cosmos.
Thursday morning we got packed up, done another load of washing before we left and then headed South for the journey home. We drove through the mountains and joined the A9 south to Inverness, then decided we might as well keep going and got as far as Pitlochry. We were a bit late arriving for the shops so spent the night in a car park from the camp spot list and done our last bit of souvenir shopping first thing in the morning. It was a soggy morning for everyone, including this wee Robin who I felt sorry for and fed with some oats! We also visited the Heather Gem factory where they make jewels from dyed, compressed and polished heather twigs. They really are beautiful things and Ryan treated me to a Celtic style necklace with a green gem in the centre for my Birthday!
That day we pushed on as far as we could South and ended up at a spot near Stoke on Trent for the night, that meant that we could have a nice leisurely day on Saturday. We found a nice pub to stay at called The Wharf Inn at Fenny Compton that also has a camp site next to the canal and also offer a free meal if it's your birthday - bonus! :D
On Sunday we made the most of our last morning away, just enjoying our time together and eating pancakes for breakfast! We then made the short drive home and as the roads turned into ones we recognised I felt a strange mix of happy anticipation and sadness. What a trip it has been, we've both really gotten into the swing of living on the road and exploring places so can't wait for our next adventure...
Wednesday, 25 September 2013
Honeymoon: Week 1
Our tour of the Scottish Highlands, week 1 = 945 miles
To avoid the notorious Birmingham rush hour we took the M1 from J13 as far up as J24 near Nottingham, hopped across on the A50 to the M6 and found a nice spot near Kendal in the Lake District for the night. Ryan is a member of wildcamping.co.uk and so has the details of a lot of acceptable wild camping spots in the UK linked to his SatNav which makes them very easy to find. It doesn't mean that there is no chance of being moved on but as long as you don't overstay your welcome or be a nuisance you'll generally get left alone. Another great feature of this is that all of the spots are rated so you can choose between urban/rural laybys, carparks, pub stops etc so no nasty surprises or stopping every few miles to look at them to decide if it's suitable.
Tuesday morning we carried on up the M6 to Carlisle, took a short shopping trip to a Maplins and Halfords for a new stereo and speakers as the standard speakers can't contend with the engine noise and were crackling quite badly. Unfortunately the crackling problem was still there through the new stuff so Ryan has to do some work on the wiring to figure that one out, something that we knew would need doing at some point anyway due to the state of it all behind the dash! We also went on a slight detour down some tricky back roads to see Hadrians wall and, although the stubby remains of the wall itsef isn't much to behold, the view is still worth it! (and no the wall in the shot is not Hadrians wall, it's the car park wall!)
The M6 turns into the the A74(M) just after Carlisle and we pushed on into Scotland for our second night and stopped in a nice little spot near Moffat down a disused section of road that's frequented by lorry drivers. We have our suitcase generator with us so can re-charge our batteries etc every couple of days and save on gas even if we're not near a campsite with electric hook up.
On Wednesday we got through Glasgow (via the Clyde tunnel as we didn't fancy going over the bridge in high winds!) and drove past Loch Lomond and through the Trossachs on the A82. It's such a beautiful area with stunning views and cascading waterfalls around every turn but we didn't hang around as we wanted to get over to Skye the next day. We stopped that night in a car park from the wild camping list amidst the mountains near Glencoe and enjoyed a romantic meal with a glass of Asti left over from the Wedding. Bliss...
On Thursday we had a little wander around Fort William which is very welcoming to Motorhomers with our own designated car park with long (though a little too narrow) parking spaces.
We then drove on up the A87 near Loch Ness an on to Skye :) and spent the next 2 nights at the Caravan and Camping club site at Edinbane. The site has nice clean facilities and is a working croft with sheep and Highland cattle. Ryan bought some duck eggs from their shop which were delicious! We also checked out the Edinbane Pottery shop in the village which has some really incredible things inspired by the local landscapes, though even with the wedding money I couldn't warrant spending £75 on their cheapest teapot however beautiful it was so left empty handed.
Whilst on electric hook up we tested out our electric hob to save using our bottled gas, and got our laundry done. Our idea of using the bathroom as a drying room worked well too, the telescopic poles we have for securing our food in the cupboard during journeys can be fitted up between the walls and hold a surprising amount of clothes. With the roof vent open and the heater on they dry well when it's wet outside which is definitely a necessity.
On Saturday we left Skye and went on a boat trip around the Kyle of Lochalsh. It's a glass bottom boat and took us to see the birds, seals and a ship wreck. Whilst passing a salmon farm we even got to see a Porpoise but they're a little more shy than dolphins so it kept it's distance, though I was lucky enough to snap a shot of his dorsal fin!
