OK so day 7 of the Minimalists Month of Minimalism is ‘Get that damn TV out of your bedroom!’ But we don’t have a TV in ours.
We agree that the bedroom is for two things, neither of them involve box sets, we also only have our phones in there for our alarms.
So we’re doing something a little different – no TV after 9pm. A whole hour (because we’re old people and love a 10pm bed time) of no screen stuff, we talk, we play cards, we read… although reading at 9pm is a good way to get yourself to sleep quickly! Told you we’re old… may even make it 8pm soon…
The plan is to have a projector in the truck for movies, we don’t intend on having an actual TV at all, but we do love a good movie from time to time so may as well make it a cinematic experience.
Craig is the TV watcher in our house – Kerry can go days without putting it on at all, but she does spend a lot of time working on her laptop or Mac so she gets her screen time in that way.
Who’s the TV fiend in your household? Do you have a TV in your room? Do you have a ‘no tech before bed’ rule? We’d love to hear about it!
Click here for more details and lots of photos of our Penelope’s journey so far!
Ever left your clothes in a pile on top of the drawers so long you end up just using that as your wardrobe? Kerry does this all the time… so she emptied her drawers into a box and took it a step further, only putting those few things back into the drawer and you know what? Didn’t miss a thing in that box!
We also found a suitcase full of clothes in the loft that had been there since we moved into the house, 3 years ago, so without even opening it up – off to the charity shop it went.
Now maybe all of this is a little bold – and you need to ease into it, that’s cool – you could create yourself a ‘uniform’, something you would happily wear every day, and a few variants of it (sometimes called a capsule wardrobe), put all other clothes away in a box… or split over a couple of boxes. If after 90 days you’ve not dipped into said box – chuck it out! Donate it, eBay it!
We’re not necessarily talking the stereotype minimalist uniform of 5x black jeans and 5x black t-shirts (although if that works – go for it!); Kerry’s uniform consists of 3 pairs of leggings, a few hoodies, long sleeved tops and two pairs of smart trousers for the office. Office Kerry & Yoga Teacher Kerry co-exist in this wardrobe! Craig’s is cargo trousers and t-shirts basically – he already has a work uniform.
Also do yourself a favour and get rid of all the clothes that you’ll fit back into ‘one day’ – they’re just making you sad every time you see them.
We love having a ‘uniform’ because you don’t really have to think too much about what to wear – less choice – less time wasted and no clothes that are too small to make you feel bad about yourself – it all fits!
Craig has 17 coats at last count, maybe more now – he’s a mountain guide so a lot of them are technical (and technicolored) but he has promised that in the new year he’s thinning out the collection – we shall see!
What would your uniform be?
Kerry & Craig
Click here for more details and lots of photos of our Penelope’s journey so far!
We’re not fans of check list style routines, or giving yourself so much to do before you even start your day that your inner couch potato rebels before you’ve even had a coffee and that’s your whole day sabotaged – but we do believe in habits that contribute to your mental wellbeing.
One of the major challenges of van life, so we keep reading and hearing, can be the lack of routine and the isolation. Although we have each other, and we are very happy in our own company, we are naturally busy people; we like to work, we like to travel, we like to be on the move, so we are likely to find it challenging at times just slowing down our pace of life, although Penelope will do that for us a lot of the time – the old girl isn’t exactly fast…
And so, Kerry likes to go for a walk first thing in the morning, Craig runs 3 times a week. If we don’t do these two things between us, our moods are very clearly affected, if we do these, our moods are very clearly uplifted.
There is a community out there of VanLifers who use the hashtag #supportvanlifers – if you’re ever find yourself in need, don’t forget there are people out here willing to help and to listen – if you’re not OK (and that’s OK!) reach out!
Not a van lifer? Check out your local Samaritans, Mind or other mental health support service – or if you’re in a good place right night perhaps just check in with a friend and ask if they’re doing alright.
If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed
An oldie but a goodie!
Most days we do make the bed, maybe 9/10 days – but we can say for definite that at the end of the day, heading to a bed that is made up is a lot better than when you have to tidy the mess before you lay your head to rest!
We have much to say on this matter, literally and metaphorically, but I think that Admiral William H. McRaven’s famous words sum it up best;
“If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right. If, by chance, you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that’s made. That you made. And a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.”
This one perplexed us a little as it encourages you to tidy your kitchen by putting your appliances into cupboards, which is something we already do, but is that not just hiding things? Perhaps we missed the point, we’re sure the idea is that if it’s put away, you don’t use it, and if you don’t use it, you can get rid?
