Saturday 29 March 2014

Our Most Frequently Asked Question…….Part 2


Now, finding, rescuing or buying a caravan is a whole different ball-game to finding exquisite clothes !! 
We are on the lookout for cute looking caravans with glass windows (the glass windows are all important). So if any of you spot such a caravan please let us know!!
You may remember that Hilda, our first baby was bought at a classic car auction. Brilliant, nerve jangling fun!!  Marj, our second, was spotted in a classic car ad and was bought ‘off advert’ - in need of a lot of love and care but worth it!
But as time has gone on (and we have been spotted driving slowly, peering through hedges, holding up traffic and frequently reversing down lanes) we have spied a few likely local candidates that look in need of rescuing!!  Broadening our approach we are getting a little (lot) more direct - yes, we are not ashamed to admit it - we have done a bit of door knocking!!! 
The downside of this approach is that we are frequently mistaken for travelling gypsies.  One local gentleman (he comes from Ham, near Berkeley.  Initials J.P. - do you know him?) thought we were going to pinch his new gates!!.....  When all along we were aiming to pinch his caravan (just a little joke! - the caravan was next door...)
We have on the whole been very lucky with the door knocking, but there have been a couple of scary moments…  
We spotted a couple of likely looking vans on what we thought was a ramshackle industrial site.  It turned out to no longer be rented out - and as we reversed at the top of the drive we were faced with the huge gate being pulled closed in front of us, trapping us inside.  We just squeezed out before it fully closed. It was a bit like something out of a horror movie! needless to say, there was no caravan for us there…
We have had some disappointments with our door knocking approach but we have also been totally rewarded with two caravans.  One - Beattie - is still in the owners garden where it has been for the past 30 years! Unfortunately, the garden has evolved over that time and it is no longer possible to remove the caravan without lifting it over the hedge into the adjoining field!  

Beattie - our gorgeous 1964 Fairholme
So, we have lined up Pete with his High Ab - a lorry with a hoist thingy (see, you learn something every day) to move Beattie when the weather improves. Pete’s initial reaction on being told what we were up to was “Are you mad??? The best thing you can do with that is scrap it” After a while though, Pete warmed to the idea and is now keen to add the 'moving of Beattie' to his portfolio of unusual lifts!  There’s something in this game for everyone!
Rita - Isn't she a beauty?
Our newest addition to the Lily & Violet Vintage Caravan Fleet is Rita.  (As a bit of an aside we would be really interested to know what colour 'Rita' conjures up for you - let us know! - we know what colour she is going to be but what is your gut reaction?).  Rita is a 1978 Lunar Clubman and is the biggest of our caravans so far.  She has spent many a year languishing in a sheltered spot in the corner of a field.  Her days of touring had obviously come to an end and, like many lovely old caravans, she had become a bit of a soggy storage shed.
After many a slow drive-by, we eventually plucked up the courage to knock on the farmers door - and we are very glad we did!!! After the initial sceptical reaction we were promised a phone call. So, we left all of our details and received a call a few days later.  Not only did we end up with Rita, but also with a couple of new leads for other rescuees (- is that a word?).
Rita is going to get a complete transformation and will probably look very different the next time you see her!!
Remember, if you have an old caravan in need of rescuing or you know of one, please call the Lily & Violet Vintage Rescue Rangers!!! - (that is Mary & Lisa)

Mary & Lisa x 



2 comments:

  1. Ahhh love my weekend update from Lily and Violet, Makes me feel all warm inside xxx

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  2. And we love the fact that you are there!!! -It makes us feel all warm inside xx

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