Matt has taught himself fire poi and he gave us a couple of shows
Didn't he do well!!
Showing posts with label camping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label camping. Show all posts
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
BBQ Banquet
Usually when we camp everyone just does their own thing but this weekend we decided to organise ourselves and eat together.
I did a bulk shop of meat for the BBQ and then everyone brought along a side dish and a dessert of some kind if they wanted to and this was the result...
I did a bulk shop of meat for the BBQ and then everyone brought along a side dish and a dessert of some kind if they wanted to and this was the result...
Isn't it AWESOME!! :oD
I think we all did really well and hardly anything went to waste and the cold meat for tea on Sunday was FAB! :oD
A big thanks to our chefs for the evening, they did brilliantly and nobody went home with food poisoning!! LOL
Snapshots of the weekend...
Me modelling Barry's blankie :oD
In the field next to bus Stop was the Crowborough Fair and we were lucky to catch the bird show.
This bald eagle flew round several times and it was just magnificent!
I wasn't quick enough to catch it in flight unfortunately, or when the seagull decided it was fed up with an eagle invaded it's airspace!!
This is the sea eagle, isn't he impressive. I am amazed at the size of his beak and how powerful he looks just sitting there
Friday, July 09, 2010
Friday, July 17, 2009
OUCH!
The summer blisters have started :o(
I had to pick small nephew up from school yesterday and as it is only 3 streets away i thought i'd walk. I can't see the point in driving to be honest, he's 8 now and big enough to walk for ten minutes but it would seem that i'm not!
I wore my crocs which have been so good at preventin blisters for the last couple of years but by the time i got to the school i could feel my soles burning and by the time i'd got him home and then got myself home i could feel the blisters spreading. I hobbled off to Knit Club though and by the time i came home it was agony! They aren't your usual run-of-the-mill blisters, they are deep ones, the kind that are impossible to pop because there is just too much skin to get through and they are all the way across the balls of my feet. I'm feeling kind of glad that we haven't gone to Bug Jam this weekend cos that would have involved a LOT of walking and i really can't see me doing much of that for a while!! I'm hoping that things aren't too far apart at VW Bus Stop, as long as we are camped fairly close to the toilets i don't mind!!
We had a wicked storm here last night, i laid in the bath with the light out and watched the sky lighting up with that clear blue glow that only comes from lightning. Beautiful!
I had to pick small nephew up from school yesterday and as it is only 3 streets away i thought i'd walk. I can't see the point in driving to be honest, he's 8 now and big enough to walk for ten minutes but it would seem that i'm not!
I wore my crocs which have been so good at preventin blisters for the last couple of years but by the time i got to the school i could feel my soles burning and by the time i'd got him home and then got myself home i could feel the blisters spreading. I hobbled off to Knit Club though and by the time i came home it was agony! They aren't your usual run-of-the-mill blisters, they are deep ones, the kind that are impossible to pop because there is just too much skin to get through and they are all the way across the balls of my feet. I'm feeling kind of glad that we haven't gone to Bug Jam this weekend cos that would have involved a LOT of walking and i really can't see me doing much of that for a while!! I'm hoping that things aren't too far apart at VW Bus Stop, as long as we are camped fairly close to the toilets i don't mind!!
We had a wicked storm here last night, i laid in the bath with the light out and watched the sky lighting up with that clear blue glow that only comes from lightning. Beautiful!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Relaxed Much?
Cheeky beggar, that's my pillows he's sleeping on!
;o)
I don't actually mind though, the hairs can be shaken off, the dribble will dry out and the smell goes eventually! LOL
Seriously though, this was Saturday evening at Munksfest and i was happy to see Lukey feeling relaxed enough to spend some alone time in the van, in the old days he would have been howling the roof down if the door was so much as closed with us not in there!
Munksfest Report:
AWESOME!!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Red sky at night
Stunning isn't it!
This picture was taken while we were camping in somone's back garden, can you imagine having that as a view day in and day out? Amazing!
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Friday, May 08, 2009
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
More Munksfest '08
Friday night - wicked photo!
Fantastic night too - impromptu guitar playing, singing, comedy duo and a lovely warm fire... oh and Sangria! :oD
Saturday evening gets underway with a BBQ
Your friendly servers this evening are Frannery, Robbery, Beckery and Manda.
