Happy campers

We're going camping on Monday. We'll be taking Rosie and Jim as there will be four of us.

Rosie is our converted Reliant Rialto. She has no engine or seats. The inside has been boxed out and is a sleeping area with storage. Jim is our two person tent.

Been camping twice this year with DD, DS and their young families (aged 2, 3, 4 & 6) both times in extremes weather. In June freezing cold, very windy and wet, last month in a heatwave. It's ....em.. .. an experience, that's all I can say .
You get to practice crawling in and out of confided spaces such as sleeping pods and sleeping bags. You are kept awake late at night by noisy revellers and woken up at dawn by excited grandchildren and dogs. You must wait half an hour for the tiny kettle to boil for a cup of tea and fight to get your own seat because everyone has decided the one you brought is by far the most comfortable. You re-learn how to light a gas cooker with matches that keep blowing out in the wind and are soggy anyway. You struggle to stay on the inflatable mattress because someone has blown it up too hard and when you roll over you roll off. It's great fun trying to find a torch in the dark because you need to find the toilet block at midnight then trip over the guy ropes on your way out.
But bacon but ties eaten outside fir breakfast and chatting over a glass of (has to be red because the cool box has broken down and the white is tepid) well into the night with like minded nutters campers is a delight.

I've tried it, God knows, I've tried it! We used to have a trailer tent when the children were young, and later, a little touring caravan. Yes, it's cheap, yes, it does enable you to get to lovely places for holidays. But the rain, the cold, the trek to the loo... THE MUD! Last year, I completely refused to go camping - ever again, and in a strop, Mr H gave all the gear away to the children (result!). But now, our son and daughter and their families are meeting up for camping weekend, and have persuaded us to join them. Well, it is only one night, and the weather has been lovely... (bear in mind that rain seems to follow us around - it hadn't rained in Brisbane for TWO YEARS until we arrived, in a storm that lasted for two weeks). Can you feel my apprehension???

The thought of it horrifies me! I have tried, in the past, when the DC were young, both camping and caravanning - "having fun in a field" as DH says. Didn't do it for me. I had a great longing for my central heating, washing machine, garrison swimming pool (facilities at home may have coloured my thoughts) and a kitchen with all mod cons.

Now, as I've said elsewhere, a reasonably priced hotel, and nice places to explore and eat, is fine.

My earliest memory of camping was in a Bell tent in our back garden when I awoke in the night to find a frog/toad sitting on my face.
This should have been enough to put me off camping for ever, but times were hard when our boys were little and it was the cheapest form of holiday. We went to Little Haven and it was very wet. Putting up a tent, trying to match tent poles in heavy rain, with cozy caravanners looking on, was the start of worse to come. "Don't touch the sides of the tent" was the permanent cry. As the week progressd we took ourselves off to the cinema to see "Waterloo" and when we got back, our tent was gone, - the victim of a Force 8 gale. (Even caravans were blown over). That was it, we packed up and came home.

I have just been away camping ( Caravaning rather than tenting though) with my hubby and two of our three grandchildren...Jennifer aged 5 1/2 & Thomas aged 4 1/2. .... leaving the 9 month old at home with mummy & Daddy. Although we see them most weeks anyway..as they live close...and they do have sleep overs at our house omn a fairly regular basis in the holidays...its very different going much further away...as not able to drop them back home if they got over upset at being away from Mummy & Daddy.We took them last year for just a long weekend away in the caravan to see how it all worked out....and it was so sucessful we decided to have a little longer this year. We went to Norfolk last week ( before the weather broke) and had wonderful time.They were both so excited....but behaved incredibly well. They were given ''the talk'' before we set off....that it was going to be an adventure and that we would do lots of fun things...beach...Bewilderwood, steam train trip etc etc......but that we were going to be living in a very small space....so even though we had the awning for them to play in if it had been wet....that they had to put their things away in their places in between playing with them...and things like shoes and sun hats, etc had to be put in the box by the awning door....not to clutter up the caravan. They did this all the time....which meant we could leave the beds up rather than having to pack them away each morning. I do think it depends on how well behaved the children are....and their age....and if there are Mums & Dads as well involved.... but for us and the two little ones it was a great experience....and one they have already asked if we can do again soon.

I'm counting down the days to our family camp at the end of August. Three generations under canvas and having a wonderful time. Me, my DD, DSiL and DS together with the 4 DGC (aged 18,16,13 and 2). The OH doesn't do camping so will be staying at home to look after the cats.

I'm sorry that was very rude to a poster. I am very "out of sorts" today.(DM's expression).

Am I alone in thinking this blog told us almost nothing at all?

The last time I went camping I was six weeks old, it was 1946 and my father thought it would be a good idea to take the family on holiday. I never really found out what my mother thought about the holiday because every time I mentioned it she would purse her lips, raise her eyebrows and walk away

I always think camping sounds idyllic - being at one with nature and all that and 'enjoying' the company of your nearest and dearest, but in reality it would be purgatory for me. I have done it three times: once with the Girl Guides which involved digging latrines and singing jolly songs round a smokey camp fire I seem to remember; once with DD1 and her in laws - not the best experience in the world and once, years ago, in East Africa with a guard armed with a bow and arrow to fend off crocodiles and other predatory creatures. So, good luck to all you jolly campers but I think I'll stick to a comfy bed with no beasties nibbling me at night or threatening to eat me up whole, running hot and cold (en suite preferably) and the benefit of heating/air-con should it be required