It did encourage Kerry to challenge whether she truly needs two blenders and a soup maker (that also blends for smoothies) but mostly that we have a load of food in my cupboard that I’ve not even looked at for a long time – so side-challenge; what can we make with our cupboard basics? One pan if possible – now is a good a time as any to practice cooking as we will in the truck!
Time to do something with that quinoa…
Click here for more details and lots of photos of our Penelope’s journey so far!
Every possession should serve a purpose and bring joy to your life
This one strikes us on a day where we battle with the online world (ironic that we’re writing a blog about it for you to read online, no?) – but also the the concept that it is not what you have, but what you do with it.
The internet, social media, your smart phone; good or evil? Productivity or procrastination? I mean, for us it depends on the hour! (the procrastination – never evil!) But mostly, the intention for the way we share our content and message online is one of inspiration, motivation and growth, personal and community.
Yes, we can end up in a spiral of pointless investigation from time to time, or a place of negative connection and comparison, but I think as long as you can ask yourself what you’re getting from it and answer truthfully, that’s a habit you can kick!
As for stuff in the house – as I looked at the image on the Month of Minimalism blog (a white mug sat on a white surface) I packed up all but 4 mugs, the saucers we never use, the ‘spare’ set of dishes we have and some of our other kitchen ware we never use and will take it to the charity shop next week.
So to pose the question from the blog – what are you holding onto that no longer adds value to your life?
Let us know!
Click here for more details and lots of photos of our Penelope’s journey so far!
This might seem a bit off-topic for a truck build blog, but this does fit very much with our plans, and aligns with our values!
We’ve just rediscovered theminimialists.com and after starting their podcast (from 2016 – only a little bit late!) we’ve decided to take two of their tips on board;
Don’t wait – start right now – because ‘someday’ might never happen
And from us;
We’re soon to be selling our house to live in a truck!
So day 1/31 is simple; Ask yourself a question: how might your life be improved by having less ‘stuff’? The idea being to challenge the idea that having ‘that thing’ will make you happy and help you evaluate what brings true value to your life (relationships included – but more on that later down the line).
As Kerry shared a photo just this morning from @thejunkyardjournals on Instagram about challenging our behaviours around this time of year (it’s the 19th December!) and normalising regifting, sharing experiences and time together over consuming more ‘stuff’, this couldn’t have come at a better time.
Now we wouldn’t say that we own a LOT of stuff, in fact over the years with lots of moving around and travelling, we have de-cluttered a lot, or sold a lot depending on the finances at the time. We also feel less connected to ‘things’ and more to adventure and experience the more we travel and explore. But we do still have a long way to go in terms of reducing the things we ‘own’.
So, in answer to the day one question – as well as a good old clear out, our motivation is more the contribution to the concept of recycling, borrowing, lending and the community that this brings. Although this also brings about connotations of free loading or being ‘cheap’ – that’s quite simply not the case (and usually something suggested by the people who want you to buy their things!), why own all the things, when you can borrow something, or let someone borrow, something you’re not using right now anyway!?
So it’ll be a work in progress all the same, we do still have a LOT of things that won’t come with us to the truck, that will be difficult to part with sentimentally, but there are also a lot of habits and attitudes that we still want to challenge along the way.
Fancy joining us? Read The Minimialists post on their Month of Minimalism here. and let us know – we’d love to hear about it.
Kerry, Craig & Penelope
Click here for more details and lots of photos of our Penelope’s journey so far!
Our living room walls are plastered with maps, pictures and goals – Kerry has been listening to Big Ideas for Small Business on Audible (highly recommended) so we have 90 day goals, broken down into monthly goals – it’s great to have a vision for the end of February!
If you fancy a free trial of Audible, use this link, we will get a tiny kickback!
She’s come a long way in the last 12 months, from Army Green to Adventure Orange, she’s travelled from Doncaster to Oldham and home to Warrington, with a brief trip to Norfolk for her crown and she hasn’t faltered – she’s a warrior is our Queen P!
The cab has been stripped right back and treated, painted, sound proofed, carpeted and had new seats, seatbelts, lights – you name it, it’s almost unrecognisable!
Before…
After!!
She’s also had a new fuel tank, fuel lines and sediment filter and of course, her crown – the roof rack made by Jonathan of J H Engineering… we’re heading back there soon too for something exciting!
We think we’ve already blown the projected budget, we’ve yet to do the math – when we do we’ll let you know…
We’re excited for this next chapter, we’ve learned a LOT so far already and as we approach this next phase of the build we’re calling on all of our friends and family for advice (and to borrow their tools!); we’re about to learn a whole lot more.
