I brought a van!

I've actually been trying to write a post about this for a long time, but it's been getting nowhere. Instead I'll just put the photos up of us building it and a thank you to all the people who've helped kit it out or donated parts.

(Jess, my little Peugeot Expert)

(The state of the inside of the van, what you can't experience is the intense smell of plaster!)

(carpets ripped up and the single bed being put in)

(Finney, after announcing the van was a tip cleaning the cab)

(Finney, still cleaning away...)

(Me, threading the curtains which my mum made for me)

(My dad resting after I've kitted it out for the first batch of work)

There's actually been more work done on the van since (insulation and a table added) as well as people donating more pieces and parts for me to use. A big thank you needs to go out to Andy Finney (for spending 4 hours cleaning it), My Dad (who's donated wood, screws, time, experience and helped build a lot of it), My Mum (for making the curtains), Paul Stockwell (for giving me some insulation), Soames (for donating wood and a memory foam mattress for the bed) and all my other friends who added, cleaned or helped in some way.

Thank you.

So I brought a van.

Everyone's been telling me that it's the way forward, though I feel I should point out that most of these people have a biased point of view. They are already van owners and lovers. It's a little Peugeot Dispatch panel van. I know that Peugeot don't make a dispatch version, but at some point a rear door has been replaced with that off a Citroen. It's pretty much an old beat up van, with more mileage on it than I'd like. If it was a house it was be described as “full of character” and “cosy”.

Why buy a van? I didn't get it because everyone has told me it's a good idea. My car died. This isn't actually true as my car still runs but it'll cost more than it's worth to get it through the MOT and even then I can't guarantee it'll last another year. I can't guarantee that the van will last the year either, but it'll be more of an adventure. A van won't give me any more freedom than I've already got, it'll just make freedom more comfortable... at least in theory.

It is definitely not the greatest van in the world (not yet!) as it's old, slightly battered, the doors'll whistle on the motorway and the engine has got about a year left in it before it'll need a big overhaul (hopefully) but it felt right as soon as I got in it. There was then warm feeling you get in your gut when it all seems right as soon as I lay down inside, amongst the cement stuck to the carpet and looked up as the battered metal walls with plaster and god knows what stuck to them. Aesthetics don't bother me that much as long as it runs.

The plan is to convert the back into some sort of livable area. I've only got a few days before I start work again (for 3 weeks) so whatever is going to be built will need to be built quick and simply. I'm also limited in the cash flow department (as is everyone else at this time) and I don't really want to spend loads kitting out a van for about a years worth of use. I'm already looking into replacements and how much it'll cost so I know how much work I'll need to pick up. It's going to be a long year and climbing might have to take a bit of a back seat for a while.

A livable area doesn't need to be much.