Smitten with the Kitten

Well, in a few short weeks Nash has managed to crawl up into my heart and camp out. He is just such a cute and cuddly kitten, which is just what I needed about now. He loves to get up with me, follow me around, sit on me, beside me., sleep with me, purr and rub against me, the whole nine yards. We have such fun just playing and cuddling up on the sofa, watching Breaking Bad, or a favorite movie. 

Well, that was until my sound card finally quit on me last night. It all began a few months ago when I was still in Australia. I had my desk and laptop below the air conditioner in my living room, so it became quite dusty, and dirt stuck to the keys. I thought I would give them a good clean and used an ajax wipe. Well, it got the keys clean, but in the process the excess cleaner leached into my laptop and most of the keys stopped working and the sound began to fail. At first I thought it was the speakers so hooked up my Bluetooth speaker but it became clear it was the sound card. Sigh...so no more Breaking Bad or anything else on my laptop. I do have my iPads (mini and regular) and my iPhone, but it's not the same, as it'ssmaller and the mini does not have a stand yet. In any event, I did purchase an LED 24" television (LG) and just need to get my solar power installed when I get back to Victoria. In the meantime, I can use it if I am plugged in. I'm heading to Drumheller to camp at a campground so will be plugged in and will likely set my tv up. It's pretty simple as I just store it put together and just stand it up on it's shelf and plug it in. I can then plug in my iANYTHING and watch my shows and movies on the tv screen, or surf the net with the big screen. I still have to sort out the best plan for mobile internet. I'm def overpaying for what I have but needed to get everything else sorted to see just what was out there, what I needed, what I could afford, and what I would require to get that. 

Right now Nash is sleeping on a quilt on top of the blue box my father made. It sits on the loft bed next to the window and he can look out upon the street. He also spends a lot of time in the cab of the RV, sometimes just chilling on the steering wheel, or laying across the dash under the glass, catching the rays. I'm looking forward to camping in the woods soon so we can both enjoy all the windows. I keep most of the curtains closed when I'm curbside in the city, but when I'm out in the country, I'll open them all up and take in the greenery! 

I've managed to plunder through all the chores of cleaning up the RV and getting ready to depart in the morning. I did the laundry, dishes, swept and washed the floors, reorganized some of the cabinets to make things I need more often more accessible. I still have tons of empty space in here, believe it or not. I'm hoping to keep it that way, keep things minimal as much as possible. I will need some room for stock of handmade items and bookkeeping as I begin to work from home in whatever capacity I'm able to do so. 

I've enjoyed my time in Edmonton but am more than ready to start heading south again. The temps have dropped to 0C at night and snow is imminent as summer has departed, leaving fall to let things go. After Drumheller, I'll be heading across the Rockies again, hopefully with no snow. but will deal with it as best I can. I can camp in a Walmart parking lot for free while waiting for any weather to clear, hanging out cozy in my camper. I have a propane furnace that works quite well and heats things up quickly. I'll spend a night or two with an old friend in Enderby, and then onto Kelowna for a couple of days or more before heading back to Victoria for the rest of the year. I may move about on Vancouver Island but I'm not planning on leaving the island again until after Christmas or later, only to head SOUTH. It has been good just to hang out with my daughter, though she has been rather troubled with leaving me to my own devices during the day while she was at work. I was quite happy to hang out in the RV with the kitten, watching shows, surfing the net, napping the rainy cold days away. She has always struggled with being restless, and I can spend hours doing just about nothing, or filling my time with my hobbies, or reading a book, or whatever. I make a lot of phonecalls as I have free anytime minutes in Canada so why not. My daughter thinks she should be entertaining me while I visit, but I am trying to get her to see it from a different perspective. Think of it more as - mom lives in Edmonton right now and I'll hang out with her for a few hours every day or more and when you need alone time or to do something with others, no problem. I will hang out at home, in my own home with Nash. How can I resist that face? 

