Saturday, 11 July 2009

Emma's camping guide...

Camping season 'tis upon us. Already we have been camping this year and have plans for even more trips over the summer. We camp in a canvas bell tent which we love, especially with the boys being small, we all huddle up close at night. Camping is having a huge resurgence in popularity at the moment in the UK, which is great as it is the stuff that childhood memories are made from; being allowed to roam further, playing until the sun sets and meeting lots of other children. I thought I would list what I take with me on our family camping trips...

the tent...
A canvas bell tent : : ours is 4 metre diameter
mallet 
a double self inflating roll mat : : ours is one by outwell and despite a bad back I get a good nights sleep on it 
sheepskins for the boys to lie on : : to keep warm make sure you insulate yourself underneath it's more important than piling blankets on top! 
1 double sleeping bag {which separate into two single ones}
2 single cath kidston sleeping bags for the boys
blankets, pillows, cushions and throws {last things to be packed and I squeeze as many as I can in the car without the Mr. seeing!} to make the tent feel luxurious and give you something to snuggle in as the sun sets
A low table {I am currently on the look out for a tray/low camping table, a tin tray with fold down legs would do ~ let me know if anyone finds one!}
camping chairs
doormat & dustpan and brush for a clean tent and happy mama
bunting 
tea lights, torches, camp lamp

food...
a camping stove & matches
one plastic tub which doubles as a table with crockery and pans in {I take mismatched china, enamelware and cutlery bought from car boot sales}
camping kettle
water bottle
one cool box with food basics and essentials {it is really important to support local business when you go on holiday, over 90% of people take their own food on self catering holidays which is very likely to be from a supermarket, by eating local produce you are supporting the local economy, plus you can really discover local delicacies such as Cornish cream teas, samphire, fresh fish etc...}
plastic trug for carrying things in and washing up - take ecover liquid to be environmentally friendly
I do take picnic rugs, jam jars to double up as vases and tablecloths too!

note: The Happy Campers recommend taking a homemade cake so that when you arrive at your campsite you can put the kettle on whilst the men put up the tents then sit down and have a cup of tea and slice of cake as soon as it's up and the hard work finished! 

camping fun...
bubbles
cowboys and indians fancy dress {the bell tent doubles as a tipi}
bow and arrow
paper and pencils in case of bad weather
camera's : : goes without saying!
moleskine journal for creative drawing and writing
balls/frisbee
cricket set
good story books ~ like Enid Blyton's adventure series
wet weather gear and wellies {always be prepared for all weather's and it won't spoil your fun}

clothes
this is the hardest thing for me as I always overpack clothes 'just in case' but I am getting a lot better! I find it best to write out what you need then lay it all out on the bed first before packing. I also write out what the boys need {like this here} and let them help pack as they are always really keen to get involved. 
washbag

note: I always take a small first aid set with antiseptic cream, sting relief cream, arnica cream and tablets for bumps and bruises, plasters and antihistamine tablets.

Thursday, 9 July 2009

goodness through your letterbox...

I have just had my first delivery from graze, a health food company that delivers fruit, nuts and seeds in little boxes through the door! I know, a little extravagant and I can certainly buy the ingredients separately for a lot less, but somehow I don't. I don't like the taste of nuts and bulk bags of seeds in health food shops and supermarkets scare me! I buy the odd bag of dried apricots and pumpkin seeds but after a few minutes of munching I get bored and need the instant gratification of biscuits or cake! So with my new healthy attitude I have signed up for a weekly delivery, of fruit and seeds. You can specify what you do and don't like and even include olives in the delivery too. I am delighted with my first box, with a large portion of grapes, a mix called apple strudel {dried apple, dried apricot & dried cranberries} and also a granola seed mix. 

I think when you are eating healthily or dieting, a little treat goes a long way and this has certainly made healthy eating a little more fun! If you want to try a box for just £1 visit www.graze.com and enter the code FHK4VCLB to receive a little box of healthy eating through your letterbox. 

Wednesday, 8 July 2009

cake...

picture by Nikole

I have just discovered Nikole of forty-sixth at grace. With her father she sells the most beautiful wooden spoons and cake stands in her shop herriottgrace. I just love the display above made even better with her amazing cakes, just look at the icing ~ have you ever seen anything more gorgeous? It looks knitted doesn't it? I would love a birthday cake like that, wouldn't you? 

Tuesday, 7 July 2009

summer is...

eating peas straight from the pod
going swimming after school
weekends spent camping
cooling down with fruity lolly pop's
wild swimming in rivers
village fete's, homemade cakes & brass bands
drinking homemade elderflower cordial
dirty hands and feet from playing in the garden
barbecues with friends
& rain, rain, rain! 

Sunday, 5 July 2009

back to the drawing board...

I rarely do any drawing, but I have been inspired enough to design my son's 6th birthday party invitations. He wants to have a fancy dress party, so I have designed a 'cut out Alfie' with four outfits to choose from to cut out and dress. As a child I used to read 'Twinkle' comic and it always had a cut out 'Twinkle' on the back with a different outfit each week and I have attempted to create a boy version. I will scan the drawings in and add colour and details in Indesign and maybe keep a line drawing version to print out on card to add to the party bags. He has chosen 17 friends, both boys and girls, so quite a big party {aaaaah!} so please feel free to share any ideas you have for simple party games and cheap and simple ideas for party bags.

Thursday, 2 July 2009

hobby horse...

I have fallen in love with homemade hobby horses, this one was made by Chia-Li, the Parent & Toddler Group leader at our local Steiner School. It will be our group project in the Autumn term, but as you can see Ted loves it so much we are starting ours at home {we have already secretly pinched daddy's socks!}. Chia-Li is going to buy some clips, the kind you get from ikea to hang your brooms up with, so that all the horses can be 'parked' next to each other on the veranda! 

All you need is a stick for the horse and another for the handles, which you notch so they sit together firmly as a cross. An old sock, stuffed with organic wool, and some wool for the mane. Buttons for the eyes and some stiff felt for the ears, it's really quite simple to put together and each horse really does take on it's own identity. If you are looking for a summer crafting project, then please join me and make your own... we could have a gymkhana

Tuesday, 30 June 2009

tuesday tunes...

With Glastonbury last weekend, my friends at Snail Trail, rented out four of their camper vans to people going to the festival. Maud (above) was rented out to the Guardian newspaper, and she was lucky enough to get into the VIP area! I love this picture taken by Alicia Canter, it reminds me of my camper van picture here. I guess if I was to choose one song from the festival it would have to be Blur, watching them just brought back my Britpop youth! Great to see them back together, if only for a short time...

Sunday, 28 June 2009

capturing the moments...

I have now added most of the pictures of our holiday here, so many good times and I am so glad I managed to capture most of them! The thing about digital photography is that I rarely get the photos printed out and have hundreds, no thousands, stored on a computer! I rarely go back and edit them and when I do I find it really hard to delete them, such is the curse of digital photography. I sometimes also tire of the fact you can instantly check to see what your picture looks like and if you are not happy with it take it again ~ I recently saw a mum sing 'happy birthday' five times and had her children sing and blow out the candles just to get the 'perfect' shot! I guess this is why I juggle different camera's for different occasions and actually love the imperfections that film photography gives you, the blur, the shake, but always always the moment ~ never recreated! 

After the last couple of holiday's I have made some photo books, to capture these really special family times and I am really pleased with them. They offer a great alternative to having the photo's printed out and sticking them in photo albums and although a little pricey, have a really great professional finish. I am going to try to find the time to make 'year books' for the boys and give them as gifts to the grandma's at Christmas too. 
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