What's the Story in Dalamory » campervan

Taking a break

freda — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 10:23:55 +0000

It’s been quiet for a few days so you may have guessed that I was away in the campervan and out of internet range. It’s lovely to have a different view, but it is also good to have time unable to access the web. To make matters even quieter the radio wasn’t working either. True there was a shop with newspapers – but that news was a day old, so why bother!

Usually we camp out of season, but this week was in the middle of the English school holidays, so there were loads of children. Not a grey head to be seen.

Have a good weekend.

Travelogue

freda — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 20:04:16 +0000

The good thing about travelling by campervan is that you cart your holiday goods and chattels along with you. Lunch can be a choice of a layby next to a field full of wheat dotted with poppies, or a pub lunch in a garden. Following the sun is the main aim of this couple of weeks. It seems trite to go on and on about the weather, but it is true that in May 2010 Dalamory had 46.77mm (2 inches of rain) whereas this year (2011) it was 390.6 (almost 16 inches.) In other words we have been suffering badly from too much rain and wind. So you can imagine that a few days of sunshine followed by sun and thunder-plumps has seemed idyllic.

So far adventures have included:

Walks on an adjacent beach
Watching wildlife in the raw – a cygnet snatched by a gull
Admiring a cliff of kittiwakes amidst their noise and quarrels
Misty going for Day Care and pampering; tea-tree shampoo smells great
Adults having a day out at Alnwick Gardens and Castle
Putting the warm fleeces away
First class steak and warm French wine

And lots more to come no doubt. The Day Care was a particularly good idea. Castles and Gardens tend not to allow dogs other than Assistance Dogs. Misty may consider herself our carer, but she does not have the appropriate uniform. It has been too hot to leave her in the campervan, so a pamper day was the ideal solution. Unfortunately, I am unable to do the photos yet, but will do a holiday compendium at a later day. Cascades ie water fountains and displays, seem to be the next new thing. There is something so soothing about water – both the noise and the display.

Still to do before moving on: more gardens, a bus ride – first for Misty -and a dog-friendly lavender farm. Happy holidays to those still waiting to go.

Stressometer and Camping

freda — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:28:59 +0000

My stressometer has been into the red this week. As well as the credit card problem there have been a couple of extra biggies. I’m not going to bore you with them as I am doing the best I can to zone them out. However, I was interested to read that people who go camping, caravanning or go away in a motorhome are significantly less stressed and also much more happy than those who don’t.

Ta-da…… the proof that we are supposedly happier than we would have been had we not been happy campers. Of course it is impossible to prove that as a fact, but the Camping and Caravanning Club (UK) have indeed done a survey looking at attitudes of those who do and those who don’t

The current Prime Minister, Yes, I do know who he is – David Cameron – (so I presumably do not have Alzheimer’s,) says that as a country the UK should be more interested in what he calls Well-Being rather than Gross Domestic Product. In other words, he states that GWB is more important than GDP. I do wonder whether this is showing a touch of paranoia or desperation. After all he is campaigning against his Deputy Prime Minister (Nick Clegg, in case you have forgotten who he is, which wouldn’t be surprising….) with regard to the type of voting that will apply in General Elections. And the recovery from the recession is wobbly at least. OK we have the Royal Wedding next week, but rising prices, job losses and the impact of cuts on the most vulnerable are very worrying.

I wonder if Cameron goes camping? Or maybe he should go camping?

What strange thoughts for Good Friday. At this time of year, ie before Easter Day, I used to struggle to find an appropriate message to share with people. The best I can do this year is to recognise that there are invariably hard times in all our lives. The message of this day is that, no matter our faith (or lack of it) we are somehow never alone. And it is definitely true that being in the outdoors means we can appreciate creation and the beauty that just happens every year at Springtime.

Back at home

freda — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:35:31 +0000

In case you hadn’t guessed we had taken advantage of the good weather to go travelling. This is a shot of HBTW and Misty taken at the southern tip of Loch Lomond.