Stay tuned, follow us on our socials for the small updates and we will be back on YouTube properly with Season 2 in the new year!
That’s it for now, but we will leave you with or motto;
Follow your dreams – they know the way!
Kerry & Craig
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With all of our travel plans for 2020 completely cancelled and our Penelope Plans having to slow down, we decided to hire a van and spend a week driving, parking, walking, camping in the UK.
We had two options – North or South, but with children likely to be off school – we felt that the north would have less children running around screaming (don’t get us wrong, we love kids, we just choose not to spend our holidays with them) so we decided to take up something Craig has wanted to do for a long time – the NC500 (that’s North Coast 500 if, like me, you didn’t know), taking in the sites of the North Coast of Scotland.
FAST FACTS
Distance: 516 miles (ish – we’ll be going a little ‘off path’ – as per)
Trip length: 7 days
Accommodation: Various (camp sites and Park4Night)
Day 1 – Inverness – The Gateway to the Scottish Highlands
A 6am start to go pick up the van from LGF, then we brought it home, threw in the bags and hit the road… for 7 hours! We’re both on the insurance so we took it in turns, just the one stop for a vegan sausage roll from Greggs on the way.
We did a food shop at Tesco in Inverness, planning our one pot meals ahead meant we could save money on eating out and last minute buying.
Back at the van we had a big old pot of easy pasta with tomato and roast veg sauce and even treated ourselves to some violife ‘cheese’ on top. We shared our dinner straight from the pot rather than put into bowls – less dishes (life hack or just lazy??) and with a glass of red wine tried watching an episode of Down to Earth before crashing right out.
Accommodation: Bunchrew Caravan Park, a tad pricey at £25 for the night, with an electric hook up and hot showers, but after that drive, we weren’t all that fussed and the view pretty good too…
Day 2: Inverness to Port Mahomack
After a quick breakfast, coffee and a hot shower at the camp site we took a short drive today after the long one yesterday, we wanted to stretch our legs!
Our camp for the night is an hour and a half away from our first (our second and final camp – it’s ‘wild camping’ from there on in – though I don’t like that term – that’s for when we’re in the tent).
We stopped at Munlochy Cloothie Well on the way as it was close by, such an eerie pace!
Clootie wells are wells or springs, almost always with a tree growing beside them, with an assortment of garments or rags left, often tied to the branches of the trees surrounding the well. The tradition is that if you are ill you need to tie a piece of cloth that belongs to you to the tree near the well after it has been dipped in the water of the well.
After this, and a little chat with two ladies passing by who were interested in the van and very excited to hear about Penelope (we gave them a sticker – obv), we hit the road again and took the one hour drive up to Tarbat Ness Light House, and we were so very glad we did! The clouds parted and the sun shone down and it was stunning up there, we spent a little time wandering around the cliffs and down to the waters edge before heading back to the van for a brew with a view.
Craig to to play with his drone too – video coming soon!
After a little lunch – a Mexican bean wrap with some Sheese and Onion crisps (game changer!) – we went back down the road, literally, to our camp for the night. We met the lovely owner John and hooked up our electric. This is our last night with an electric hook up so it’s time to charge everything up and settle in (and update this blog!).
Tonight’s dinner is tofu and mushroom curry with rice and another glass of red wine – we are on holiday after all!
Accommodation: Port Mahomack caravan site, £10 per night, with a little meter for the showers, which we are happy to pay.
We enjoyed the luxury of a hook up and hot showers, as well as supporting a few local businesses, we were also looking forward to the solitude of a wild park up for the rest of the trip!
Day 3: Port Mahomack to Reiss Sands
Today we took a leisurely drive to Kerry’s personal highlight of the trip; Castle Sinclair Girnigoe via Dunrobin Castle and a little wander to Carn Laith Broch – as well as a little surprise location!
Dunrobin Castle isn’t our cup of tea really, and half of it was closed, we paid anyway and had a mini tour of the castle (one of the guides told us about the bit that was closed off and it does sound quite interesting tbh) but the real treat was in the walk around the outside, through enchanting woodland and around to a little bay where we were treated to a quick sight of a seal pup and it’s mother nearby – we didn’t get a photo so you’ll just have to believe us! Some things are meant to be for our eyes only after all.
Just down the road, and quite randomly by the side of the road, we had to stop at Carn Liath Broch, an ancient structure and with lots of them dotted throughout Scotland in various states of ruin, this one had a guard cell and a stairway running up between the two walls, which would have led to upper floors and although only the base remains now, it would have been around 3 times as tall at least.
