50 Weeks in

That's it. Two weeks to go for the cycle to complete. We moved in to our little caravan 50 weeks ago for the summer. A lifestyle change to compliment our obsession for camping. We never intended to stay the winter, but not long after moving in, our lives started to change, like the environment around us. We became part of nature's cycle and before too long we chose to extend our stay for at least 1 whole year.

I think when you live so close to nature, it's hard not to become part of it. All around you everything is changing in nature's cycle of death and rebirth. Last years leaves fell and are now part of the soil that new green shoots of life appear in. We as humans are part of that. We are nature too. Modern life pulls us away from our true source of life, and our role in the natural world is reduced. Here though as I type. I look out of my window to the reminders of the natural world. Squirrels are in the woods, foraging for fresh food after a long winter, a few snowdrops are scattered around the site, pushing out of the frozen ground, looking to the sun for light and life.

Today the sun shines, for the first time in a while. Its still cold, the sun reflects off the frozen puddles around our van, life is always better when the sun shines.

The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a struggle. We got through the coldest and snowiest winter in many years, coping with frozen water and gas. We still managed to cook in our awning despite figures well below zero. We stayed alive, and warm and positive. We are though, in reality, living in a metal box 15x8ft. There's not much room to swing a cat, never mind two of them!

As winter draws to a close we become desperate for spring. To get back in the awning and outdoors, to get active. All of nature around us is peeping its head over the precipice of winter, dying to come out. Waiting for the winter to end.

So our plan was to do the whole year. We're nearly there.

We have chosen to stay on, not sure for how long. We feel we couldn't move back into a house yet, unless it was very special and in a rural location, close to nature. Those places are rare though, and don't often come cheap.

So for now, we stay, and wait, for the shoots of spring, for the birds, ducks, frogs, and squirrels to all wake up, for the sun to shine, from grey to green. There's an air of anticipation in the natural world. A few more rainy days and snow showers to come, but we're nearly there. The cycle completes its revolution and we start again. Spring is coming!

In two weeks time I'll write again to summarise what I can only describe as a life changing experience.

Check the video below for a nice little song