The Life of a Bailey Pursuit
To see this story with the pictures please follow this link to the original blog:
http://inpursuitofadream.com/2017/03/02/the-life-of-a-bailey-pursuit
I sit quietly at the storage yard amongst a multitude of other 'Memory Boxes.' Most used regularly, loved and polished. Other boxes sit amongst us lonely and unloved, desperate for care and attention.
My fridge is switched on and filled, blinds opened. Steadies wound up, The Volvo reverses slowly, the hitch lowers and clicks into place, electric and breakaway cable, jockey wheel up, check my lights and tyres, let's hit the road. I'm lucky I seem to be out and about on the roads every couple of weeks. The beeping of the security gate and the rumble of The Volvo, off we go again.
Bumping slowly out of storage and through the farm. Country lanes, dual carriageways, motorways. I travel them all in rain, wind and sunshine. Avoiding potholes and slowing down for road works. Through muddy puddles and over bridges. I've driven coastal roads and up into the mountains, past rivers and lakes and through towns and cities. I've stopped on aires and in lay-bys for a spot of lunch and a quick cuppa. I've paused for thought on motorway service stations whilst they take it in turns to relay to the loo.
I rumble into big sites and little sites. We have the same problem whatever the size of the site. Which pitch do they want? They get out and look , they drive round and search, away from the road and playground. Close enough but far enough away from the loo, bins and water point. This one or that one? It's windy let's steer clear of the trees. Let's go back to the first pitch they saw. The Boss drives HGV's, I've a motor mover but he's stubborn and won't use it. Swiftly reversed onto my pitch, home for the next few days.
The Volvo unhitched. I can stretch my legs and get comfy as I settle on either the grass or hard standing, whichever they chose, weather depending. She throws my vital organs out. Aqua roll and waste master wait for The Boss to attach my lifeline to them. Windows thrown open or heating fired up season depending. One of the reasons they say they like me is my single front window giving a picture framed in interrupted view of the world outside.
Seating lifted, all the essentials are stored in boxes beneath my seating. Nothing in my cupboards whilst travelling. She stores it all away.
30 minutes later she's done, kettles on. They settle themselves amongst my scatter cushions with a well earned brew. They've worked hard after all. It's been a long drive.
My cupboards are now full, my fridge is bursting. I provide the home from home. Time away from work, from life. Time to relax. They can kick off their shoes and forget real life, just unwind.
They have quiet time alone, they bring their grown up kids. They entertain and meet up with friends and family. They enjoy time away from life. They sit inside tucked up in my warmth in winter. In summer they get the chairs out and sit outside, sometimes they use my awning, but mainly in summer they bask in the warmth they've missed all winter. Enjoying the fresh air and freedom.
They cook inside and out. Eat inside and out. Any meal can be cobbled together within my kitchen, they eat as they do at home.
I was a 5 berth when Bailey carefully built me. After having a little 2 berth previously, they decided they need more space and didn't want to have to make a bed up every night. I became the latest addition to the family and the inpursuitofadream.com blog was born. With an end dinette they made the bed up and left it. My cushions provided a less than comfortable nights sleep so they ripped my innerds out and built me a fixed bed. A mattress now fills the gap where the cushions once laid and my humans sleep soundly.
They wanted extras, people always want more. My 3 plug sockets weren't deemed enough to charge today's technology and power the kettle. Another double socket was added so that I now have matching sockets on either side of my single panoramic window. Sick of throwing an extension lead through my kitchen window the also gave me a swanky external socket.
As their stories of my adventures became more popular they got me stickered. Their blog emblazoned for all to see. So I can't hide anymore.
So while I sit in storage with my caravan mates of many ages I feel blessed that it will only be a couple of weeks before I am reunited with my humans again and I am called into action. Where to next I wonder?