(no subject)
Aug. 29th, 2005 11:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
turpsI have returned alive. After reading the comments to my last post I feel the need to say there could have been bears. Because sure, maybe they're not native to this country but that doesn't mean one couldn't have escaped from a zoo or have fallen overboard from a ship and washed ashore. I mean, no one thought there'd be a polar bear on a tropical island but there was!
Ahem, yes. Camping was achieved and talked about
Deciding to go was a total spur of the moment decision. James has been wanting me to try camping for ages now, but the whole lack of amenities thing was a huge draw back. No toilets. No tv. No bed. No computer! So I always said no. Friday night my friend Jill came over and wanted to take her son away camping too. He's 11 and he and Corey get on fine so that was no problem. She didn't really want to go camping either but was willing to do it as long as I went too. So yeah, faced with disappointing two boys I really didn't have much of a choice.
Remember, this is the Friday night of a holiday weekend, so James phoned around and there was no camp sites with spaces at all. I thought I was saved, however, one told us to phone on Saturday morning and they could maybe squeeze us in. The amusing thing though? This site is in South Shields, which is the beach I spend a lot of time at anyway as it's close to where we live. So we were maybe going to spend the weekend in a tent, with no bed, tv, shower, toilet and computer in a place we usually end up driving to every weekend anyway.
Saturday comes, and yes, they had space. I walked around my house and said goodbye to all the things I held dear, then made sandwiches as James packed up the camping supplies. We picked up Jill and her son and set off on holiday, arriving 30 minutes later *g* To be fair the site was cool and we had a good spot in a sectioned off field for four tents. Each one had a corner and there was a picnic bench in the middle to share. Thing is the other tents were these huge family things with living areas and bedrooms, we arrived with two two men dome tents that barely filled a corner.
We set them up and it was decided the two boys would sleep with Jill and James and I would share our tent, which was small, very small. You had to crawl into it which was so not dignified, then when you got in you could sit in the middle but that was it. So I arranged the bedding, James had a sleeping bag, I'd brought a double quilt, a single quilt and pillows. The single was spread on the floor and the double was used as a cover, that way I reasoned the floor would be cushioned. HA!
Moving on, we ate our picnic and headed down to the beach where we did have a great time, playing in the sand and watching the boys and Jill go in the water. We made castles and dug and only went home when we were all wind swept and cold, and damn was it cold. When I got back to the tent I crawled in and huddled under the quilt until my frozen body started to thaw. Then when I eventually emerged it was a night of fish and chips eaten around a lantern while we played games and talked, which was a really cool thing to do and my favourite part of the whole weekend.
Moving on again, bedtime. The toilets were only across a road which I was relieved about because I'd had visions of walking the camp in the middle of the night looking for the toilet. So, teeth brushed etc I went to bed and remember how I thought it would be padded? Was it hell! I've never been so uncomfortable, trying to find a position which didn't feel like I was lying on the hard packed earth, which was hard, BECAUSE I WAS! What was worse was James decided I'd set up the bedding wrong as apparently you need to be facing head to door in case of emergency and I'd done it feet to door. So it had to be changed, and remember we're both in a very small tent, sitting on the quilt so there was much shouting of 'just tug it!' etc as we wiggled around like two ferrets stuck in a sack.
Eventually thought we got settled and I eventually did fall asleep, as was shown when Jill unzipped the front of our tent to get the toilet key and got a shock when she saw our faces there and not feet, however, not as big a shock as I got when I heard the zipper be pulled down and had a moment of OMGaxemurderkillerbearhelp! After I got to sleep again I woke really early as it was raining. I have to say lying listening to the rain and reading a magazine sipping a cup of coffee James made was nice, but that was balanced by actually having to move again, because ouch! When I crawled out I had the worst bed head except for a wet patch on the side of my head where it had been resting against the side of the tent which was wet with condensation. I was a looker I tell you ;)
I'm totally rambling so I'll skip the rest, just saying I felt like kissing my bed when I got back and I would maybe go camping again, but only if I had an air mattress and a much bigger tent.
So yes, camping was survived and all bears were avoided *g* Now I'm skimming the flist which I hate doing but I'll never catch up otherwise. That means if I've missed something you think I should have seen just give me a poke.
However, what I did see was Chris pictures, and may I just say this? akhjzahuhsp2eu-23yhdkqpjspqihdhpde *flails* His hair! OH MY SQUEE! That man will kill me one day because, just damn. So. Much. Love! Outfit and all.
Ahem, yes. Camping was achieved and talked about
Deciding to go was a total spur of the moment decision. James has been wanting me to try camping for ages now, but the whole lack of amenities thing was a huge draw back. No toilets. No tv. No bed. No computer! So I always said no. Friday night my friend Jill came over and wanted to take her son away camping too. He's 11 and he and Corey get on fine so that was no problem. She didn't really want to go camping either but was willing to do it as long as I went too. So yeah, faced with disappointing two boys I really didn't have much of a choice.
Remember, this is the Friday night of a holiday weekend, so James phoned around and there was no camp sites with spaces at all. I thought I was saved, however, one told us to phone on Saturday morning and they could maybe squeeze us in. The amusing thing though? This site is in South Shields, which is the beach I spend a lot of time at anyway as it's close to where we live. So we were maybe going to spend the weekend in a tent, with no bed, tv, shower, toilet and computer in a place we usually end up driving to every weekend anyway.
Saturday comes, and yes, they had space. I walked around my house and said goodbye to all the things I held dear, then made sandwiches as James packed up the camping supplies. We picked up Jill and her son and set off on holiday, arriving 30 minutes later *g* To be fair the site was cool and we had a good spot in a sectioned off field for four tents. Each one had a corner and there was a picnic bench in the middle to share. Thing is the other tents were these huge family things with living areas and bedrooms, we arrived with two two men dome tents that barely filled a corner.
