Picking up Brunnehilda

You have to admit, which ever way you look at it, 37 years 3 months and 30 days is a long time!
As it happens, exactly how long Vincent Van Gogh had to cram a great deal of life into.
More importantly, well to me anyway, this is the amount of my working life I willing gave to Volvo Car Corporation.

Now it’s a bit crass to say a life changing decision can be made after seeing a witty bumper sticker but I’m afraid that’s about the size of it!
“Adventure before dementia” was a large motivating force for my wife, Kim, and I to take an early retirement  - in my case 6 weeks before my 60th birthday.


So after months of planning our escape (probably good fodder for future blogs?) we purchased a caravan and set things up for a memorable year of travel. Culminating in the big day - the handover of our new Knaus Sudwind 500 PF (aka Brunnehilda) from Blackmore Vale Leisure http://www.bmvcaravans.co.uk/caravan in Shaftesbury.

Inside with everything set up.

Pete gave us an intense 2 hours showing how everything worked. About 25% sunk in but hey, that’s what manuals are for?! All working Ok apart from the TV aerial. Pete helped us get the 12v TV set wired up.

Then a smashing early dinner at the Kings Arms at East Stour Common http://kingsarmseaststour.com/ a visit to Tesco in Shaftesbury for provisions (and the use of their toilets for number 2s!) and back to Brunnehilda to watch a DVD - Birdman (clearly a good film but not the bundle of joy the occasion called for!)

It’s 8.52pm and it feels like midnight. It looks like the first night in the enormous German fixed bed is going to happen sooner than we expected!?