Summer Trip Update - Days 17 to 21

And so it seems we are well on the road trip now! I’ve bought the kids camper t-shirts with road trip on!

Our Uckfield friends waved us off from Thriftwood campsite near Sevenoaks and we started to pootle along on the M20 heading to Dover to catch the 1200 ferry to France. I couldn’t help but start smiling, especially driving through my home county. We should start to compile a soundtrack to the holiday!

So we arrive at Dover happy as anything, plenty of time to change some money, freshen up, have a coffee, buy a magazine (I bought Q incidentally… summer highlights plus 25 year anniversary celebrations…reminiscing when Spike Milligan interviewed Van Morrison for instance, along with an album review of REM’s brilliant Life’s Rich Pageant along with interviews with Mumford and Sons and Arcade Fire…they played Hyde Park on the 30th June. :-(   (That would have rated very highly on my must-see gig list.)

I digress!

And so we hit our next hiccup with Betty, Yes, it appears it continues. I kept this quiet (this is for the benefit of my Dad!) as it would be all I could do to stop him driving to Dover to come and get us and drive the van into the Channel I think. Well, if I haven't driven her in there myself.

The bus would not start when it was time to embark. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Our resident mechanic (whom I’m thinking of asking to be my Facebook friend as we seem to spend so much time speaking with him!). He guided the Captain (who was probably cursing his inferior lack of spanner/screwdriver set-ownership at this point) on how to check the connections from the solenoid to the starter motor and how to short it to see if the engine will turn over. Engine was fine (which was the issue last year)...

...so the very nice AA man was called out. He checked the ignition barrel, it was seized, probably welded itself in place over 40 years. He showed us how to hotwire my van! We obviously missed the 1200 but made the 1400 ferry. She’s feeling a little temperamental at this stage to me (much like I am to be honest…) ... last year’s shenanigans aside.

Destination: De Lilse Bergen campsite in Belgium.

We arrived after a lovely couple of hours driving. I waited in the van in the car park and kept the engine running. I was asked to turn the engine off by a rather irate lady but I had to tell her I couldn’t as it probably wouldn’t start again. So I drive around the carpark waiting for hubby to check in. Combining the facts that he was taking ages and that I thought I was seeing engine fumes in the back, I turned off the ignition.

It wouldn’t start again.

Hotwiring = 2 sparks and nothing else except a fuming husband who couldn’t look at me for fear of throttling me I feel. Correct me if I’m wrong darling… ;-x

We were towed to a temporary spot at 2230…by a golf buggy. At least there weren’t too many people to have a double- and triple-take. Like there were at 1000 the next morning when said golf-buggy came to repeat the procedure to get us to our booked spot. I was wheeling the luggage alongside it. Oh I laughed… :-/

Anyway, long story short, we managed to start to relax…although I had a migraine…One of the super staff at the site called the garage in his town and a mechanic came out the next day. He did his magic and she was brought back to life again.

We were even brave enough to venture into the nearest town, a rather run-down Gierle. We found a supermarket and stocked up. We happened to be in the only supermarket in town and the one that didn't take visa, mastercard or the topped-up currency card from Travelex. I had to stay in the shop whilst hubby ran in the rain to the nearest ATM.

As an aside, I have never seen such a high number of cows in the fields here. But the campsite shop and the supermarket did not stock fresh milk. ????

Still here...?

I think so.

Maybe in body, maybe not in spirit!

Where has the time gone since I last posted? The last one being the last day of hubby's Everest Base Camp trip. I've always had the blog in my mind but I have everything and nothing to write about it seems! Well, I seem to have expended myself writing about hubby's adventures up a little hill! I just have nothing to say, espeically after writing about trekking to EBC! When I think of something to say it's usually on a subject I don't really want my blog to be about... Plus I haven't really had the impetus or the time...


Key points in the Mitchell shack:

* Another dear friend in Oman is preparing to up and leave back to the UK (a post on that later);
* Back at Boot Camp. Ouch, it's hot. 38-42C at 07.45. Hoping it'll get the endorphins going again;
* Only one migraine in 4 months. Is masha'Allah the right phrase to use here??? I haven't been taking the supplements or the chili tea regularly, maybe not-so-regularly is enough...?
* It was the Vesak full moon last night (it looked gorgeous last night. I took a few pictures but was rushing so nothing to do it justice)...went to a meditation class to take try and experience the extra energy..I didn't experience anything out of the ordinary and in actual fact it was just nice to stop and focus on one thing.
* Made an evening dress for me and in the middle of one for my friend. I L-O-V-E it when the creative flow finds me! I'm painting again too!

So even the above is already out of date - Vesak was mid May! And the last session of Boot camp was today! And I had another migraine....

Might just post this and start afresh! Missed you all, hope you're all ok.

Right, off to update myself with all your news!

Day 4 of Boot Camp

Easy peasy! Although I was a bit worried about it as I had had the migraines after Day 3 but I had half a litre of water pre-work out and then 1 litre during. I was originally trying to avoid the full bladder and running off to the bushes/into the sea mid-stomach crunch but hey, that's nothing to make sure I'm hydrated! I'm hoping it was just dehydration so I can deal with it.

Well, maybe the 'easy peasy' is being a bit cocky! My stamina has increased a little for sure but some exercises I just can't do and fall in a heap laughing and panting. Still, at least I can see if I have improved by session 17, ready to kick some Canadian/Kiwi/Aussie/Austrian/Scottish/South African backside (albeit rather toned and lovely backsides by then!) during session 18.

I've got plans tomorrow so will have to go to the evening session. So I'll miss my lovely ‘venn’, Ingebjorg [not real name, just loved it!]. I wonder if the girl who looked like she was going to face-plant me will be there…

I’m going to get some more supplements that will hopefully help with my migraines. I’m on 5HTP, Starflower Oil (for those female ‘moments’!) and I’m going to get some Magnesium. I still have Cayenne Pepper tea every now and then…I took it when I had my last migraine come on and, although it didn’t knock it on the head (‘scuse the pun…) I think it lessened the impact. I’ll stick with it at least, probably too nervous not to!

Garden update mid-December

The lemon tree is loved by the butterflies and so we have one caterpillar chomping his/her way through the leaves. We are going to buy another plant to put him on so we can protect the lemon tree. I could do with some sort of net/cover so that we can watch the caterpillar go into its cocoon and hopefully emerge. How cool! I have never seen that happen! The joys of having children include discovering new things or rediscovering the things you saw or knew years ago! I remember when Bear was about 2 years old we went for a little walk to Ringle’s Cross. She’d hear birds tweeting in the trees…we stopped and looked up and watched and listened. I actually stopped. And watched. And listened. Heartlifting!

I digress!

I am making a cover for the gazebo frame. Pink and green. I was hoping to sew a couple of pictures of Ben 10 and Princesses in the roof panels (trying to make it appeal to all the kids in the 'hood), can’t find anything suitable as yet.

The grass is coming along nicely if a little patchy! It’s up to Bear’s ankles in one part! Will post pictures soon - they're on the other 'puter.
Update: it's patchy because we're watering it too much!

Migraine update – I’m dosing up on cayenne pepper and/or cayenne pepper tea. This really seems to give me a boost. 5htp at bedtime, Starflower Oil and Vitamin B. And the all important meds, thanks Mama! Desperately trying to find the answer…