The Wedding was fantastic so a MASSIVE thank you goes out to everyone who came (dressed up Medieval!) and who helped make it such a special day for us! Also thank you to everyone who gave us money as we certainly couldn't have come so far without it.
We spent Sunday and most of Monday loading up and sorting through our belongings that have been in boxes since we moved out of our rented house nearly 2 years ago! It took us a little longer than expected to get everything into place in the motorhome so it was about 3pm before we got on our way, but then we weren't in any hurry to be anywhere so it was still stress free for us.
Tuesday morning we carried on up the M6 to Carlisle, took a short shopping trip to a Maplins and Halfords for a new stereo and speakers as the standard speakers can't contend with the engine noise and were crackling quite badly. Unfortunately the crackling problem was still there through the new stuff so Ryan has to do some work on the wiring to figure that one out, something that we knew would need doing at some point anyway due to the state of it all behind the dash! We also went on a slight detour down some tricky back roads to see Hadrians wall and, although the stubby remains of the wall itsef isn't much to behold, the view is still worth it! (and no the wall in the shot is not Hadrians wall, it's the car park wall!)
The M6 turns into the the A74(M) just after Carlisle and we pushed on into Scotland for our second night and stopped in a nice little spot near Moffat down a disused section of road that's frequented by lorry drivers. We have our suitcase generator with us so can re-charge our batteries etc every couple of days and save on gas even if we're not near a campsite with electric hook up.
On Wednesday we got through Glasgow (via the Clyde tunnel as we didn't fancy going over the bridge in high winds!) and drove past Loch Lomond and through the Trossachs on the A82. It's such a beautiful area with stunning views and cascading waterfalls around every turn but we didn't hang around as we wanted to get over to Skye the next day. We stopped that night in a car park from the wild camping list amidst the mountains near Glencoe and enjoyed a romantic meal with a glass of Asti left over from the Wedding. Bliss... |
| View from the Skye bridge |
We then drove on up the A87 near Loch Ness an on to Skye :) and spent the next 2 nights at the Caravan and Camping club site at Edinbane. The site has nice clean facilities and is a working croft with sheep and Highland cattle. Ryan bought some duck eggs from their shop which were delicious! We also checked out the Edinbane Pottery shop in the village which has some really incredible things inspired by the local landscapes, though even with the wedding money I couldn't warrant spending £75 on their cheapest teapot however beautiful it was so left empty handed.
Whilst on electric hook up we tested out our electric hob to save using our bottled gas, and got our laundry done. Our idea of using the bathroom as a drying room worked well too, the telescopic poles we have for securing our food in the cupboard during journeys can be fitted up between the walls and hold a surprising amount of clothes. With the roof vent open and the heater on they dry well when it's wet outside which is definitely a necessity.On Saturday we left Skye and went on a boat trip around the Kyle of Lochalsh. It's a glass bottom boat and took us to see the birds, seals and a ship wreck. Whilst passing a salmon farm we even got to see a Porpoise but they're a little more shy than dolphins so it kept it's distance, though I was lucky enough to snap a shot of his dorsal fin!
We drove back along the A87 and the A887 to Loch Ness. The A82 road to Inverness was closed at a village and they diverted us along a slightly scary back road including a massive 15% incline which required poor Waki to be in first gear with all manner of burning clutch smells to get up it! We shall definitely be shopping for an engine with a pokey Turbo before long.
That night we spent near Dores by the shores of Loch Ness, and Kaa did his best Nessie impression for us! We were a little worried about how he would take to life on the road with all of the vibrations but he seems to be just fine with it. He looked a little confused at first but soon settled down and has been behaving exactly the same as before, friendly as ever and he even ate a mouse the other day so doesn't appear to be stressed at all.
That night we spent near Dores by the shores of Loch Ness, and Kaa did his best Nessie impression for us! We were a little worried about how he would take to life on the road with all of the vibrations but he seems to be just fine with it. He looked a little confused at first but soon settled down and has been behaving exactly the same as before, friendly as ever and he even ate a mouse the other day so doesn't appear to be stressed at all.
On Sunday we done some shopping in Inverness and drove on up the A9 along the spectacular east coastline. Not wanting to drive any further we decided on what was listed as an an urban car park from the wild camping list at Latheronwheel that seemed fairly easy to get to, which turned out to be a harbour car park in one of the most beautiful places I think I've ever seen! What a gem! As the sun began to set we explored the rocks and pebble beach and lay in the remaining light on the cliff grass before turning in for a roast beef dinner and our cosy bed.
