OK so I’m not as organised as last year, Pete and Small Boy are off tomorrow and we’ve only just started thinking of packing, unlike last year when this was all new and exciting. The problem is now I think that I’ve done it once so this year is going to be a breeze, apart from I can’t remember what on earth I packed last year so desperately looking for a cold beer as that will surely put in the mood and help me remember, yes?
Essentials have been put out for packing – new, cool, espresso gadget for show off coffee maker is packed, that’s me sorted. Small boy is very disappointed at the knowledge that there are ‘SHOWERS’, we’re in Camping Plus this year, last year we were in trog camping and found loos but nothing else. We’d meet up with our friends (in camping plus) who had wet hair and query whether it had been raining in their part of the campsite, they’d reply ‘we had a shower’ to which we’d look at them dimly muttering something about us being the great unwashed in trog camping. This means negotiating with a small boy who’s idea of joy at camping is inability to wash, he’ll be disappointed.
I have my flash mic, in lovely bright pink pouch, very girly and sweet. The show this year is all about eating ‘proper’ food and doing ‘proper’ cooking at a festival, food that the children will eat too. That’s in the next blog.
About to drag children upstairs to pack, wonder if I’m going to have a repeat of last year’s packing crises…… halving the clothes that medium sized girl is taking and had meltdown over her iphone and conversations along the lines of :
‘you won’t have coverage’ – ‘you’re taking yours, you wouldn’t do that if there wasn’t coverage’ – last year was brilliant, there was no coverage at all on the site as it’s in a hollow, only signal is in the tent, as we’re not intending being there much there won’t be any point checking the phones or having them around. I relaxed so much last year as no one could get hold of me so I was blissfully unaware of any crises going on back in the office.
‘there’s no way of charging it’ – ‘yes there is, there’s wifi and charging in the press tent’ – hmm, the children know I have bought a solar charger this year so not getting away with that excuse.
‘you won’t need to call, text or email anyone’ – ‘my friends will want to know what I’m up to and it just CAN’T wait until Monday’. Yeah right, the texts last year took 8 hours to get through. We’d text a friend to say meet you at the Big Top at 2pm and they’d get the text at 9pm that evening. Resorted to arranging for one of the adults to be on the Castle steps on the hour every hour to meet the kids if they’d gone off on their own somewhere – good, old fashioned meeting up techniques, no new fangled mobiles with no reception here.
‘well I’ll have to take my ipod instead’ – ‘you’re going to a music festival, there’s lots of live music, you won’t have time to listen to your ipod’ current argument is so that they can practice the songs before seeing the bands.
Small boys suitcase has been emptied of lego, DS games and pokemon cards so there is now room for more than 1 pair of pants in there plus other clothes. Had the conversation again about it being quicker just to wear the clothes he travels down in, sleep in them and just get straight up the next day, repeat until Monday – he’s taking at least 2 changes of clothing, under duress.
Haven’t tackled teenager’s bag, that’s for tomorrow after some sleep.
My packing – I’m not going down there until Friday morning with the girls so haven’t even thought about that, will do a coating of St Tropez to do tonight and ponder on shoes, probably my DMs, shorts, false eyelashes, mirror to put false eyelashes on with in the tent, sun cream, strappy tops, that should do me. Bless them, they’re already unhappy as they’ve seen the suitcases so I have two stressed out labradors who will be howling at our bedroom door tonight being needy.
Beverley Glock is a food writer and broadcaster, she is the founder of Splat Cooking, her first book ‘500 baby and toddler foods’ is published on by Apple Press and her APP ‘Cupcakes, Muffins and Afternoon Tea’ is on sale on the APP store for iPad with the iPhone version due release in August 2012.