When I was a little girl I belonged to the Brownies and then to the Girl Guides "I promise to do my best, to do my duty to God and the Queen, to help other people at all times and obey the Guide law". I remember the motto after all these years (at least 50). The best part of belonging to these groups was going camping every year. We didn't go far - just a mile up the road - but I loved the camping experience.
I remember sitting round the camp fire singing songs whilst waiting for our potatoes to cook in the fire and the burnt blackened skins. Sharing a bell-tent with half a dozen other giggley girls, making up ghost stories in the dark with just our torches to make things even scarier. We had to make fires with just one match and undergo all sorts of identification tests - all this to acquire our 'Camping' badge.
The love of camping stayed with me and when I became a teenager I acquired a little tent of my own and the basic equipment that was needed and went camping with my slightly taller giggley girlfriends. I loved waking up in the morning and walking on the dew-laden grass with bare feet and cooking breakfast on a little stove. It was great fun and such an adventure to be doing stuff without my parents spoiling it.
When I first got married our holidays were under canvas in Wales and Cornwall in bracken-filled fields full of cows, no toilet blocks or running water, collapsing fold-up beds and rain-soaked canvas, that when you leaned against, let the rain in and soaked your bedding. Ah - happy days.
My love affair with camping carried on well into my thirties, but with the advent of cheap package holidays, it was abandoned, except for one camping holiday abroad near the Pyrenees. That wasn't so pleasant - all the equipment was provided we just had to buy food from the camp shop. But the weather was so hot that the tent became unbearable and the insects were three times as large as any in England. And so my love affair faded - I'm not sure now that I could put up with the discomfort and inconvenience - but it has given me some great times to remember - and if I were a good few years younger - I would do it all again.
I too have fantastic memories of camping when I was a child. Unfortunately my husband is deeply against it so we always end up in hotels or cottages nowadays. Shame really! Jx
ReplyDeleteYour post certainly brings back a lot of memories, although I think I only camped out about twice as a child with the Guides and only a couple of times as an adult. Not sure I'm up for it now though. I love my home comforts too much!
ReplyDeleteI wasn't in the guides or brownies and never went camping as a child, although I remember several caravan holidays. I was about 18 when I first went camping and have had several camping holidays over the years but I'm afraid I like my comfort too much now, although the 'glamping' holidays look quite interesting:)
ReplyDeleteCamping isn't something I've ever done apart from once when I took my cubs on a camping weekend. I was never a Brownie or a Guide but I was Shere Khan for quite a long time and then Akela so I know quite a bit in theory if not in practice:)
ReplyDeleteHi Elaine, I have nominated LITSL for a Versatile Blogger Award. If you are not into awards then ignore it. If you want to pursue it then go to my post
ReplyDeletehttp://aslongasyouhaveagarden.blogspot.ca/2012/04/awards-season.html
and see the nice things I've written about you.
I only nominated blogs I felt stood out from the crowd so you are on an exclusive list (on my site anyway.)
Sincerely, Sue