Blowing in the Winds of Change

Good morning, :hello:

Phew - crazy couple of days! Images: Rain, rain and more pouring rain pounding on camper-van's roof; was every single holiday-maker in Cornwall visiting Eden at the same time? ..Felt like it; poor CD buffeted by a million legs rushing towards all the indoor areas. Getting soaked. Exhausted. Found a locals' pub with a kind landlord who let us stay in his car-park. Woke up to find ourselves surrounded by mourners arriving for a wake - shifted fast - more rain.. Bad visibility on roads with roundabouts every couple of minutes - which exit? Stop. Painkillers. Divo Four in charge:
"You're too tired, Mother - no more walking or we won't get to our next destination." He's right - sad to miss Helligan yet again but Joey's tip about slippery paths sealed the decision.
Crowded spray-bespattered motorway; why do people drive so dangerously close together? ..Leave a safe distance behind the vehicle in front and five cars swerve to fill it - aargh! :mad:
Pause at a service area with a humorous name I can't remember while DS cooks a meal - more painkillers then follow Snoopy's directions a hundred tedious wet miles to safety; friendly faces at last. Issued with wristbands in blue, silver and gold - how is CD supposed to wear hers (- a dilemma we have yet to solve!)?
Park in the dark, on slippery long grass - will campervan sink before we can sort ourselves out in the morning? A midnight visitor; yup we're in the wrong place:
"'Tents only' here, Missus. Ok for tonight but could you move over by the fence first thing tomorrow." Anything you say, mate - just please let me sleep on this flat bit for now.

Blessings be; dawn through the roof-light shows a square of rushing clouds with blue patches scattered liberally - it's stopped raining, hooray! Sleep has fled but nobody else is awake yet - I love this time. Rolling parkland stretches into the distance, dotted with magnificent trees. Beyond the fence a race-track, on this side a few tents and campervans scattered around, plenty of lush green grass between 'em. Ha - that won't last long!
Wriggle feet into soaking wet shoes, make mental note to visit J's wellie-boot stall at the earliest opportunity - better investigate 'the facilities' before the morning rush [;)]..

Good morning, :hello:

Thanks for popping in, everyone who has done so over the past few days.. Sorry but can't spend much time scrolling back and forth to respond to all comments because heavy cloud and rain yesterday means am a tad short* on solar-battery power.
(* That's an understatement! ).

joeyjimbles wrote: »

I'm so sorry that you missed Helligan again - I feel a bit guilty that it was because of my comment, but I know that when we last visited with my parents, my mother had to keep firmly between DS1 and OH so she could grab either on some of the slippier slopes and it had only been showery the day before. I do hope you'll get there before long.

Please don't feel guilty, Joey; it's really not your fault that I've been overdrawing my energy-banks since leaving The Nest!
Divo Four was quite correct when he insisted we should turn around, abandoning the trip to Helligan. I was already so tired it was verging on being unsafe to drive, and am used to having to make choices about which activities are achievable and what is simply stupid to attempt, when deciding how to spend m' limited daily "spoons".
As it was, had to use m' cane when walking and return to bed after each of three short wanders around site with CD yesterday. Did revive enough to put dinner in the oven while DS4 was at the stewards' induction meeting though - so count the day a resounding success (by ME standards ).
Found some old friends, met our temporary neighbours for the week, and CD began collecting new fans (she is such a popular girl, wherever we go! :rotfl: ..Must say she's looking stronger and healthier with each day that passes; she still loves travelling it turns out, although am certain being away from the Spanish summer heat is helping a lot ).

milasavesmoney wrote:

CD's wrist band can be hooked through the collar. It will be stunning.

Yesterday I just carried CD's gold band (trust her to be given a gold one - very appropriate for such a princess! ). Having had near-disasters in the past with dogs almost strangling themselves when they've got caught up on an unexpected hazard, I now only use 'easy-release' collars - anyone could get CD's off with a quick tug.
But some people have smuggled their pets onto site - there are already more here than the total number of available dog-tickets - so this morning I've reinforced CD's ID and sewn it on to her harness [which is definitely not easy or quick to remove]; hopefully that will keep it safe, and her 'legal'.

Hello Sparky - now a fellow dog-owner; well done - you're in for so much fun over hopefully many years to come!
Glad you've 'found' m' new diary - missed you too (gave you a wave as we drove towards the Severn Bridge the other night, lol).

Right. Must stop typing, give the solar panel a chance to charge lappy properly, and put away the last batch of groceries we picked up just before arriving here.
Later today we are looking forward to something of a family reunion because DS3 & GGF, and DSD1 plus family are all inbound - but at the moment there's only enough room for two people to sit down in campervan comfortably..
Do hope DSD1 brings her own vittals, but feel relieved Divo Four spotted a 'Calor Gas Here' sign at a garden centre - allowing us to replace the empty bottle - and thence guarantee supplies of hot tea.

Spends:
Gas - £23.05 (I think?).
Groceries for four / Dawg food / a bottle or six for the booze drinkers - £60