I'm not quite sure where to start as it's been another very busy week so I'll just launch straight into it.
Last Monday we woke up in a hotel in Cambridge after our weekend at The Cambridge Folk Festival. We had had a fabulous time but were looking forward to going home and the week ahead. The trip home was uneventful and easy.
Tuesday came and I had agreed for friends to use the beach hut for the day. It's the first time anyone other than family has had it without me there and I wanted everything to go well. I needn't have worried. They were the perfect visitors and treated my little hut with the respect I feel it deserves! My day was really full of unpacking and washing our stuff from the festival trip and then thinking about packing for the next day because...
...on Wednesday I went with my four grandchildren and their Mummy to a yurt in East Meon where we were due to spend 2 nights! My daughter doesn't drive and I couldn't fit all 5 of them and me in my car so I picked up 2 the two granddaughters at lunch time, went food shopping, found the yurt, got checked in and unpacked.
I then realised just how basic the yurt was. The structure itself was fabulous and there was a woodburning stove, two double futons and a table and two bench seats. However, there was no cutlery, crockery etc so the girls and I drove down to the hut and picked up what I could from there.
By this point it was windy and raining and our planned barbecue for the evening was not going to happen. However, we were determined to have a good time.
Daughter and grandsons arrived later with Daddy who dropped them off and we attempted to settle down to the children's first camping experience.
Shortly after this my eldest granddaughter was sick twice. Anyone who knows me knows that I am hopeless around vomit or, at least, I used to be because it seems that I can now, at the age of 55, deal with it! We cleaned up our gorgeous girl who later fell asleep only to wake again being sick an hour or so later.
Things were a little stressful to say the least. Youngest grandson has started to crawl. A crawling baby and a woodburning stove is not a good combination. There were also wasps and bugs aplenty and it started to thunder and none of the children like thunder.
We bedded down for the night in our various combinations of sleeping partners. I was aware of all sorts of animals moving around outside the tent in the night and then, at about 5am, granddaughter number 2 was sick. And that, folks, is how we went on. Littlest grandson was sick all over his Mummy later in the day. Tensions were running high. We were all exhausted but at least the sun was now shining. However, we made the decision that we should pack up and go home. Poorly people feel better when they are in their own surroundings and so the children helped me repack what I had unpacked and unloaded the day before and we made countless trips with a wheelbarrow to load the car before going home.
Woodburning stove
A little early for blackberry picking but we tried!
Scooters in the woods
Wooden barn where we pretended to get married. I taught the children the tune of The Bridal March!
Haribo. Always a winner.
Not only did I deal with the sick situations with aplomb (!), I also had to deal with another phobia...rats. Yes, the bins at the 'campsite' were full and so I decided to put our rubbish in a big, heavy lidded wheelie bin. When I opened the lid there were at least 4 large brown rats rifling through the rubbish inside. I have no idea how the rats got into the bin and I don't wish to know either. All I do know is that I squealed, threw in my rubbish, slammed the lid down and got away from the bins as soon as I could.
So, a day earlier than expected and a little disappointed with the experience, I was back at home and unpacking yet again but I didn't really mind because......
.......on Friday I was going to HMV in Oxford Street where Frank Turner was playing a few songs to promote his new album. My daughter, mummy of the 4 little ones, had somehow got a ticket for she and I to attend. The tickets were free but there were only about 200 tickets maximum I would think so she was very fortunate to get them!
I got up on Friday morning, completely disorganised as usual, but excited for the day ahead. I had a panic about what I should wear (yes, really!!) and changed my top several times before giving myself a talking to about pulling myself together.
Because I had had such a busy week I really hadn't given the day ahead very much thought so I jumped in the car, drove to the station and got my tickets and boarded the train to Waterloo. En route my daughter texted to say that she had missed her train and would meet me at the event. I was unphased until I realised that I didn't know which underground lines to use to get to Oxford Street. That is the kind of detail that I usually clarify 10 times before leaving the house! Anyway, good old Google told me to use the Jubilee line to Bond Street which turned out to be perfect advice.
Daughter arrived at about 12.20 and we joined the queue at HMV and awaited the arrival of the star of the show.
Unfortunately, daughter was not feeling well. She was without any of her children for the first time in a very long time which would have been a bit of a break for her and we were looking forward to spending some time together. Unfortunately, she was succumbing to the sickness bug that her children had at the yurt and, just after Frank's set of 5 songs, she went to the loo and threw up. I was more than a little concerned as I knew we had a trip on an extremely hot underground to contend with to get back to Waterloo but she was adamant that she would be ok.....which she was! Happy days.
Not only were we privileged to see Frank live but he was also signing copies of his new album 'Positive Songs For Negative People' and I was hopeful of finally getting a photo with him. However, a few minutes before the gig we were told that there would not be any photos allowed. I was really disappointed and I didn't think that was like Frank Turner at all to be honest. He really seems to appreciate his fans (hence he replies to all emails he receives etc). Imagine then my delight and excitement when, after the show, a voice over the tannoy system told us that photos WOULD be allowed after all but we had to have our phones/cameras ready!!
After a good hour and more queuing patiently and with daughter throwing up just before we got to the front of the queue I finally got to meet my favourite musician and singer of the moment.
I was very, very calm and I didn't go blotchy!! I was SO excited and my heart was racing but I think I held my composure for as long as I had to!
Frank greeted us with open arms and a big smile. He signed our CDs and posed for photos and, while I don't usually post pictures of myself or family etc on this blog I think in this instance it can't do too much harm. I know that most people reading this will know me, see me on Facebook or what have you and will already have seen this but, just in case.......this is when I met Frank Turner!!!
And so, to Saturday, yesterday, when I had to spend the day in bed because it seems that I am not totally immune to viruses and bugs. Yes, folks. Nanny was poorly and had caught the sick bug from the children. I had to cancel our plans for the day including attending a birthday bbq that I was really looking forward to.
Today is Sunday, the sun is shining and I am feeling much better.
That, my friends, was my week in as few words as I could get away with.
Have a lovely day all.
xxxxx
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