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!)

Aw thanks Sal. I may regret it when I am incapable of pitching it... Yes we will def attach guy ropes at home even if we don't actually manage to pitch it...

Hello kings, if sillily isn't a real word it should be.

In answer to another question, MUCH Pastis, I am pickled and it is a good job we are going home

Agree, we should campaign to make it a recognised word. (Or just use it ourselves..)

I will, from here onwards, refer to you as lostcountineurope.

Hi Kingsroadie - am v. envious impressed with your Emperor, gorgeous tent! Am equally in awe of you attempting to put it up alone the first time... I confess, I did mine alone the first time, just to see if I could, but I made sure DH was sitting watching me just in case I needed him...

Have a lovely trip :)

100%, you've got a good haul of kit there, I don't think you've been done. When we were away last week, a campsite we visited (to use their flume pool) had a tent show going on, courtesy of Millets, and even with the discounts you wouldn't have got a tent that big for that money, let alone the extras. What sort of tent is the dog getting? :o

Lost, Pastis sounds an eminently sensible idea...

Hello campers. Nothing of any importance to say, just marking my place for catching up .

I'm about to become lostbatterypower AGAIN. Blooming iPhone, if I have power there's no wifi if there's wifi I run out of battery. Bon Soir my British chums (obscure eurotrash reference). Long drive up to the Somme tomorrow (probably nicer than it sounds) will charge my phone on the way. Now where was that Pastis....

Hello all - Losty don't worry I was there with my pen and paper on holiday enjoy what's left of your trip!

Lovecat I looked at fleecy Wilkos sheets bu annoyingly they had none instore and an "unstable" website! Am hoping it won't be too cold in Welsh Wales next week .....

I did however buy some lovely little camping pillows which squish up into little drawstring bags

Hello Slubber too - you must nearly be off on your trip soon? Can you find time to reinforce the good weather vibes for me in amongst the packing? How's the doggy is it better now ?

Hello Sal and Seashells - you're the hard standing pitches on this thread - we know you'll be here when we are all gadding about - hope you both get a break soon

Hello to everyone else too - I now find myself covering some kind of sailing craft after all your lovely stories

I have had a comforting evening rootling around with my camping boxes and seeing just how many fleece blankets you can get in a vacuum bag ( four, in case anyone's interested )

8 more sleeps .......

Lovecat - Am technically going to be putting it up with a friend (girl though), so not alone per se, but alone in that no husband to help and be strong man carrying things. I think it would be impossible to put it up on my own as apparently 1 very strong person (ie a man) can do it but 2 much easier. Girl power and all that ....

Tee hee topping up my charge in the 'hut de wee fee' and not having a crafty fag with the chef oh no I wouldn't do that...

Notwaving I too am really hoping it won't be too cold in Welsh Wales next week. 30 degrees here today, I am going to FREEZE at home!

Haha lost, sounds most interesting there...

Of course I had forgotten your original moniker Losty !

Hidehi all. Wine and local cheese with gorgeous soda bread going down well. We spent quite some time on the sea today, paddled two villages down, got out for ice cram and paddled back with a brisk onshore breeze against us. It was very invigorating and we're planning a picnic trip to one of the coves (with cave) that can only be reached by canoe.
I felt like George navigating to Kirren island, avoiding the rocks and dangerous currents. Didn't see many fish, so ds1 didn't catch anything despite slacking from padding bby sitting in the hold of canoe 1 fishing the whole way. He did, however, get dive-bombed by seagulls thinking hs mackerel lure was a real fish. We saw giant crabs way down below us and for a time paddled along with a curious seal for company.

I did tell you about the men from the uk border force the other day? Sigh. Burly men in wetsuits piloting a fast rubber rib. :)

Hope all your plans and trips are going well.

Hmm... Wild camping in places only reached by canoe ... There's a thought.

Hi brambles another wild adventurer!

Where are you?

Oh oh oh, how could I forget: Songofthepaddle. Love that forum for reviews - that's where I first found out about my Frontier stove. Here. Every time I read there I imagined going off on canoe camping! (Never posted, just read, as, uhm, I don't actually have a canoe, so might not qualify... That and they're a little bit mad on occasion.)

Sal - sounds like us - no canoes and a little bit mad .....?

Ha, could start a split forum - Swooshofthemissingpaddle. Wine required, campfire good, everything else optional. Uhm, again, that's us, isn't it??

That should be the title of the next "blether" thread Sal

Wouldn't it be lovely though if we could all get together at some point ?

That would be really lovely, yes. Maybe if we plan far enough in advance we can try for something central next year?

Yes that would be excellent. Mind you DH already thinks I'm barking for going camping at all.

Imagine if I went off camping with a load of strangers like minded individuals ?

I'd probably have to say I was going to Tesco. For the weekend .....

The dogs will be in a one man tent!

The ancient one is definitely no good. Meh.

Hope all who are camping at this moment are having a good time!

This thread moves fast! Tried to keep up but failed. Desperately jealous of all of you who are out and about. Summer hols are here and the kids are loving their time off.

I'm having a wobble about taking my sisters camping this weekend. It's their first time. We have nothing planned except a nice meal and some wine and a catch up. Need some reassurance that all will be OK. It's my first time setting up camp without DP who usually organises whilst I wander round hammering in tent pegs and tightening guy ropes. Ha even reading it back I am just being daft

Morning!

Brambles, that sounds amazingly idyllic. It almost makes me wish I liked boats (am mildly phobic)... I will content myself with watching from the shore and preparing the picnic (channelling Anne from the Famous 5 in a weird children's fiction crossover stylee)

A thread meet would be lovely... I was hoping it might be the Bank Hol camp, but so many of you can't make it :(

Sorry to hear about the ancient tent, 100%, I'm sure the dogs will appreciate the 1 man tent!

And 20 years ago today I got married :) Not sure what we're doing tonight, but we have a babysitter and the champagne is in the fridge!