After this, we hopped into the van and headed for Castle Sinclair but on the way, Craig made a seemingly random right turn to find somewhere to stop for lunch, we followed the signs for ‘harbour’ and came across a true hidden gem – Lybster Bay, where we had lunch of ‘Cheese’, hummus and salad wraps followed up with vegan magnums we bought the day before (yay for that little freezer compartment!).
On to Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, perched precariously on a cliff edge this stunning ruin is in a critical state of dilapidation but wonderful efforts have been made for it’s conservation and even some restoration. With great information and illustrations of how the castle would have looked, you can really get a feel for how this place looked and thrived throughout its history.
The original plan was to camp here for the night, but something said that we should carry on a little further, so with a brief stop at Tesco for some unnecessary but essential supplies (chocolate) we pushed on and found Reiss Sands, only an extra 10 minutes away but well worth it! The beach here is gorgeous and there is an awesome remains of a shipwrecked trawler!
We parked, we had dinner (tofu chilli and rice!) and a glass of red wine then off to bed – we had an early start planned for Day 4!
Day 4 (Thursday) Reiss Sands – Port of Droman
Day 4 was a day of winding roads and ticking a few more things off the tourist to do list!
We started our day early with a wander up to Old Keiss Castle, another ruin not far from where we had parked up. It was so much smaller close up than we imagined it would be but it was still impressive nonetheless.
Then we hit the road up to Duncansby head to see the sea stacks and we were not disappointed. The weather had turned today from bright blue to moody grey skies, no less majestic though as we were treated to some stunning views and surrounded by more bird species than we could think of – the sounds of hundreds of birds in one place on the cliffs was incredible.
Back on the road now, our next stop was Castle Varrich (via John O Groats for the obligatory photo!), another small structure, more of a tower than a castle, approached by a nice little stroll from the village of Tongue. We didn’t actually get a great photo of this one so you’ll have to read about it here; www.thecastlesofscotland.co.uk
“There is a cave in the rock upon which the castle [Varrich, near Tongue] is built called Leabuidh Evin ALaruich, i.e., John of Lochaber’s bed, whither he is said to have retired in time of danger. A family of Mackays is descended from him, and are reported still to have in their possession his banner, with the motto wrought in golden letters, Biodh treun—Biodh treun, i.e., Be valiant.” – The Book of Mackay by Angus Mackay (1906)
After a little drone footage and another magnum, we went on to our accommodation, just beyond ‘the usual’ Sandwood Bay car park and just up the road and a little left turning, down a questionable, definitely less than single track road is a little place called Port of Droman and it was lovely and quiet – perfect park up for the night.
On our way here we found an awesome waterfall by the side of the road, you’ll have to see our YouTube video for that though – it was truly gorgeous.
Next up is a little change of plan as we make a spontaneous stop roadside to climb a mountain and then head up to our final true stop of our trip at the Old Man of Store.
We will be posting a vlog of our trip on our YouTube channel soon but in the meantime you can follow us on our socials for regular updates on our adventures!
So, as with everyone else, our lives have been massively disrupted by the current world health crisis we are experiencing at the moment.
We started this year with a wedding, a honeymoon in India and plans of travel to Nepal (where we got stuck when they closed the airport) followed by work in France, Morocco and Tanzania and of course, building our tiny home on wheels – Penelope the Truck!
Then things changed and everything, well, stopped.
We find ourselves now with all of the mountain events cancelled and Kerry’s events work in France also cancelled, which also means a massive loss of income. Not only that but the DVLA still has Craig’s driving license and of course no HGV driving courses are taking place so that’s also on hold.
But we also find ourselves with a truck load (boom boom) of TIME! We have had the opportunity to step back and reassess our plans, with financial restrictions we have broken our build into smaller phases. Once the box is built, we will fit the fixed bed frame and then add the rest as and when we can afford to!
We have fortunately had a bit of a brainwave with a slight adjustment on the layout too – which might have already been committed to otherwise since it involved where we have the door to the box!
Kerry’s work was a sad loss, mostly because she really enjoys the team she was working with and being busy running around doing 15 hour days is when she’s happiest at work. But the opportunity here is that perhaps we can focus more now on the remote income structure with her Virtual Assistant work, which we need to build in order to bring some income while on the road. Her illustrations are taking off though and we’ve had a couple of commission requests!
Atmosphere Mountaineering will be back next year with a whole load of rescheduled charity fundraising events and we are both very much looking forward to getting back out into the hills!
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