Caravan Capers: Days 3-6

Day three - later: I have emptied the grey water AND the loo - unaided - and it was easy! I am so proud of myself I'm going to celebrate with a boiled egg. Luckily Vinny turned up for the adding of the blue and pink chemicals which I have to admit I only had a foggy remembrance about, and I’m now going to keep them underneath the caravan for easy access. The only negatives about my Cartagena so far are than the lid to the loo tank is flimsy and broke on the first day (thank heavens it wasn't me that did the damage) and filling the water tanks does seem a bit more complicated than on other models (so I'm assured by my learned fellow-caravanners!) 

I am however becoming a water miser, which is rather convenient. I use as little washing up water as possible and already know that after this experience I will be continue to be more abstemious at home about not wasting precious commodities. I'm mainlining on tea though - chai running as current hot favourite, though I have a cheeky caramel-flavoured green tea in the cupboard that is next on the list to try. Good job I'm now confident on emptying the waste – and the time has nearly come when I must brave my neat little shower cubicle and soap up… 

Day Four: I’ve done it! I had a shower and it was much nicer than the one at the theatre which is long overdue for a refurb. And Peter (who manages the CL with his daughter Claire) has taken the trouble to talk me through the water system. He is an excellent teacher and has explained the logic of how the water tank works so I'm not put off caravanning. And the good news is that if I’m having a shower and the water does happen to run out, I can always switch from one tank to another. Interestingly the external pump gives a more powerful shower than the internal one, so I’ll opt for using that first, and switch to internal as back-up. Peter has also invented an ingenious home-made device for filling the water barrel, which makes the process a lot more accurate – please see photos (clever!)

Day Six: I’m sleeping like the proverbial log here. It’s lovely to be surrounded by trees and woods - I just wish I had more opportunity to explore them! I have woken extra early - to a beautiful hoar frost - in order to do my maintenance tasks and fortunately I now feel like an old hand with them (well nearly). It's tricky as I have to leave early to get to rehearsal and although the morning is the best time to sort all the caravan stuff, it's also when I'm rushing around trying to learn lines and get ready for the day ahead. I don’t arrive back till it's dark though - and 9.30pm is less than ideal to be attempting any caravan-keeping. It’s probably very different in the summer of course, but in mid-winter with near gale-force winds, it’s not funny. Vinny gave me a valuable tip: to do tasks whilst I have time and it's dry, explaining that it’s always good to get them 'in the bag' when I can, in case it pours down or I might be  running late the next day (which is often the case!)

It's raining now, actually. It sounds like hundreds of grains of rice are being constantly thrown at the roof - very strange but not unpleasant! I have had the most relaxing evening just pottering and listening to Phil Spector and Bing Crosby on the built-in sound system - and I’ve even mastered all my lines for the panto too. Time now to try the salted caramel green tea and fill my hotty. I could get used to this…