The Glass of Wine, The Campfire and The Awfully Big Adventure

[notwavingjustironing]

We've all blethered on pleasantly on Seashells' lovely previous thread and, with the school holidays approaching, lots of us are about to start our summer adventures( not all of which are in tents....!) This thread is for us all to check back in and generally keep in touch. So we've packed up our Icey-Teks and our Tarps and our Death Socks, gently doused the burning embers of our planning campfire and rinsed out the wine glasses.

We're ready for our Awfully Big Adventure.

Come and talk about yours here (even if you're staying put!)

All this kayaking business sounds most wonderful, I must say!

X post bramble-sounds a lot of fun! What does drop knee surfing mean? (still learning what everyone down here is on about!)

Have been reading the links - thank you all. I took body lotion with me in absentia of the mosiguard thinking it was lavender & tea tree & then it was lavender & geranium so I neglected to apply. Maybe it would have helped? Twas the Organic Surge stuff so proper lavender & not synthetic shiteness. Love that website slubber some of that ingognito stuff on ebay - not too bad price-wise. I do use perfumed soap, so will switch to simple or try the incognito shower gel I think. I think a tick remover is in order also - never realised they are so nasty. A lady at nursery does Avon I think so I can get some SSS. Will also go for the wristbands.
Had a miserable trip on the Vale of Pickering site, years ago, pre-DCs where I was eaten alive. Came back with my arms and legs in a terrible mess, and was mainlining antihistamines for about a week just to get any relief. Ended up at the pharmacy begging for stronger tablets & the chap gave me hydrocortisone cream. I came out grumbling & fully expected to be at the GP the next morning, but a small amount of the cream on each bite & by the next morning they were virtually gone. So hydorcortisone cream needs to go in the camping box I think. Another miserable trip was to Hebden Bridge. 57 bites all on my back and bum crack. Never again - that was long grass I'm convinced. Bloody awful & 2 days off work when I got back because I was in such a tangle. Little bitey flying bastards.
Saw a Cobb today in Lakeland Plastics - hadn't actually seen one in the flesh before. A thing of beauty - but LARGE no? To be fair I didn't get much chance to peruse as the baby kicked off so we bade a hasty retreat back to the voiture. Got a small haul in the Blacks sale - little battery operated emergency phone charger-torch combo, solid fuel tablets, and a muff buff, since the aforementioned little bitey bastards also bit my head a couple of times. I shall now investigate some citronella impregnation methods.

www.yasrsly.com/how-to-kill-a-mosquito/9947/

Can't sleep - its too fecking hot

Pately Bridge, not Hebden Bridge - doh!

Kettle is on if anyone fancies a

Actually in the cold light of day that incognito stuff is expensive. Just under £8 for the shower gel. What was I on last night?

I shall continue the research

Brew would be ace. Especially as I just got the binocs onto the harbor and tho ught that someone had nicked the yellow banana kayak. Then realized that dh was out at sea. Hope he is pumping arms in readiness for inflating the sevylor later.

Drop knee is where you have a special body board and rather than standing up like you do on a longboard, you come in on your knee(s). I prefer to stay down and come in fast, hanging on for dear life and wondering if I need a change of wetsuit on some waves.

There is a discount camping shop opened here, will have to make a detour later. Although I could not persuade dh to exit the m6 at bham to go into the decathlon store (grounds for divorce?).

bramble, cor you are sounding tres outdoorsy and invigorated . Loving all the kayak and boarding stories. When the dd's can swim properly my plan is to bypass all smaller water craft and go straight to a Topper (dh doesn't know this yet). Although God only knows where we will put it.

When I was young we used to slide our topper inside the camper van on its side. Conveniently separating my sister and me for the duration of the journey down to France.

Jet, oh no, all your bitey tales how awful. Fwiw re sting relief dh (a GP) and I (not a GP but Internet anorak) had a lengthy chat the other night about the best product for itch relief. I went for hydrocortisone and he went for Eurax cream. So we have both. Dds will get smeared with unguent of choice of whichever parent they present their bites to first.

I just need to say this to put the record straight.

The BLOODY AUTOCORRECT puts in apostrophes where no apostrophes should be.

I apologise.

SeaShells, our family friends who we always holidayed with in France used to have a tortoise boat on the roof as you describe. Was the boat I learned to sail in. Felt all emotional last week when I was told they had sold Tubby

Hello all. Have loved reading about everyone's exotic travels. The most adventurous I ever got was to au pair for a family in Lyon when I was 16. They took me with them on a month's holiday in Corsica which would have been wonderful if I wasn't so homesick.

Welcome home notwaving and lovecat. I will join you in campsite/clubhouse snobbery. Our favourite UK campsite (at a secret location near Abergavenny) is just a field with a portcabin, and a pub at the end of the drive that does fantastic food and beer (and never observed closing time in the days of licensing hours). That is what all campsites should be like.

Lost and chipping, I'm so jealous of your holidays. DH and I love the mediterranean. We would live in Provence in a flash if the need to earn a living didn't get in the way.

Our Quechua pop up arrived yesterday and we put it up in the garden in a spare couple of minutes after dinner. It is fabulous. So BIG! Working on the principle that it is just a very large version of those promotional frisbees you get that fold into little circular bags, we managed to get it down and put away almost as quickly as putting it up.

