Sunday 27 September 2015

A Camping History.

I do apologise for being away so long - not really 'away' because I haven't actually been anywhere this summer.  I'm a camper and I love to take tent and dog on 'getaway breaks' to other parts of Cornwall.  But I have realised this year that having a greenhouse means staying at home to open doors and windows, water infant seedlings, close those doors and windows, carefully examine for nasty bugs . . . . not that I'm complaining because I was quite excited about having a greenhouse for the first time when I moved house. However, if I am to have any getaway breaks' next year, I need to carefully plan what to grow and when!

So - about fifteen years ago, I was camping in a big way.  I sold my house, got rid of all but essentials and bought a caravan to live in (it's surprising how little we actually NEED out of all the supposedly essential paraphernalia that we fill our homes with).
Here is the home I loved and lived in for 5 years -






































Quite some garden, eh? I was lucky to be able to live on a private site where I was able to make a proper home - garden, shed an' all!









































And I loved the caravan life so much that I bought another one, a little 2-berth Fairlane that I towed all over the place at weekends and holidays (I was working split shifts at the time). 
Here's the Fairlane in the storage area of my home site where I often went to read or paint just as a change -






































Please excuse the quality of these photos; they are photos of old photos and this next one was to show you my small tent (I still have it) but I can't find a way of cropping it without losing the photos of my previous much-loved dog, Todd who enjoyed the camping life as much as me.





























Then came a bigger tent so that I could stand up straight and have much more space for a comfortable chair and a kitchen, rather than just somewhere to sleep.  As you can see, Todd enjoyed the more luxurious surroundings too.





























I foolishly let someone borrow that tent - and it came back to me with a broken zip and a tear in the side wall - there's a moral in that - so I said she could keep it and I bought a bigger tent but one that I could still erect single-handedly.  It's a Khyam Classic Ridgi-Dome and the one that I currently have stored in my spare bedroom, ready for that next trip.

I do need to spread my wings, otherwise there will be a lack of photos due to my outings being to the same places all the time!!!  Good excuse for another 'getaway break'!!

10 comments:

  1. Definitely to the West, Elizabeth; there are still many hidden beauty spots in Cornwall to discover - or even to re-discover.

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  2. This was such an interesting post. I admit that my last camping experience was about 60 years ago when I was in the Girl Scouts...it's my youngest brother who is the expert camper in my immediate family. I really admire the various homes that you've had that allowed you to be part of the great outdoors.

    Do keep us posted on future rambles with that tent! xo

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  3. You might have to wait until next year for my next camping trip, Frances - though I did spend the month of December in that blue & yellow tent (along with Todd) through gales, snow and ice, for a sponsored 'camp' to help a young local lad obtain a new wheelchair so that he could join in with his mates to play games. It was hard, but I enjoyed it and felt good!

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  5. I have always loved the freedom of camping and spent many a holiday in a tent. As a child all our holidays were in caravans which I loved too - a bit like playing house - but I haven't done either for years.

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  6. I have to admit that a comfortable caravan holds more appeal than the tent these days, but nothing quite beats the smell of canvas and the early morning warmth of the sun when waking up in a tent. I just wish for a magic fairy to load & unload the car and set everything up for me!

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  7. We use to do a lot of camping here and in France, when we had young children, we all use to enjoy it. The bones prefer a softer warmer bed these days!

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  8. Oh I make sure of a comfortable bed even in a tent. I have an aluminium camp bed that's the same height as a normal bed, put a thick blanket on top to cushion the frame, then my sleeping bag - very warm, very comfortable. With a rug on the floor, a comfy chair and a full kitchen it's home from home. Not forgetting my trusty dog as a companion. :)

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  9. Hi greatt reading your post

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