Whitenoise 2012

So last weekend saw the Custard's heading off to Norwich for VW Whitenoise Show.  Sadly we weren't able to go for the weekend as Ramsey had a prior engagement at his first wedding no less.

Dan had agreed to drive for this so it was his first VW Wedding as well....   Ramsey was washed and sparkling and then it rained again to try and ruin all my hard work, he still looked great though wearing a white rose garland on his front bumper and another rose garland wrapped round the back of his roof rack.  I think next time I'll wrap them right the way round the roof rack.

The wedding was in East London for a German couple Reme & Anna and their jack russell Spike.  Dan did a bit of dog sitting while the ceremony took part, the Custard's are a bit handy like that!

Ramsey was admired by everyone at the wedding and was very happy to be play his part in their day.

The bride rocked a gorgeous polka dot dress from Vivien of Holloway, a perfect match for Ramsey's rock n roll style interior.

Saturday afternoon was spent getting some jobs done on Ramsey and worked on the ongoing job of cleaning up the louvre windows for the splitscreen (we know how to enjoy ourselves!).  I also loaded up Ramsey with wellies & raincoats and of course tea making essentials ready for Sunday's day trip to VW Whitenoise.

We planned an early start as we decided to be brave and enter Ramsey into the Show N Shine.  Now I know he's not a show stopper like some dubs out there but he is super cool and our experience of Show n Shine's is that anything goes.  We set off later than planned and then got as far as Colchester and had to stop and park up for my radio interview.  Custard Campers was to be featured on Chelmsford Radio as their shop of the week, so there we were parked up in a holiday inn car park waiting for the phone call.   Dan had made the kids get out the camper as they always misbehave when I'm on the phone, lucky for them it wasn't raining.  The phone duly rang and although very short it went well and I got through it without saying anything too stupid, always a result.

We arrived at the Norfolk Showground to bright sunshine and after a bizarre drive around the show trying to find the entrance to the main arena, we snuck in and parked Ramsey up in the row of Bay Windows.  He wasn't the shiniest or the most stock looking but in my humble opinion he was the coolest.

We had a wander round the show, and at first it seemed there was loads there but the actual trade stall area was quite small and very quiet.  Some nice stalls but none of the normal 'parts' type traders which was a bit of a shame.  We did however order this gorgeous fabric from The Cosy Camper Co for the splitscreen's curtains, now I've just got to actually make them.

The weather could not of been better and we can had fun mooching around, the prize giving for the Show N Shine was at 3pm just about the time the sky went from bright blue to an ominous shade of grey, things were running a bit late and by the time they started, so had the rain.  This is when having a vehicle in the main arena came into it's own, we were able to jump in the camper, put the kettle on and wait it out.

Ramsey didn't win any prizes but we did have a great day and this show will be on our list to visit next year we might even be able to camp that time.

Thanks for reading and if you like what you see you need to hit the follow button up top so you can keep an eye on this blog.  If you don't fancy that make sure you 'like' our facebook page as I always post on there when I blog.  We've got some great features coming up showing off some of our followers campers  and we've even got a restoration project to share with you.  See it's not all my inane wittering.

In the meantime if you can't get enough of the campers, then you need Campervan Hire in Essex, that would be us Custard Campers!  (sneeky SEO link here..sorry but gotta be done)

Kerry x

Glamping - What To Take Part 1

‘Glamping’ noun
[mass noun] British informal
a form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping (oxforddictionaries.com)

Gertrude Bell in 1907

I think the first person to really embrace glamping would have to be Gertrude Bell; an intrepid adventurer of the Middle East from 1892 until her death in 1926, she gained respect from the local Bedouins by travelling through the desert with her tents, evening gowns and silver tableware.  These luxurious items elevated her to the status of queen in the local’s eyes, which meant she was welcomed and not treated with the hostility that most foreigners were greeted with at that time.

Fast forward 100 years and Glamping is an idea we all love but how to achieve it?  Well the simplest way is to book a campervan of course! and then take along some very lovely glamping products.....

This amazing hand painted tableware set from Yours Sustainably, would look fantastic in one of our campers (and incidentally is how I found  Yours Sustainably)

How about a hand painted camper set? it comes in a choice of green or blue, this will set you out as the most stylish camper round the fire...

Need something to keep your food hot before you dish up? they've got this cute tiffin 

or if you prefer to keep your food chilled, there this stylish lunch tote

or if you just want to keep your sandwiches fresh, I love this colourful reusable sandwich wrap

What else could you possibly need? lashings of ginger beer of course, all kept chilled for up to 24hrs in this light weight flask 

The above products (and short history lesson!) courtesy of Yours Sustainable, they've got loads more gorgeous items and it's all sourced to be environmentally sensitive & ethical.  While putting this blog post together I've just spotted a gorgeous vintage map bound note book that would be perfect for Delia's entertainment hamper, a glamping visitors book.  

So many more glamping ideas so think I'll leave this here and come back with part 2 next week.  Please do go have a look at Yours Sustainably and many thanks to Jessica for her time suggesting the products that would work well for this post.

Kerry x