Camping Crafts

For the past few years we've had a camping holiday in the UK during the summer months.  One of the things I like about camping is the chance to sit and relax, some peace and quiet without the temptation of Twitter, Facebook or crap telly sucking up all of your time (although a smartphone and wifi make all of these things totally possible).

In and amongst packing the tent and the kitchen sink, I can be found standing infront of craft supplies trying to decide what project to take.  It needs to be portable and easy enough to pick up and put down at a moments notice. 

Reading
A good book or my kindle are essential items on a camping holiday but after last years kindle disaster ...

... there's definitely a need for other pastimes too.

Quilting
I'm a big fan of patchwork and quilting but my sewing machine is less than portable and my handsewing leaves a lot to be desired, especially in low light evenings outside the tent.  I do have a tin of paper hexagons and fabric squares in my handbag for whenever I feel the need to do some english paper piecing but this is not something that will fill a week for me.

Needlefelting
Last year I took my needlefelting supplies and made Mr Blobby

which I enjoyed, however, jabbing barbed needles into wool you are holding, I think, is a hobby best kept to well lit, alcohol free areas and maybe not best suited to evenings under a camping lantern with a glass travel mug of wine or two.

Cross Stitch
Can be very portable and while dim evening light is not ideal, at least the needle is not sharp so the risk of injury is not to great.  Following a pattern though does require a fair bit of concentration, fine if you've plenty of time but there are many occasions when crafting is interrupted my children and family who want talking to, watching, feeding etc

Crochet
This is my newest craft.  I've had a fair few goes at amigurumi and made toys for friends and family (and the cat) but again this portable, finger friendly craft has a pattern that needs following.  There's counting and everything! 

I have been wanting to try traditional crochet, granny squares in fact.  Before we left I watched a few YouTube videos and had a few tries.  This is my camping craft of choice (this year lol).  I packed some small balls of yarn that came free with a magazine, a 4mm hook and my little project bag with scissors and stitch holders.  It's portable, a nice easy pattern that's easily pick up and put down able and gentle on the fingers in dim evening light.  Even better I can stick project in my handbag for use on the go without fear of jabbing my fingers when routing around.

Here is the result of my camping crafting this week.  I think I'm getting the hang of it.

Rory's Story Cubes

I often get sidetracked.  Start off looking for one thing and end up looking at something entirely different.

I think that's how the internet gets you.  A 'quick look' online for todays weather forecast and two hours later you're embroiled in an Ebay bidding war for dice games, your laundry hasn't done itself and the kids are still hungry.

Now I love dice games & card games.  I have a games box that goes on holiday with us and I'm always on the look out for new games to go inside it.  That's how I found Rory's Story Cubes.

 

What are they?
Rory's Story Cubes are basically a box of 9 dice with a different image on each face.

What do you do with them?
You roll the dice then use the images as prompts to create a story.

When do you use them?
They did get into my games box, but not for long.  I decided the best place for them was my handbag.  Anywhere where I have to wait with the children, out they come.  It prevents a lot of bickering and arguing and general boredom.  They have served to keep us entertained in the waiting room at the dentist, waiting for a train, waiting for our meal in restaurants and many more places.  They're not just for killing time though, we get them out to play at home and they always come on holiday with us.

How do you use them?
The way we play is to roll the dice then in turns blindly pick 3 each.  The first player then uses their dice to start the story, the second continues it with their three followed by the last player.  If we're enjoying the story we might roll the dice again and continue.

A night in with a bottle of wine and the Story Cubes results in a whole different story and lots of laughter. 

How much do they cost?
I paid £10, which seems to be the average price.

Where can you get them?
I bought my original set on eBay and subsequent sets from Amazon but you can also get them direct from Rory @ http://www.thecreativityhub.com/shop

How many sets are there?
I may have indulged in additional purchases as they've come out:-
Actions 

Voyages

Mixes
The most recent addition to the Story Cubes family.  They are 3 dice packs on a specific theme (clues, enchanted or prehistoria) designed to be used with one of the three original 9 dice sets.

Also the iPhone and android apps joined my arsenal as they work better in the car than actual dice as there's nothing to loose under the seat.

Anything else you should know?
Packaging - The original sets come in compact sturdy packages that have stood up to months of frequent use and battering in the bottom of my handbag.  The mixes are new and have only been in my bag a week or so.  So far so good but to be honest I do not expect much from the thin card wrap around case, I would have preferred the sturdy base to entirely enclose the dice, perhaps with a magnetic clasp as the larger boxes do.  I may have to whip up a drawstring bag for them in the not too distant future.


Would I recommend them?
Absolutely!  A resounding 5 out of 5 in my book.

I've gifted two sets to friends and convinced the speech and language therapist at work to buy a set for use in her sessions.

Still with me?
I love my Story Cubes and can often be found enticing people to play.    Now I'm giving one original set to one of you, my lovely readers.  How can you get your hands on them?  Leave a comment about how and where you would use them and I will use the very high tech method of picking a name out of a bag on the 6th August 2013 to decide who gets them.