Here i am serving a vegematarian with his cardboard burger ;o)
It was SO SO SO HOT!!! behind the BBQs - lots of beer was consumed ery quickly in a feeble attmept to cool down - next time we'll try water heheheheeeeee
Saturday night's alright for ROCKIN'!!
The band were AWESOME and they played for ages too with just one break
High FIIIIIIIVE! :oD
Munksfest '08
In an effort to document my many blurry weekends of fun i present to you:
Munksfest 2008!
In honour of our friend John who was celebrating his 30th birthday with camping and partying at his parents place in Lincolnshire.
We start with a shot of our camp from halfway through the meadow. Luke thoroughly enjoyed being allowed to roam off the lead and his recall was outstanding compared to his usual glance and wander off in the opposite direction - he actually came to me when i called him!! YAY! :oD
As you can see, portaloos were provided for our lavatorial pleasure (as well as everyone that just came for the party of course!) and very welcome they were indeed! It really does make all the difference having clean looked-after toilets when you're camping. There were 13 of us brave souls there until Monday with about 20-odd other campers who arrived either Friday or Saturday and left on Sunday.
Munksfest 2008!
In honour of our friend John who was celebrating his 30th birthday with camping and partying at his parents place in Lincolnshire.
We start with a shot of our camp from halfway through the meadow. Luke thoroughly enjoyed being allowed to roam off the lead and his recall was outstanding compared to his usual glance and wander off in the opposite direction - he actually came to me when i called him!! YAY! :oD
As you can see, portaloos were provided for our lavatorial pleasure (as well as everyone that just came for the party of course!) and very welcome they were indeed! It really does make all the difference having clean looked-after toilets when you're camping. There were 13 of us brave souls there until Monday with about 20-odd other campers who arrived either Friday or Saturday and left on Sunday.
Here we have a shot of the beer mountain that took about an hour to build with many different designs being tried and tested beforehand! I've never seen people arguing over what shape makes the best beer mountain before and i hope to never again ::lol::
Monday, July 02, 2007
Happy Birthday Ker :o)
I got back home from Mum's Friday lunchtime after a tiny bit of stress on the way home when i saw a sign saying the M25 was CLOSED from j30 clockwise... ie. over the Dartford crossing!! Luckily i am a little bit familiar with the roads around Thurrock and was able to nip off down the A1012 and go through Thurrock and Lakeside and join the M25 further round. I thought it would just save me sitting in traffic, at least i'd be driving for a bit longer and joining further on to sit in the traffic til it was re-opened but when i got to the M25 it was totally clear! The traffic was flowing smoothly and it was FAB! I later heard on the traffic report that it was actually right on the junction to the M25 from the A13 that a lorry had jack-knifed and that was why it was shut and the traffic was backed up and i was SO glad that i made my detour as i wanted so badly to get home. I managed to get most of the camping stuff packed up before Bloke got home and he helped load the last few heavy things in and then we were off! For a while...
We were headed to Bodium, it's a lovely drive - A21, A25, A21, lots of nice fields to look at, some picturesque villages and a rather nice layby 20 minutes from our destination that we all stood around in and scratched our heads and tried to figure out why there was SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER OUR VAN!!! Luckily we had our very clever friend Andy with us who was able to determine that it was the brake and not the engine or an oil leak which was causing the problem. After some frantic telephone calls to arrange for someone to go and pick up the locking wheel nut and the jack from our house so it could be brought later in the day the brake hose was sealed off and we carried on with one brake less for the rest of the journey which was thankfully uneventful! Camp was set-up, beers were opened, the fire lit, the music played and the rain held off for a Friday night PARTAAAAAAAAAAAYY!!
Saturday morning brought rain and lots of it, lots of flooded patches in the field but the ducks were happy! I did my usual trick, up at 8am, hours before anyone else. Rather sensibly though, i had sorted out mugs and coffee and water boiling facilities so that i didn't have to disturb Bloke who sleeps for a lot longer than me. I sat in the awning with my steaming mug and this months Gardeners World magazine enjoying the relative peace and quiet and oooohing over must-have plants and garden designs :oD
The news from under the van wasn't good. The brake was seized, men were despatched to motor factors, parts were bought, men got greasy, men got grumpy. Men found out that they needed another part as well. Shops were shut. Bugger.
