My dad once called down to mine on a balmy Sunday morning to find me gardening.

Nothing strange there you might say. Well as anybody who knows me  knows that me in the garden is a rare occurrence !

I was dressed in a lovely blue maxi dress, high heel sandals, head-scarf , complete with  a rather fetching pair of flowery gardening gloves. (The thought of anything at all slimey touching my skin horrifies me.) Dad smirked, I said ‘whhhhaattt’  and ‘Margo’ was christened. You remember the Good Life? Margo was the snobby neighbour who was nothing less than immaculate at all times!

Now I’m by no means immaculate and I’m definately not a  snob (well maybe just a bit) and I would’nt call myself high maintenance. I do however like to look my best. Even when I’m slobbing around.

I’d ideally like my scarf to coordinate with my top, etc etc. Oh and I love a nice long bubble bath. My lotion and potions to hand for a spot of pampering. If that makes me high maintenance . Then hell yeah – I am!

So you can imagine my face when camping was mentioned.

Not to be a party pooper and much to the surprise of my friends I said ‘Yes, I’d love too’.

Well something along those lines anyways. I don’t think love and camping ever figure in the same sentence do they!

The reasoning behind my decision

a.) D’s kids wanted to go soooo much

b.) because of a conversation I had with mum when she was in the throws of her cancer treatment.

Mum was amazing throughout but mum also thought  at times that she wouldn’t pull through. She made me promise to never turn down an opportunity or an invitation…because life was too short.

Camping it was then.

Last weekend , we crammed into my Little Fiat Punto and off we set to meet up with a gang of my friends at Burton Constable Holiday Park, Sproatley. I’m still not sure how we got the 4 of us and all the gear in, but we did. You couldn’t see the kids for sleeping bags, quilts, pillows ,a tent, food parels and stoves.

Like the wicked step-mother … that didn’t half make me chuckle…

After lots of moaning by the little ones (who were being suffocated in the back ) we arrived…It was all rather beautiful. Georgy and Eddie ran off to play, relieved to be free at last while D and I set about putting the tent up.

2 hours ( YES 2 BLOODY HOURS!!!) and lots of cursings later our ‘home’ for the next few days was erected! Just before darkness descended. We are the orange tent (the one that looks like its about to collapse)

 

It poured down on Saturday.

Booooo.

Everything and everybody was soggy, including our tent and half of my clothes.

After some deliberation we decided to make the 40 minute journey to Bridlington, after being assured (thank you google weather) that it was sunny there. It was also chance to get warm and comfty and have a snooze in the car!

Brid was delightfully tacky, colourful, loud and full of odd characters. We ate fish and chips out of paper and devoured ice-cream before the seagulls could get to it. The sun was indeed shining but it was blustery. It was everything you would expect from a Britsh seaside resort minus the ‘Kiss me Quick’ hat…

Coco – Karen and Andys dog – attracted lots of attention. I just wanted her to come and lie on me in the tent during the night. It was un-usually cold for the time of year. Coco would have made a great blanket.

I had a word. I even tried bribing her with sausages. She was having none of it!

We woke Sunday to sunshine …

I say woke lightly.

Some of us (me) had hardly slept. In-between the shivering, the ducks at 5.00am and the cows an hour later. Combined with the numerous  ‘legging’ it to the toilet block trips, I probably had a couple of hours at the most. Yes while most people were away with the fairies, I was the one in the shower at 6.30am trying to get warm!

We had a leisurely ‘alfresco’ breakfast and then made the short walk through the grounds upto Burton Constable Hall an Elizabethan Mansion House.

We mooched around the amazing grounds, watched a spot of archery and grabbed some lunch.

I can’t say I loved camping. I can’t say I hated it either and I’m glad I went. Yes I really did just say that!

The campsite was beautiful with great facilities and I would highly recommend it.

Fresh air where have you been? it was nice to be reacquainted .

I loved the social aspect of camping; Wrapping up in a blanket, sitting around a fire with friends, eating, drinking and laughing well into the evening. The kids played freely and it was great to see them having so much fun.

I didn’t enjoy being soggy and cold in the night and I’m afraid of worms. Discovering one in the tent next to my bag of clothes sent me into a state of distress. I’m such a wuss!

I loved above all proving to myself more than anyone else that I could do it!

There is however (in my humble opinion) no place like home.There is nothing like the comfort of your own bed and I would have killed for a bubble bath…

Perhaps I am more like Margo than I let on. Now pass me my flowery garden gloves … I have some roses to prune.

Tracey x