Mark sat in bed for ages this morning contemplating his new solar-energy-for-the-camper-van project.
He told me about it in great detail, he has bought a lot of bits from China and apparently you have got to solder them together and find a good clear resin to coat them, and you have got a solar panel. He thinks that it will cover the whole roof.
He also needs a mysterious Thing that we haven’t yet bought because it will be two hundred quid which will have an important electrical function, although I can’t exactly remember what because of not paying attention properly. That will have to go in the locker at the back. Apparently this sort of thing usually goes under the bonnet but he has got some problems in that department because of the new engine having a welcome but unexpected intercooler. This means that if you include the hydrogen exploder, already the space underneath the bonnet is not large enough to contain all the things that he wants to put there, and he is going to have to rebuild the sides with a bit of a bulge to make everything fit.
He has got plans for some big batteries also to go in the locker at the back which will slide in and out like a drawer and stand on a leg so that you can maintain them. He has got these from some scrapyard I think and is busy reconditioning them in his spare time. I have not got the first idea how you recondition a battery although I have got some vague recollection that he explained that to me once as well.
All he needs to do then is twiddle about with the wiring and lo, I will be able to plug my hairdryer in. I am quite sure that Mr. Tumpy never had such refinements on his camper van and I am very pleased, although obviously I will be more pleased when he has done it. I have asked him if he can manage to fit in a couple of hanging baskets as well, because I would like some on the front that can be popped away tidily in a spare locker space when we are travelling, but he scowled and complained about the lockers being full and it might be too difficult. I am quite sure it can be done, however, and am sure that if I remind him about it often enough he will come up with some helpful idea.
He wired my kitchen sockets in today, by means of a gesture of good faith, about which I was also very pleased. These have been for decorative purposes only for the last couple of years because of some intended modification that he has never quite got around to, and today he was suddenly seized by domestic guilt and waved his screwdrivers about whilst I was busy packing up bacon and fried peanut health salad ready for the taxi.
Of course it is Saturday and long-haul taxi driving day, which is tiresome because we are both longing to dash off back to the camper van and do exciting things there, but we have still got school fees and a mortgage to pay and there is an important electrical Thing to be purchased yet.
In consequence we had a very happy morning getting things ready for work. It is cloudy today, and damp, and the world is drenched with the heavy scents of blossom. The garden has had an influx of bumble bees and the Library Gardens had a family of new blackbirds just learning to fly, which made us laugh, because of them being clumsy and excited and ungainly, and trying so hard.
When we got back we had got to get ourselves ready for work. Mark cleaned the taxis out, and I made the picnic, then he fixed the plug sockets and washed up whilst I made a batch of chocolate and nut biscuits. These are like chocolate chip biscuits, except with big chunks of chopped-up chocolate which is how I like them, not titchy disappointing chips of chocolate. Then I chopped hazelnuts and Brazil nuts and macadamia nuts and almonds to mix in: and we thought contentedly how very happy we are, what a splendid life we have got.
I am feeling very happy indeed today. We have got the nicest possible life, with our little house and lovely garden and stout dogs and splendid children. I am sitting on the taxi rank by the pier looking out over the misty lake and thinking what a marvellous world it is.
I expect it’s the sudden surge in Vitamin D.
I took the picture on a job this afternoon. It looked better in real life.
