Menockoutable; A Case Of Spring Fever???

How else to describe the sudden urge to launch myself out of the Hutch, on my own, with a full backpack, armed with my ferry pass, bus pass and a determination to finally face the world properly again? Yes, folks, after three years of incarceration (bar the day trips out with visitors in their cars), the YAMster finally - FINALLY - got her act together, her loins gathered, and booked a two-night stay in a bed and breakfast establishment tucked in behind the mighty Glasgow Cathedral and St Mungo Museum. 

Did I visit those places? Yes. Were they the primary focus of this mini-away stay? No. 

This was all about The Van. Plenty of hints have been spread around if you have been paying attention over the past couple of years. Van life has been calling me. The freedom to travel and take my home with me. It is not that I don't love the Hutch - clearly, I do. But it is such an anchor that it is also in danger of becoming a noose. 

The B & B was a quirky place. A touch of the Fawlty Towers about it. Being met by the owner at the door at three in the afternoon and him, at 83, still in his pyjamas was just the start of it.

Room 3 was right behind reception - where Janet sat. A smiling, bright-eyed young lady with an East European accent. The door was ill-fitted, so all sound and light came through it, and given that old Tommy was also extremely hard of hearing, there was quite a bit of noise. But d'ya know what? It really didn't matter. It was a budget price, so I was expecting budget surrounds. The room though was clean and had a plentiful supply of tea and milk, lovely towels, nice soap, and a comfy bed. The house is situated in a smart and tranquil residential area, so (beyond Tommy's need to have the telly at assault level 87) it was very peaceful for sleeping. 'Sall that's needed, right? In the mornings, it was through to the dining room to be met by Asim, the very chatty assistant host, and the cook (no name) with yet another East Euro accent, who drummed up a very fine poached egg on toast.

Enough of that, you say; what's this about a van? 

Having arrived late on the Wednesday last week, I rose early on Thursday and, right after breakfast and email checks, headed out to the Glasgow Transit Centre, the Ford dealership focused entirely on vans. I had been keeping tabs on all sorts of vans this past couple of years, but I kept consistently being drawn back to the Ford E-Transit. Several tradesmen had done reviews of real-world use in this vehicle, so I am already familiar with any cons there might be, as well as the many plusses. When, about six weeks back, an advert for one appeared on a magazine page I have followed, that said vans were on the forecourt and ready to go (i.e. none of the long waits one reads so much about), my interest was properly stirred. Then I got that lurgy...

My point is that I was going along there pretty much primed and ready to go. I have researched these vans as much as possible short of actually getting hands-on... and THAT is why I made the little spontaneous trip. Well, not so little, really. For me, this was huge. Facing public transport again, facing crowds of people again. Then... to be chasing my dream in order to make it a reality... I confess that as I sat in that dealership, there were some very significant and rather disturbing butterflies in my lower regions!

The van I test-drove.
The colour I want is closer to that on the nose
of the car on the right.

This could turn into quite a long story, but the bullet points are these;

;; arrive 0930 and get surprised looks. Not wearing overalls or a toolbelt.

;; introduced to Matthew, a fine young fellow, who quickly cottons on to the fact I have knowledge.

;; after showing me around the one model they currently have left in stock (they've had a run on them), lots of paperwork and special permissions were arranged for me to drive the sales vehicle, due to the actual demo van being out already.

;; YAM tests the van. Forty seconds after being behind the wheel, all those butterflies flew away. I was in a mini-heaven! Electric vans rock. We drive for about 20 minutes as Matthew helps iron out some of the less familiar stuff - such as the truck-built blind spot mirrors, the regenerative braking and such like.

;; back at base, more discussion of the fact this was the up-spec vehicle compared to the one advertised, but it had the reverse camera and sensors, all sorts of driver-assist tech (including self-parking) and the pro-power on board, so I wouldn't need to go fixing on solar and buying quite pricey power banks.

;; once a full price comparison was done, it turned out that the difference was not so huge, and the benefits of the Trend model definitely made sense to me... so then it was just a case of whether there was one available in Scotland of the colour I wanted. 

There was, and I said, right, I'm buying! Four hours after walking in that door, I shook young Matthew's hand and told him he likely wasn't expecting a wee grey lady to come looking for a big grey van when he woke up that morning. 'Not even in my dreams,' he responded!

All being well, I shall be collecting it next week.

What about the Cathedral and museum? Well, I was all shaky and agog with myself at such a big purchase being committed to. Visiting those places was the perfect foil; peaceful and restorative. But mainly a 'views' type posting, so you'll be getting some Tuesday appearances for a couple of weeks!

Oh, and I did manage to finish my daffodil shrug... I could have made a better job of pressing that frontage! On the back, the patterning is better displayed. Note that I didn't want the white to trim the bottom as well, so opted to reverse my row direction so as to give a subtle pattern change. Does that work effectively, do you think, or would it have been better to stick to the same stitching? This top-down technique allows one to make any sleeve one desires, so I had a go at the Dolman style. It's easy to wear, if not particularly flattering!