The little red camper van saves the day

I can't believe it didn't hit me straight away when I saw The Gallery prompt was 'the colour red'.  It's a big red van and its sat on our drive.  And it has nothing to do with Halloween, (sorry I'll try harder next time!) except perhaps the circumstances in which it came to us, which were pretty nightmarish. 

This is not just a campervan.  It represents hope, freedom, new beginnings and huge amount of happiness. We bought Win the campervan at a difficult time, my mum was going through chemotherapy, we had just had Mr G and were reeling with the shock of having two under three, my Grandma had died days before G's birth, Mr A's business was facing a huge sink or swim turning point and for a long time life was a confusing blur.  I am only just starting to realise how much of the last couple of years I have forgotten.

The van is called Win, after my Grandma, whose inheritence money paid for her.  We just wanted to get away, not completely, just now and again, at a moment's notice, whenever life got too stressful.  I think Grandma would have approved.

We had some fantastic trips in her and fell in love with getting out to the country and camping.  But it wasn't quite as stress free as we had hoped.  We were forever having to repack the van if we wanted to move, Mr A is tall and was always bumping his head, Mr G was fine for a bit in his moses basket, but once he outgrew it he was too small and wriggly to sleep up top with Miss L.  So we decided to swap for a caravan. 

Although like Jeremy Clarkson, I had reservations about caravans, I am now a total convert.  We get away once a month for a weekend, even in the winter, more in the summer.  It is the perfect antidote to suburbia (We live in the second biggest concentrations of under 5s in the UK - I need to escape the bugaboo and phil and ted traffic jams urgently).  It keeps our family happy and together.

So sadly Win is for sale, fairly urgently, but Winnie the caravan stays.  Miss L is gutted, she loves Winnie, but Win the campervan will always hold a huge pace in her heart.  She was the first step on our road to recovery.  I doubt a camper will appeal to many parent bloggers of small children, not after what I have said here, but if you know anyone after a VW, get in touch!

Mr G when he was weeny enough to sleep in the boot

Miss L and Winnie the pooh bear, our camping mascot, asleep in the top deck

Mr A at the wheel

Me and tea.  Horrid photo, god I look stressed! I was then.