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Tuesday 2 August 2011

I am not an axe murderer

We've been away. We packed the tent up and we went to Northumberland, for a week mainly of looking at books and gardens and complaining about how cold it was. This, for us, was a perfect combination.

 (Traditional midsummer dish of warming stew)

We met up with Driftwood - you may already have seen the beautiful pictures of roses on her blog. I have one picture of a rose.


But then the camera was taken away. I now present to you the Littlest Latte's documentation of our morning out with Driftwood.




It's often only with a bit of breathing space that you can get a real sense of a holiday. Each one reminds you of something you are missing - for me, this time, it was the time spent reading books aloud as a family that I enjoyed the most.

(Because of this, we especially enjoyed watching a couple in a caravan opposite spending two hours trying to set up a satellite dish, before finally getting the Scrabble out. We're not wild campers by any means - we don't have a lovely bell tent and cook around a fire, but I made my own mind up about caravans many years ago. I did a lot of caravanning as a child, and firmly believe that once you open a cupboard to reveal a set of sherry glasses held into place by special clips, you are no longer allowed to use the phrase 'getting back to nature'.)

I might return to the holiday in a later post - to be honest, we have barely had time to look at our photographs. Normal life - and work - takes over again far too soon. My challenge for this summer is to try and carry something of 'holiday' throughout the children's break - something easier said than done.

15 comments:

  1. Hello missus. Seems like an age since I popped in here. Happy holidays x

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  2. Nice to 'see' you again! You too.

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  3. I have never done any caravanning, and I am shocked and rather amused to hear that sherry glasses are involved! I do remember that sherry was what used to be offered first to guests at my parents' house after 5pm. Sherry?

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  4. I have to drive up to Northumberland tomorrow. And back on Friday. Don't get me started - it's not my idea of fun. I'm sort of wishing we had a caravan so I could put the kids in it and not have to listen to their back seat squabbles all the way.

    Think zen like holiday thoughts with me. Ommmmmm

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  5. I have two young boys and last year was our first caravan holiday as a family. WE adored it. I would strugle to do without tv though. They're only 2 and 5 though, so very exhausting.

    M2M

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  6. marketingtomilk don't get me wrong, I enjoyed caravannning. It just seemed to get very competitive. We had a lovely battered little caravan with worn cushion covers, and we'd go round for a drink to these massive, palatial vans with an oven and these huge plush affairs to sit on, and feel a bit like church mice.

    I like the whole vintage caravan thing going on now - though I guess that's has a competitive touch of its own...

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  7. you are quite the nicest not axe murderer I've met! little lattes style is very unique, she could go far that one xxx
    hope you find a few precious breathing spaces during the rest of the hols.

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  8. Your comment about the sherry glasses had me snorting. I caravanned a lot as a child too and loved it. I have a very strong urge to do so again but No2 won't hear of it. Killjoy.

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  9. Ah, I wondered where you were. I last stayed in an Airstream in South Carolina, rather different from my first foray in Kent. Competitive caravanning? What a hoot!

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  10. Agree with dragonfly about the sherry comment! I should know not to drink coffee and read your posts. My kids loved tent camping! Now my son is an avid backpacker, but my daughter prefers dirt-free lodging.

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  11. Your littlest's photographs are uncannily like the ones my daughter takes. She did a whole series based around her feet.

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  12. Are you sure you're not an axe murderer? That final photograph is slightly disturbing.

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  13. That littlest tatte knows her stuff...my sister has gotten into somethin called lomography. The hip kids are kicking focus and composition out of the frame. Sorry about all the typos, iPad keyboard thingy is not my natural habitat.

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  14. Toffeeapple - aw, how kind of you to miss me. South Caroline does sound a bit more glam than Northumberland, now you mention it.

    I'm Crayon - I do wonder if the Lattes will react against camping in the same way I did against caravanning.

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  15. I can't wait to see more photos of your holiday.......I am glad to become one of your followers.

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