.... random rants and rambles. no agenda. yet.

At the weekend, me, C and Harry went camping in the Lakes, revisiting a really cool campsite in Chapel Stile. The site is basically a farm with several fields, containing tents and sheep (mostly separate, but sometimes together, much to Harry's delight), surrounded by magnificient works of natural art, i.e. pikes ... i.e. really big hills, to those who don't do countrysideness.

It was fantastic to get away and chill out for a change. Reminded me that the simple things in life are really the most important; like you might pack five t-shirts but only wear two, because you only need two, or you use the same mug to drink different things out of.

That reminds me, last year we travelled round Scotland, spending a few very happy days at the also-magnificent Badrallach, where we decided to take a break from tents and midges, thus stayed in the bothy, which is like a hut. It also had a kitchen, which was shared by all the campers, and so we met quite a few people during our stay (including a group of mad Italians who didn't have a saucepan, and a mad Scottish couple who fed us whisky).

Anyway, I am drifting off the subject now. The point was, when we were relaxing at Badrallach, a woman who had been washing her dishes came out of the kitchen with blood pouring from her hand, asking if we had a plaster. I went and got her one, and she explained that she'd cut herself - not for the first time - because her husband insisted on drinking wine out of wine glasses, and ONLY out of wine glasses. Ever. That meant they had to take them camping. He also refused to do the washing up.

Me and C were kind of amazed and suggested that it might be a better idea to have a plastic cup instead... "Oh no, he wouldn't have that! He'd not drink out of it," the woman said, with an expression that showed she'd given up years ago. And off she went, to tell him she had broken another wine glass, all over again, and they'd have to drive a very long way the next day to buy another one.

What for?!

I thought half the point of camping was that you don't need many things, so that you feel pleased with the simplicity and basics of it all. Then, when you get home, you are astonished by all the things you do have, like computers and televisions and wine glasses - like the one I am drinking from now - which makes you feel a bit confused and sit down and blog about not much really.

And now I really am going to shut up.