It's a shame that the sun wasn't prepared to come out whilst we were at Tongue as the waters along the North coastline really do glow a tropical blue in the sunlight but it was still a stunning place all the same. We hadn't really planned anything past Tongue so doubled back to a lovely seaside place called Bettyhill and went for a nice walk on the beach, it was actually a really warm day so we even dared stroll barefoot along the waters edge of the North-North Sea and explored the rock pools!
Monday morning we woke up very happy indeed, had a yummy bacon and duck egg breakfast and carried on North to Thurso then west to the Kyle of Tongue which had been our target destination from the start. When we were looking for ideas of where to go I was drawn to the spot on Google Earth and we decided that if Waki could make it we would try and get up there, so below thanks to a steady hand and Photoshop is a 360 degree panoramic view from the road that cuts across the Kyle itself (click on the picture to see it larger):
It's a shame that the sun wasn't prepared to come out whilst we were at Tongue as the waters along the North coastline really do glow a tropical blue in the sunlight but it was still a stunning place all the same. We hadn't really planned anything past Tongue so doubled back to a lovely seaside place called Bettyhill and went for a nice walk on the beach, it was actually a really warm day so we even dared stroll barefoot along the waters edge of the North-North Sea and explored the rock pools!
Thanks for reading, I'll post Week 2's adventures when we get back if we can tear ourselves away...
Friday, 6 September 2013
Positive Progress
One week to go! We have done so much already, but it does feel like an impossible feat to finish everything so I'm sure there will be a few things to make do with until after the honeymoon. Of course there are things like solar panels and a wood burning stove that we have always intended to fit later this winter and add to next year so we understand that it can't all be done at once.
Since the countdown began Ryan has finished welding and repairing the cab which was all in a terrible state, and it even now has a beautiful coat of white paint. This was Ryan's first attempt at welding and with the amount he had to do he's now quite the expert! His Dad helped us out again and even had to make some new brackets for the bumper as the old ones were almost completely gone due to the rust. Many hours of grinding, welding, fibreglass and fillering and sanding ensued.
After all of their hard work Waki thankfully passed her MOT, I must admit it was slightly terrifying to watch them lift her up on the ramp! See below for the progress pics on the rust battle:
Whilst all of that's been going on I've been very busy inside, we now have cupboard doors to keep all of our things where they belong and have bought a plate rack and cup holders etc to help stow those items safely and efficiently. The kitchen cupboard doors are made from recycled pieces of tongue and groove cladding left over from the ceiling. I made a frame with some new bevelled wood to finish them off, and even managed to re-use the triangular off-cuts from cutting the frame to shape as the door handles!
I panelled the storage box in the living room (destined for our shoes) which used to be another seat, and we have the new worktop cut to size just awaiting the supports to hold it above the snake tank and give us room for our printer and other technology.
I have also panelled and painted the new rear locker box that used to be under the bunk beds with access from outside for tools and wheel chocks etc. We've kept the access the same as it is very useful but instead of beds on top it will have another much needed kitchen worktop with cupboards and drawers in it for our bins and saucepans. I measured the rear luggage shelves against our bags and bike helmets so that we make the best use of the space so they are now up and secured in place ready for the rest of the wardrobe/kitchen worktop combo.
Yesterday I got the supports for the worktop in place so will continue that job today, as well as finalising the wedding arrangements, making decorations and squeezing in a painting commission before we go.... so I better get on with it then! :)
Since the countdown began Ryan has finished welding and repairing the cab which was all in a terrible state, and it even now has a beautiful coat of white paint. This was Ryan's first attempt at welding and with the amount he had to do he's now quite the expert! His Dad helped us out again and even had to make some new brackets for the bumper as the old ones were almost completely gone due to the rust. Many hours of grinding, welding, fibreglass and fillering and sanding ensued.
After all of their hard work Waki thankfully passed her MOT, I must admit it was slightly terrifying to watch them lift her up on the ramp! See below for the progress pics on the rust battle:
 |
| The rust on the arch and drivers door |
 |
| More rust by the bonnet |
 |
| A lot more rust, it's a wonder the bumper had stayed on! |
 |
| New metal |
 |
| Repaired area by bonnet |
 |
| The other side of the bonnet also repaired |
 |
| White paint at long last |
Whilst all of that's been going on I've been very busy inside, we now have cupboard doors to keep all of our things where they belong and have bought a plate rack and cup holders etc to help stow those items safely and efficiently. The kitchen cupboard doors are made from recycled pieces of tongue and groove cladding left over from the ceiling. I made a frame with some new bevelled wood to finish them off, and even managed to re-use the triangular off-cuts from cutting the frame to shape as the door handles!
 |
| The kitchen cupboards made from recycled wood |
I panelled the storage box in the living room (destined for our shoes) which used to be another seat, and we have the new worktop cut to size just awaiting the supports to hold it above the snake tank and give us room for our printer and other technology.