Satruday night brought more partying, although slightly soggier than the previous night with alittle tension thrown in. Nothing serious, just music issues. It's not loud enough. It's too loud. I just thought it was crap! Hip-hop, drum'n'bass and rap are NOT my thing. AT ALL! I went to bed early (compared to everyone else) at about 2ish and laid in bed with the dog and read a book. A whole book :oD Admittedly it's a thinnish book but it's a really good read. I had a few deja vue moments while reading it which was weird, but it was good to read again.
Sundday brought more scratching of heads by Men under vans. A trip to the motorfactors was called for so off they went in search of more parts. It looked promising when they got back. They'd got everything they needed, they played with their new gadgets before they started the work and then they went back under the van only to find that they'd been sold THE WRONG PART! By this time it was too late to go back to the shop so the wheel was put back on and they admitted defeat :o( Much discussion of recvoery vehicles ensued, would ours take us home or to a garage, offers of using other people's AA or RAC were gratefully received and i wandered aorund loading up the van and trying not to panic!
Luckily after checking our breakdown policy we discovered that we were indeed covered and it said we could be taken to a destination of our choosing which was good news! I stood firm and said we weren't to phone until we were loaded up and ready to go, i didn't care how long it meant we had to sit there and wait for them to turn up, i wanted it done first. I am SO glad i did, we were told that someone would be with us within the hour and he was there within half an hour! We were loaded up and driven home and got home only half an hour behind everyone else!
I love my friends, don't get me wrong but sometimes they do annoy me (i am sure i annoy them a hell of a lot more!!) I really had to state quite firmly that i wanted to pack up before the recovery was rung - when i say quite firmly i obviously mean shrilly and with a slight tone of defiance. so what if it takes them three hours to get here, at least i'll be ready to go and not faced with a panicked run-around trying to get gazebo taken down, the awning taken down, everything packed and loaded into the van. It's not like i was expecting everyone else to wait with us, we were quite happy to sit there on our own and keep ourselves amused. I'm sure a nap wouldn't have gone amiss... ;o)
We were headed to Bodium, it's a lovely drive - A21, A25, A21, lots of nice fields to look at, some picturesque villages and a rather nice layby 20 minutes from our destination that we all stood around in and scratched our heads and tried to figure out why there was SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER OUR VAN!!! Luckily we had our very clever friend Andy with us who was able to determine that it was the brake and not the engine or an oil leak which was causing the problem. After some frantic telephone calls to arrange for someone to go and pick up the locking wheel nut and the jack from our house so it could be brought later in the day the brake hose was sealed off and we carried on with one brake less for the rest of the journey which was thankfully uneventful! Camp was set-up, beers were opened, the fire lit, the music played and the rain held off for a Friday night PARTAAAAAAAAAAAYY!!
Saturday morning brought rain and lots of it, lots of flooded patches in the field but the ducks were happy! I did my usual trick, up at 8am, hours before anyone else. Rather sensibly though, i had sorted out mugs and coffee and water boiling facilities so that i didn't have to disturb Bloke who sleeps for a lot longer than me. I sat in the awning with my steaming mug and this months Gardeners World magazine enjoying the relative peace and quiet and oooohing over must-have plants and garden designs :oD
The news from under the van wasn't good. The brake was seized, men were despatched to motor factors, parts were bought, men got greasy, men got grumpy. Men found out that they needed another part as well. Shops were shut. Bugger.
Satruday night brought more partying, although slightly soggier than the previous night with alittle tension thrown in. Nothing serious, just music issues. It's not loud enough. It's too loud. I just thought it was crap! Hip-hop, drum'n'bass and rap are NOT my thing. AT ALL! I went to bed early (compared to everyone else) at about 2ish and laid in bed with the dog and read a book. A whole book :oD Admittedly it's a thinnish book but it's a really good read. I had a few deja vue moments while reading it which was weird, but it was good to read again.
