Camping O'Clock

Eventually, after a manic day that was very unlike a holiday for Husband he managed to put the tent up and start the fire pit. And suddenly everything changed...

Firstly the girls were super excited and enthusiastic but I also noticed a change in myself - Mrs I don't do Camping. I noticed things slow down and we all relaxed. I'm not sure if it was the fresh air or watching the hypnotic flames but suddenly none of us wanted to leave.

The rest of the evening was conducted out doors. We roasted marshmallows. We enjoyed a campfire Apero and chose to simplify dinner and  ate sausage and fried onion sandwiches outside instead. We made s'mores for dessert. We told scary stories by the fire. The girls went exploring in the dark corners of the garden (braver than I am!). It was quite simply a very lovely and memorable evening.

We settled down into the tent at about 9pm to watch a film on the iPad which was soon abandoned. We settled down to sleep and I nodded off straight away. But the night was long and we woke several times, all the while feeling slightly amused and whispering conspiratorially to each other. There wasn't the usual "I can't sleep" complaints. It was a relaxing environment despite the lack of comfort. The moon was bright and gave the gentle glow of a night light inside the tent. I felt safe. I listened to the new night noises and wasn't terrified!! It was all rather unlike me, calm, composed and cosy. Not how I imagined my first night in a tent. Even as lay awake it was a soothing sensation and my mind was not running wild it was just enjoying the moment. 

I noticed the drop in temperature at about 4am and by 6am I was awake and ready to get up. And get up we all did and snuggled into are indoor beds for another couple of hours of luxurious sleep... it was heavenly!!

Then came breakfast. The campfire was lit and husband dug out his old camping stove and make scrambled eggs for him and the girls. It was a leisurely breakfast. Again time seemed to slow down. We didn't hurry to get the day started, we sat around and talked, listened and joked. It was 11am and the fire was dying when the spell was broken and reality kicked us into action. 

It was less than 24 hours and yet I felt so happy that morning. Despite the new lock down restrictions we'd found a way to try something new, to live a new experience and create a thousand new memories all in the safety of our garden.