Home Sweet Home

Well it's been two weeks since I moved into Gertie. In that time I've been setting up house once again, buying all those little things you need like salt and pepper, cotton balls, toilet paper, corn flakes, flour, frying pans, etc the list went on and on. I had been compiling it for some time, thinking about what I would need to start up from scratch one last time. (hopefully). It is an exhausting process, shopping for it all, then carting it home, removing all the packaging, disposing of all the packaging, finding a place for everything, moving things around again and again like tetris pieces that need to fit into place. I had things from several sources that needed to find a way to live cohesively. Several boxes from Australia, bags from Halifax, things bought along the way, and things my daughter gave me. I've come to several realizations in tiny home living:

- there is only enough space to live in if things are tidy. The moment th recycling/garbage/laundry start piling up, things begin feeling a bit crowded as you step over it once more to get to the rest of the camper.

- People really don't seem to notice me in here as they walk past, deep in what they thought were private conversations, I'm sure, based on the content. There is a convenience store just around the corner, so a lot of foot traffic to and from as there are several apartment buildings on this block. 

- you become more aware of water usage/waste. No need to rinse everything to death. Never turn down a free shower at a friend/relative's home. Wash your clothes at the laundromat or at said friend/relative's home. Same goes for bathroom - use it elsewhere when you can to save black water tank capacity. 

- you really can find a space for everything. I still have empty space...for the first time in my life. There are cabinets with nearly nothing in them.  This camper has terrific storage, and I have built in a small display shelf for all my little trinkets and souvenirs from around the world. When I am mobile, I will have to pack some of them tippier ones away, but there is non-skid stuff underneath and a high lip onthe shelf. 

- I can see everything from one place in the RV if I want. Saves on psycho illusions in the shower. 

- A C Class RV is plenty of space for a kitten to explore. Nash hardly stops when he is awake. He plays hard, exploring every inch of the RV and has several favorite spots to play and to nap. His favorite napping spot is still under the front passenger seat in the safe. There is a lockable steel cabinet under the seat, but it has large gaps so he can get in and out. I don't have it locked or anything in it other than his little sheepskin bed. He likes the coziness of under the seat I think. He otherwise sleeps on the sofa, and in bed with me at night. 

- Having a door to the bathroom is a very good idea.. I can trap it...

- having an oven in the RV is awesome... from cinnamon buns to roast chicken, I have all I need. 

- it's rather cozy on a blustery cold and wet day. I just turn the furnace on and within a couple of minutes it's toasty warm.

- having a separate chamber for my bed was an excellent idea. Until I was able to get the mattress for my bed chamber, I was sleeping on the other beds in the camper. The overhead one is huge, probably a queen size, but I needed my foam on top of it, which brought me quite close to the roof...coffinlike. So then I pulled out the davenport/sofa. I plunked my foam on that and it was super cozy, but I had to make up my bed every night, and then pack it up in the morning. Pain. In. The. Ass. Once I finally got my mattress and made up the bed, it has been super comfy to sleep in there. And when I get up I can just close the curtain to the chamber. Bed made or not...

- having a comfy place to hang out is super important. The cushions on the bench seats are not very thick and quite matted down on my side already so I need to get some more foam and make new ones, or try to find some new ones that will work that won't cost me a fortune. I have my sleeping foam cut to fit the sofa in it's folded down state. It is now permanently folded down. Getting it from one state to the other  was another PAIN. IN. THE. ASS. It was quite frustrating to be wrestling with my bed late at night for over 20 minutes, swearing and thumping about. So the comfy place has become the sofabed - nice big space opened up with extra foam and a cozy blanket. Kitty has plenty of space to run and sleep along with me. 

- it really does feel like home once my own personal things were unpacked. 

So Nash is quite a playful kitty and it does me good simply to watch him as he plays and explores the RV. He is fascinated/terrified as big trucks roar past. There is no space he won't try to explore. Loud noises really spook him though, however he is getting better with time. He has a play cat tent that he just loves and he has rolled all over the place in it, thumping down onto the floor several times, hardly stopping to take a breath. I also have several dangly things up for display that are also fine for kitty to play with as he just loves dangly things. Currently he is exploring the loft/storage/bed. I have my solar panels up there still, awaiting installation. I think I may just bring them back to Victoria and have my RV friend B help me install them. 

