Living With Gladys Full Time

I just wanted to write a very quick blog about the kindness of my (our) son Kirt.

He obviously loves his step dad very much and, like all of the children, is wanting to do all he can to support Alistair through his healing journey.
Imagine how delighted we were to see new posts on our Facebook pages today from Kirt, who has decided to join the Movember prostate cancer awareness campaign in order to raise money for Alistair to help with the monthly costs of his ‘alternative treatment supplements’. We are both so touched and proud of him and his kind heart.

The ongoing support from our children, family and friends is such a big encouragement to us and acts of kindness like this mean so much to us both.
This year has brought so much change to the children’s lives and yet they have all embraced it so well and none of them have complained once about the upheaval or the difference that our lifestyle has brought to their lives. The curve ball has certainly effected everyone and yet admirably over the year they have still grown and developed.

I am heartened that little by little the wind of change is gently blowing and amongst our family new choices are being made, old behaviours are being challenged and minds are being opened to new ideas about health, food and lifestyle.

So, thank you Kirt for your motivation, your enthusiasm and for your loving heart that lets us feel loved with every beat.

As our little away day to Cambridge draws to a close and we get ready to head back to our base at Epping I thought it might be a good time to put pen to paper (or, apply pressure to key pad) and reflect on the months activities.

Its been quite busy being up here, mostly in terms of driving to get everywhere else I needed to be! The little C1 has certainly put in some overtime this month. As you will remember from the last post I had been quite unsettled at the start of the month up here. Apart from missing the proximity to the kids and all that, we realised that a big part of it was that I felt so disorientated. Geographically I didn’t know where I was in relation to anything (that won’t surprise anyone that knows me well, my geography and sense of direction is nearly as bad as my logic and pattern matching ability)! A month in and I am getting myself from pillar to post quite happily, so for our next move, a study of the map before hand will be really important for me.

The C1 is also the culprit for title of this blog!
The longer journeys and the non lumbar supported seats have awakened an old back injury that Alistair had. Like a poor old man, he’s been laid up for a week, unable to move very far and bent over like an old codger. So with Alistair out of action who was left to do the very important mans jobs? yes, the Roustabout of course.
So let me be clear here, this week I have earned my Brownie badge for Waste and Sewerage Removal! I knew it was coming, in the privacy and quiet of my own mind I had been noting the rising levels of waste on the indicator board compared with the diminishing levels of Alistair’s movements and it didn’t take a genius to work out that 2 were not compatible! I did it though, and whats more I feel confident that I could do it again although I do prefer the very well defined jobs in Gladys of girls jobs and boys jobs!

I also had to go the extra mile and drive Alistair to the ‘Hand Puppet’ this week. Nothing to be alarmed about, he decided to get his PSA levels checked and also wanted a couple of forms signed. Suffice to say we have not been persuaded to change our opinion of Hand Puppets, they really are next to useless.
We asked if we could have a referral to an Osteopath (erm… not on the NHS, we can give you a prescription for some rather costly drugs though). We asked if the NHS would pay for Alistairs alternative health supplements (erm… no but we could prescribe you some very expensive drugs though). What the puppet didn’t tell us though was that if you have cancer you can get your prescriptions for free!
Anyway, the PSA test is booked and we can at least get an indicator of how things are going at a biochemical level. As ever it makes us both feel a bit funny, a little unsettled and unsure as to whether it is the right thing to be doing, who knows?

Talking of cancer, its really strange but when you mention it to people I have noticed that there seems to be a specific ‘cancer sympathy’ look that is almost universal in its users and they seem to do it unconsciously!
It looks like this, on hearing the words (usually, my husband has Prostate cancer) the listeners head noticeably slants to the left or right whilst simultaneously their eyes squint and their mouth puckers together forming the shape of an ‘oh’. Don’t get me wrong, I am not criticising here’ it really does convey sympathy and feeling its just its made me chuckle and I find myself waiting for it whenever I mention the ‘curve ball’ to new ears!

So I am happy to share that life is good,apart from his back Alisatir is well, Gladys is fab and we just love coming home to her.In fact when Candace and Roy popped by on their way home from Northampton last week as soon as Candace got in the door she said ” Oh good home in Gladys even though its in a different place”!

