The First Van Trip

July 03, 2019

You’re probably familiar with my really terrible Airbnb luck. Well all that is over now, as we’ve converted our Citroen Berlingo into a mini camper and it’s the best idea I’ve ever had. We initially swapped the car for the Berlingo as we needed extra space to transport things to Tynemouth Market (see Coal House Goods here) but after we took out the back seats I realised the space was massive and we could 100% sleep in it.

There’s a simple platform bed structure with a backrest that folds up and then back down (tall husband needs to stretch) and storage underneath. Internal roof bars hold lights and some S hooks for extra hanging storage, and we’re going to invest in a roofbox for longer journeys. The mattress is a full double so plenty of room for both of us and a fat little dog.

We spent a few days just pottering around the Lake District and seeing where we ended up. We set off in the morning and would find a nice spot to pull up and cook breakfast. One night we were looking for a spot to sleep and ended up following signs to a National Trust campsite that ended up being one of the nicest I’ve ever been to. It was right on the shore of Windermere so you could spend the evening tiring the dog out before heading back for a barbecue by the stream.

Last year all our free time was taken up by moving house and then working on the new house, so I feel like this year we’ll make the most of all the time we’re not at work and just head out in the van. Even if it’s just one night. It’s nice to wake up to a different view.

Back To Scotland

May 24, 2019

It’s taken me a while to write this as I’ve been incredibly busy starting up my little part time business… ‘Coal House Goods’ (follow on instagram if you’re a fan of vintage homeware), but a few weeks ago we took a bank holiday road trip up to East Lothian. We had planned to stay in an off grid cabin but typical to our AirBnB luck, it was cancelled the night before due to a leaky log burner filling the room with smoke. In situations like that I always imagine how angry my mum would be if she found out I slept in a room possibly slowly filling with carbon monoxide so I thought it best to give that one a miss.

We ended up in a beautiful little stable house conversion in Gullane. What an amazing area. The street was filled with big houses all full of character, and was literally on the beach. We’ve probably never stayed in an AirBnB in such a good location. For once, I actually didn’t take any photos of the actual space, but you can see the listing here.

Our days were spent exploring North Berwick and all the small towns on the coast on the way there and back. We’ve agreed that we’ll definitely have to head back up at some point and spend more time there, especially North Berwick. While we were there, we took a walk along the beach and spotted a ‘Yard Sale’ handwritten sign pointing into somebodies garden. We picked up some absolutely amazing bargains here that all sold at our Coal House Goods market. It was meant to be.

Brighter Days

April 02, 2019

The days are getting longer and warmer and my plants are coming back to life. I’ve started giving them a bit more attention, repotting and taking some cuttings to propagate. I’m looking forward to when they suddenly all start growing again. It’s nice to wake up to sun coming through again too, and to finish work and be able to walk the dog while it’s still light.

I’ve also been doing a lot of hunting for bits of vintage homeware to include in my online shop and the market stall (Tynemouth, this Sunday) but it’s so hard not keeping the best finds for myself. We turned our spare room into a partial stock room, so it helps to put things straight into there and then I can pretend they don’t exist and I won’t be tempted to use them in the rest of the house.

And some other recent bits…