It was certainly not a success!....not a complete failure but seriously?
what were we thinking!!....
two not small (ahem) adults and two active (very bloody active) kids in a very small caravan.
Basically sleep was not had as the temps at night stayed at an oh so pleasant 27 degrees!
Nobody warned me of the allure that toilet/shower blocks have on young children!!
obsessed is an underststement.....at all hours of the day and night!
it was a big park and all the streets looked the same!
I will admit that was a problem for me and nobody else.
Don't get me wrong it wasn't all doom n gloom but is most certainly was not a holiday....
it was friggin hard work
Charlie can be a bit of a wanderer which I thought we had sorted....well the lure of beach and rivers was too much and we had more than one occasion of nauseating panic!
We were surrounded by masses of grey nomads who were a little ....perplexed?...shall I say at the 2 lezzies with 2 crazy kids in a tiny van. The offers of help, assistance and of course advice blew us away....what a friendly bunch.....but im not quite ready to join the nomad ranks just yet.
We were surrounded by masses of grey nomads who were a little ....perplexed?...shall I say at the 2 lezzies with 2 crazy kids in a tiny van. The offers of help, assistance and of course advice blew us away....what a friendly bunch.....but im not quite ready to join the nomad ranks just yet.
There are no pics of the van because im here to show you the best day of our holiday and that was when we discovered the local aquatic centre which we had almost to ourselves!
it was secure so naturally we spent all day there....just to catch a break!
Don't worry (or get excited) I could never part with Ol Silver. But he will remain a spare room /cubby for a bit longer and that's ok cause there is a lot more tweeking (that's tweeking!) to be done.
more treasures were found to stock the cupboards.
We are planning another holiday believe it or not but its when the kids are teens and we know for sure they wont want to come!!....im sure Ol Silver can wait till then.
Al x
more treasures were found to stock the cupboards.
We are planning another holiday believe it or not but its when the kids are teens and we know for sure they wont want to come!!....im sure Ol Silver can wait till then.
Al x
I remember one vacation in my parents' fairly large RV when my daughter was 5 years old. Did you notice that I said ONE vacation? And that the memory has stuck with me for 30 years? Enough said. haha
ReplyDeleteAh yes … the joys of the caravan holiday. Showering in your thongs … checking the toilet for frogs … and sweating it out on the top bunk. Memories :0)
ReplyDeletexx
When I was a kid on one of our family caravaning hols my parents left me in charge of my 18 month old little sister (I think I was 9 or 10). Well I got a bit bored so I decided to hit the river and have a swim. Of course I took my sister with me, but that's where the supervision ended. I left her to her own devices and had a great time splashing around with all my new holiday buddies. The next thing I knew my Mum yanked me out of the water, belted me, screamed at me etc. etc, They'd arrived back at the van, found it empty and you know the rest of the story. Thank God my little sister didn't drown - she'd been taken under the wing of one of 'your' grey nomads. Of course this has gone down in family history, but at the time I really didn't think I'd done anything wrong. The drive home was painful - my bum was black and blue. I think a hairbrush was my Mum's implement of choice...
ReplyDeleteI love the romantic idea of Ol Silver, but I don't think I'd really enjoy holidaying in him - especially with two little kids.
Love your work as usual Al. So funny x
Oh Al, I'm sure the caravan trips will get better. I'm sure you'll be talking about the first trip away in Ol Silver for years to come. x
ReplyDeleteWell, it's funny to read about it, though probably way less funny to live it, Allison! I think holidays when the kids are little are HARD. Really hard work. You have all the same shit but without the home comforts and routines and mod cons and space, everything is thrown out of kilter, and there's this imperative To Have Fun At All Times. Not possible, in my experience.
ReplyDeleteStill, the pool looks fun (love the pic of Frankie being lifted aloft like a synchronised swimmer!) and doubtless it will all get easier in the future.
Still chuckling that your fabulous family was the cause of some bewilderment! xxx
Can I firstly say that you are a complete legend for even having a go. Just the thought of all of us being inside a caravan makes me break out in a cold sweat and it would be a rapid downhill run to insanity and divorce for us. There are too many issues to contemplate but if sensory/noise/touch sensitivity mean my children have separate bedrooms a van would be horrific. I instead long to find one just for my backyard to use as a cubby and decorate gleefully for endless hours of tea parties and generally craftiness. So glad the nomads were kind and tolerant of you all! Just enjoy the decorating and hanging out part in your own yard and take lots of pics for us please! mel x
ReplyDeleteOh, I can totally see it!! I remember when the boys were 2 and 4, we rented a cabin by the sea, which was actually at the end of a quay and surrounded by steep rocks. We spent the whole week wondering what the .... we were thinking!!! How wonderful that you're keeping ol' silver as a spare room, coolest "garden accessory" ever!!
ReplyDeleteoh do you know that's how we felt about our last camping trip! It was so so so so much work!! oh honey, i wanted it to be a holiday! adult den only.....full of wine! love ya x
ReplyDeleteI so get it! I'm not a happy camper, even in a gorgy silver caravan. I reckon a cute little studio and relax zone {fitted with an aircon!} is the go:) So glad you'r not selling Ol Silver, though. You did have me a little freaked out! x
ReplyDeleteTeeheehee.
ReplyDeleteAs 'not so fantastic' as it was - it still sounds awesome - great memories for years to come.
That lifesaver with water coming out of his nose is freakin' me out!
is it just me or does it look like Tony Abbott?
DeleteHa - paint a pair of speedos on him.....
DeleteOh Al. Laugh! I haven't stopped! Just showed Sherb your post and yes you have hit it on the head, whack on a pair of budgie smugglers and you have ol' Tony right there in the aquatic centre with you. Happy times. Hats off to you for attempting to camp in the first place, at least the first trip's out of the way. I'll bet those two little kids loved it though! Enjoy the rest of the week hanging out in the stationary van xx
ReplyDelete