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!)

Thanks chippy - I've done the invite

100% I haven't got a big post tent either although I am definately hoping to get one. My tent is pretty much the same layout as yours but nowhere near as nice as it doesn't have SIG in the living area and is about 7 years old. So that should make you feel better! Not that anyone on here would be judgy about others tents apart from in a bit of friendly banter way I don't think. Have fun on your holiday!

Chippy glad you had fun. Know what you mean about taking too much stuff. I was paranoid about being cold and then things getting wet so took far far too many clothes for us all. Definately less than half of that next time.

Dh and I love Grand Designs too. That woodland house by Ben was amazing - can't believe he literally built it all himself. A true grand design unlike some.

Brambles YES YES YES def buntingise Slubbers wheelybin!!! pmslBeen salivating over looking at Canopy and Stars website. We're in Bristol for a weekend without the boys in mid Oct that coincides with our wedding anniversary so I was checking out around there. There is the most AMAZING tree house in the world but sadly its £175 a night which is a little beyond us at the mo (and not available anyway). Casually mentioned this to dh and he nearly spat out his wine and said 'if you are spending that much you'd at least have to get a proper hotel!'. There is the difference in us I guess. While I certainly am not averse to a bit of pampering in posh hotels I would far far rather stay somewhere beautiful and interesting like that! Oh well maybe when I win the lottery!

Notwaving hope you had a lovely evening last night and that mission 'convince dh camping is fab' is going well! And its not too wet...

I'm having a lovely relaxing am here. Dh got up with the boys this am so I had a lie in and he's taken them out to town and tescos so I am chilling here. I know I really SHOULD put away the big pile of camping stuff that is sitting in our kitchen - maybe in a minute!

Sorry no idea what a post tent is - that was menat to say posh!

Yes to big pile Yellow - I keep tripping over our stuff. Haven't put it away yet from the end of July trip in fairness I wanted to put the sleeping bags out on the line for a blow but the weather hasn't been nice enough yet. Plus I think we are going again August bank holiday. Plus most of it lives in the loft & I have been waiting for 11 years for DP to fit the pull down loft ladder so that short-arse me can get in and out at will. There is something Up There that DP Doesn't Want Me To See.

Of bunting & fairylights on Slubbers wheelie bin Hope we get a Bavarian update soon.

We still have the acculmulated camping stuff in our kitchen porch. Am sidling round it all the time, because that's the main way into the house. From a one-night camp. Trouble is that at the moment, we have no shed (am meant to be working on that!), no garage and the loft doesn't have a fixed ladder, which means that we have to hump the outdoors ladder upstairs and get it into position, etc, whenever I need to get at things stored up there. Arghh! Part of the joys of living in a house we've only recently moved into.

Feeling smug because the tent is now in its bag - just got to clean the cooker now and get the campbeds and chairs and windbreak out to air. Thats clearly a job for another day!

Jetli I was also waiting for the nice weather to get it outside. It was briefly nice on Tues so I got the tent out then forgot about it until we were about to go to bed and it was damp again! Oh well!!!

Hello ! Having a lovely time doing absolutely nothing and dodging the showers but do you know what? It doesn't matter.

I can heartily recommend the Aerobed - best camping nights sleep. DH is amazed at all my little gadgets and I ^think^ hes having a nice time !

Just trying to make that difficult decision between going into Bala for something for dinner, and reading my book ....

Notwaving - how is the tea? Apparently Bala has very good water for tea

It might be brightening up here yellow for the sleeping bags. But we're nipping to the library & I daren't trust it. Maybe at the weekend we'll get a slot.

I am sort of here but am in bed (Aero) with DH, a glass of wine, an Al Murray DVD and a bag of wine gums.

Now I'm prepared to admit that I've led a sheltered life notwaving but that's just kinky ! However, I can confirm that N. Wales water is excellent for tea as it's really soft.

Glad you had a good day seashells and it's now less than a week until our next camping trip .

Welcome back Chippy.

Yellow, staying in a tree house sounds utterly fab. Your dh might not like this for the same reason, but we stayed at Barefoot Yurts before, and it was most wonderful. Beautiful walks in the area, complete privacy, two yurts just to yourself - one for sleeping, the other for drinking wine reading in peace whilst looking out over the fields. Has wood burner, your own kitchen bit, private (but compost) toilets, shower etc. Very romantic, and I think great for someone not quite into camping yet. Break them in slowly, I say. Can't remember how much it cost though.

