Yes I do, no I don't, yes I do

I do like camping. I do. I don't particularly like packing all the equipment together and squeezing it into the car but I do like camping. I don't particularly sleep very well when camping especially when someone plays music late into the night but I do like camping. It annoys me when everything gets untidy in the tent but I do like camping. I don't like it when it rains but I do like camping. I don't relish taking the tent down and squeezing everything back into the car and then drying everything out when I get home but I do like camping.



Camping near Austwick, Yorkshire Dales

There are so many things that I don't really like about camping that I never should go at all. But last weekend we went camping and it reminded me why it is worth the effort. We got to stay for two nights in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales quite cheaply; my children spent all their time playing in the stream in front of our encampment; I had a lovely giggle with my children, my brother, my niece, my cousin, my second cousin (is that what the daughter of my cousin is called?) and all their lovely partners. Even my husband who does not like camping at all had a little giggle and came for one night. I love to sit down in front of the tent, soaking in the view (not the rain this trip) and enjoying the adventure.

Evening vista
 

Yes I do like camping.....as long as it is for no longer than two nights and there is a shower block and it's a very very quiet campsite.....oh and the sun shines. I do I do I do......don't I!?

Escaltorgate

My eight year old got his shoe laces stuck at the bottom of the escalator (moving pavement not stairs) in our local supermarket last week. I should add before I go on that at no point was he in danger. I duly pressed the emergency stop. A very kind lady then went back into the supermarket to get help.

Two supermarket ladies came running at full speed. I think they must have heard 'child', 'escalator', 'stuck' and let their imaginations run wild as they did come running very quickly indeed. They were just lovely. After my son extracted his foot from the shoe, the escalator was reversed and the laces released. My son was quite shaken I think although he didn't let on. My son was a little embarrassed too although he didn't let on. Anyway he has spent the time since dining out on his escalator experience, bigging it all up for his audiences.

Lessons learnt
Lesson 1: the ladies at the supermarket are lovely and are very good at dealing with laces in escalator situations - I think I will write a letter to thank them.
Lesson 2: I used to spend quite a lot of time telling my son to retie his shoe laces before escaltorgate but strangely since then I have not had to.
Lesson 3: My son informs me that we cannot go back to the supermarket ever again unless we are in disguise.