Am now anxiously watching the skies hoping for good weather on Saturday so we can go and try the Quechua out at Gullivers World. What is everyone's weather website of choice?

Slubber :( the "tortoise" was initially a mirror, then topper, then laser-can really recommend a topper-fantastic boats.

Quenelle-glad the pop up was good!

It's been boiling today, and I've been stuck inside working, oh well at least it was a/c I came home to 2 very hot children and frazzled dh

Hi all,

hope you don't mind me popping in. I am off camping on the 20th for 7 nights with both dcs and two dogs to Beach Comber campsite.

Have bought this but now thinking I've paid over the odds

Quenelle NOT metcheck - it is shite. Was quoting 350mph winds in the lates the other day . Always wrong too. I like BBC weather and as long as you check with short notice I think its pretty accurate.

Impressed with all the outdoorsy canoeing / kayaking chat. I used to do canoeing as a kiddie but didn't rate being made to capsize in the Thames in Autumn for no reason . Took up coxing at university and far preferred shouting at 8 big men to do the work for me! I'd love to get into sailing but waiting til lthe boys are a bit bigger!

Slubber on your dh advice I ahve purchased some Eurax cream today to take on our camping trip. NOt that I didn't trust you -I was about to buy hydrocortisone too but is said only for over 10 years so left it with Eurax so it could be used on us all.

Dh caught me checking out Cobbs on ebay today and wasn't impressed. Granted we have just bought a camping cooker and have another variety of camp cooker too that is a bit pants (plus needs the same camping gas so can't be used at the same time unlike the Cobb). I need to do some work on him...

Anyway this may well be my last post before we return from our trip as I am one of the few people who hasn't a smart phone! I might nick dh's to check on how you all are but the campsite doesn't have a good signal anyway apparently. Hope those who depart for my return have a great trip (think Slubber is off to kick tick ass in Germany but can't remember the rest of your plans sorry for being rubbish! My mission is to come back with dh begging for a Cobb and iceytek

Oh meant to add welcome 100% - loving the name and know how you feel ! Sorry no idea about how much you should pay for your tent though...

Quenelle meant to say that tent sounds fab too - need to convince dh on that one also!

Have a fabulous holiday YellowDinosaur! I hope the weather is good for you and all our Cobb dreams come true :) :)

? Our? I meant your...

Welcome 100% :)

Thanks yellow. Happy camping. And good luck with brainwashing reasoning with your DH.

Hi 100%fùcked I think you've paid a reasonable amount for that tent. It looks like a good size for your mob too.

Thanks yellow. Happy camping. And good luck with brainwashing reasoning with your DH.

Hi 100%fùcked I think you've paid a reasonable amount for that tent. It looks like a good size for your mob too.

That looks brilliant onehundread, all those accessories AND the tent. You'll have an ace time.

Oh I had a mirror too, happy memories messing about in my mirror, and toppers, optimists and lasers. So now all I need is a couple of kayaks, three toppers (one per boy) a trailer tent and a groovy mobile home towing a smart car like the awesome Dutch (where else?) couple we met last week. Gives me something to aim for at least

Glad to hear everyone's whistling car stories too, freaked me out when we took DS1's surfboard down the coast. Thought I'd got something badly wrong.

Hello and welcome, 100% :)

Have a lovely time, YellowDinosaur! Will keep fingers crossed for good Cobb-persuasion-skills.

Hey to everyone else too. Nice reading what everyone's up to, I'm kind of out of camping for the moment, so living it through you lot.

Have a fab time those who are off!

Pulled my ancient tent out from the ex IL's outhouse. It stinks, has no instructions and no pegs. I have no idea how it goes up and totally baffled. Tis for the dogs might I add.

Try again

I need a pen and paper for this lark on an iPhone my brain is far too addled with Pastis old to remember who said what.

MissSal, so am I, (see trip cancellations up thread) however you ladies are nice :)

Lost just how much pastis did you consumme?!

Hi everyone, can I join too? Most of you have probably seen me asking stupid question after stupid question on here but hopefully you were all there once too....! Am sillily (I know that's not a real word ) excited about going camping for the first time since I was a child. Well, except overnights are parties/Henley etc. So feel a bit of a novice among experts but you all seem nice!

Have spent a ludicrous amount of cash on new tent and camping kit (so am really hoping we'll like it and it will go well - I think it will and it's a good holiday with kids) as we had no one to borrow any from. Have bought perhaps more than the essentials as I know what I am like and I want it to be fairly comfortable (maximise the chances of it being a success!).

A bit nervous as the first time I am going, it's without my husband as he is too busy to be released from work (bloody lawyers), but with a friend, and with the 4 month old puppy and my 20 month daughter. Mad? Perhaps... We are hoping to try the tent out in Richmond park (live in London) next weekend before I go on the Monday so that I get some idea on how to pitch it. (Not sure the park will be too pleased though - hopefully they won't spot us as it's massive). Anyway so I will be trying to pitch it with my friend for the second time (or first if we don't manage it). It's an Emperor Bell Tent and we are going to a campsite near Chichester/ The Witterings for 3 nights.

Phew long first post - hi everyone! And hope anyone away is enjoying themselves.

Oh that reminds me, I wanted to gush over your Emperor, got a bit busy, then forgot. I am a goldfish. They look brilliant!

Pitching in advance is a good idea - even if only so that you can attach all the guys etc already. That's what took the longest of our first pitch.