Sundday brought more scratching of heads by Men under vans. A trip to the motorfactors was called for so off they went in search of more parts. It looked promising when they got back. They'd got everything they needed, they played with their new gadgets before they started the work and then they went back under the van only to find that they'd been sold THE WRONG PART! By this time it was too late to go back to the shop so the wheel was put back on and they admitted defeat :o( Much discussion of recvoery vehicles ensued, would ours take us home or to a garage, offers of using other people's AA or RAC were gratefully received and i wandered aorund loading up the van and trying not to panic!
Luckily after checking our breakdown policy we discovered that we were indeed covered and it said we could be taken to a destination of our choosing which was good news! I stood firm and said we weren't to phone until we were loaded up and ready to go, i didn't care how long it meant we had to sit there and wait for them to turn up, i wanted it done first. I am SO glad i did, we were told that someone would be with us within the hour and he was there within half an hour! We were loaded up and driven home and got home only half an hour behind everyone else!
I love my friends, don't get me wrong but sometimes they do annoy me (i am sure i annoy them a hell of a lot more!!) I really had to state quite firmly that i wanted to pack up before the recovery was rung - when i say quite firmly i obviously mean shrilly and with a slight tone of defiance. so what if it takes them three hours to get here, at least i'll be ready to go and not faced with a panicked run-around trying to get gazebo taken down, the awning taken down, everything packed and loaded into the van. It's not like i was expecting everyone else to wait with us, we were quite happy to sit there on our own and keep ourselves amused. I'm sure a nap wouldn't have gone amiss... ;o)
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Home from Stanford Hall
What a lovely weekend :o)
Very calm and peaceful, no manic rushing around or alcohol fuelled shenanigans, just very pleasant with nice company to boot :o)
An uneventful journey, a pleasant afternoon/evening camping and cooking and eating chillis! Wrapping in blankets to keep out the cold and trekking across the field for the loo!
An uneventful journey to the show, then we pulled into the carpark and whose van did we see but Ben's! YAY! We love Ben :o)
It was very nearly an uneventful show too but Becky bought a bug!! YAY! She'd never have done it if it weren't for the whip round though, but i am now the proud part owner of a '66 beetle ;o)
It's a really nice show, LOTS of vehicles and a proper concours competition. Unfortunately Andy lost out this time to the man he beat at Stansted and came 4th out of seven in category 3. Never mind, it's Dubs @ the Park next weekend, i'm sure he'll be defending his title very keenly :oD
It sounds like it was a really boring weekend with nothing happening and why did we drive for 3 hours yesterday to go and do nothing? But we didn't really do nothing, just nothing really exciting! It was special in it's own calm and chilled out way, with no manic alcohol consummmption, no need to stay up until 5am and plenty of good company, a weekend i'd like to repeat :o)
The journey home was exciting, we got lost for a while, then made our way back to the M1 and pootled home, left Andy and Amanda at the M25 to head in the opposite direction and pootled round the M25.
THEN! Something exciting happened!! We were about to overtake someone when a white van pulled alongside us and wouldn't get out the way, then when we both looked round there was Alex and SJ waving manically at us from his works van! It was a very surreal moment, i'm guessing he'd been to work and was heading home, maybe? So that was it, he drove along our convoy and waved manically at the others then sped off on his merry way :oD
So, we're home after a pleasant but uneventful weekend and looking forward to Bracknell next weekend and getting lost on the housing estate (again) :oD
Happy Bank Holiday Monday everyone :o)
Very calm and peaceful, no manic rushing around or alcohol fuelled shenanigans, just very pleasant with nice company to boot :o)
An uneventful journey, a pleasant afternoon/evening camping and cooking and eating chillis! Wrapping in blankets to keep out the cold and trekking across the field for the loo!