I was nattering to a new acquaintance on the Biomedicine course that I am on and as I heard myself talking about how we live in an RV and the lifestyle that we lead I thought it sounded pretty cool really, the sort of thing I used to hear other people say and wish we could be doing, and now we are!

Blimey, I can honestly say its been a bit of a roller coaster over the past week. We packed up from our little place of security in Epping last Monday and ventured out on to the big roads in Gladys (well Alistair drove Gladys, I followed behind in the C1- no cock linnet though) to pastures new, but not too far!

The planned destination was Saffron Walden for a month or so, just to ease us (or me) into being a bit further away from the kids and getting used to actually RV-ing. The site though was not really geared up to house such a beautiful machine as Gladys, so we stayed a night and moved further up the M11 just north of Cambridge.

Over the move I had a new Job Title bestowed upon me by my darling husband, apparently I am the ‘Rousteabout’!!! This came about at the beginning of the week as we were packing up Gladys ready for  moving on. Over the course of a couple of hours I packed, shifted, stored, covered and made safe the contents of our home. Alistair watched and then named me the ‘Rousteabout’,  (apparently it comes from the oil rigs). I asked in that slightly  tongue in cheek way “what would your job title be then, foreman”? My whinge though was short lived and didn’t even get the chance to get into full swing as Alistair reminded me that he would be having to do all the mans jobs (emptying tanks, lifting the legs, and driving to said destination), fair point I thought too.

The move unsettled me, quite a lot. I think I had got well and truly comfy just living in Gladys and not moving at all. I felt secure and wasn’t far from all that I hold dear to me. It was a real wrench being further away and I have to say initially I didn’t like it one bit!

The site, which incidentally Alistair loves, is really clean, has a few facilities that make life a little easier, especially for Alistair doing the mans jobs and is home to several full timers in an array of RV’s, 5th Wheelers, Campervans and caravans. Now initially whilst I was still in emotional limbo I found this quite disconcerting. It reminded me of a housing estate for RV’s! I like to think that I didn’t sulk though or show off, I did cry a bit but thats nothing unusual for me so nothing to worry about there!

I ventured out to work mid week and started to sort of figure out where I was in relation to the places that I have to travel to for work, not too bad. Whilst I was at work, Alistair made friends with several residents, found out important things like that he could get his propane refilled, that theres a craft evening every Tuesday and a gathering for a quiz or whatever in the ‘social static caravan’! Then it sort of dawned on me, this is like a retirement park (Yikes), great for Alistair but he’s got 10 years on me.

However, by Thursday evening after a day out in Cambridge I was feeling much better and have continued to warm to this place since then (so fickle). So I am pleased that I didn’t beg to return to where I felt safe and secure, I have adjusted and can begin to see how I can cope with life on the road a bit more. This afternoon as I was wondering about I began to see this as more of a commune, quite cool really and I love it that there are so many people living unconventionally, and they seem a really friendly bunch.

This weekend though has been extremely tough for us both. Ebony, our rescue dog has always been a touch weird, especially around bins, bags and things that may contain a scrap of food that she can claim as her own. Over the years we have got used to her and wrongly I suppose have allowed her to get away with behaving badly. I know Kirt has sustained a few nips from her and plenty of snarling. However when she is not being an absolute beast she is the most adorable, seal faced little old dog, a real Jekyll and Hide if you like. However, yesterday her Mrs Hyde side came out roaring and she went for Alistair in a big way. It really quite shook me up and although Alistair tends to minimise things I think he too was a little taken aback. As much as I love Ebony Annabelle Rhind I am sad to say that my head had to take over and over rule my heart. I wanted nothing more than to say it wasn’t that bad, she didn’t mean it and all those excuses that I can make on behalf of her bad behaviour, but actually neither of us could.

So, with heavy hearts and lead weights in our bellies we took her this morning to the vets to have her put to sleep😢.    

We all did our very best for Ebony and I think that for the 7 years that we had her we gave her a lovely life. Sleep well Ebony and continue your journey in the animal lower world with your own animal guide, journey safely and we will remember you with love always.

And so our menagerie has dwindled down to just Laddie now, the boy dog we started with 11 years ago. And here we are parked up for a few weeks yet in Cambridge and we will let October unfold at a gentle pace and allow our emotions time to catch up. Life is still good and Gladys is still my home, wherever we take her, home will be in her.