Tales from the tent

Before the VW T5 we had a T4, and before that we had a tent.

I love camping. As explained in one of my earlier posts it's in the blood. After all, I've been brought up on it from trailer tenting right through to caravanning.

In fact rather than swan off to some swish Caribbean lurve island for our honeymoon we decided to stay in the UK and tent our way along the North Cornwall and Devon coast.

I would like to say this was for environmental reasons and we wanted to keep our carbon footprint down, but I would be lying wouldn't I? I now drive a T5 as my daily commute after all.

No, we decided to camp coz we both love being under canvas. And it also meant our baby - our mad Springer Spaniel called Marley - could join us.

Now this would have been fine if it hadn't been one of the most tempestuous Septembers in years. The tent was soaked and two of our tent poles got snapped by all the violent shaking of the tent...(ahem!)

One particular stormy night in Padstow we were joined by some new neighbours in our quagmired section of the campsite. A nice, professional looking couple in a hired baby blue bay VW campervan.

Lucky buggers, we thought. Bet they will be nice and cosy in their van tonight.

After salivating over the coolness of the camper, pushing our wet faces up against the damp glass and fogging up the pane to try and get a glimpse of the interior, we donned our waterproofs to go into town for a Doom Bar (him) and a Cornish Rattler or two (me).

On our return it was plain to see the campers next to us were not happy.

Through lots of thuds, thumps and exasperated sighs came...'Oigh, get on your side! Your on my side of the bed!' Thud..thump...thud 'Seriously! How do you take up so much room!' Thud...thump...thump 'Oh my god. Will you stop moving and stay still so I can get some sleep?!'

Trying to hold in fits of giggles and guffaws of laughter (ok, we may have been a tad tipsy) we crashed out into our damp, soggy tent.

Through the howl of the wind and the slashing sound of rain on canvas we were woken up by the odd argument throughout the night about who had the most bed.

The next morning the sun made an appearance, and we were greeted by two very tired and unhappy looking campers.

'Want to swap?' We said cheerfully on the way to the showers.

Unfortunately not everyone is cut out to be a camper...whether under canvas or in a dream van.

We're not sure what happened to the couple in the cool camper. On our return from the shower blocks all that was left were tyre tracks in the mud. And our tent still standing (well, just).

One T5 and a little baby

We got our VW T5 just before I was due with the latest addition to the family.

I've blogged before about why anyone above the size of a normal nuclear family should consider one. But I wanted to share in a bit more detail why they are so bloody brilliant with a baby.

Firstly, it's a mobile baby changing facility.  Now I know you can change a baby on the back seat or in an open boot of a normal car, but its a faff and quite frankly freezing if you are changing little bottoms with the door or boot open.

In the T5 you can close the sliding door and change your little one in a draft free private zone.

Talking of privacy, the VW T5 also provides a perfect on the go breast feeding space.

Well, unless you have two builders putting their faces up against the privacy glass to peer in at the interior as you are sat feeding while your husband is busy buying yet another spare part in Cheltenham VW Van Centre (on yet another visit).

'Yea. This is just the right colour of red we need. Matches our logo perfectly. Oh wait. Flipping eck. There's someone in there.'

Now, are you referring to the red of your face, mine or the colour of the van, mate? Sorry. This van isn't for sale!

I also say private unless you are breast feeding in the back with the LED spotlights on in the dark. It turns out you can see everything through limo tinted glass in these conditions. The poor shoppers at Morrisons that night got a bit more breast then they bargained for!

There is also acres of space in the T5 for all the baby kit you need. Travelling to my mum's for the night with baby bouncer, activity centre, baby blankets and sheets, moses basket, bottle steriliser, tubs of formula, packets of nappies, suitcase full of clothes and muslin cloths, double buggy, bag full of baby toys, dog, toddler and baby in a car seat was never a problem. I did say night, right?!

And above all, it really is a home from home. Chuck in a play mat and some toys and add to this a handy picnic pod with gas camp stove and kettle and you can rustle up a bottle (or a much needed coffee) in no time while the kids play in their personal play pen.

As we come into summer the van is proving itself a fantastic addition to the family again. It's a beach hut...offering private changing and drying facilities at the beach. And it's a bolt hole when the sun gets too much, especially with a drive up gazebo on the side. The acres of space comes in handy again on day and camping trips as you can pack the kitchen sink without feeling guilty.

