Yesterday, I took off in my van. Not a big roadtrip. Just a short hop, less than 10 miles from home. The thing is, my van is my refuge. When I'm in my van, I almost immediately feel like I'm on my holidays. Whether I'm on a 500 mile road trip or a little tootle into the countryside, it's all the same. When I'm stressed, taking the van out can do the trick even if I don't go anywhere.
This trip is a little more than that, though. A short jaunt to what turns out to be a very pleasant, well-appointed campsite. The owner seemed surprised when I told him we'd come from Shrewsbury and he might well think I'm bonkers. That's ok. It's good to be away.
The big story in the UK recently has been the weather, of course. The long dry spell seems to have come to an end today, with heavy showers disturbing our planned country walk. I'm not complaining. The country is desperate for the rain. The bigger disturbance to the walk was the maize planted across the public footpath. I am complaining about that! There's a viscious cycle: fewer people out walking means paths don't get maintained as they should be, So fewer people walk them. Eventually someone decides that noone is using this path so it might as well be closed. And so another public good is lost.
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richard <AT> deckzero <DOT> uk