Tent - check. Food stuffs - check. Camping chairs - check. Bedding - oh, I forgot the bedding.
I think it is true to say that my mind never really recovered from pregna-brain and so I frequently forget quite important things but forgetting the bedding for camping is impressive even by my standards.
So, after the tent was up with nothing to go in it, instead of spending the afternoon exploring the site we were off to Millets and the half price sale. Then on to Tesco to get the matches, cutlery and dinner which I'd also forgotten. The first drops of rain appeared just as we left the car park and by the time we got back to the site, the wood we'd left out for the fire and the chairs strategically placed around it were all suitably soggy. But a bit of rain wasn't going to deter us hardy campers. Out came the firelighters, on came the rain macs (except for the 'Dad' - something that he forgot instead of me) and soon we were eating flame grilled sausages and drinking vino under a canopy of trees at our idyllic spot next to the river.
We virtually had the place to ourselves and it was beautifully unspoilt with a few yurts hidden among the trees and some low-hanging swings which Isla practised launching herself off. The eco-loo on the other hand was a bit too rustic even by my standards and I had to block from my mind the vision of maggots crawling around under the loo seat rim.
It didn't take long for the novelty of 'damping' to wear off and we decamped to the nearest pub. Isla was in her element, not only had she been able to stay up late running around the forest and eating sausages, now she was going to the pub at night and being introduced to the delights of Connect 4!
Her riotous singing did get us later evicted and I suspect the few other campers didn't appreciate her shouting 'wakey wakey' when we returned, but snuggling down in our sleeping bags, listening to the rain falling on the tent roof and Isla's gentle breathing next to me, made me feel like the luckiest mum in the world.
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