Well, the sun is trying to peek it's shy face out so I must try to capture a few of its rays...

The Mothership Has Arrived

My daughter has affectionately referred to my new home as "the mothership". I've been an RV owner for just over a week now. Meet Green Gertie, or just Gertie. I bought her in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. She is a 1989 Ford Elite Class C RV. She has about 130,000kms on her, and is in great shape. Everything onboard works well, and the old girl has weathered well. I bought it on a Wednesday afternoon, and by Friday morning I was on my way to Alberta to see my girl. And what an adventure it's been!

I was a bit nervous at first, thinking about handling an RV on the Rocky Mountains, but she handled it like a champ. I was also a bit nervous about driving her onto the BC ferry to reach the mainland, but alas, it was just as easy. It took a bit to get used to the space I take up, and how the RV moves - the sway and how not to hit shit. So far, so good (knock on wood). 

It's been a whirlwind week, stocking up the RV and moving in. I spent a bit more than I had planned, but feel comfortable that I need nothing else for life in the RV. I have a bit of work still to do, but I have all that I need to do it. Here is a glimpse into Gertie in progress.

This is the couch. It usually folds up into a regular couch, but I wanted the extra room, so have it down flat and still have enough room to get around. I slept in the top bunk the first night but it was too claustrophobic, especially with my sleeping foam on top. So I slept on this bottom bunk as the backbedroom  did not yet have a mattress. Once I bought a mattress, I was wondering what to use the foam topper for now that I had my bed. I decided to cut it to fit the top of the couch, making it one heck of a comfy place to hang out for these aging bones of mine. I had thought about putting shelves up on either side of the window but I think I would just hit my head on it. The jury is out on that. I have lots of room left in the cabinets to store things. 

This is my bedroom. It is a single bunk, not a double, nor big enough for a 48inch bed, and there was only support built in for a single. I hummed and hawed about it but in the end went with the single 8inch foam mattress from Foam King and it is AWESOME to sleep on. The bed is also very cozy which I like, and I can stil sit up, swing my legs over the side (that printer won't be there long, nor the sewing machine). I love the light in the room as well, with two big windows. 

There is a privacy curtain to the bed chamber as well. The mirrored door is to the bathroom. I plan to paint the cabinet doors, hopefully today, depending on how my hands are doing.

I use the shower as a closet when not being used for those 5 minutes as a shower. Plenty of space for all my clothes. 

There is lots of light in the bathroom with a window and a skylight. 

I'm using the overhead bunk for storage, which works well. There is plenty of space and I am only using about a third of it. I'm building a shelf to go over the window by the table, with part of the shelf in front of the window in order to show off some blue glass, and give me a bit of privacy with the drapes remaining open. I've cooked in the kitchen and the space is actually just fine to cook in. I can fit all of my dishes, pots, pans, food, and cleaning supplies in the cabinets with room to spare. 

The fridge and stove are propane, which is so nice to cook with and what a chilly fridge. I'm fully stocked and still have room to spare in the fridge and freezer. I plan to mount a television up over the cabinet by Tom Petty. I bought a 24' LED television so can't wait to hook that up today. 

My daughter gave me the Home Sweet Home and put it up for me. The weather glass on the wall used to belong to my grandfather in Newfoundland. 

So that's Gertie. The drive up over the Rockies was stunning the first day, but then the clouds rolled in and it rained the rest of the time and for several days after I arrived in Edmonton. It gave me time to get to know her from the inside, move stuff around, sort through what needed to go where, and maximizing the space. My daughter also took me shopping for two days to stock up on everything I had on my list. I sewed all of the curtains, sewing away in her apartment while she and the roomie were at work. I parked for the first nights in Gertie in front of my friend's house in Victoria. Then I hit the road, took the ferry and drove as far as Kamloops the first night, camping in Walmart for the night. The following night I finally arrived at my daughter's apartment building and parked on the street for the rest of the week. The bylaw for Edmonton is that RV's can be parked for 72 hours in one space, and then has to move, so I moved it once at my daughter's. Now I'm parked in front of my nephew's place and I'm able to plug in for the first time, which is nice. I need to fill my water tank and likely empty my holding tanks this weekend before heading back over to my daughter's. My pack-up to drive is very quick, just about 10 minutes and I'm ready to hit the road again, which is nice. I plan to camp all over the place once I get back to Victoria until probably December when I hope to park the RV for a few months at the marina RV park. For $400 I can get power, water, sewage, wifi, and cable tv, and park legally in the city during the rainy winter. Or I can head south to escape the rain and park in the National Forest for free in America. 

