If you go down to the woods




As summer continues to wind down I need to reflect upon all that has been. One of the many good things to come out of blogging is the recording of moments that might otherwise have been forgotten.




I am simply dreadful at doing anything with those hundreds, no, thousands, of photographs digitally stored. So at least the blog creates a record of sorts. Enough to jog a memory. Enough to make a smile.



So it would be very remiss of me not to blog about our Yorkshire adventure.



Early in August two mummies and four children went Glamping. Th
e mummies packed wrecklessly without the influence of their husbands. They casually flung things into their cars with no regard for creating a neat and tidy boot space, no consideration whatsoever for the science of packing the car.



One mummy packed no waterproofs or fleeces. She sensibly reasoned that it would only be more washing at the end of the day.



They brought an interesting selection of food. There were three different varieties of olive oil. Some brioche rolls. One cooked ham. One large sticky ginger cake. Four bottles of jolly good wine. A box of cocoa Shreddies. A jar of stuffed peppers. And plenty of chocolate.

The first evening's dinner was declared a great success by the five year old in particular. At the age of five life doesn't get much better than Brioche ham sandwiches and ginger cake all on the same plate.




Day two and the Mummies had grand ambitions centred around the barbeque. Two chickens, a tray of roasted vegetables and maybe a cream sauce. Several hours later they laughed together in the kitchen as they mashed assorted root vegetables and tore the half-cooked meat from the chicken carcass with the help of a bread knif
e. The haphazardly filleted chicken pieces were quite successfully sauted over the two ring gas burners and the Mummies agreed that barbecuing certainly should be left to men, indeed, they are most welcome to it.



Dinner was quite late that night. The twelve year old had rather overdone things through the day and one bite of creamy chicken was too much. You have never seen so much vomit.

In a tent.

One Mummy cupped her hand and the other held a saucepan out. The Mummies still laughed.

It rained every night. Heavily. But we kept the wood stove burning and rather enjoyed the noise of it. It dampened spirits not one bit. And I think the children enjoyed the outdoors all the more for the mud.

By day three the Mummies had lost track of time altogether. I know we ate chocolate and ginger cake but cannot remember much else. We all appeared to thrive on whatever meals were eaten and at whatever strange times of day. The children were completely feral now.




All refused any suggestions of bathing apart from five year old who had become quite entranced by the "funny bath".

The children were rarely seen but sometimes their war-cries could be heard in the distance, as they ran through the woods with the pack.




They could generally be rounded up late at night, the rustle of a marshmallow packet usually brought them to the fireside.




Day five. Some people ate meringues with cream and strawberries for breakfast.

It was so very hard to leave.

*We stayed at the Jolly Days Campsite in Yorkshire and I simply cannot recommend it highly enough. The sort of holiday that dreams and memories are made of.


Comments

Anonymous said…
Those haphazard trips always seem to turn out better than the most well planned, don't they?

It's lovely to "see" you back here again.
Jen Walshaw said…
Now that is what memories are made of. It looks perfect.
Elizabeth said…
Squee! That sounds like major fun.
I looked on the camp website and almost had a fit looking at the wood stove in a tent. We have so many regulations here about stoves that would not fly at all (but looks highly civilized just the same)
Re: comment on my blog. My server still hates your server. Or vise versa. Anyway my reply is bouncing back, as per usual. Sigh.
Anonymous said…
They will remember that holiday for the rest of their lives, aren't you angels for giving them that chance?
Arianwen said…
Sounds like you had a blast.Glamping sounds like so much more fun than camping, though mine are in the scouts so may take some convincing!
Shelley in SC said…
This is hilarious! My kind of camping for sure . . . completely unscientific . . . and with no one around to tell you you're doing it "all wrong." Lovely : )!
Ali said…
That sounds amazing (apart from the vomit and saucepan bit...)! Welcome back.
Susan said…
What a fun place! It is now on my agenda for the future UK trip.
Annie said…
Sounds to me like the perfect trip (apart from the icky bit). With my kids it was campfire popcorn that brought them out of hiding ... without that I think they might have spent entire holidays in the woods behind our annually borrowed holiday cottage!
Anonymous said…
What a lot of fun ..... for a moment I wanted to go glamping too, but sanity returned and reminded me that I hate camping!!
Frances said…
That does sound like fun, and I bet that all the children will have good memories to take with them, and perhaps some day encourage them to take their children on a not-too-organized camping holiday.

xo
Suzy said…
Wow, this sounds like a trip you won't forget! The only thing I would forget quickly is the vomitting...
And what is 'glamping'?
Jo's Corner said…
Looks like everyone had a wonderful time...memories that will last a lifetime. We have rediscovered camping too...for the last two summers we have headed north to a beautiful place in our state called the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. Five days of sun, sand, walks in the forests, kayaking, and evening campfires really recharged our batteries too.
Dawn said…
Looks fab and great to see such happy children!
yep. a trip filled with wonderful summer memories. and that one with the vomit will be told over and over i am sure! :)
yep. a trip filled with wonderful summer memories. and that one with the vomit will be told over and over i am sure! :)
a simple yarn said…
Love the narrative!
But of all the pics, I am rather envious of the British woman and her tea kettle. We in America are rather more prone to getting it done quickly. My kitchen came equipped with a tap and hot water on demand. Very efficient, to be sure, and so very boring to look at!
silverpebble said…
What a fantastic camping trip - it sounds like bliss. This campsite is near to Nanna's house. We may have to try it next year.

I have been enjoying my poshyarns brooch recently and remembering our lovely teashop afternoon.
Anonymous said…
absolutely love it!!! we have been laughing about the 'bottles of nice wine' = just makes me happy to think not everything has changed! anonymous anne!
Jane said…
What a great post! And what a wonderful time. I love that you packed the car without your husbands...all reckless and fancy free! love. it!
rachel said…
How have I come to this post so late, in early October? It's the best What I Did On My Holidays I have read in years!

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