VW love in Northern Cyprus

Sorry the blog has been a bit quiet of late, Rooobarb and I are now officially Mr and Mrs Crumble (thanks to DubMinx from the SSVC for that excellent moniker!) and wedding stuff has got in the way of important stuff, like VWs.

Except, whilst in Northern Cyprus, getting hitched and having a honeymoon and stuff, we kept our eyes peeled for VWs. We saw quite a few Beetles being driven around (especially bright yellow ones, oddly enough!) and even found one for sale:

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We saw a couple of bay windows in need of some TLC (and parts) parked near to the main road to Ercan airport, but I thought I’d hit the jackpot as we were driving near Alsancak, and yelled the familiar refrain “SPLIT!”:

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Or maybe, just a bay that’s had a nose job…

Dub Freeze February 2013

Due to lots of other commitments, we’d said that we wouldn’t be going veedubbing during February. However, last Sunday, the sun was shining, Rooobarb was raring to go, Custard had only had about 4 hours sleep after her hen do, so it seemed like the perfect time to drive down to Stafford!

Dub Freeze happens twice a year, in February and November at Stafford Show Ground. There’s overnight camping on the Saturday night, and the main show is on Sunday. Inside the hall are traders, autojumble and the Show and Shine vehicles, and outside are lots of lovely vehicles, some for sale, and some just to have a really good look at and admire!

Volkswagen Beetle YYY 148M

Beetle

VW High top Split Screen Van.

High-top van. This made the most amazing noise.

VW Caddy F851 MJU

You can’t have a Volkswagen without swag.

Polly's Parlour ice cream van

Polly Stoker’s ice cream van, Florence, which won first place in the modified air-cooled category, and also ‘most unusual/inspiring’.

http://www.pollys-parlour.co.uk/

VW splitscreen camper van

I loved this van. Little details on it made me smile!

Beer can centre caps!

Lost your centre caps for your Empis? (We have.) No problem!

Light detailing.

Light detailing.

A daily driver.

A daily driver.

 

Betty Blue

Martin Aylett’s Betty Blue won first prize in the stock air-cooled category.

Betty Blue

As you can see, the van is still stock, with a lot of attention to period detail (such as her first tax disc) that set her apart as a cut above.

Betty Blue

Such a pretty van, and deserving of first place.

Green VW Scirocco KCH 114N

Marshall Foulds’ mint Mk.1 Scirocco came 1st in the stock water-cooled category..

Rat look VW bus

I am more and more drawn to the rat look. I’ve always loved rusty bits of metal and abandoned buildings, so cars with patina are, naturally, right up my street!

The Sick Bay camper VW Maltese Ambulance

This Maltese ambulance is, naturally, called The Sick Bay.

The Sick Bay

Gorgeous interior, tidy, light and airy, with character. Perfect.

BusFest Big VW picture

I’m a real fan of these pictures made at BusFest (formerly known as VanFest) and seeing as this year’s will fall on Rooobarb and I’s birthday weekend (6th -8th September – mine is the day before, his the day after!) and I’m 30 this year… we may well attend!

http://www.busfest.org/

Split screen campervan nail art

Susie, Membership Renewals Secretary of the Split Screen Van Club had gone above and beyond with her attention to detail (and I’m always a sucker for a bit of nail art!)

Pair of VW camper vans

I really enjoyed looking across to the camping field, where some vans were being moved, and it looked like a herd of VWs gambolling free in the early morning sunshine. You have to remember I’d not had a lot of sleep!

Karmann Ghia Convertible light blue

This Karmann Ghia was attracting a lot of admiring looks, and quite rightly so.

Type 2 Bay Window Volkswagen Camper XUX 214S

If the owners of this Bay don’t call her Peppermint Patty, they should do. She’s proper lovely!

KCK 124F Type 3 squareback Volkswagen

Type 3 Squareback. Rooobarb is lusting after a Fastback now – he’s well and truly been bitten by the VW bug!

963 XUC VW transporter split screen van rat look

Rat look with cyclops light. I like cyclops lights too – gotta have the right bus to suit though!

BDE 134B VW transporter split screen van

And finally, there’s a funny story to go with this one. Last week, Rooobarb gave me a lift to work, as I was going on a residential trip and didn’t want to leave my car outside school for two days. As we came off the motorway, this van was a couple of cars ahead of us, and Rooobarb pulled up alongside and we both grinned madly at the driver. He had an SSVC sticker in the back window, so I posted on their Split Screens Seen forum to say hello, but got no response.

As we’re about to go back into the hall after a late lunch, a bus drives past me, I smile at the driver automatically, and then realise it’s the same bus. I chased across the grass like a nutter to try to go and say hello, as he was sitting in traffic that was leaving the show, but I don’t get across in time, and assume he’s left for the day. Returning to where we’d parked an hour or so later, I see the bus parked up in the camping area and finally get a photo. Still didn’t get to meet the driver though! (I’ll be honest, would he want to meet a slightly deranged lady who runs after his bus at VW shows? Thought not…)

So, we had a great experience at our first VW show, and we’re looking forward to lots more. What shows will you be going to this year? Post in the comments and let us know, and if you see us at a show, come and say hello!

On Top of the World!

Over the past couple of days, I’ve been building an epic playlist for our roadtrips. It is now 8 hours long!

You can listen here if you have Spotify.