And now to meet the newest member of the family - Nash. I adopted him from a farm just outside Edmonton. 

He is about 10-12 weeks old and such a cutie. He is very playful, snuggly, purrs all the time and loves to hang out with me. He is so much fun to watch as he explores the space and tests his boundaries. It has also helped my mood in oh so many ways. Cats are good therapy, and kittens are miracle workers!

I have to set up the solar charging system this weekend so I can have continuous power and not have to rely on being plugged in - so I'll be off the grid - yahoo! 

So now I must get on with the day. I would love to just hang out and play with Nash all day...but there is still a bit of work to be done. Meow. 

Heading into RV Life

I received official word today that I am to recieve all of the funds I need for the next adventure. It was a personal investment I applied to get early access to due to financial hardship. Thankfully my application was approved, so I should have the funds by Monday or Tuesday at the latest. First on the list is somewhere to live - I have been living in my VW for the past two months and as much as I enjoy driveway camping, I am ready for my own home again, where I can shut myself away for quiet time and get some real rest. Having to use somene else's house for cooking, bathroom, and laundry can get old quick for all of us. Driveway camping is noisy too, with all the traffic. My plan is to camp in free places as much as I can, as I need to keep expenses down. I am networking with others about that, and there are tons of places to camp for free, particularily in an RV that is self-sufficient like the one I want. Solar power, propane stove and fridge, and LED lights galore. I may even start a little garden so I can grown some of my own little herbs and veggies. 

I'm not sure when/if I can or will return to social work. I've decided not to rush into anything until I feel ready. I still struggle with the PTSD on a daily basis. I am looking into ways to work from home that will support my new frugal lifestyle. I'll own the RV outright, as well as Karma so will only have a phone/internet bill, gas and propane, medication, and food as ongoing expenses. I'm hoping setup won't cost too much, and a lot of that will depend on what is already done in the RV I end up buying. Not all have been converted to solar, so if it isn't I want that done asap, as well as add some extra batteries to store the energy. With keeping my expenses as low as possible, I am hoping a part-time job will be enough for now and in the meantime I'll be looking at setting up a home based business for when I want to head south to escape the cold weather or need inspiration. 

So busy times ahead, but I am so grateful that things are working out. I needed a break and someone to help me out and my broker certainly did that. I may have to send her some slippers for Christmas...

I have ssome good friends to help me choose the right RV for me. They are both knowledgeable and trustworthy which means a great deal to me. I don't want to overpay or buy someone else's nightmare. I just want a C Class RV with a separate bedroom at the back, in good shape, preferably not a FORD, and if at all possible, with a light interior, not woodgrain, however I can deal with how to cover that. Once the RV is purchased, I'll be moving right on in, and setting up house finally, after living out of a suitcase on the good graces of friends and family for the past 4 months. And directly after that I shall be adopting me a brand new kitty! I cannot wait. I have felt so lonesome without Dundee, and miss the comfort a housecat can bring. I will be keeping this kitty inside and hopefully building a catio - a small tunnel that leads to outdoor litter and caged space. It will need to be secure but also collapsible. I hope to get this cutie pie - 

Once ready to hit the road, I plan to head to Alberta to see my daughter, finally! I have seen her less than a year ago in China, but not yet in Canada. I just want to hug her. And not let go. I have missed her. She is planning to come to Victoria for Christmas so I'm excited about that. She has never been to Vancouver Island before. 

The last bit of exciting news is that I have been contacted by the BBC to submit a story about #vanlife with photos and video of Karma and my story. So I have done this and sent it along. Apparently they are doing a documentary mini-series about people living in their vans. I will keep y'all posted on where that goes. 

