And so, last night we used Joni the beautiful camper van for the thing she is truly made for.
No, not that.
We went on an adventure.
Now, there is a difference between an adventure and an 'adventure'- the latter being the way in which Tom brands horrendous experiences where we drive round in the dark a lot, looking for somewhere to sleep.
Last night was somewhere inbetween.
As a reaction to doing lots of things all at once and being very busy all of the time, we decided to disappear for the night and go somewhere really peaceful, somewhere we could wake up in the morning and be aware of...nothing. It was going to be heaven.
After a brief chat with a friend recently who mentioned a lovely deserted beach in Kent, we decided to head there. In typical Frankland style, we didn't check the map VERY carefully, we didn't note down the address of any campsites and I didn't pack any socks.
We did, however, remember to roast a selection of vegetables to have with our camping cous cous.
On arriving on Sheppey Island, about 90 minutes away from home, we were surprised to find that it was a little bit like going on holiday in Croydon. Now, don't get me wrong, I like Croydon- it has a very nice if massively confusing shopping centre and I often end up meeting old friends unexpectedly at the train station. But it is not my first choice for a holiday destination.
If it wasn't for the football, I'd be very nervous about the sheer volume of England flags on the island, and there were lots of people shouting at each other in the car park at Tesco. It is fair to say that we were feeling a little nervous about finding somewhere to sleep.
After stopping in at various holiday parks, we once again fell victim to not driving a static caravan. It was reminiscent of a trip to Brighton during which we met the rudest woman IN THE WORLD EVER who was very mean about Joni as she didn't have Broadband or armchairs. When looking through campsite reviews, we tend to look for reviews that criticise the site for being 'a bit basic.' Not for the ones where the toilets have underfloor heating and Radio 2 piped into the shower block. (that was an actual place. Never, I repeat NEVER, go camping in Taunton)
As it began to get dark, and I began to lose my sense of humour (and the comfort of my feet due to the lack of socks) we eventually found a campsite with a little corner, just for us. It wasn't picturesque (although I THINK I could see the sea through some brambles, through the hedge, through some barbed wire, and through a line of static caravans) but it was just what we needed. A little corner, just for us.
When we go anywhere at all, I often imagine an aerial view. Last night I imagined in the aerial view that on the other side of the hedge there was the most beautiful campsite, a lush green field, apple trees, little pond,perfect sea view, deers wandering through the grass, free wine, fresh croissants for breakfast..that sort of thing. And there we were, on the other side of the hedge, parked very close to a bush that seemed to be producing mosquitos at an alarming rate, a toilet with no locks on and a skip that pigeons kept flying out of.
And you know what..
It was perfect.
Tuesday 22 June 2010
Sunday 13 June 2010
The Patch of Madness, the Cat Temple and the Upside Down Courgette
Hello campers (sorry, I just had to do that once, I won't do it again, I promise)
Despite the massive patch of overgrown madness and the fact that the shed that is leaning so much to the left I am nervous to even touch it for fear of being flattened, the garden is looking pretty wonderful at the moment.
The matchsticks seem to be deterring the cat from using the seedling area as the toilet, the spinach plant is now taller than Tom (yes, I know that's weird, and we're not entirely sure it's actually spinach, but we are eating it anyway) and the courgette that we accidentally grew upside down is flourishing beautifully, despite being the courgette equivalent of a hunchback.
The huge patch of flowery madness is in desperate need of an afternoon's attention-I KNOW there are some actual plants in there but at the moment they are difficult to spot amongst a frightening number of what I can only describe as 'unwanted weedy type green things.'
The biggest surprise of the last week was revealed when Tom cut back the ivy on the wall by the kitchen door. I love the ivy, but if we left it any longer, we wouldn't be able to get out of the kitchen. On cutting it back, Tom has uncovered a stone plaque on the wall, adorned with the facade of a house, with a cat on the steps to the door. Also on the facade, on either side of the door, are 2 areas for candles.
It is fair to say that this was the LEAST expected thing to find on a wall. It made me wonder if that is why our garden is attracting the evil cat from next door. Perhaps it has been lured there by some sort of cat spirit? If we light candles on it, will we attract cats from all of south east London? It's tempting to give it a whirl. Watch this space. And, watch your cat.
Despite the massive patch of overgrown madness and the fact that the shed that is leaning so much to the left I am nervous to even touch it for fear of being flattened, the garden is looking pretty wonderful at the moment.
The matchsticks seem to be deterring the cat from using the seedling area as the toilet, the spinach plant is now taller than Tom (yes, I know that's weird, and we're not entirely sure it's actually spinach, but we are eating it anyway) and the courgette that we accidentally grew upside down is flourishing beautifully, despite being the courgette equivalent of a hunchback.
