Monday 12 July 2010

Tents and tankinis



Thought I'd give you all a quick flash of my "Fun in the Sun" picture that's gone into our local ABC magazine, along with a written bit. If you want to read more, pick up a copy!


Back to the here and now, and what a summer it's been already! We've barely set foot inside our house the last few weeks; we eat outside, play outside, Diva even wees outside in the nearest available receptacle - usually the paddling pool (although I was impressed by a precision pee, when she managed to fill a small bucket).
Batboy's also got a new summer game lined up for his play dates called 'Naughty Superheros'. He ran the rules by me, which are basically "you have to be nudie rudie" and a vague game-plan of fighting badies. It's a win-win scenario if you ask me, you disarm the bad guys by being nude and you don't have to wear a sweaty all in one suit in 25 degree heat.
It was all going so well but we must have had too much sun as we decided we need to sleep outside too and signed up to go camping.
We find camping is a bit like having babies; time seems to erase the pain and sleepless nights and you find yourself one merry evening saying, "yeah, lets do it again, why not, it'll be fun".
So last Saturday we found ourselves (a day late due to Mr B's workload) at a campsite on the hottest day of the year. All our lovely, die-hard friends had already done 24 hours and ordered in the Pimms. In very British style we settled down with a saucepan full of Pimms and lemonade and endured the heat, while the kids happily ran ferral.
We did discover a swimming spot in the nearby river, which completely saved the day and cooled us down but the kids wouldn't go near it. There was a touching moment when Mr B swam down the river and disappeared round the corner. Diva declared in a matter of fact manner, "Oh, Dad's gone. I loved Dad."
Much to her delight he made a grand return two minutes later when his legs started going numb, and then it was my turn. I was a little torn as I was desperate to swim but it would mean revealing what I have recently dubbed my 'reverse tankini'. You basically tell yourself you can still get in a bikini after two kids but you pull the pants up so high over your tummy to hide it, they nearly touch the top. I can only get away with this for another couple of years before my kids are genuinely mortified by my appearance.
Skip to the end of the day and the kids are finally asleep by ten, when our evening starts dangerously late considering we're woken twice in the night and then start the day with the birds.
Hangover and sleep deprivation aside, it was lovely and we did laugh round the campfire that night, which I know we'll remember next year when we dig out the tent. For now, things are back to normal. Just this afternoon I overhead Batboy asking Diva to stop kicking him in the face. "I'm not kicking you in the face, I'm kicking you in the head" was her reply. Somehow, this is all more tolerable for being outside. Long may the summer last.