In health related news - I did split my head open a couple of weeks ago and required 4 staples to close it back up. I was coming up the back stairs at my friend's house and ran into the corner of a steel framed window. Bled like a stuck pig, but managed to get it slowed enough to drive myself to the hospital for treatment, after picking my housemate up at the bus stop...she was coming back from the mainland. 

So there you have it...the adventure continues...

Summer's End

I'm not sure where the summer went but we are nearly at the end of August. The kids go back to school in a week or so, depending on where they live. I don't have any little ones in school, of course, but it has always felt a little sad when the school supplies are out in stores - summer's nearly over. 

I've relocated down the street, which has turned out to be a much better driveway to camp in for the most part. It is certainly easier to park in. I'm parked in the small lot by my friend's tiny apartment building (4 units). They have two kitties to cuddle and a television :-). There is also no daycare...lol. I can stay as long as I like and I enjoy hanging out with my friends as I've known them both for years. 

Karma was repainted and redesigned and I think she looks great! 

Karmma took us camping this past weekend. We went up island to the west coast and camped at Kennnedy Lake, the largest lake on Vancouver Island I'm told. Tofino and Uclulet are close by so we checked out Tofino the day we left. Due to campground policy that campers must provide a credit card    and refuse to take cash as payment for camping, I told them I'll just take my business elsewhere. Stupid policy. Since when did it become to expensive and exclusionary to camp in Canada? What has happened to our country? Greed. So to hell with them, we went to "Redneck Beach" instead which is at the end of a logging road that took us to Kennedy Lake. The free beach is hard pack sand so people can drive and camp down on the beach next to the lake as you can see above. While the facilities were pretty much nil as it is an unofficial campground, it was clean and plenty of nice camping sites with firepits. There were some folks that were clearly living on the beach in their camper/tent/truck/car. .We met one old gent who was collecting recyclable deposit items and tidied up the garbage. He can't remember how long he has been living there...Nice enough fellow.. We also met a young couple down the beach who were swimming in the lake with their pet duck. Yess, pet duck. They were a young hippy couple. They stood on a large rock in the lake, her with a parasol and swimsuit, and him stark naked with it all hanging out, throwing his duck into the water to teach him how to fly...there were also many surfers there as well who likely camp all summer while they surf the beaches from Tofino to Uclulet. 

We did have a few challenges on the return trip back home on Sunday. When we were leaving the Tofino area to climb the mountain pass, fully loaded with four people and all our gear. We had been following a car and an RV, with the RV taking it real slow, and refusing to pull out as is the law when you have 5 or more vehicles slowed down behind you. I should have known better and just pulled off myself so I didn't end up behind him on the mountain. There were 7 of us behind him. The first bit of steep incline, he dropped his speed to 10kms an hour and crept up. Of course, I'm driving a manual transmission and there was no way I could climb up the hill with our load at 10kms an hour. So of course I lost power and momentum and then Karma stalled in the confusion. Karma has been shitting herself this summer, each time I stall out or turn the van off and try to start her back up again right away. She needs at least 10-15 minutes to rest for some reason. We have a theory - when I turn her off, the gasoline is still vapor and needs to transform back into liquid before I can start that chemical reaction again as she starts without fail once she is ready. The battery is fine, no probs there. So there I was, stalled on the mountain pass right at the worst windy bendy steep part and no shoulder AT ALL! I knew when I was able to start her again, I would not be able to even begin to climb up from that angle with all four of us in the van, nor would she do it empty I don't think, so we decided to back her down to a tiny portion of the highway that had a bit of a shoulder so I could turn around and drive down the mountain again and take another run at her. It was scary as hell as my friends were trying to warn traffic of the stall out before slamming into us around the corner. Most were very sympathetic and offered to help but all I needed at that moment was time for Karma to start again and then the skill/calm to back her downhill on a crooked road...not my strength at all! However, with teamwork and time, we successfully backed Karma down the hill, loaded everyone in and made another run at the mountain without issue. THANK GAWD. The challenges were not over though as we also stalled on the Malahat mountain pass in heavy traffic, but we were on a level, just needed to wait a 15 min for her to start again and then we were off, crawling through forever. All in all it was a fabulous weekend, great weather, bneautiful scenery.