The huge patch of flowery madness is in desperate need of an afternoon's attention-I KNOW there are some actual plants in there but at the moment they are difficult to spot amongst a frightening number of what I can only describe as 'unwanted weedy type green things.'
The biggest surprise of the last week was revealed when Tom cut back the ivy on the wall by the kitchen door. I love the ivy, but if we left it any longer, we wouldn't be able to get out of the kitchen. On cutting it back, Tom has uncovered a stone plaque on the wall, adorned with the facade of a house, with a cat on the steps to the door. Also on the facade, on either side of the door, are 2 areas for candles.
It is fair to say that this was the LEAST expected thing to find on a wall. It made me wonder if that is why our garden is attracting the evil cat from next door. Perhaps it has been lured there by some sort of cat spirit? If we light candles on it, will we attract cats from all of south east London? It's tempting to give it a whirl. Watch this space. And, watch your cat.
Sunday 6 June 2010
Work in Progress, Matchstick Deterrents and a Beautiful Blue Bike
And so, you may have noticed that I haven't blogged for a while. WHY WHY? I hear you ask. Calm down, I will tell you.
Well, it's because I have been making my first solo show- it's called 'Running on Air' and it's being premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in August.
I am very excited about it. So very excited. It's being performed to 5 people at once, who will be joining me in Joni, the most beautiful yellow camper van. I think she is excited too, although it is harder to tell.
Tom and I are making the show together, which is very lovely. And so, we spent 6 days in a windowless basement and emerged, blinking, like little moles from a burrow, with an idea of the show and how it works. It was the most wonderful of weeks.
During the week, in the brief, fleeting time we spent at home, we managed to get the vegetables into the garden. No longer will our bathroom be filled with containers full of soil. We set them free into the wilds of the garden, like taking our children to primary school for the first time.
Hopefully when we do take our children to primary school for the first time, we won't have to worry about cats defecating on them. Which is where the similarity ends.
Poor Juniper. Just as she's learned that we don't want her to use the lounge carpet as a toilet, we start being fussy about where she goes in the garden. Instead of
a) sitting in the garden all day and all night to stop her from going or
b) hiring someone to do this for us
we decided to adorn the garden with matchsticks. I honestly have no idea if this will work but it makes me feel better. Who wants to go to the toilet on something that has sharp sticks pointing out of it? Not me.
In other news, I bought my first bike as a grown up. I'd had enough of watching Tom sail off into the distance, pedalling like a smug, happy free spirit whilst I waited for the 343 for about an hour, getting more and more cross.
And so I bought Hercules. He is a blue 1960s pushbike and I love him. He is just shiny enough to be beautiful, and just battered enough to deter thieves. I am so very excited about spending the summer whistling my way down country lanes, feeling like I'm in a French film and laughing at people who are still waiting for the 343. Ah Ha ha ha ha...fools..
And as soon as I pluck up enough courage to actually go out on the bike, I'm sure this will all be very pleasant indeed.
Well, it's because I have been making my first solo show- it's called 'Running on Air' and it's being premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in August.
I am very excited about it. So very excited. It's being performed to 5 people at once, who will be joining me in Joni, the most beautiful yellow camper van. I think she is excited too, although it is harder to tell.
Tom and I are making the show together, which is very lovely. And so, we spent 6 days in a windowless basement and emerged, blinking, like little moles from a burrow, with an idea of the show and how it works. It was the most wonderful of weeks.
During the week, in the brief, fleeting time we spent at home, we managed to get the vegetables into the garden. No longer will our bathroom be filled with containers full of soil. We set them free into the wilds of the garden, like taking our children to primary school for the first time.
Hopefully when we do take our children to primary school for the first time, we won't have to worry about cats defecating on them. Which is where the similarity ends.
Poor Juniper. Just as she's learned that we don't want her to use the lounge carpet as a toilet, we start being fussy about where she goes in the garden. Instead of
a) sitting in the garden all day and all night to stop her from going or
b) hiring someone to do this for us
we decided to adorn the garden with matchsticks. I honestly have no idea if this will work but it makes me feel better. Who wants to go to the toilet on something that has sharp sticks pointing out of it? Not me.
In other news, I bought my first bike as a grown up. I'd had enough of watching Tom sail off into the distance, pedalling like a smug, happy free spirit whilst I waited for the 343 for about an hour, getting more and more cross.
And so I bought Hercules. He is a blue 1960s pushbike and I love him. He is just shiny enough to be beautiful, and just battered enough to deter thieves. I am so very excited about spending the summer whistling my way down country lanes, feeling like I'm in a French film and laughing at people who are still waiting for the 343. Ah Ha ha ha ha...fools..
And as soon as I pluck up enough courage to actually go out on the bike, I'm sure this will all be very pleasant indeed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