What next?
I try and remember the stories we come up with using the story cubes.  If ever I remember enough or remember to set my phone to record, I'll come back and tell you a story that's a little longer than 'the Octopus of destiny saved the alien jelly bean nation from the virus invasion'.

More Non Camping

So Sunday we had a lazy day. We didn't really do much of anything I think.

Monday was a little bit more structured, a trip out to Bolton Abbey Railway Station for 'A Day Out with Thomas'. Here are Adam and the boys on the train journey to Embsay Station.


We didn't stay very long as there wasn't actually that much to do. A stall where the boys got the 'free' gift that comes with their ticket, a HUGE queue to stand in Thomas and blow his whistle, we passed on that, and a couple of vintage cars and buses to look at. Oh and of course the obligatory toy shops. This time Theo came away with...erm, can't remember, I'll have to ask him in the morning lol and Louis got 'Whiff' who I've never heard of but he seemed happy enough with that. :D

When we got home Theo's friends were playing out in the street so he stayed out and played. I had to drag him in for his dinner and he was straight back out once he'd eaten. That's what I like to see, outdoors fun. There have been occasions when his friends have called round for him and, for whatever reason, he has, usually grumpily, refused to go out to play! He did come home with an invitation to Charlie's birthday party on Saturday so that should be fun.

More resting on Tuesday. I was hoping to get some bits and pieces done, get to the opticians and the Drs but I couldn't get appointments 'til next week so I ended up drawing stuff and sticking bits and pieces to playing cards (see Apshoo). The boys watched telly, played with their toys and drew pictures with me whilst Adam played on the computer upstairs.

Wednesday didn't start too well. Theo didn't want to get dressed then Adam told him we were going shopping. Well he dissolved in a heap of tears. Shopping was boring then suddenly he was crying because he couldn't go to Charlie's birthday party! Where did that come from??

We drove to Drayton Manor so we could spend all day standing in queues! OK it wasn't as bad as all that, but put it this way. I'm glad it wasn't a sunny day otherwise I think we would only have managed a couple of rides.

Here's a picture of the boys queueing for Diesels Mayhem ride.

I know we are not noted for our patience, I think the wait for this ride was about 20 minutes. It didn't help that Theo had had Adam queue for the Bulgy the Bus ride for about 15 minutes before deciding he didn't want to go on after all.

Adam and I took it in turns to queue / ride with the boys. Fortunately for me, this one was Adam's turn. I didn't time it but I'm sure they queued for well over an hour for a 5 minute ride on Terence. At least Louis and I could wander around whilst we were waiting for them. If I had known how long it would take though, I would have wandered to a cafe for a latte :D But, being the loving mum I am, I waitied where I could see the rides so I could get this photo, and a few more.

Theo's favourite ride (although we did only 'do' Thomas Land) was the Jeremy the Jet ride. Despite how it looks in this photo, both Louis and Theo were in the jet with me, honest. It's just that I left Adam in charge of the camera and the control of the jet to Theo (you made it raise / lower using a button in the front) and they never quite got in the same place at the same time. lol

I know I complained about the queues but this was definitely one of the better theme parks I've been to with the boys. Most of the rides were suitable for both of them to go on so there was plenty to do. I had planned on going to the zoo there too but I forgot. By the time Adam reminded me it was 4.45 and I wasn't sure whether the park closed at 5 or 6 so we headed back to the car.

We stayed at the Premier Travel Inn in Burton-on-Trent, straaange lady on reception was very friendly and funny. A very nice dinner was had in the pub next door, diet is out the window this week anyway, just as well.

Today was a really good day too. No photos 'cause we were at Alton Towers Water Park and photos are not allowed. Heaven forbid! After an initial paddy from Louis because he didn't want to wear the floatation vest thingy we had a great time. Theo remembered having been there before and immediately went off to play. Louis had to be coaxed, so we sat in the shallow water and played with the bubbles but he quickly got braver and more adventurous. He liked playing in the water with the bubbles but after the first time I took him for a walk around the park, up the stairs, through puddles, accross bridges etc, he didn't want to sit and play in the water for more than 5 minutes or so before he was up and wanted to wander around again.

Did I mention that my ipod is poorly? A couple of days ago I tried to switch it on but it wouldn't play. I had a look on the Aplle website and followed the instructions for rebooting it. It turned on but there was just a white screen, no menus or anything. Anyway, as we were coming home up the M1 anyway we called into Meadowhall so I could take it to the Apple shop for a nice man to fix it. As it turns out he couldn't. Apparently the LCD screen is dead and they do not replace those. I could trade it in and get 10% off a new one, or they could take the hard drive out of mine and put it in a new case but that would cost almost as much as a new one and I'd loose the engraving on the back of the case.

I discovered today that a new LCD screen to fit my ipod would set me back a whole £15 on ebay, and that includes the tool I'd need to open the case. Adam found a 'how to' video on the internet so I could replace the screen myself for £15. Not too sure I'm going to attempt to do it myself though. You have to disconnect the battery, remove the hard drive and a few other bits and pieces to do it, it looks complicated. I have found a place in Bradford who do Ipod repairs though so I'm going to phone them tomorrow and see if they can fix it and if so how much they charge.