The latest on what is next - well I am still in limbo of sorts, waiting for word on my pension withdrawal. They keep coming back for more paperwork again and again, delaying the decision. I'm hoping that is a good thing, but the waiting is killing me. I can't really plan for much until I know if they will release the funds or not. My intention is to buy an RV out of the money and live in it full-time, work part time if I can, and set up some kind of home based businesses. My PTSD is still quite bothersome so I am just not sure when or if I can work anytime soon. I have anxiety pretty near every day, and panic attacks nearly every day, nightmares that awaken me as I yelp or scream, and the thought of starting at a new office/agency terrifies me like never before. In the meantime, I have been living on the good graces of friends and family, and trying to ensure I always have enough food to eat. For some reason I am driven to spend what little I have on food and stockpile, so that is what I have done. I am hoping for a decision this week or next and if it is good news and they release my pension funds (LIRA) I will be buying and RV, moving in, setting up house and then heading to Alberta to see my daughter and catch up with friends and family in the Edmonton area while also setting up my home based businesses. I'm considering becoming a travel agent, as well as selling my wares (sewing, knitting, photos, art, etc). I plan to head back to Victoria at the end of September and settle in for the fall and winter in Victoria. I'm looking for work in Victoria and have applied for a couple of positions that interested me. If the news is bad - I will continue to live in Karma, which is fine, and find work asap. Of course, I am hoping I will get good news. Think Positive! 

The last bit of news is that I may be interviewed about living in my van by BBC for a documentary series. I responded to a post that was looking for people who lived in their vans as a tiny home. They are meant to call me this week for the interview. So that's cool. #vanlife.

I'm off to visit a friend for a bit and this afternoon I'm going crab fishing...apparently people can buy a personal fishing license to catch crab? I don't eat it but I want to go anyway. Sounds like fun!

Surviving Camp

Well, I haven't been to youth camp or anything like it in many years, but this past week my sister invited me up to visit her in northern BC while she was medic at youth camp. This week was teen camp, so youth from 13-16. My three nephews were also there. My youngest came with my sis as a volunteer support staff, so he did chores as directed. My eldest nephew was support staff so did all sorts of things and stayed in the dorm rooms with other staff, and my middle nephew was a camper so stayed in the cabins with his team - "Italy" as each cabin represented a country. There were 50 teen campers and about 20-30 more support staff and leaders. I first bunked in a double room with my sis, but my bed was next to the door which had an automatic door closer that slammed each time they went in and out as my youngest nephew was also staying in the room. Needless to say, I did not get much sleep. As well, the head of the bed was up against an uneven wall, so had an 8 inch gap where my pillows kept falling...thankfully I only had a couple of nights there and the last three nights in my very own room with a window and no automatic door closer. It was divine. We shaared the bathrooms as they were group style, not suite style, which was just fine with me. Just like a hostel really. The dining hall was large and we ate with the youth each meal, after they had all been through the lineup. There was no real choice for meals, and for the most part they were okay but portions in the first couple of days were very small until they realized that teen eat WAY more than their younger campers. Some of the boys were as big as grown men. My eldest nephew has a moustache!! The dining hall was an experience...it was fun on the first day, albeit somewhat overwhelming with yelling out of songs and pounding of the tables, antics and so on, and each cabin trying to outdo the next. By the end of the week my ears were ringing and those silly camp songs were stuck in my head - "Get your elbows off the table, this is not a horses stable, its a first class dining table!" And so on...and on, and on...until they reached 5 per meal. Thankfully there was a limit. At least once a day youth would choose O Canada or God Save the Queen so we would all have to stand up. 

The site was gorgeous, so green, lots of forest, lots of open green space, beautiful lake, lovely docks, canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, etc I thought about going for a paddle but would have to go alone as my sis needed to be immediately accessible. Then I worried my hands would not cooperate and I'd be out there stranded like a dumbass waiting for someone to rescue me. So in the end I chose not to...as much as I would have like to paddle around. The only design flaw in the building is that the sleeping quarters were directly below the dining hall and chapel, which were very noisy places at times, often all evening long. 

