Ichabod's Day

I seem to have spent the majority of my weekend in a variety of tin boxes, in some cases an enjoyable experience and in others - definitely NOT enjoyable. It all started when I decided to visit Grantham again for Dad's birthday and Father's Day. Now, remembering my last experience of visiting resulted in my "breaking" my ankle - maybe I should have been more wary! Anyway, did what I needed to do at work, chaired an examboard and then left at lunchtime to beat the traffic. Ha! Tin Box #1: My car. Pootling along, M62 busy but not too bad - ipod on shuffle playing bizarre combinations of Mario Lanza, Sweet, Carpenters and Thin Lizzy - to name a few (is my taste eclectic or just plain mad?), sun shining, stomach anticipating a stop at a Little Chef, all was well with the world. Then, as I joined the A1 - they closed it!! Spent the next 3 hours sandwiched between lorries, white van men (out of their vehicles and constantly bemoaning the fact that they might miss the En...

I am a hospital - which hospital am I ?........................ I position myself at the furthest point of the borough away from you making you use the busiest thoroughfare  ensuring you are late to your appointment. On your arrival I insist that you live at an address you vacated 20 years ago. When you implore me to check again I will be amazed to  find a second set of notes for you - with the correct address - but with a date of birth that ages you 10 years. I will giggle when that is pointed out. For your entertainment, whilst you wait 45 minutes beyond your appointment time, I will enthrall you with intimate excerpts from the lives of my staff. You will find out what they are doing at the weekend, how their relationships are fareing and what they will be shopping for for tea. I will adorn my walls with all manner of wall coverings - including striped, dotted and patterened wallpaper, together with the ubiquitous border strip, to trick you into thinking that you are no...

Ok. So. I may not be a fully paid up, card carrying member of the great outdoors brigade, but I like to think I am close to nature. I feed the birds everyday, I donate on a monthly basis to a number of local and worldwide nature charities. I spent most of my chlidhood in caravans or boats. However, none of this prepared me for a great british bank holiday camping trip to the wilds of Lincolnshire (well, Woodhall Spa is actually quite civilised but doesn't have the same ring to it!). Followers of the blog may remember that I bought husband (at his request) a tent for his birthday last September and ever since he has been dying to use it. So, off we go, me, husband, dog Disney forgot to draw (dDftd), brother, sister-in-law, 3 kids and 2 teenagers (Kevin and Perry wannabees) and their dog. We packed car at 5.30am on the friday morning - beds, bedding, stove, table, chairs, food, water carrier, blankets, dog stuff, cooking and eating utensils,  "all eventuality" clothing ...