We haven't camped for a while, next one is bank holiday weekend at the MN camp. I'm really looking forward to it, and really should get around to looking at proper camping showers. Ours is the black bag thingy that you're supposed to leave in sun to warm up, but to be honest, much as I love it, this is England after all... I saw one that connects to gas, and as we'll be taking our Cadac anyway, I want to investigate whether we'd be able to connect to that.

Thanks MisSal.

Re treehouses - we stopped at Berny Riviere on our way south, where lots of the eurocamp/keycamp companies have mobiles, and one of them has a treehouse right next to the river. It had a big sign at the bottom of the staircase politely advising all oiks to keep away!

JetLi - I've ordered DD a Regatta waterproof jacket, so we should receive our £10 vouchers .

I have the PERFECT camp shower [cheapscate emoticon]. I'm going to take a garden hand pressure sprayer like this, which we've got anyway, fill it with boiling water from Storm Kettle x 2 plus cold to right temperature, and ta da!! Proper pressure camping shower - should be able to do 5mins quick shower. If it doesn't work, at least I wouldn't have wasted £185! I didn't realise those gas ones were so expensive, good grief.

My dog just ate my cake, long waited for, as I tried to settle dd2.

Not only does he smell, he is also a thieving scoundrel he has obviously read the book on what to do when you are an ancient dog.

MissSal, when I start to get money again you will be the first person I ask for recommendations. I like your style :)

The mn camp will be fun for all of you heading off, hopefully next year I can make it too!!

No SeaShells, not your cake??? Just as well he's a long loving member of an animal-loving family, or there would have been trouble in paradise! Met a friend this morning, and had some really nice passionfruit cake. Thought of our conversation from yesterday, and decided that it would count towards today's 5-a-day. Sorry, not helping here, am I?!

MissSal barefoot yurts look amazing. Sadly they are similar in price to the tree house so I'll have to keep dreaming! I don't think dh would be against either if it wasn't for the price but there is no way I'd persuade him of the benfits of staying in a tent (albeit a posh one) when the same amount of money would buy a night in a top hotel! When were away camping recently we were talking about what camping stuff we'd ideally get if cost was no object and I said 'If I won the lottery I could do some serious damage in a camping shop!'. He looked like this and said 'no way would I be going camping if we won the lottery!'. Liking your camp shower solution too!

Seashells about your cake. I would have been gutted. Hope you have managed to find a suitable substitute

Ill be back later. Have decided i need a flag for my tent

< pokes tongue out at Slubber in her absence>

Thanks very much chippy - I'm about to order the shark one. Missed out on the £5 mud jumpers for DD - bugger! Oh well, never mind.

Laughing at the opportunist thieving dog seashells

helloooooooo! I'm back! Been to Liverpool for 3 days to attend the interrment of my dad's ashes (which was not upsetting, but actually weirdly amusing) and by Crikey, this thread moves fast!

I too am giggling at the image of a warden chasing a woman from the loos - what had she been doing?

Good to be home, not least because my Obelink tarp, courtesy of the lovely chimchar, is here! I have been stroking it and wondering if I can get away with putting it up in the back garden now. Just to see if it works, you understand?

I have 2 moon chairs, but they are not good ones. They are very, very comfy and lovely, but they are not the sort that fold into a tube shape, they are the ones that stay circular and the legs fold flat beneath them. So they are mahoosive to pack. I could only fit 1 in the car when we went away, so I'm looking at the link to the tube-foldy Miami ones with interest... Oh gawd, my 'usband's gonna kill me!
:)

Funtime - can I pick your brain about home brewing? I'm wondering about a friend - one of the blokes who has everything, and we really struggle when his birthday comes around. He works long hours so I suspect it would need to be some sort of kit - is there a website you could recommend please?

• I should refresh before posting

So a fleece (minus wolf, neon or badger - it is in fact a v stylish navy one from Joules which I found half price at good old T K Maxx) has made its way into my camping kit. No one can now spot me as the amateur I am!

Erm, that strike out didn't work - clearly...

does anyomne here have a Mazda bongo by any chance?

Wrt fleeces, I have purchased a bright pink fleece onesie - with feet - specifically for camping. To wear in bed, you understand. I get cold. Honest.

Lovecat, I have that style of moonchair, by accident. I borrowed a couple from a friend for a party, and BIL sat in one befre it was properly erected (oo-er) and broke one. I had to buy a set of four from an ebay seller, gave one to my friend and kept the other 3

Filthy - is it you with the Bongo on the other thread?

I'm worried she's referring to a shark fleece...

MisSal - where are you going to shower? Will you construct some kind of carwash from windbreaks?