Anyway, this is a mammoth post and it's late now, I need my bed, so I'm off. There are plans for more fun stuff this week so I will be back with more photos soon.

Take care

Non Camping

Louis is much better, no lasting damage from his impact with the pavement, yay.

Today we were supposed to be going camping at a National Forestry Commission site in Pickering. Unfortunately the British weather had other ideas and we had a phonecall on Wednesday telling us that the campsite is waterlogged, and they were expecting more rain, so we've had to cancel. Instead we are planning day trips.

Today we've had a wander around Bradford city centre (whilst we waited for Adam to have his eyes tested), been for lunch at Frankie & Benny's then on to Cineworld to watch Wall-E. Frankie & Benny's was a much nicer experience than Pizza Hut last week. The food was lovely and the service was great, add to that the fact that Louis' juice and ice-cream were free and I can't say a thing against them :D

After lunch we had a bit of time to kill before the film started so Theo and Louis had a game of air hockey.

Last Friday I took Theo and two of his friend, Jack & George, to see Space Chimps which everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy. I wanted to see Wall-E but both Jack and George had already seen it so we went for Space Chimps instead. I think it was probably the better choice for three 4 yr old boys. I enjoyed Wall-E but Theo spent most of the time asking what was going on and why they were doing whatever they were doing.

At this point I have to say a HUGE thank you to Helen, a few months ago she sent me some children's vouchers for Cineworld that she had won in a competition, 25 of them! It's those vouchers I've been spending to keep the boys entertained, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Ooops

I have actually had a life between 17 July and now, I just haven't gotten around to writing about it here.

We've had our first ever family camping holiday, Theo had his first fishing trip, Louis got mobile (commando style), I've had my Virgin Vie training AND my first 2 parties plus a marathon scrapbooking session with a group of lovely ladies :)

There is plenty more, I just can't remember what

Photos and more details to follow

I thought camping was supposed to be 'budget' holidays

We went tent shopping this afternoon. Well we went this morning, had a look around the shop then retired to the local hostelry for food and a bevvy before going back to the camping shop and spending an astronomical amount of money!!

The plan was to drive into Halifax where there are a couple of camping shops with tent showrooms, have a look around at the erected tents, rather than just the pictures you get to see on the websites, then go away and order online.

Adam had been chatting and researching tents at work so he already had an idea of what we wanted, the Vango Colorado 800DLX was at the top of the list. An 8 person tent with living area for around the £230 mark. We had a look at the 600 version and were impressed , well I was anyway. Adam wasn't too keen on the fact that the groundsheet wasn't sewn in so we had a look at the other tents they had on display. Theo had a great time climbing in and out of all of the tents on display. He even wanted me to go home and get his readybed and pyjamas so he could go to sleep.

After spending ages looking at all the tents and having a nice long chat with a member of staff we decided to go for the Vango Diablo 600xp, it's got 2 3 person bedrooms and a living area but as we're all short people we'll all 4 fit into one bedroom, leaving the other for luggage.

So, tent decided upon, we had a look at other bits and bobs we needed (seeing as the nice man in the shop said we could have 10% off accessories we bought) a stove, table, sleeping bag and liner for Theo, kettle, pans and a couple of lamps. I think that was everything, still came to faaar too much money though, now I just hope we have a good holiday.

Next job. Find somewhere big enough to pitch the tent so we can have a practice before we go away. It's too big for our garden LOL

Change of Plans

Today we had planned to go to various camping shops to look at tents, we've decided to give camping a go for our summer holiday this year.

Unfortunately I got a phonecall from Chris saying Mum had been taken into the hospital so plans were put on hold and I spent most of the day in hospital with Mum. A typical case of right hand not knowing what the left is doing. Some Drs said pneumonia and others said chest infection or possibly a blood clot! Not much to choose from there then. So now it's a case of staying in until they can do some test on Monday and take it from there. Needless to say Mum is not a happy bunny as she had plans this weekend but can't be helped.

Anyway, on a lighter note, I've been asked for more pictures of Louis so here's one of him taken on Theo's birthday. I'll try and get some more decent pics and upload them soon. I promise
Oh, and we've had 3 'dry' days in a row from Theo. Yay. Think he's getting the hang of it.

Camping? Who me? Nah

I got me a camping table. To do my scrapping on .

I've just set it up in the living room to see how it goes together and what 70 x 70 x 70cm actually looks like. It's a good size and a nice height for working on from the sofa or computer chair. Thing is... it's not just a quick fold out / fold away jobby, it involves attaching 10 little grippy things (and taking them off again to put it away) but it does fold away very small.

Hopefully I'll get more scrapping done now I've got a table to work at. Yes I know I've got a dining table but that's in the kitchen and I can't see the telly from there, Doh. Now all I have to do is drag all my scrapping stuff upstairs to the living room and maybe even my robo and do some scrapping, oh and expain to Adam why I needed to buy a table when we've got a perfectly good one already (although it is in the kitchen as I've already said) and we're trying to empty our home of crap not fill it up even more.. Ooops

Oh, did I mention that it was reduced in price? No? Well that makes all the difference you know.