Friday 26 December 2008

Horseboxing Day Happy


HELLO! Happy Christmas! And thank you to you all for such a jubilant waving-off! We have travelled the whole length of the country through rainclouds and sunclouds and in and out of radiator leaks and battery failures to get here, although we have always been "here" wherever we stopped along the way and we've always been heading "there".


Gradually day by day we have settled in to our wheely home and begun to realise why we did it. We have had warm candlelit evenings by the fire eating mince pies with cream and saying to each other - do you remember leaving all those months ago? (when in fact it was just the previous monday) Days turn into weeks when the scenery changes so fast and your days are so full of so many faces. It is wonderful to wake each morning to a new tree outside the round bedroom windows, and in its branches, a new bird singing. As we have headed south, the cold Scottish winter has lessened its grip on our toes and there have even been days on the street selling pictures without coats!


We have been lucky enough to find forests or at least a tree or two beside which to park each night, and have met interested people young and old along the way who have come inside our house to nose about. Sales got gradually better as we headed south too, culminating in a shockingly lucrative two days before Christmas in Canterbury - our favourite town to sell!


The TK is a beast of a thing to manoeuvre around little snaking lanes and is left floundering on slightly inclined motorways, managing a top speed of about 45mph. And of course there have been mechanical stresses too.. our last leg of the journey was made through heavy four lane traffic with a bolt stuck in a radiator hole to quell a leak until we could reach "dry land". I had to leap from the vehicle amid traffic to refill the leaking radiator with water whilst impatient drivers zoomed round us. We just made it to Canterbury and found ourselves heartily welcomed. It was a delight to meet kind folks of all sorts in all corners. The Brothers of St Francis whose wall we sell our pictures against were accommodatingly friendly and the Park & Ride attendant offered redundant tree stakes to burn in our fire which we delightedly collected from the emptying carpark to bemused stares from the departing shoppers.



However we had reached our final selling destination with no leafy corners in which to moor our land boat, and were beginning to worry a little. Thank you for all your kind offers and ideas.. You may well be hearing the rumble of a Bedford engine up your lanes one day :) On the day before Christmas eve Tui got into conversation with a nice bookbinder man inquiring about a commission. The converation turned to houses and horseboxes and he said "well if you are stuck for a place to stop I have an orchard with a barn on it where you'd be welcome to park"... what a perfect turn up that was! And so we trundled away from town with bulging wallets on Christmas eve to find this excellent spot where we have been given kind permission to stay for a while. This was just the most perfect outcome after all these long months of work, exhaustion and bad weather, and there we'll be able to spend a time resting. We can rig up internet and power, make windows and build roofracks, mend radiator holes and add another layer of waterproofing. And I can paint clocks at my desk and we can take afternoons for reading books and wandering about the hedgerows. And after a time there we can wander off again :)


Christmas Day dawned over young apple and quince trees, Kentish oast houses and a draughty barn; the early coo-hoo of a wood pigeon made us feel very much in England. I have noticed a phenomenon amongst folk we meet whilst selling.. they almost all ask "where are you based?" or "where are you from?". It's a strange question anyway, because you never know whether that means where were you born or where do you live.. and when your house moves about it's even harder to answer! It seems an interesting need in people to be able to pinpoint some kind of originating place, and it makes passing through other people's originating places all the more interesting.
I am writing at present from my family home where we have been able to spend lovely time at Christmas; and dotted amongst these words here are pictures from our journey: sunrises in Lincoln and tree-stake fires and peeps in and out of our door. Soon I will be blogging from "our" orchard and I look forward to making stories and creating things from inside our lovely creation of a home.




We wish you all warm and happy tale-filled Christmastimes all over the world wherever you are from and wherever you are going to in 2009!

62 comments:

Unknown said...

Merry Christmas Travellers!
Thank you for inspiring me and filling my mind and heart with dreams through your art and your writing.

Mollamari said...

Have a Happy Holiday time! I'm so glad to hear that everything is fine despite of some drawbacks, I am still excited about your adventures to come!

Cassie said...

I'm enjoying your tales from you adventure! Best wishes!

FishStikks said...

What a wonderful tale! I've enjoyed so much reading of all your adventures, how exciting! Just love seeing all the pictures you've taken on your journey and hope to see many more, Congrats!

PurestGreen said...

Hurrah! Many congratulations on the positive start to your adventures. Although I do hope you don't have to spend any more time dodging traffic. Once again, great stories and great images. Your blog is the closest thing to a fireside for me.

d. moll, l.ac. said...

