...And for lunch I will be having a nice big bowl of my own words!

Well it was in black and white published print, so I can't exactly deny what I said about our camping trip this summer in my last blog....

“as a grand finale we are feeling brave enough to attempt a four night family camping trip. I might be eating my words, but the site has an indoor swimming pool and there is a load to do in the local area and so even if the weather isn’t kind to us I think it’s going to be great.”

Excuse me while I roll around on my kitchen floor laughing for a few minutes!.... 

Here’s what ACTUALLY happened....

Things started really well, we sat on a beach near Bournemouth on a beautiful Sunday, blazing hot and watched the planes in the Bournemouth air show. Fantastic. I’m not a plane geek or fan in anyway, but even I muttered the word ‘awesome’ at one point!

We set off for the camp site the following morning, and parked at our pitch as the drizzle started coming down. Not to be put off, we got on with it, and as the tent took its form, the drizzle stopped.... 1-0 to us.

So smugly sat in our camping chairs, the kids riding around on their bikes and scooters, with a nice British cup of tea we were not to be beaten.

Now, it might be worth pointing out at this point that the campsite we chose was called ‘highlands end’. Call me naive, but it hadn’t even occurred to me that ‘highland’ was a clue to the fact that it was right on a cliff top; a beautiful cliff top in Dorset with views of the beach and the rolling countryside, but a cliff top nevertheless.

As Monday went on the winds starting getting up a bit and so we had a rather blustery but reasonable successful night where we all managed to get some sleep despite a bit of musical airbeds here and there.

The winds got even more excitable on the Tuesday, at which point my husband grasped the opportunity with both hands (literally) and got his kite out. It was an interesting hour watching him (well more accurately hiding my eyes and peaking through my fingers every now and then) stand a bit too near a cliff top flying this thing that really took on a life of its own. I was very glad that his Dad was stood behind him to anchor him to the ground when necessary. I breathed a big sigh of relief when they decided enough was enough and stopped.

And then on to our second night...

The series of events went like this:
1) All went to bed reasonably normally
2) Me and husband lay in bed awake wondering when the wind was going to blow our tent down, and not being entirely comfortable with the kids being in the own separate bedroom compartments at the other end of the tent (only 10ft away or so, but at this point that was WAY too much, and it’s not often I welcome them near me at night time!!)
3) Repeat 2) for several hours!
4) 2 year old wakes up and cries, and I’ve never jumped out of bed so quick, I think I was in her bed with her between ‘Mu..’ and ‘Mmy’! Phew, now at kids end of tent so feeling more in control!
5) 4 year old wakes up. ‘Mummy I’ve wet the bed’.... bless him, that NEVER EVER happens, he has generally inherited my bladder that can go on forever before needing a wee!
6) 4 year old then takes my place in the master bedroom!
7) I look down and realise that 6yr olds bed is empty and for a few (very long) seconds we don’t know where he is. Rational thought thankfully comes back after those long few seconds and I realise he IS in there, just has turned himself round and is sleeping horizontally across both airbeds at the other end. Phew.
8) Husband decides to reinforce tent pegs (this is now about 3am). I stay inside to protect the children... really nothing to do with me not wanting to go out in the wind and rain, honest!
9) Husband decides to pack up our bags so we are ready to bail at short notice.  
10) Eventually, tent poles start snapping at about 6.30am and we bail out of the tent in to parents-in-laws caravan on the pitch next door!

After searching the local camping shops for replacement tent poles and not being able to find any, we eventually call it a day and head for home taking in a happy meal for tea on the way!

That’ll teach me for being so flaming cheery and optimistic!

But, true to form in finding the up-side I must confess that I was ecstatically happy to be back in my own bed on Wednesday night, and I also remember a camping holiday gone wrong when I was a kid that I just look back on as a great adventure. I have no doubts that we’ve made a similar memory for our kids too. Oh, and I also consoled myself with a great big glass of red wine. Mmmmmm.

Anyone else have any holiday adventures this summer?