A Celebration Weekend | Wild Camping with Friends

Last weekend we finally got around to celebrating Mr D hitting a massive age milestone.

His actual birthday was back in March; but our idea of a little wild camping party with friends wouldn’t have been such a success with the temperatures in the minuses, and snow on the ground.

That said, a couple of week’s ago, the weather was so appalling — with a month’s worth of rain in just one week — that we almost cancelled. I’m so glad we didn’t.

We’d chosen midsummer’s weekend and in my mind’s eye I could see a gaggle of merry, tousle-headed children — running like wild things in the long grass — whilst their happy parents looked on.

Relaxed and contented under a vast blue sky; pocked with fluffy ‘Simpsons’ style clouds.

The poor weather that we’d been experiencing, certainly didn’t feature in my reverie so — in the week leading up to our little shindig — I spent quite a lot of time sending little requests to the universe for blue sky.

And sun-dancing like a mad-woman, when I had a spare minute.

It seems that my pleas didn’t go unnoticed and the weather report for last weekend promised the sunshine that I’d been praying for.

Wild Camping

We’ve been on lots of different campsites, since we had Dolly 1 and Dolly 2.

Everything from festival fields (no electric hook-up or water), to very smart, organised campsites, with showers, shops and swimming pools.

But there’s non I like more than our friend’s farm. We’ve been there many times over the years; both pre and post kids.

Camping there is very special indeed.

We’re lucky enough to have access to electricity (no hook up but enough to power a blender) — so technically not totally wild camping — plus a long-drop loo, and an unbeatable view.

We took seven families along with us and it was exactly as I’d pictured in my head.

The happiest weekend, hanging out with old friends and new. Our kids blending beautifully, running wild and free, swimming in the lake and having adventures in the little row-boat.

It was Swallows and Amazons come to life — and exactly the kind of thing I dreamt of doing when I was a child.

[wc_row]

[wc_column size=”one-half” position=”first”]

[/wc_column]

[wc_column size=”one-half” position=”last”]

[/wc_column]

[/wc_row]

On Being Grateful

There are certain times in life when I feel so lucky to be alive.

I try to practice mindfulness and gratitude on a daily basis but life is often so hectic that I sometimes forget or don’t really take everything in.

Last weekend gave me the perfect opportunity.

I had time to just sit and watch. To surround myself with lovely, like-minded humans in some of the most beautiful countryside that the earth has to offer.

To thank my lucky stars for the two little humans who call me mummy and the lovely man that made me his wife.

To count every single one of my blessings and soak in everything I hold dear in life.

I’ll make no apologies for this gushy post. I’m so thankful for this little online space — my virtual diary — where I can keep memories like this alive.

So that in the future, when perhaps things may not be as rosy, I can look back on this and remember how fortunate I have been over my life.

How lucky I am to have memories like this.

How my ordinary life has brought such extraordinary good fortune and happiness.

And how camping is always made better by cocktails and good company.

PS — someone pointed out the intentional error on my film last night… I put quarter century birthday weekend, as I couldn’t bring myself to put half.

Still can’t quite get over that my big man-shaped boy is that old.

He’ll be forever 25 in my eyes.