Daisy was not the prettiest looking van on display but I was still so proud of how much we have done so far. So many people where amazed that all our vans are not just for shows but used and loved. All Daisy's 'props' are used when we go away. We drove straight from three days camping in Derby, so it was a little stressful getting show ready! (I will be uploading a blog all about our amazing adventures from toasting Jaffa Cakes on the campfire, to scary walks up long forgotten steps!)
It was so lovely to meet lots members and meet up with members we have already become friends with. I love chatting to people about Daisy, I know am a bit of a show off sometimes but am so proud of what we have got done and want people to see - that if I can do it, anyone can!
Our three children 5 and under, had come from a really relaxed camping trip. With about 17 other childern, all playing and running free around the huge field. So it was a little stressful going from that, too, don't touch that, no sorry you can't go in Daisy right now, and stop running up to people and hugging them!
We are lucky that the other club members are so lovely, they would go from van to van being entertained with bike rides on vintage bikes, cakes and games!
I need to update the information on Daisy, people always stop to look at her so it stays on her all the time, not just at shows. It's amazing to think she's 47yrs old and has three kids jumping up and down in her (Bear likes to stump up and down, which am trying to stop as Daisy shakes!) I cook in her on her 1960's oven, we use her just as she would have been used when she was first brought!
That's one of the many things I love about the club, our vans are used and loved. Not just sat in a museum or rotting away forgotten about in a field. Makes me really sad to thing of all the unloved forgotten ones still out there not being used.
It was really interesting to see how many people didn't believe the vans where used! (Daisy looked used bless her! She's not as pristine as the other vans right now!) I loved telling people about the bath in the Winchester or that we had driven straight from a camping trip!
I just managed to get one coat of hammerwright paint on her a frame before the show, the difference was huge!
Looking back over the old photos of Daisy I have, her chassis and wheels would have been white/cream. I think white can look a little hash, so went for cream. Doing her wheels has made a huge difference to how she looks on the outside!
Keeping little ones busy at shows is quite hardwork. Pops is already great at talking to people about Daisy and he was even showing someone how all the beds work and where he sleeps! I was quite shocked at how much everlything was at the show. I really thought that things like the fair was part of the ticket price so was a little shocked to see it was £2 a ride, x3 children it quite quickly could have got far to expensive for us! My husband spent £16 just on icecream!!! (Am still in shock but what do you do when they have just handed your excited child an icecream, say no!?) We helped to save a little by making dinner and breakfast in Daisy. (Just out of show hours.) I made us a pack lunch in the morning but we where walking so far in the day that we had eaten that quite quickly. So just brought chips to share. (They where lovely chips, £2.50-£3 for a small portion but as a snack not main meal they did the job.)
I was really disappointed with what they had for childern, (there was lots for them to see and do) but we are used to festivals where extra costs are low and the childern activities are free/part of the cost of your ticket. (See my blog about Into The Wild, I highly recommend it for families.)
This amazing slide was £2 for 5mins, lucky one of the mini people was napping at the time so cost £4. (I know I may be sounding a little penny pitching here but to me we feel a little henpecked into having to spent a lot of extra money for a ticketed event.)
Unfortunately this ride had no signs saying socks where needed (I should have thought about it, but I couldn't even hold them back before I could pay, as they where so excited.) Our poor boys came off with carpet burns all over the ankles, which haven't yet healed. They where both very upset and hurt with them. Hours of tears and hugs. So make sure you take socks in your bag, even on hot days for such rides.....
By far some of the best things where the free things. Bear is abscessed with trains (he takes my childhood train to bed with him.) So seeing these mini road steam engines was like a dream come true. Thank you so much to all the lovely owners who let my children sit on them and pulled the whistle for them! They made a little boy very happy in deed!!
Dot and I, loved this little walking band and did stalk them waiting for them to stop and play again. They where fab! Dot had got a little upset (sleepy and didn't want to sit in the buggy) and she stopped crying as soon as they started playing. It was great fun watching the steam engines wondering by too.