Such adventures, already! Happy New Year.

Anonymous said...

It feels from here as if the two of you have stepped through the door into one of your own fairytales!
So glad to be living a traveller's life vicariously...

mariel said...

It seems your journeys are off to a wonderful start. The brightest of blessings to you both, may all your winter dreams come true! I look forward to hearing more of your travels.

beadbabe49 said...

Lovely to hear that all is going well and you're looking foward to more adventures in the future.
The "where are you from?" question is ancient, isn't it, although I don't suppose most people today are really looking for their kin! Or maybe they are?

tut-tut said...

I'm glad to be able to come along with you! At least from my screen. Beautiful photos. Merry Christmas to you!

A.Smith said...

What wonderful news! I have been thinking of you and Tui yesterday and wondering where your lovely home would take you and now, here I find out about the next stop in the magic journey.

Be well and happy, enjoy every minute of this trek, radiator holes and all, and keep warm and healthy with my best wishes for a truly artistic year about the start for both of you. Warm thoughts and happy ones to both of you.

Barbara Martin said...

Wonderful news to hear of the generosity of others. I'm pleased to hear of your journey with its ups and downs.

Enjoy yourselves, keep warm and of good cheer. All the best to you both in the New Year.

Ursula Shaw said...

I just love reading about your travels and seeing all the great photos. Your art is amazing. Happy Holidays and all the very best for the New Year!

Yoli said...

Merry Christmas sweet Rima.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful report from your magickal journeys! :)

just jody said...

what a wonderful journey. how nice to have an orchard as a stopping place. stay on the good side of the biti foki.

Erynn said...

Blessed holidays and a wonderful new year to you. I haven't been following your blog for very long, but your art is delightful and your adventures sound marvelous! I wish you all the best in your travels and look forward to your art, your photos, and your accounts in times to come.

the dafthermits (Mel n andy and wee clan) said...

Well done my two friends

and the old TK was only a wee bit grumpy

so good to see you back on

we look forward to meeting up again some time next year

we miss you both


happy new year when it comes all our love


the cold highland hermits xxxx

Anonymous said...

Happy St. Stephan's Day!

Suze said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Suze said...

Enjoy your family stay, and thank you for your sharing of your histories...your footsteps on this journey. :)

Ciara Brehony said...

So lovely to catch up with you Rima! And very glad to hear things are working out as you dreamed and hoped they would. Isn't it wonderful how the spirit of Christmas manifests so perfectly in the form of the offer of a barn/shelter on Christmas eve? How wonderfully poetic!
Enjoy the rest of the Christmastime with your family, and I look forward to hearing more tales from the wanderly-wagon soon.

Love Ciara x

laoi gaul~williams said...

a happy belated yule to you travellers!
what adventures!

The Feathered Nest said...

Hello sweet Rima!!! Thank you so very much for the beautiful print for Emily (the lavender beekeeper)... it arrived in the post on Christmas eve!!! It's absolutely beautiful and she was delighted!!! She will hang it in her sweet baby's nursery. Thank you again and wishing you enchanted travels in your amazing home! xxoo, Dawn

Cat (darklingwoods) said...

Always so wonderful to hear of your adventures dear Rima! A very merry Christmas and Yule time you too!

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

I am glad to hear things are going well! Life in the orchard sound wonderful and I look forward to your tales from there.

Edward and I both send our very best wishes for a most Happy Christmas season!!

herhimnbryn said...

Oh Happiness! Canterbury ( I know it so well).

There is a poem over at my place that I think you and Tui will like. It's a 'christmas gift' to all who drop by.

Happy wanderings Lady R and Sir T

Ruthie Redden said...

Merry Christmas to you & yours, so wonderful your journey has begun! What adventures await. wishing you peace & happiness for the new year in your wee home on wheels x

Griffin said...

I am so glad to hear you and Tui are doing well... despite a radiator leak on a four lane motorway!!!

Conversations that lead to other avenues are always great.

From and to... My parents are both Indian but from different cultures within India... I'm born here and you're right, living in the East Midlands but having moved from Sussex I still think of myself as being from Sussex. I still don't think of myself as a Midlander, tho' I have come to like it here.

I am from... the stars!

Anonymous said...

Very lovely. I hope your adventures continue to feed your imagination and refresh your soul.

jamjar said...

Lovely to hear of your new adventures, look forward to hearing more of them.
Joy

Nao said...

Oh, yes, the journey is a marvelous thing indeed. What a joy it is to be able to follow along with you. You write the story of your living beautifully Rima, weaving in the ups and downs of it all with such grace.