We set them up and it was decided the two boys would sleep with Jill and James and I would share our tent, which was small, very small. You had to crawl into it which was so not dignified, then when you got in you could sit in the middle but that was it. So I arranged the bedding, James had a sleeping bag, I'd brought a double quilt, a single quilt and pillows. The single was spread on the floor and the double was used as a cover, that way I reasoned the floor would be cushioned. HA!
Moving on, we ate our picnic and headed down to the beach where we did have a great time, playing in the sand and watching the boys and Jill go in the water. We made castles and dug and only went home when we were all wind swept and cold, and damn was it cold. When I got back to the tent I crawled in and huddled under the quilt until my frozen body started to thaw. Then when I eventually emerged it was a night of fish and chips eaten around a lantern while we played games and talked, which was a really cool thing to do and my favourite part of the whole weekend.
Moving on again, bedtime. The toilets were only across a road which I was relieved about because I'd had visions of walking the camp in the middle of the night looking for the toilet. So, teeth brushed etc I went to bed and remember how I thought it would be padded? Was it hell! I've never been so uncomfortable, trying to find a position which didn't feel like I was lying on the hard packed earth, which was hard, BECAUSE I WAS! What was worse was James decided I'd set up the bedding wrong as apparently you need to be facing head to door in case of emergency and I'd done it feet to door. So it had to be changed, and remember we're both in a very small tent, sitting on the quilt so there was much shouting of 'just tug it!' etc as we wiggled around like two ferrets stuck in a sack.
Eventually thought we got settled and I eventually did fall asleep, as was shown when Jill unzipped the front of our tent to get the toilet key and got a shock when she saw our faces there and not feet, however, not as big a shock as I got when I heard the zipper be pulled down and had a moment of OMGaxemurderkillerbearhelp! After I got to sleep again I woke really early as it was raining. I have to say lying listening to the rain and reading a magazine sipping a cup of coffee James made was nice, but that was balanced by actually having to move again, because ouch! When I crawled out I had the worst bed head except for a wet patch on the side of my head where it had been resting against the side of the tent which was wet with condensation. I was a looker I tell you ;)
I'm totally rambling so I'll skip the rest, just saying I felt like kissing my bed when I got back and I would maybe go camping again, but only if I had an air mattress and a much bigger tent.
So yes, camping was survived and all bears were avoided *g* Now I'm skimming the flist which I hate doing but I'll never catch up otherwise. That means if I've missed something you think I should have seen just give me a poke.
However, what I did see was Chris pictures, and may I just say this? akhjzahuhsp2eu-23yhdkqpjspqihdhpde *flails* His hair! OH MY SQUEE! That man will kill me one day because, just damn. So. Much. Love! Outfit and all.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-08-29 10:42 pm (UTC)Truly, love is blind :-)
Glad to hear you survived the hardships of camping. *shudder*
no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 10:19 am (UTC)But he looks fabulous! The hair! The clashing patterns! His little ankles! *flails*
I'm glad I survived too, I had a moment of bliss getting out of a hot shower and lying on my bed when I came back. So much better than the floor and a tap.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 02:39 am (UTC)But then after four hours of not-sleeping I got up and went to see Backstreet and all was forgotten. :)
no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 10:17 am (UTC)Now if Backstreet were involved though things could be different ;)
no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 04:23 am (UTC)First step is camping on familiar grounds, next step is camping in the jungles of Peru *g*.
New Chris pictures? Where? How could I have missed this?!?
no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 10:02 am (UTC)Chris pics are right here! Lovehimsomuch!
no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 04:38 pm (UTC)Thanks for posting the pictures. He looks FINE!
no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 05:48 am (UTC)Oh, heeee.
First, let me say Welcome Home, Trri-Luv!
Next, let me say that
there was much shouting of 'just tug it!' etc as we wiggled around like two ferrets stuck in a sack.
REALLY made me laugh out loud, contemplating how it may have been perceived by other campers across the way, hee.
*ducks Terri's shoe and anything else throwable she has handy*
Also, OMGaxemurderkillerbearhelp! was pretty funny, but a completely understandable reaction. Couldn't you have gotten two keys, since you had two tents? Or found a communal place to leave the key? 'Cuz I sure wouldn't want to be in a tent with two boys and no bathroom key, heh.
Glad you had a good time after all, yes air mats are required camping gear, and also glad that you're back. And weren't eaten by any storm-swept bears.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 09:52 am (UTC)The next morning Jill said she was about to come throw a bucket of water in our tent, and it was only then I realised just what we must have sounded like. Talk about embarrassing!
The thing with the key was you had to pay a deposit for each one and we did this break on a shoe string budget, so two deposits would have been too much. The key had been left in the porch thing of our tent and Jill expected us to have zipped the inner lining up, but we hadn't for some reason, just zipping the outside, which is why she got such a shock as I did when she saw me looking at her *g*
But yeah, it was okay. Not something I'd do often, especially not without an airmat, but at least I survived ;)
no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 06:09 am (UTC)Ahahaha. I'm glad it wasn't. ;)
no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 09:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 09:53 am (UTC).Bears and Wolves
Until a few centuries ago, Britain's country side was roamed by Bears and Wolves. The Romans captured British Brown Bears and exported them for their wild beast shows. They became extinct at the beginning of the Middle Ages. England had a population of wolves until they became extinct in the wild around the middle of the 16th century. Small pockets of the wolves remained in Ireland and Scotland until the 18th century.
My logic... how do they REALLY know they've all gone.. perhaps they're just good at hiding!
no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 09:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 10:26 am (UTC)I knew there could be bears roaming around! *g*
no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 03:08 pm (UTC)I'm glad you survived and that part sounds awesome! OW about the sleeping, though.