An uneventful journey to the show, then we pulled into the carpark and whose van did we see but Ben's! YAY! We love Ben :o)
It was very nearly an uneventful show too but Becky bought a bug!! YAY! She'd never have done it if it weren't for the whip round though, but i am now the proud part owner of a '66 beetle ;o)
It's a really nice show, LOTS of vehicles and a proper concours competition. Unfortunately Andy lost out this time to the man he beat at Stansted and came 4th out of seven in category 3. Never mind, it's Dubs @ the Park next weekend, i'm sure he'll be defending his title very keenly :oD
It sounds like it was a really boring weekend with nothing happening and why did we drive for 3 hours yesterday to go and do nothing? But we didn't really do nothing, just nothing really exciting! It was special in it's own calm and chilled out way, with no manic alcohol consummmption, no need to stay up until 5am and plenty of good company, a weekend i'd like to repeat :o)
The journey home was exciting, we got lost for a while, then made our way back to the M1 and pootled home, left Andy and Amanda at the M25 to head in the opposite direction and pootled round the M25.
THEN! Something exciting happened!! We were about to overtake someone when a white van pulled alongside us and wouldn't get out the way, then when we both looked round there was Alex and SJ waving manically at us from his works van! It was a very surreal moment, i'm guessing he'd been to work and was heading home, maybe? So that was it, he drove along our convoy and waved manically at the others then sped off on his merry way :oD
So, we're home after a pleasant but uneventful weekend and looking forward to Bracknell next weekend and getting lost on the housing estate (again) :oD
Happy Bank Holiday Monday everyone :o)
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
Here kittykittykitty!
So, there we were, just sitting round the fire, chilling and chatting and drinking tea ;o) when we were joined by the cutest little tabby cat. Luckily Lukey was asleep on the sofa with me and had the blanket over his head. Honestly, it was quite surreal! She was so friendly, after she'd made love to Amanda and me she threw herself at the boys and despite Rojjie and Andy both saying they didn't like cats they seemed to enjoy the experience! Rojjie was heard to shout "if you get off my throat i'll stroke you" after she made her way up from his lap and sat on his face! *LOL*
Unfortunately Lukey woke up when he heard the commotion, spied the cat and started stressing, so as unfair as it may seem i decided it was past his bedtime (which it was anyway) and put him to bed in the van. I love my dog, but when he starts getting stressed out it stresses me out too because i worry about him and what he might do :o(
I also like some "me" time when we are away and if i'm not worrying about other dogs (or cats!) coming into our camp then life is a bit more chilled :o)
We reckon she must be the caretakers cat, she was very at home in the field and around strangers and she had a collar on too so she wasn't a stray. Amanda left her car door open all night in the vain hope that she could lure the cat in to her car and take her home ;o)
Sunday morning and i was up at 8am after being awake off and on for what felt like hours and was probably 3, i popped to the loo, took Lukey out for his morning constitutional then settled in for more crochet while i waited for everyone else to wake up! Luckily i didn't have to wait too long ;o)
Once we were all up and tidied away and had decided not to bother with breakfast we headed off to find a pub for some lunch, which turned out to be not too far away and was bloody goooooorgeous! Roast beef with all the trimmings thankyouverymuch, proper fresh veg too and a non-frozen yorkiepud! Homemade puddings too! YUM!
I really enjoy our little camping trips, and i've made so many good friends over the last year too, it's GREAT!
Unfortunately Lukey woke up when he heard the commotion, spied the cat and started stressing, so as unfair as it may seem i decided it was past his bedtime (which it was anyway) and put him to bed in the van. I love my dog, but when he starts getting stressed out it stresses me out too because i worry about him and what he might do :o(
I also like some "me" time when we are away and if i'm not worrying about other dogs (or cats!) coming into our camp then life is a bit more chilled :o)
We reckon she must be the caretakers cat, she was very at home in the field and around strangers and she had a collar on too so she wasn't a stray. Amanda left her car door open all night in the vain hope that she could lure the cat in to her car and take her home ;o)
Sunday morning and i was up at 8am after being awake off and on for what felt like hours and was probably 3, i popped to the loo, took Lukey out for his morning constitutional then settled in for more crochet while i waited for everyone else to wake up! Luckily i didn't have to wait too long ;o)
Once we were all up and tidied away and had decided not to bother with breakfast we headed off to find a pub for some lunch, which turned out to be not too far away and was bloody goooooorgeous! Roast beef with all the trimmings thankyouverymuch, proper fresh veg too and a non-frozen yorkiepud! Homemade puddings too! YUM!
I really enjoy our little camping trips, and i've made so many good friends over the last year too, it's GREAT!
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