two frugal years to freedom: a fritterer's tale

lobbyludd

am off tomorrow LOL. have been dodging the "showers" to pack the car and we are just clothes, tech, wet weather activities and coolbag to go in.

I've remembered to pack it for wet weather set up:

*tent the MOST accessible thing instead of needing to get everything else out in the rain before the shelter can be found LOL.

*tent pegs and mallet separated out and NOT in a random box somewhere.

*umbrellas, wellies and raincoats at the ready.

extra hot chocolate and towels included.

mum2one

Hope you have a fab time and weather gets better bit wet and very windy up here xx

Apologies bit late but def agree re breakdown cover u never know when u need it, we've had brakes go, usual flat batteries, a write off where they gave my car a 250 mile lift home, at renewal barter the prices we've been with same company 30 plus years so pulled the loyalty card and got the membership from 350 down to 201 that's full works 2nd person cover and free membership for dd even thou she's 11. Handy I case she is in someone else's car xxx

liltdiddylilt

Sorry I am a bit late to the party.

M2O I have no idea of your circumstances, but sounding a lot like Chrones disease for someone in your family. Sincerely hope whoever it is gets well soon. Colostomy bags are the 'in' thing these days apparently. Been teenage girls modelling them recently.

Lobbyludd - good going on waiting for the storm to pass. It still rages on and off here but we have had great fun dodging downpours (or not as was the case this morning) and stomping in our wellies. I hope you're having a brilliant, not too wet time of it and you haven't been blown away. Let me know on the jellybeans...

P.S GreenFlag sounds a bargain!

lobbyludd

we're back (and we haven't brought any grapes). had a lovely if incredibly wet time, but the camping gods smiled and it was dry for set up and take down so minimal drying of equipment at home.

we swam lots (dd can now swim without armbands - hurray!), ate fish and chips, as well as stripy value nonsense, toured the keswick pencil museum, played crazy golf, collected damsons and blackberries, skimmed stones, marvelled at the surrounding beauty, marvelled that the tent remained waterproof in unbelievable downpours that turned roads into rivers, stomped in wellies in said rivers, and had a generally great time.

I am very glad to be home though, took near 8 hours of driving each way and because of the weather most of the stuff we did is actually available on the doorstep here, so I have decided never to go camping with the kids in the lake district again. It is glorious if dry, and we can explore the countryside - which is sort of the point of going there - but keeping them happy in the rain was hard work and I am cream-crackered.

plus we couldn't barbecue anything - let lone a jelly bean , so shall be trying that at home instead.

Think the washing is now all done - excellent, I have a few pounds to last until payday (thursday) with all bills paid, a warm, dry house, sunshine outside, healthy kids, full cupboards and a roast chicken to eat for tea.

life is good

parsniphead

Hi lobbyludd

Glad you had a good time and a time you and the kids will remember. Can I be nosey and ask where you went. We usually go to North Wales but opted for lincolnshire this year. I now have the bug to try different places.

Well done on getting the washing done. It's probably the worst part of a holiday.

P x

liltdiddylilt

Yayyyyyy!!!

WB Lobbyludd and DD. Sorry for the rain but hey, ducks have to have some perks once in a while. They are small, chubby and have odd feet, take pity :rotfl:

Jellybean toasting has to be done. I have a disposable BBQ here from last year... I think I may have to see about going to the beach with random things to toast myself!! Between storms that is.

Damsons.... my favourite fruit as a kid! There was an abandoned orchard behind my local park. I used to go and eat about 30 a day, picking dozens to take back with me. How my tum stood the onslaught I don't know... but it was good. I miss scrumping! I was given 3 cooking apples the other day at work and have been googling to see if there are any likely scrumping areas nearby. Apart from the blackberries near work, there is nothing!

I am sorry you decided on no more camping there. I have a colleague who goes religiously every year. Shes been snowed into her cottage for christmas and allsorts, but summer mainly seems to be a washout, although she goes with a caravan! I am not sure where you live but I highly recommend the weird microclimate I live in in Kent. It is genuinely super warm so often, sunny, and there is a touch of everything. I've got the beach 5 minutes walk away, beautiful rolling hills looking down on me, shopping, cathedrals... all manner of things. And as I so often say, it only rains after 5pm :rotfl: - not so much the last couple of weeks, but even still, it has been warm and dry often!

lilt x

lobbyludd

was born in kent lilt (well - bromley, so sarf larndarn really), and we dallied around the SE of England and anglia for childhood homes, might be nice to return for a hols where an appreciable amount of sunshine is expected during the summer one of the parents lives in Bucks now, further north than I live now but it is ALWAYS much better weather there than here.

the lake district is wonderfully beautiful, I have visited different parts at least 10 times in my life so far and I always expect rain, so was prepped mentally and practically! but I now live in Wales, we have hills and lakes and waterfalls and rain, and a castle on every corner and I don't have to drive for 8 hours to see them! may go again once kiddles are flown and I can go walking/pubbing

we went to braithwaite nr Keswick parsnip - at this campsite which has the most breath-taking views, and a dandy damson tree by the river on the shortcut through to the village which turns cheapo gin into a drink of the gods and hot showers are included in the tariff. I wouldn't want to be anywhere more organised - I do really prefer a field with no other people LOL, but the kids don't and the campers are friendly (but not intrusive) and a mix of families (of all shapes and sizes) and serious walkers.

took the kids swimming to the local pool place today although there are so many slides/water guns/rapids/water-falls and sprinklers that I'm not sure any actual swimming was done. Helped a friend with moving a bit of furniture and she's divulged her local sloe picking walk so we'll do that a bit later in the year, hurrah!

must go to bed and remember to get up in the morning and go to work.... happy sleeps everyone.

liltdiddylilt

I love sloe gin... that is all

Sleep tight!

lobbyludd

I am really tired. I want to go to sleep, but if I do, the next thing I know it will be morning, and then it's just back to work, and will feel like I've not left.

harumph. I don't like those choices.

at heart I think I'm still a toddler <stamp>, <stamp> I know - I'm going in 10 mins.

still, then it will be only one day to pay day which I am excited about because I can pay off another lot of debts - including the last payment of my loan

liltdiddylilt

I went to bed at 10 past 7! And woke at 3am didn't get back to sleep but didn't get up and do anything productive.

Hope you slept well and work has gone quickly!! Yay to payday tomorrow!! How nice to get rid of the loan, think of the snowball money to put to your other debts then!!