A New Adventure

As regular readers of this blog will know, we've had our motor home since July 2015. 

It was a 2003 registration, able to come into the London Low Emission Zone, but not the ULEZ or any of the increasing number of green zones on the Continent.  And a convenient moment arose to buy a new - or new-to-us motor home.

Unlike in 2015, we knew what we wanted, and just before Christmas we went to the West Sussex Caravan Centre to have a look round - and found our new motor home on the spot.  A Pacific Pilote, 2017 registration, slightly longer than the old one, but still reasonably compact; 4 travel seats and I think sleeps 3.  

We took delivery of it on Wednesday 22 January, and spent yesterday afternoon and evening trying - slightly vainly - to get it sorted out.  It's very different from our old machine - some things are much nicer, including the bedroom, and some things are less nice - there are only two burners on the cooker, for instance, but we think it's a combination grill/oven.  We are still learning about it, of course, and it is a very steep learning curve as so much has been modernised!  It took us some time to learn how to turn off the radio, for instance - and I still don't know how you programme it.... The radio plays in the bedroom, which is nice (although bags me not be the one to get up and switch it off in the middle of the night!).  

Bedroom is definitely superior - huge double bed, memory foam mattress (I think), so we don't keep rolling into each other; I even have a bedside table, complete with pot cupboard, and the Swan Whisperer has a shelf to put his specs and book at night and his tea in the morning. 

Best of all, there are steps up to it so I don't have to get the stool out!  And there are two big cupboards above the bed, so the SW can have one for his clothes and we can use the other for storage, dirty laundry, etc.  I can use the drawers under the wardrobe for my clothes, plus I have a locker where I can keep my toiletries, hearing-aid case, etc, when we're moving.   Best of all, though, it has a separate door, so can be closed off when we have visitors (useful to dump untidy stuff on the bed!) and also I was able to dress in there this morning while the SW was getting breakfast and not get in his way.  

Then comes the bathroom - loo and basin one side, shower the other. 

The loo door is two-way - you can either close it to make a private room of loo and basin, or it latches across to close off the main living area.  So with the sliding door closed, you have quite a large bathroom.  It will, however, need a bath mat to keep the floor in between dry, I think.  Not difficult - we have such a thing.  The kitchen I have already grumbled about - only two burners, and one very small;

sink is okay and huge fridge, also a grill/oven combination (haven't made friends with that, yet).   Lounge area seems more comfortable than the old one, and the cab seats swivel round so you can sit in comfort, but haven't worked out the best position for the table yet.  Cab itself all mod cons, including air conditioning, and a much more comfortable ride than the old one, except the blind rattles.  Oh well....  So all in all probably going to enjoy it, but it's not "home" yet the way the old one was.

We didn't take it out last night - we had thought of taking my mother for a drive, but by the time we'd finished putting stuff away, it was supper time, so she came over while we cooked salmon with broccoli, mashed potato and a lemon-parsley sauce, and drank the bottle of Wiston sparkling wine that the caravan centre gave us as a thank you for buying.  My mother found out later it was worth at least £25 a bottle, but it was delicious and between us we drank the lot!  

Then we went to bed, and slept okay, although I was a little anxious all night.  Today we went to Dunelm to try to find a smaller sauté pan, unsuccessfully, although I did buy a new frying pan, and also a new table cloth and cushions, as the old ones really didn't go with the new décor!  And one of the cushion covers has perished slightly, anyway, plus they were rather large.  We also drove back to the caravan centre to ask them to check the thermostat, as we are not quite sure it is working, but they said the two thermometers probably were out of sync and once we knew how badly, we could adjust the thermostat to suit.  And then we put it away and came back to London, but we'll be going on a proper shakedown cruise in a few days.  I'll report back....