We went for a big hike on Thursday to the top of Barrett Hat, which was both a bit of a challenge, and very scenic. The view from the top was stellar! 

It was a nice relaxing hike with my sis as we lagged toward the back of the pack and enjoyed nature while chatting away and hooting for the bears - one must always make noise in the bush to let the bears know we are there as they do not like surprises. We saw enough fresh bear scat to confirm that we were def initely in bear country! Now I am heading back to Victoria...

What Is She Up To Now?

Here we are in August already and I haven't posted at all in July. I've been busy for sure, so I'll spend a little time here outlining what the current plan is (yes, it has changed) and what adventures there have been thus far. 

July - Well before July came in, I left the east coast behind and headed for San Francisco to meet with my soul sister, A. We have been to more concerts together than anyone else I've ever gone with. This  time we went to see the Grateful Dead on their 50th anniversary and very last tour. This was their last show in San Francisco. I met up with A. at the airport where she was waiting at my gate and we headed directly to our hotel with a guy who had absolutely no idea where he was going. He was lost and we had to show him how to get there, so he did't get as much as he wanted for the fare. I shorted him by $10 because he was an idiot and lied to us when he said he knew where it was. He didn't argue when I told him that. Bad news is that my luggage did not arrive when I did - wonderful. So off to Target we went for something for me to change into after travelling across the country. We also picked up some beers to bring back to the hotel before the show. My luggage showed up before we left so I was able to change into what I wanted to wear to the concert. And what a concert it was. Imagine 75,000 people at a stadium listening to the Grateful Dead...it was just awesome. The venue was great, the seats were just fine, and we had a blast. Then  we spent a couple of days in San Francisco hanging out at the Haight and Golden Gate Park. The weather was awesome and we just loved ouer time there but we were both anxious to get back to Victoria to get on with summer plans. We flew  back to Canada on Canada Day and I slept the first night in the Karma van but I hadn't picked up my camping foam for the top yet, so it was awful and hard. I went for the foam the very next day....

Victorian life - So after being ripped off by the stupid insurance company because I had not had insurance in Canada for the past 4 years, and they treated me as a new driver which is absolutely fucking unacceptable when I have 30+ years of driving experience and only ONE accident. I wass super pissed, so will be cancelling with them before too long. I have claims letters from Australia but I was told I had to pay $20 more dollars to have them added to my file and considered for the discount of 40%. Jerks. Hate the bastards - necessary evil. However once Karma was reinsured again, I took her for a few drives to get a bit of essential shopping done so I could set up house in her for the summer and beyond. I'm parked in the driveway out the back of my friend's house, and plugged in. It's under the shade of a tree, however first morning sun is super hot and then it is in the shade. I've settled into the van though and with the 4 inch foam like I had before, it is quite a comfy cosy bed. The photos below are of Karma as she evolves with her new paint job and I settle into life in her. The blue box is one my dad built many years ago and he used to store our slide projector and slides in it however they were lost in the fire as they were in a bookcase and I had left the box behind at my Aunt's house with some other things that were brought up later from Grand Bruit. I got it back this year and gave it a new paint job and now it is being used as my food box as I don't want my food in the cupboards as there seems to be a mouse problem at the house, so I just lock it all in the box. Two of the photos are of the van when it's packed up for travel. Note my dad's wooden and sinew snowshoes...I can't wait to try them out in the mountains if I can find any snow this winter. Karma is also getting a new paint job. She was peeling pretty bad and I felt a little ridiculous with how it looked now, so cleaned her up and got to work. Then I ran out of paint, so have to get her done when I get back to Victoria. I'm keeping it more simple and sleek this time, but will add some more color to the black front, and possibly a few designs on the rear and maybe on the sides -possibly a logo that I design, I'm undecided as of yet. 