We started off in the campervan last week in rain and drove east towards the good weather. Edinburgh was not a success, much time was spent driving round in circles trying to find the Royal Yacht Britannia and somewhere near to park. It was all roadworks, closed carparks and noisy machinery, so in the end we gave up, found a quiet spot and brewed up. That’s one of the advantages of having your travelling base with you.

A couple of days later, in brilliant April sunshine we set off south to the Borders. It’s amazing how everything looks better in good weather. I am pretty sure that many of the problems we have in Scotland are caused by incessant rain and lack of sun. Still, too much heat brings scorpions and flying things that bite and sting, and snakes, and alligators……..

But there’s nothing to beat Loch Lomond……. and coming back towards home.

Amazing or what?

freda — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:09:41 +0000

Thanks to Julie for posting this on her facebook page.
What are your thoughts on this? Note to any grandchildren straying onto this page today: – Don’t try it!

You can read an interview with Danny here.

Taking a break (5)
Travelogue (6)
Stressometer and Camping (8)
Back at home (9)
How to get the most of going to see the optometrist (6)

How to get the most of going to see the optometrist

freda — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 06:13:45 +0000

It was our yearly visit to the optometrist this week, so we declared it a Day Out. This, then is how to get the most out of going to get your eyes tested.

Choose an optician you know well and who knows you, if possible a relative.
Declare it a Day Out and go in the campervan.
Take a generous picnic of biscuits, cheese, chocolate and soda drinks. Remember to pack the milk in the fridge for coffee later.
Make sure you have good company.
Take a camera and aim for some unusual shots.
Arrange for your optometrist’s clinic to be in a scenic seaside town with a pretty harbour. (Tarbert, Loch Fyne)
Walk off the pupil-opening drops by laughing hilariously round the local craft shops and holding onto your partner. Hint – don’t lose the dog at this point.
Finish off the day with a meal out in a good hostelry in another seaside town – Inveraray – only half an hour from home.

Finally, collapse in front of the television and watch wall to wall American detective shows. Couldn’t be better.

Long Weekend Break

freda — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:01:19 +0000

We are just back from a long weekend to Carradale, halfway down on the west side of the Mull of Kintyre. It is in the same county we live in – Argyll – but it seems almost like another country. The main reason for this was the road we chose to take; most direct, certainly, but what one would call a challenge in terms of potholes, being barely even single-width and with gradients that had me hanging on for dear life…… Him Behind the Wheel did sterling stuff as driver. I was too chicken; indeed my part was to hang on tight, hold my breath on the downhills and squeak at the appropriate times.

The campsite is managed for the Caravan Club to a very high standard. The best way to describe it is to say it is a Links Site. (In fact there is a small golf course nearby.) Gorse, bracken, rhododenrons and wild flowers make for attractive windbreaks, and give the sense of becoming part of the countryside.

We ate a lot, didn’t drink too much, read books, walked the dog and played rummikub. Excellent stuff. The photos give a wee flavour of the place.

Serendipity

freda — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 10:57:10 +0000

Took advantage of the beautiful weather and went away in the campervan for a few days. All round Morven and over the ferry to Mull. One adventure we could have done without was damaging the waste water pipes going on to the Lochaline ferry. Another emergency call to the plumber for help. Catching up now with general chores, gardening and paperclog.

A wet dog

freda — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 06:45:08 +0000

Guess who likes joining in with washing the campervan.

Sailors’ Tales

freda — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 06:15:50 +0000

The salty sailors are safely home and the animals have been telling them lots of stories. It has been good fun listening to all the sailing tales and it brings back happy memories. However, the advantages of the campervan have much to recommend them. The old bones get more susceptible to the cold and wet.

Off for a few days travel tomorrow. Where we go depends on the weather.

What's the Story in Dalamory » campervan

Taking a break

Related Posts

Travelogue

Related Posts

Stressometer and Camping

Related Posts

Back at home

Related Posts

Amazing or what?

Related Posts

How to get the most of going to see the optometrist

Related Posts

Long Weekend Break

Related Posts

Serendipity

Related Posts

A wet dog

Related Posts

Sailors’ Tales

Related Posts