I have also panelled and painted the new rear locker box that used to be under the bunk beds with access from outside for tools and wheel chocks etc. We've kept the access the same as it is very useful but instead of beds on top it will have another much needed kitchen worktop with cupboards and drawers in it for our bins and saucepans. I measured the rear luggage shelves against our bags and bike helmets so that we make the best use of the space so they are now up and secured in place ready for the rest of the wardrobe/kitchen worktop combo.
Yesterday I got the supports for the worktop in place so will continue that job today, as well as finalising the wedding arrangements, making decorations and squeezing in a painting commission before we go.... so I better get on with it then! :)
Saturday, 10 August 2013
The Countdown Begins
As of today we have 35 days until our wedding day - eek! So the past week has been a hive of activity trying to get things finished in time as we need her ready for the honeymoon where we shall be journeying along the west coast of Scotland hopefully right up the the top coast if we have the time. There's nothing quite like a deadline to get jobs done!
Ryan got some help from his Dad and got the rear leaf springs replaced as they were very tired and done some welding to the underneath. He's also began getting to work on the extensive rust on the cab, before and after pictures to follow...
Ryan is also in charge of our gas system which needs re-routing from the gas bottle in the rear locker to a new LPG tank under the body, and the wiring and electrics. He's put the batteries in to their final resting place under the sofa and is sorting out the charging systems so while the sofa's in pieces I'm getting it painted as it was looking very tatty. He's made a switch panel too which is positioned on the wall between the living area and kitchen for the lights & heating etc so that we can reach it from either side for convenience.
I finally got a nice piece of carpet fitted in the cab as for far too long the cab has been still housing the filthy grim grey-black carpet tiles so I tore them out with pleasure! Ryan's parents had an off-cut of a tough beige and brown carpet spare which was perfect.
If you've ever fitted carpet before in a car you'll know that's bad, but Waki was typically far more trouble due to the huge foot wells and contoured arches. The process took quite a long time involving me laying on my belly down the slope between the two seats struggling with my arms outstretched, bashing my head on the seats and dash many times and getting in a tangle with the pedals but I got there in the end! As with previous experience though using spray adhesive in such a small space will always put me in a happier place ;) Don't worry I did have the doors open, but it's still strong!
My next job is to tidy up and fit the old cover strips and also a new length to bridge the carpet-to-laminate join to the living area. I'm also in charge of fitting the cupboards and doors, modifying cupboards, painting (of course!), making panels and boxes, cleaning the old laminate section of floor from ground-in paint and any other fiddly things I can find that need attention.
Another bit of women's work for me is to edge the rug to stop it fraying from where I cut it down to size to fit in the living area. I'm using some recycled wool from an old cardigan of mine which has untwisted enough to be like sewing with multiple strands, and so far it seems to be working really well but it just takes a lot of force to pull the needle through so I'm having to do a little bit each day to avoid blisters. I guess my fingers will toughen up soon enough and I've found a piece of rubber grip mat to use as a thimble which helps a little. It also works out that the off cuts will make perfect mats for the step and should help absorb a lot of water and dirt before we get to the walkway, as it's quite annoying in wet weather to be at home with our shoes off and tread in a wet patch on our way to the kitchen or loo! I love being able to get a use for something instead of throwing it out and we save money too!
At this point I'm really not sure if I'll have time to do lots of Blog updates on our progress as we go, or whether it will have to be after the wedding but I'll try!
Ryan is also in charge of our gas system which needs re-routing from the gas bottle in the rear locker to a new LPG tank under the body, and the wiring and electrics. He's put the batteries in to their final resting place under the sofa and is sorting out the charging systems so while the sofa's in pieces I'm getting it painted as it was looking very tatty. He's made a switch panel too which is positioned on the wall between the living area and kitchen for the lights & heating etc so that we can reach it from either side for convenience.