Anonymous said...

i simply wish you
brightest blessings...

i know well the feel of the life you are leading, though it exists nostalgically for me now...

...so i know my wishes for you have been granted.

peace.

Anonymous said...

You make me dream... .It's so hard to fnd someone like you!
Just thank you for your sharing of your histories.Merry Christmas.

laughingwolf said...

wunderbra :O lol

mama p said...

What a wonderful rush. THANK YOU for bringing us all along!! Love especially the sunlight on your bookshelf... Enjoy all of what's to come!

Anonymous said...

Happy Christmas Rima and Tui! I'm so glad you found a place to land.

I thought of you as I just finished the book Mimus by Lilli Thal. Not only is the story wonderful, but the cover art by Drahos Zak seemed like something you'd like.

Jess said...

Hi Rima! It's lovely to hear you're actually on the move now and beginning to reap the rewards you deserve so much :)x

Leanne said...

what a wonderful adventure, and a wonderful home, i love it! blessings of the season to you both!

leanne x

BT said...

How delightful to hear of your tales 'on the move' Rima, though not of the leaky radiator! I hope the beast behaves itself from now on. Canterbury is indeed a wonderful city and I'm so glad you did really well there.
Oooh, did you mention painting clocks???
My step daughter absolutely loves her print of the penny farthing teapot and it will soon be on the new baby Poppy's bedroom wall.

May all things splendid come to you and Tui,

Love

BT

Anonymous said...

happy merry! how fantastic to get an orchard for christmas!

Anonymous said...

Hi Rima, I'm glad you made it down in time for Christmas in spite of the mis-haps with radiators.

I hope you had/are having a special time with your family.

Happy travelling.
best wishes,
Melanie

Anonymous said...

I found your blog the other day, and OMG I am so in love!!! taken me days to go through it, hope you are having a wonderful time, fiona.
(carries on reading)

Debbie Miller of Onion Patch said...

So cozy!! Have a safe travel!!

Debbie

ArtSparker said...

An inspiring beginning. I always found English people to be very kind when I visited.

Koldo Barroso said...

Happy new year Rima!

I wish I could have a walk with you guys at Canterbury's Pleasure Park! :)

Doreen Frost said...

Your work, life and blog are absolutely fabulous...so very inspiring and wonderful.

A very Happy Holiday to you!
Safe travel and a wonderful journey!

Many Blessings,
Doreen

Acornmoon said...

I am so pleased that the world is being good to you. Canterbury is a lovely city and a very apt destination for travelers and pilgrims. I hope you find time to make more clocks on the New Year!

Solvay said...

What a gift it was, reading your update! The delightful orchard surprise atop the bulging wallets - Merry Christmas, indeed!

Thank you for sharing your "wheely" life with us, the unlookers.
Solveg

And, Happy New Year, too!

Anonymous said...

Oh, goodness. This is really quite wondrous. I wandered into the realm of your blog and website via the lovely Tess at http://www.anchormast.com I'm an artist and writer (& also a minister who's fortunate to have been able to carve out an unusual & creative path); like you, my imagination (and my work in turn) is well nourished by medieval Europe and keeps a foothold there. Thank you for the hospitable, mysterious, inventive loveliness you offer here. Blessings of the new year to you!

laughingwolf said...

happy new year to you and yours, rima :D

mister M said...

bonne année 2009

mister M said...

bonne année 2009

Anonymous said...

The Hermitage is one of my favourite places to visit. Thank you so much Rima for sharing your adventures and beautiful work with us. I wish you all the best for 2009 and look forward to what life brings your way.Much happiness and health to you always.

Valaine said...

Wow!! You are absolutely living a dream! How awesome and inspiring you two are. I wish you two many blessings on your journeys :)

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year Rima and Tui :) all the best in your rovings in 2009 x

The Dutchess said...

WOW what a journey and it hasn't realy started yet...Hope you are fine and wish you luck an inspiration. When your journey ever should lead you to the little country of Holland across the ocean, do feel free to stop by..
Blessings:)

Half-heard in the Stillness said...

Happy New Year Rima and Tui!! My drawings arrived in time for Christmas morning.. thank you so much they are magical. Blessings, and may all the bumps on your travels be cushioned!

Unknown said...

that wheel mobile is so cool, oh it reminds me of a movie i loved when i was a kid called 'into the West' ... very gypsy ...i want one

Unknown said...

Marry Christmas and Happy New Year! And thank you for this great blog.

Anonymous said...

Wow, awesome

Anonymous said...

simply awesome!