In fact the husband has added a handy little hideaway box on the inside of the back door so we can keep our camping stove and chairs tidily stowed away, taking them with us everywhere.

And as we enter the messy world of toilet training our toddler, the van has proved it's worth again acting as a WC on wheels. With a little porta potty in the back there is no stoopying on the side of the road for us!

The VW T5 is proving to be a great addition to the family, and one I am sure will grow with us as the babies grow.

One life. Drive it.

Stuff memories are made of

My parents used to take me and my sisters camping as kids.

Our camping adventures began in a trailer tent. Bright orange with brown and orange flowers on the curtains. Total retro hippy cool.

After a few fun filled years under canvas we upgraded to a caravan.

We loved the caravan so much we used to beg our parents to let us sit in there and play board games on rainy days so we could pretend we were camping with the rain hammering down on the roof...ding, ding, ding, ding. It's a sound that often used to send us to sleep on holiday (well you know what the great British weather is like!)

The best holiday I remember having as a child was when we took the caravan to a field in the Gower overlooking the vast blue sea.

There were no toilet blocks, no playgrounds. Just heaps and heaps of sun and freedom.

Me and my little sister spent hours flying kites and collecting shells on deserted beaches, then at the end of the day we would have a cold alfresco shower and collapse sunburnt and exhausted in our cosy sleeping bags.

I can remember the cool, fresh dampness of early morning dew between my toes, the whistles of camp kettles getting louder and louder. The smell of bacon bubbling on camp stoves early in the morning and the tang of early evening smokey bbqs.

This is the stuff great memories are made of, and I want to create those same cracking memories for my kids.

We made a start on that this weekend, taking advantage of the stonking weather we are enjoying joining friends with kids the same age as ours at a nearby camp site.

The kids loved it and we have got some wonderful new memories to cherish as parents. Watching our baby girl crawl around in the grass just wearing her nappy covered from head to toe in chocolate biscuit, then dunking her in the washing up bowl to clean her up and cool her off.

Seeing our toddler tearing happily along the road on his little red scooter, stooping down in concentration to collect pretty duck feathers around the lake, kicking a football as hard as he could and whooping with delight as he rolled around in the grass wrestling with his friends.

The view from our breakfast table, and the van, was pretty spectacular too.

It was a weekend I will never forget, and hopefully one the kids will remember and cherish too.

My boy is already asking when is the van taking us all camping again!

Soon, son. Soon.

Commuter shed on wheels

Hi ho hi ho. It's back to work I go.

This week I rejoined the world of work after ten months off with my gorgeous babies.

I'm two days in. Tired, torn with guilt at not doing enough at home with the kids and not doing enough at work for my colleagues. I think I just need to learn to live with the guilt of being a working mum.

I tell you what though. It's nice to have proper conversations and a laugh about grown up things compared to endless renditions of 'horsey, horsey' or 'the wheels on the bus' and blowing raspberries.

Eating a meal with both hands and drinking a cup of tea while it's warm is a welcome novelty too.

Before heading back to work we decided to have a massive clear out.
The babies are growing fast and shedding a mountain of clothes,  toys and baby equipment behind them. A mountain the house can no longer comfortably conceal.

The plan...car boot as much as possible and put the money by for our upcoming family camping holiday.

Unfortunately we didn't shift half as much as we wanted too. Do you know how much people try to knock you down at a car boot?

Much of the morning's selling (which started at the unspeakable hour of 6am) went like this...

'How much for this?'

'Fiver' (Which is a bloody bargain for a virtually brand new baby walker)

'Will you take two?'

'No. It's a fiver.'

'Two fifty then?'

'No. It's a fiver...'

'Ok. Three?'

'No. A fiver. I've just set up. Make me an offer later.'

After a hard morning haggling we came back with at least half the stuff, but I couldn't face bringing it back into my slightly clutter clearer home until we could donate it all to the local charity shop.

Instead, it remained in the van, which is where is still remains. Our travelling shed on four alloy wheels.

Over the past two days our car boot cast offs have been keeping me company on my daily commute to work (on which I've scored two VW waves) jingling and jangling in the back.

I will get round to dropping it all off at the charity shop soon but the van is so spacious I hardly notice its there. I guess I just want to hang on to the vestiges of babyhood that little bit longer too...