The Power of Wood

I hope you will forgive this letter being a few days late. I was working on the van. I am currently on the train to Plymouth, where I will be spending the day on boat filming seagrass. On Monday I decided that as I can’t be in the van and on a train at the same time I would wait to write until today. It seemed the natural moment.

Over the last three days I have worked and worked on my van. I spent 7 hours in it on Sunday alone. That much van time has been incredible, and it has made a vast difference.

When I first started A Nomadic Rose, I wrote about taking down the walls the van had when it arrived, and the feeling of taking down my own walls at the same time. Since then I have cleaned, treated any rust, and packed the walls with sheep’s wool. As I did it, I knew I was building towards a warm, clean home. But the van still looked like a van, all be it one lined with wool.

It’s amazing what a difference wood can make.

Planks on tongue and groove, designed to have some flexibility, are the perfect material for the odd shapes and unusual curves of a van.

Building up from the floor, one plank at a time, the van started to shift. A process of wood-based alchemy started taking place. Piece by piece the space started to transform from the inside of a van to the inside of a home.

I’ve been able to project my design onto the van since I got it, but among the mostly clad walls it is easier than ever. I can stand in any spot and imagine myself in the shower or in front of the oven. I can imagine the layers of building that need take place to get from where I am to where I am going.

Some of those steps still feel almost impossible, with such steep learning curves that they scare me. But others are so achievable I can almost feel them under my fingertips. Most of those are wood based. Building the cabinets, bed and spice rack are all challenges I am itching to embrace and get to work on.

First though I need the rest of the tongue and groove to arrive so I can finish the walls and the ceiling, encompassing my home in sheep’s wool and wood. I can’t think of many other materials I would rather spend my days and nights surrounded by.

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