I finally got a nice piece of carpet fitted in the cab as for far too long the cab has been still housing the filthy grim grey-black carpet tiles so I tore them out with pleasure! Ryan's parents had an off-cut of a tough beige and brown carpet spare which was perfect.If you've ever fitted carpet before in a car you'll know that's bad, but Waki was typically far more trouble due to the huge foot wells and contoured arches. The process took quite a long time involving me laying on my belly down the slope between the two seats struggling with my arms outstretched, bashing my head on the seats and dash many times and getting in a tangle with the pedals but I got there in the end! As with previous experience though using spray adhesive in such a small space will always put me in a happier place ;) Don't worry I did have the doors open, but it's still strong!
My next job is to tidy up and fit the old cover strips and also a new length to bridge the carpet-to-laminate join to the living area. I'm also in charge of fitting the cupboards and doors, modifying cupboards, painting (of course!), making panels and boxes, cleaning the old laminate section of floor from ground-in paint and any other fiddly things I can find that need attention.
Another bit of women's work for me is to edge the rug to stop it fraying from where I cut it down to size to fit in the living area. I'm using some recycled wool from an old cardigan of mine which has untwisted enough to be like sewing with multiple strands, and so far it seems to be working really well but it just takes a lot of force to pull the needle through so I'm having to do a little bit each day to avoid blisters. I guess my fingers will toughen up soon enough and I've found a piece of rubber grip mat to use as a thimble which helps a little. It also works out that the off cuts will make perfect mats for the step and should help absorb a lot of water and dirt before we get to the walkway, as it's quite annoying in wet weather to be at home with our shoes off and tread in a wet patch on our way to the kitchen or loo! I love being able to get a use for something instead of throwing it out and we save money too!
At this point I'm really not sure if I'll have time to do lots of Blog updates on our progress as we go, or whether it will have to be after the wedding but I'll try!
Monday, 3 June 2013
Beautiful Bathroom
Who says that you can't have a little luxury in a 1m square bathroom? I've been longing to have the bathroom finished and properly working and I got to use the shower for the first time on Saturday night - this girl knows how to party huh?We had ripped the old shower tray out after a failed attempt at repairing it, and decided to make a new one from scratch. In a way it was best that we did as it worked out that the floor was more rotten than we had previously thought in there, so now it has a nice new and much more stable plywood floor.
Ryan done a fantastic job tiling it all using some mosaic sheets, and even included a swish little strip of tiles behind the toilet to finish it off :)We have a little cream bathroom mat which is normally left in the shower tray to keep our feet warm and dry when we're not using the shower, and when we are it's simply popped outside the door so that we can step out onto something drying when we're done.
There was a bit of a gap left next to the toilet which needed to be covered with plastic sheeting, and not wanting to waste any precious storage space I discovered it was just about big enough to fit a toilet roll into! Ryan devised a platform inside and a little door on the front so we can get into it when we need to, it turns out that we can store perfectly 9 loo rolls in there - how lucky was that?!
My birthday present mirror is now in place on the wall and beams some colour into the room, along with the bamboo pattern shower curtain. As it was a full size curtain I had to cut it down to size and re-hem it but with plenty of fabric left I also made a small curtain for the window for some extra privacy. The bathroom window is very well frosted but I still wanted something else there just in case - we don't want to get into trouble for public indecency when we're on the road!
To top it all off we now also have a neat little corner sink in place, a wire rack to hold our shampoos etc, a shiny new shower set and beautiful mixer taps to run it all (big thanks to my Step-Dad Richard for gifting us those!). Ah luxury!
Sunday, 2 June 2013
Paintwork
We had the good fortune of a few days of sunshine late in March and April so Ryan got to work on Waki's paintwork. She was literally peppered with holes and we have been gradually filling and protecting areas with duct tape which had left her looking very shabby indeed. So Ryan bought a compressor and smoothed the fillered areas down and applied several layers of white metal paint with a roller. He also managed to get another coat of paint on the roof so that's finally got a good weather seal on it.
This is really a base coat to protect the body and there is still much more smoothing work and dent removal to be done. The immediate result though was fantastic! No more grubby beige and brown flakiness but an expanse of clean fresh white!
We plan to use a nice white car paint for the final finish, and Ryan's already very handy with a spray gun what with his previous experience painting cars and aeroplanes :) We both agree that she needs some sort of coloured stripes or a design down the sides to break up the white a bit, but we can't yet agree on what yet...
We plan to use a nice white car paint for the final finish, and Ryan's already very handy with a spray gun what with his previous experience painting cars and aeroplanes :) We both agree that she needs some sort of coloured stripes or a design down the sides to break up the white a bit, but we can't yet agree on what yet...
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