Preparations!

I do know I have a story to complete at some point for those that are interested, but I have been on a mission with the Dowager today, which is always an adventure so thought I would write a bit about that.

Last year the Dowager decided (at the grand old age of 70 something!) that caravan holidays were the future!  She wanted nothing more than to be able to take her 4 grandchildren to the seaside for weeks at time.  They could paddle on the beach, eat ice creams, play board games and eat fried spam to their hearts content!    I think in her head she thought caravanning was a bit like it was in the 1950's where you toddled along an "A" road at 30 miles an hour, holding all the traffic up, with your checked teatowels hanging out of the window.  Your thermos flask was filled with brown tea stewed to the point where it became orange sludge, and it took you weeks to get to your destination. Frequent stops were made and sandwiches and scones brought out to be enjoyed sitting in your deckchair.

The reality is very different, these days caravans have an aluminium chassis, are built out of fibreglass  and thunder down the motorways at 70 miles an hour.  Woe betide you if you don't lock a cupboard, drawer or shelf, your belongings will be splatted all over your caravan walls when you arrive.  They have complicated things like bottled gas, central heating, 240 volt hook up, water tanks, 3 way fridges, banks of batteries, hosepipes, drains, and waste water,  all of which was completely beyond the Dowager.  All she wanted was to eat cake, drink tea. and play with the grandchildren. Last summer was a steep learning curve for us all but ultimately the end result is, there is a nice caravan on a nice site, in a nice part of Wales, waiting for a nice family to have a lovely holiday.

Last summer was glorious and she did indeed have a wonderful time with her grandchildren.

The Dowager has decreed that the caravan is going to be too much for her this year so 40something and family are expected to make the most of it before she sells it next year.  This is an amazing piece of good fortune for us, but we are more like the "Clampett" family than the "Buckets", the delinquent dog on a welsh sheep farms involves a reinforced galvanised chain on a spike, there is no broadband or mobile phone signal or TV signal and its Wales!. .......and it's going to rain -  a lot!

40Something and family are off on our jollys when school breaks up, but thinking about all of the challenges we are going to face I set off on a mission today to try and find "stuff" that would pass the time.  The Dowager dropped in just as I was getting ready to go and promptly nicked my ham that I had just pulled out of the freezer to cook and take with us. She is going to cook it for me - (bet you 10p it is significantly smaller when it comes back!)

So - I decided I needed new wellies for Bubble, some books on tape, possibly some new dvds and some BORED games.  I hit the charity shops.

I love charity or thrift shops, rummaging about and looking for treasure is something that is just so much fun.  Very often the the old dears who volunteer to run these places have a cracking sense of humour and it always brightens my day.  I did not find what was I was looking for today, but did pick up 5 brand new tops still with their labels on.  Squeak supervised the trying on and fitting of these tops and as ever gave me her honest opinion.  "Well 4 of them are fine mum but that one.....is for someone a lot younger, and sexier, and a bit more of a fashionista than you are!"  "OK Squeak - I get the message - I will stick it my wardrobe and take it out and look at it every now and again - and dream of being young and daft!"

In other news I have now demolished the kitchen.  Squeak needs to take a decorated cross into school for Easter.  I have dismantled a wooden wine rack, had the hot glue gun out, utilised millions of buttons, found a box.  The place is bedlam AGAIN!

Thanks for reading