What gems have you learnt camping this year?

[latestincarnation]

I have learnt:

That I can go camping with a 9mth old, even though all my friends think I'm wierd.

That at 5am you are not the only ones awake on a family site - and that the queue for the showers starts at 6.30am!

That water is the only thing that gets rid of New Forest ponies

That I can not pee in a nappy at 3am drunk

Anyone else?!!

to follow the sunshine , we only did this once after the last trip had been torrential rain , had to forego deposit at site we had originally booked and drive for an extra hour but it was definately worth it!

Pack cooking pot

Wasps love me

Me and the kids can go 3 days without washing!

Keep your clothes in a suitcase in the boot of the car.

That against all odds, I actually love camping

(3 months ago I said there was no way I'd ever buy a tent - now we have everything, and have been 3 times in 3 months!)

But I do need to invest in some decent storage, and cups/plates etc

Oh runnyhabbit that was me two years ago, now well you wouldnt believe how much stuff and how many tents we have . We been nine times this year. I love it and cannot believe it took my DH 5 years to persuade me and in the end he just bought the tent anyway .

I have learned that I love camping even when it is peeing it down (NEVER thought I would say that) Also, don't camp at a site which is in the garden of a pub next to a road as we did last weekend, as someone was poking around outside at 4am which was really rather scary. Whilst it was only 4 quid per tent I would rather feel slightly more secure!

tina!

I also love camping in the rain.

I have also learnt that when someone's tent is in 5" of water, I feel a glimmer of pride that I chose the better pitch, before rushing in to help them [hangs head in shame]

That banging pots makes New Forest ponies kick you quite hard.

That I probably don't need quite such a big tent for a weekend.

That cut-off trousers, however horrid they may look, mean you aren't those people with soggy ankles after walking through the long grass to the showerblock and back everyday!

That wellies are a godsend.

That if you have the proper outer-wear, even rainy days can be fun.

That Crocs (or cheap imitations, in my case!)are perfect for keeping on in showers that are not very clean. No more putting my or DD's bare feet down on grassy, muddy, hairy plug holes!!

That the soft and squidgy looking forest floor is actually like concrete as soon as you try to hammer in a peg. Must buy rock pegs for next year.

That sticking to my guns and refusing to take Gameboys meant that we had a whole week with a miserable non-verbal autistic child and it was not fun. Will forget my principles about the benefits of the outdoor life and try to get a supply of batteries for a Gameboy advance before next summer! (please tell me such a thing exists as I'm still resisting dh's pleas for electrical hookup).

That the bags you buy ice cubes in aren't actually waterproof and once melted they will leak and soak all your possessions. Therefore they are no substitute for proper cool-blocks when the shop has run out and not a stroke of brilliance as previously thought.

watertight I meant.

Brie is not a good thing to buy in the summer when you have no fridge

Unfortunately my cheese-obsessed dh refuses to take this lesson on board