Karma went on her first camping trip this year to Englishman River Falls which is on the northern part of the island. It was quite beautiful and so nice to camp in the forest again. I missed my Canadian forest...the falls were also quite spectacular as well but the water was COLD! There was about 20 of us so a nice crew to chill with for a long weekend. The weather was just lovely and the bugs were not too bad although there were many wasps. One of my friends was bitten on the thigh and it swelled something fierce. It was good to get Karma on the highway again and I had forgotten (well not really) how much attention it garnered in transit due to my over the top paint job, in particular, her big red lips and heavily made up eyes. I'm not too sad to see that go though. It just looked gaudy at this point. Karma did well on the highway with no issues. She held her own on the Malahat mountain pass which was good. 

So life in Victoria is going well. I have decided after talking to my daughter that I really don't want to live in Edmonton. It's too damn cold! And too much SNOW! So she was perfectly fine with me not moving there and I am just going for a visit instead next month for about a month and then I'll return to Victoria for the rest of the year. I've decided to look for work in Victoria part-time, but not sure what I'll be doing. I know what I WON'T be doing - child protection. Someone stab me in the eye with a fork if I even come close...I am so happy about living in Victoria as I do not like Edmonton, but I do love my girl, so she may come for Christmas as she has never been to Vancouver Island. With me on the west coast and her in Edmonton, we are not far apart at all. A short flight to Vancouver for each of us, or I can pick her up at the Ferry Terminal at Swartz Bay (Sidney) as it is a quick bus or train ride from the Van airport to the Tsawwassen Terminal as it's just a few kms away. 

The other big decision I made is to forgoe the bus conversion at this point. I feel too overwhelmed to even consider a conversion and my hands are just not up for the task at all. The carpal tunnel syndrome is pretty bad in both hands, so I have to limit what I use them for as they're pretty important! Spray painting the van was hard enough. So instead I am on the hunt for a Class C RV which I had actually been considering long before I bought Karma. They are big enough for a tiny home, have everything I need, and most of the work is already done. I want to upgrade/renovate to my own tastes, and then I will have my very own portable home. I hope never to pack up my life anytime soon. I am so tired of giving up my nice bedding, housewares, sofa, etc. Just when I get comfortable, I'm packing up again. I haven't quite worked out where I can park my camper as I don't want to stay at an RV park unless they offern great winter rates. I'm going to put an ad on Kijiji to see if anyone will rent me space in their driveway or on their property to park. I won't need to plug in anywhere as I plan to convert it all to solar and everything else will be propane. The older C class RV's are pretty cheap - I should be able to pick one up for about $3-5,000. I'm still working on the funding at this point as I have two pensions I'm trying to withdraw from, one here in Canada and one in Australia. Either or both would be awesome and more than enough to pimp my RV something fierce! Stay tuned for more on that front.

Now I'm visiting my sister in Houston (BC) and we have come to camp for the week. She is the First Aid/Nurse here for the week as she is a paramedic in real life and can bring me as a guest. I can use the facilities, the canoes/kayaks. beach, campfire, etc so it should be awesome. We have our own room in staff quarters and the building is quite nice. We are just a few kms from town so I can go back to town anytime I want, though my sis has to stay as first aid. All three nephews will be here this week too so I'll get to spend more time with them. The oldest is a volunteer staff, the middle is a camper this week, and the youngest is here in our room as a helper when needed. His week as camper was last week. The lake looks gorgeous, so I hope I get to swim this week! I return to Victoria on the 8th, and thankfully it takes just a few hours of flight time. It takes long to drive to and from the airport in Prince George. 

So that's the current situation. My PTSD is still active, but I am managing for the most part. I found out very bluntly that I cannot miss even a single day of my anxiety medication as it throws me into a minefield of mood swings and strips all ability to cope with any stress. I'm still dealing with Oz and the work cover claim that my former employer stuffed up. They don't owe me any money as my employer paid me out instead of the insurance company thinking they would simply deal with it after I left but now I am drawn back into the mess and had a conference call last week that was very stressful for me. I just want to forget the whole bloody mess and move on but it doesn't seem likely just yet. Apparently the employer may come after me for the $11,000 if the insurance company doesn't pay up...I say good luck - I have NOTHING...I have about $350 to my name at the moment...

I hope to blog a bit more once I'm settled into an RV and sort out some mobile internet for it. Stay tuned....