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!)

Ha - yes I more meant will I look like an amateur for not having a fleece? Ie is there some secret camping uniform that no one talks about yet everyone wears . Not worried at all really - I won't care what I am wearing either! Am taking my skiing thermal stuff for those chilly nights.

Hope the weather does in fact live up to its promises! I keep going through all the stuff and getting more and more list paranoid - but can't actually start packing yet as it's a bit early and stuff would be everywhere (and the puppy would eat it all)...

If there is some secret camping uniform I don't know what it is either so that would be 2 of us that all the other campers are sniggering at

You can buy a fleece, but it has to have wolves on it

Ah good - thanks Brambles. Will another woodland animal do just as well or does it have to be wolves? How about a badger?

Hi everyone!

I've been really bad this year and neglacted to venture into the camping topic at all, and now I miss you all and all the banter of old.

I was camping last week in Oban, I'm sure the campers next to me where MNers, they had a bell tent and bunting, was it any of you? I had tent envy.

I have just rambled on about the evolution of camping on my blog here if anyone is interested, I would love to have some comments on it (not that I am begging, but I can!!)

I am slowly but surely being drawn away from minimalist camping, I want comfort and space, I want a tent with more than one room and I want some chairs, oh that would be grand, it really would!

Hi OMDB! I was asking where you were earlier in the year! I cant believe you have posted a comment with the words "comfort" and "chair"

Slubber will be turning in her utility tent !

Welcome back though. Have you ploughed through the madness that is this thread and the last ?

Hi there overmydeadbody! And welcome. Skim read your blog - you weren't at fisherground were you? Only the description of the camping nazis wardens sounds very familiar! We were there last week and having previously thought we had a big tent I realised in fact I wasn't even close!

Hi notwaving! I have tried to read through the thread, but you lot have written too much, I feel my head is going to explode! I feel I am going to have to just join in from here and try to fill in the gaps.

I am a bit scared of Slubber's reaction tbh , but surely a few chairs and a tent with a porch and two rooms for three of us won't mean I'm turning my back on my minimalistic roots?

I am getting old. That is my excuse!

cross posted notwaving - how is wet Wales?

lol yes we were there YellowDinosaur!

Glad we weren't the only one nicknaming them nazi wardens It was quite strange actually, but DS loved it!

Can I quickly add that I have spent nap time arranging and packing camping stuff into my really useful boxes.

Knew it! There were definately plus points (although boys a bit little to really benefit from playground) but the wardens were definately frustrated traffic wardens strange!

oh yes, I agree, there was lots going for the campsite, but we had a good old joke about the wardens . They kept a tight ship alright.

We saw a woman legging it out of the loos with a warden running after her. I never found out what she had done and wish I knew!

Hello overmydeadbody! Loving the picture of warden chasing loo-woman. In my head her pants are halfway down her legs, pulling up as she stumbles along.

I was a bit in shock seeing you're entering the world of soft(er) furnishings, and did worry a little about poor Slubber's heart. However, after spending her summer mixing with the German campers (and I'm sure a couple of Dutch elves), she'll come home not only with 4 kinds of chairs, but also a camping potato peeler complete with carbon blades and moquito killing action. You watch my words.

Hmm, on the warden topic, I have to admit that I might be responsible for a lovely run-wild campsite starting to use wardens. Only because some boys almost set fire to our tent last time we camped, I have to add, so I asked campsite owners to state the bleeding obvious to parents, i.e. tell you children not to shoot fire rockets at into the trees when people are sleeping under them...

Well welsh wet wales is actually quite benign although they had a shocker last night the weather was awful. We put the tent up in " that fine rain that soaks you" but without shouting or hassle. I'm now fitting here with a glass of wine Mning

DH is very impressed with my camp set up including an incredible Aerobed that is exactly like our bed at home ! Homemade spag Bol for tea what more could I want ?

OMDB just don't buy any bunting or chandelier tea lights and you might just get under Slubber's radar

Sorry obviously not fitting - sitting ( in my glorious moon chair) I have only had a couple of mouthfuls of wine , honest!

Sal! lol glad you liked the warden chasing loo-woman story! Would have been a sight if she'd actually legged it with her trousers round her ankles

I'd have done the same as you if kids had been playing with fire rockets

I shall break the news to Slubber gently, and not buy any bunting. Hopefully you are right and her German camping experience will change her.

Oh how I have missed you guys! Enjoy your wine NotWaving

and what is a moon chair?

I'm just sliding in (with fluffy hooded fleece) to fawn over your camping stories and show some solidarity. Have done several weekends this summer (including a festival and some remote, dig-yer-own-loo camping) but no more now until sept 9th in northumberland.

I would link but I'm on iPhone and I'm crap enough at posting text!

A moon chair is the height of camp seating loveliness. It takes up as much room as a teenager in the car, but is much less sulky.

It's like sitting down in the palm of someones hand

Someone much cleverer than me will probably show you a picture of one soon ....

Hellooo, just trying to book 4 nights next week in Kent/Sussex - bloody hard work!

Am daunted by the size of the thread, can anyone summarise that last 500 posts pls ?

Ah - a hooded fleece, new bounds of fleece-dom - with a badger or a wolf on it?

snigger. No, tis raspberry pink. Which means I can find it easily especially when hungover

bloody hell, moon chairs are big!

Ooh hello kitty !

•I went to Spain and got wet
•Losty came home
•Slubber went to Forrin
•seashells went back to work
•Bramble ogled some men in uniforms in a kayak
•Sal ploughed on stoically through the blitz the riots
•yellow met the camping Nazis
•we talked an inordinate amount of twaddle
•I'm sure I've missed something very important- apologies to anyone I've missed but my memory is very short these days