Tent Sniffing for Beginners

I blame Prince. Sometimes it snows in April indeed. This year is one of those years. After the sudden death of Prince and the selfish realisation I'll never see him at a festival it was time to listen to lots of his music all over again. Snow...in April. Now we all know Prince wasn't singing about camping. But it's what I think about a lot, and I have been thinking that it's about time to get the tents down out of the loft to check them for any damage (moths and mould are the enemy here - and while I use insecticide blocks in the loft and I putt the tents away dry, I'm always nervous). Even the Mr who doesn't camp has said it's time I checked them, which really means having a mini festival in the garden with all the tents erected for a few days (maybe I should have invited friends?) And then today, 25th April, there is snow. It's crazy. Ah well, I've camped in cold and I've always wanted to camp in snow so I shall try not to be put off, thoug

This year I am off to the Curious Arts Festival again with DD. We went last year and found it an oasis of joy. This year we will be 'official' bloggers and so I need to make plans to review everything and not just snooze in the sun like a lazy warm dog. Curious Arts is a festival unlike others I go to. There is camping but many people choose to come only for the day, or stay nearby, as it's in the New Forest there are plenty of places to stay, but I imagine you would need to get booking now to ensure your spot. I camp of course. If pitching your own tent is not your thing, or you don't have a tent, you can still camp onsite using the ready pitched glamping option of Bluebell tents . Or try Tangerine Fields for a ready made festival tent experience. You can even take your camper van at no extra charge! Curious Arts seems more relaxed and has a more summer fete feel to it that a drunken music festival, but that is not a criticism! It's rather nice to know no on

When you go to a festival there are some things that are just essential. Everyone's essential products are slightly different of course. Some people favour comfort over weight or cleanliness over food, but for many of us there are just some things that are must haves and even if they are not essential they are jolly useful. When I started attending festivals in 2007 I had no idea what to expect. I hadn't been as a teen when you can get away with taking nothing except a tin of 'tobacco' and a fiver and trusting to the kindness of strangers, when you are a teen mud is fun to slide around in and wellies are for wimps, but in 2007 I was a grown up with a 6 year old in tow so I had to be slightly more sensible. I needed a tent for a start. I took a tent, beds, sleeping bags, a potty complete with disposable nappies (fabulously handy for a nighttime wee or when the toilets are just too vile to use - (you don't wear the nappy of course, you just use its super absorbent m

Some time ago I ranted a tad about behaviour at festivals. It is not difficult to have fun at a festival and ensure that everyone else has fun too. Sadly it's easy to ruin someone's day too. I have a couple of extra things to rant about after last years festival experiences. Trolleys. The first time I attended a festival no one (no really, no one) had a trolley, not the sort with 4 wheels that you use to transport all your stuff and later, your kids, anyway. As festivals became popular and more and more families attended trolley hire became a thing and then people moved onto buying their own (quickly realising that if you attend a few festivals the purchase pays for itself in the saving of hiring fees) I bought a trolley too after Camp Bestival and it's long walks from the car park via umpteen hills. But using a trolley in a crowded area is an art and you need to be polite, you do not have the right of way based on how many small people are in the trolley or how man

I'm starting the weekend pretty excited as I've been selected as one of the official Camp Bestival bloggers for 2016 (look over there on the right, I have a shiny new badge) and so I'm already planning and plotting...mostly I'm thinking about food! Camp Bestival say : Food has always been one of the shining stars in our firmament of fest-holiday frolics, so the Camp Bestival team are delighted to announce that there will be food adventures aplenty in Outer Space, with all manner of succulent delights lined-up for this year’s Feast Collective.  Supporting some of the best streetfood producers around, each and every one of the gastronauts joining us at Lulworth Castle this July is pushing culinary boundaries. We’ve also asked them to consider their STEPS (Sustainability, Traceability, the Environment and Provenance) , all making for what we think is the ultimate taste-fest, and the yummiest food you’re likely to encounter at a festival.  Heading up our Feast Colle

Ooh tis friday, and a chance question on twitter has me thinking about picnics! Someone asked about your favourite thing for a picnic, the one item that makes it perfect. I don't think I can narrow it down to one so I'm going with : Cheese Straws Cheese and pastry in one delicious hit. They travel well (assuming you don't crush them, but warm sun doesn't harm them) they are not messy to eat, and kids like them. Scotch eggs I like the mini ones with the egg scrambled in the middle. Simple to pop into your mouth and another great item for kids. Not so great in the sun, but in a cool box they will last until lunch with out going nasty. Olives I know some kids don't like them, but some do and I love them. DD has grown to love them and they are great with any other savoury food. Great for a snack and go nicely with wine Crisps Golden Wonder for preference and probably salt and vinegar (which I love with an egg sandwich). Though Marmite flavour are also

Eating outside doesn't have to be a grand afair. During the winter I have let the Outdoor Food on Friday linky lapse, no one except the very stupid or the very brave wants to sit out and eat in the rain, and I am neither. Now that the sun is shining again though, and the clocks have sprung forward giving us light longer into the evenings it seemed only fitting to bring back the feature. I'm hoping to get more of you to link up some useful recipes that we can all use when camping or just out enjoying the weather. One of the first things I tend to consume outdoors each year is a cup of tea or coffee. It doesn't seem like a big deal but the reasons for it are usually based on effort. Let me explain...I'll wait while you make tea...ready? OK .. at the start of spring my Dear Husband and I look upon the garden with some despair and have to venture out to do some post winter tidying. This year it involved some rotten tree stump removal, some apple tree branches sawn off, a