We where very disappointed that many of the main big acts/events where pulled last minute. Understanding that things do change outside of organisers control but it did feel many things had changed. One of these was the record-breaking jump. I was really quite looking forward to all the record-breaking events lined up and to be apart of the camping one.
The kids did love the motorbike show which I think was a last minute change but they where good. We found a great place to sit close and watch. With a pinic and blanket. My husband and I even got to sit for a moment!
For this sort of event, where it's very busy and you are wondering around a lot. I highly recommend a baby carrier. Dot is at the age where she mostly wants to walk but her Hypermobility means she does get very tired, so popping her up in the carrier really helps. Also two very excited boys wanting to run off was a little stressful, so having one happy in a carrier did really help. We also had the buggy which we put back in the car by day two as Dot really isn't a fan of it and it was hard to get round the busy marquees.
Having been to the Beaulieu Autojumble a few months ago with the RCC (Retro Caravan Club.) I must say I was disappointed with the amount of traders at Retro Fest. I had got round them all very quickly, though I was so excited to find this retro heater which will be perfect for Daisy. I can't wait to get it safely tested/tryed out. We had got very cold on our Into The Wild trip, so I have been looking for a little heater since!
If you hunted and bargained, there where a few good deals to be made. But I did noticed that over all the club members had brought a lot less than they had at Beaulieu. I only brought the heater and a record!
I was so proud about how fab Daisy looked on the inside. Now I've started to find material to make curtains and pillows, she feels like she is at last coming together! (Look out for my blog review on our new record player!)
I know she didn't draw the crowds quite like some of the other amazing finished vans but am still so proud of her!
One of the days I showed her with her 6x6 (very unusual to have such a big bed)
bed and the other with her set up as a dinning table. I thought it was good to show her, how we use her. When we are away the main bed mostly stays up and we just put away the boys beds.
I really haven't brought many items (apart from lights, wood, paint etc) for Daisy at all, most is family hand-me-downs, which I love!
Here's a photo of some of us, nicked from the club page. We signed up lots of new members, who wouldn't want to join for £15 for a year, railles and events! Let alone the amazing magazine (in which Daisy is featuring this month!)
This could have been taken in the 1970/80's! No it was yesterday! So much more fun, than lots of square white modern boxes! (Taken from the club page.)
It was a great event, I massively underestimated how much extra money it would cost us though. That did put quite a big dampener on the weekend. I think if we had been childless, we could have sat and had a beer and a dance in the evening. I may have felt differently. Though the children and I, did love having a dance in the tents!
It did at points feel like it had lost a bit of the love and the 'making money' had taken over a little. So my advice when attending is to take extra cash for rides and maybe a picnic.
The things which the kids loved where meeting and trying out things. (Free!) The love the owners had for what they had on display was great and that really came across. Not everyone was friendly and ok with little people sitting on things, but I can understand that and wasn't upset by it. We just made sure the kids always asked and didn't touch till they had the owners permission.
Some owners shut their doors early and wouldn't let people look inside as they where cooking dinner. I was cooking spaghetti bolognese and chatting away to people. (Was out of main show hours.) Daisy is used and loved, she has given us so much freedom. We didn't buy her to look perfect at shows. We are however so happy to be apart of them and hope we do Daisy and the club proud!
If you want to know more about the festival, here's the link:
http://www.retrofestival.co.uk
And here is a link to the RCC:
http://www.retrocaravanclub.co.uk
If anyone has any matching poppy dinner sets sitting around unloved, please email me!
Overall we really enjoyed the show and would like to go back next year. A few things we where upset over. Like the lack of Guinness World Record breaking adjudicators, to sign off on our Record Breaking attempt. Am sure we would have smashed the 104 record number of caravans slept in over night record! Would have been great to have called Daisy a record braking caravan!
With a little pre-planing on having a picnic and being prepared for the extra stress of being show ready, we really did have a great weekend!
Very much looking forward to our next RCC event!