Here is a preview of the first few tracks:

camper playlist

I’d be tempted to pop my maracas in the cab so that if I feel the need to do a Bez whilst driving along, I can rock out in the passenger seat. Because driving along in a splitty isn’t attention seeking enough already, clearly!

I decided to post our playlist after this post from TheBigForest who talk about campers, and make very lovely soft toys and things. Well worth a visit!

Ruby

Shortly before Christmas, I needed to post a parcel. I was reluctant to go to Accrington Post Office, as it is always busy anyway, and it being the last posting day before the holidays, I knew it would be hellish. My colleague suggested another Post Office nearby, which was brilliant – no queues, being able to hear the people behind the counter, easy to park. It became my new regular Post Office, as I could nip there in my lunch break and not get caught up.

Having been to the Post Office one lunchtime, I turned into a side street to head back to work and saw the most wonderful sight:

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Meet Ruby. Ruby is a 1967 split screen van, who started life as a purple delivery van. She was lovingly restored a few years ago, given a cream vinyl interior and a “rhubarb and custard” paint job (hence the name). And she is for sale!

She was being sold by Dave of Accrington Beetles and Campers on behalf of a customer who doesn’t have as much time as he would like to give to her anymore, and came with loads of camping gear for a very good price. She seemed to good to be true.

After a couple of visits and a good look round, everything seemed to be in order; sound bodywork, tidy interior and engine looking good. She’ll need a bit of work on her steering and a few other minor bits, but she’s been well looked after and was ready to drive away.

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

Most Wanted

When you have a campervan, or you tell people that you are getting one, all of a sudden, everyone finds camper-themed things for you. Here are just a few.

2013-01-19 12.31.56My colleague bought me this 3D picture for Christmas to tide us over until we get a real-life camper. As a nice touch, she had added labels with our names on, 1980s Ford Escort style, over the windows!

2012-12-28 14.52.07My parents bought us a camper for Christmas! A Lego one. But it was enormous fun to build and play with. Available from the Lego Shop.

original_notebook_camper_frontAnother colleague sent me a link to this cute camper notebook from Not on the High Street, who have lots of great camper-themed gifts, such as this washbag:

original_a-licensed-vw-wash-bagOn my travels I’ve also found this funky night light from Lights4Fun:

45458277460898987_hLgn6FaK_cThis biscuit tin (along with other products in the same range) from Happy Camping:

45458277460875106_ok6jCIri_cI also love this tea towel – it’s so bright and cheery:

135_lThis milk jug (and mugs, eggcups, lamps and more) from New Age Living:

45458277460899131_xSXDFIvE_cI absolutely love the cards, magnets, coasters and tax disc holders from VDubshop:

1500_39743258889_4293_n2102_45644228889_2681_nTax disc holders.
GC013The Volkswain.
TT105_smlCamping Medicine Cabinet.

And finally, one of my favourites, a custom designed basket from Handmade by Amber:

45458277460898922_n8YBv5t5_cI don’t know what I would keep in one of these baskets, but I’m quite sure I need one!

I was not paid to plug any of these things. I just really like them. All opinions are my own.

Inspiration: Junkaholique

Much of my precious spare time recently has been spent googling for campervan stuff. I decided that when we get the van, I would like some fairy lights inside, to make it all nice and cosy looking in the evenings. I googled “campervan fairy lights” and this lovely blog post came up in the search results: Junkaholique

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAphotograph of Lewes the campervan copyright (c) Junkaholique, used without permission

Junkaholique is the blog of Artemis Russell, her vintage finds, handmade projects, her family and their gorgeous bay window bus Lewes (pictured). Her blog is well worth a visit to see how Lewes has been transformed, and to see lovely photographs of their camping trips. My dreams these past few nights have been of blue skies, bright sunshine and the seaside, all enjoyed from within a camper of our very own.

Adventures in a Campervan

Greetings and salutations, welcome to our camper! Grab a seat in the back, kettle’s on. My name is Custard (obviously not my real name) and yon blokey behind the wheel there is Rooobarb (again, not what his mother calls him).

Let me tell you a story:

In 2011, Rooobarb and I went to see a show by Laura Mugridge called Running on Air. The show had been brought to the North West by our friends at Spot On Rural Touring, who have never given us a duff show yet, so when they mentioned a one woman show with an audience of five that takes place in the back of a campervan, we were in!

We drove to Mawdsley, and met the stars of the show; Laura, and her lovely orange bay window camper called Joni. The show was wonderful, a life-affirming journey around the UK with laughs and tears, all whilst sitting in the back of Joni outside a farm shop. Laura sparked an idea in our heads; when her and her husband Tom had got married, they had asked people to choose a part of a campervan to buy, and when they got a camper, they would name the parts after the people who bought them. I was sitting on a bench seat who was an uncle. You get the picture.

We thought that this was a marvellous idea, and so, when in October 2012 we decided that a 15 year long engagement was probably long enough, and that we should do something about it, we shamelessly stole the idea for our wedding gift list:

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We get married in 9 weeks time, and already have been pledged three rear view mirrors, one wing mirror, a fuel gauge, a fire extinguisher, a gearbox and a radiator (which could be interesting in an air-cooled engine, I blame a tired Custard googling for lists of car parts for gift lists late at night…). The lovely Rob and Sue at Spot On have also promised us an unused camping toilet. Which will make an interesting focal piece on the gift table at the reception!

So that was the start of our campervan adventures, and in the future we’re hoping to go wherever our flat-four engine will take us.