Welcome to 'The Old Crow'!

Well now, I can hear you all thinking.... at last!
And look how the time has again flown by!!

Reading the title, you may think that this is another chat about birds, well, it's not. Although birds do come into it.

You have read about our caravan Hyacinth, if you have been following my rambles closely, and you may remember that we bought her in 2013!! You also may remember that Rob and I did not fit together into the bed, we managed half an hour on the first night before I shuffled off to the other end and re-arranged the cushions and the table.....

What I did not tell you was the frustration with the curtains in Hyacinth!!! Now, as any woman knows, if there are curtains on a window, they must open and close... easily... at the touch of a hand or the gentle nudge of a finger. Not these!! They looked gorgeous, cream with a navy blue trim at the top, small round metal rings in the navy piece that fitted on to a thin metal rod. They had a 'stop' screw at the end of each rod to prevent the whole curtain sliding off. In theory. In practice the metal rings were too small to slide along the rod, they just went sideways and stuck!! Plus, if you tugged too hard, the whole rod just slipped off the bracket which caused a lot of cursing from me! Rob finally became the Curtain Man as he has far more patience than I have, but it took him ages to get them either open or closed as each little metal hole had to be gently moved bit by tiny bit.......

Moving on.....
Last month Rob decided to take Hyacinth to have her yearly service back at the dealer as we were planning to head off for a week's break. So we emptied every cupboard and hooked her up and off we set to Cape Town. While Rob booked her in, Alfie and I wandered round climbing in and out of the New and also the Previously Loved Caravans..... and I fell in love!


There, standing proudly next to all the big, fancy (and expensive) models, was a Gypsy Raven, the little sister to Hyacinth. Peeping through the open door I saw an island bed big enough to fit Rob, Alfie and me, lovely cupboards, a little fridge and beautiful turquoise cushions.

And.... CURTAINS. Proper curtains. Curtains with tape and hooks and track for the runners!!! And they worked... I happily slid them back and forwards while I worked out just how to break the news to Rob that he should trade Hyacinth in for an older, smaller model... with working curtains.
Rob duly arrived with a salesman in tow as they were chatting about this and that. I showed Rob the Raven and then spent a few minutes listing all the pros, including the fact that being smaller she would be easier for us to push, and also that she would fit into the carport  better. Then, and only then did I mention the curtains!!

And I jokingly said to the salesman that we would swap Hyacinth for this one!!

Anyway..... guess what happened?? Yes. They gave us a really excellent price on a trade-in and we became the owners of our 'new' old caravan! Because she is a Raven, Rob named her 'The Old Crow' and her name sits proudly on her rear, just below the little stick figures of Rob, me and Alfie!

Her name and our stick people!

And last week we went off for a few days to one of our favourite spots, Koningskop in the beautiful Cederberg. Sadly we didn't see Floyd the cat this time, but we did see the Genet and we saw beautiful birds from Black Eagles to a Cape Rock Thrush to the usual mossies and weavers and Bulbuls. We drove to Clanwilliam one morning, but for the rest of the time we stayed in camp, reading, walking with Alfie and just enjoying the peace and the green grass!! And eating...

The Old Crow set up!

And The Old Crow?

The island bed..... see the curtains?

She towed like a dream behind the Combi, we slept like babes in the island bed, we sat at the table inside and had breakfast there one morning as it was a tad damp.

And we opened and closed the curtains morning and evening with no trouble or muttering.

All in all, a perfect caravan.

Alfie agreed!