The many and various ways I pass the time now has a new addition. Usually it involves drinking coffee whilst sitting at a computer keeping in touch with chums, or sipping wine sitting on our tiny terrace catching the sun, and wondering what else I can do to avoid any cleaning or tidying or putting away of stuff and things that aren't even MINE. And now I am going to type this blog. Provided that doesn't become a chore as well, in which case...


Monday 12 August 2013

It All Makes Work...

The Husband and The Naval Nephew (who is staying a couple of days druing his summer leave from the Royal Navy) are putting up the new tent in the front garden as a trial run.  No problem, I hear you cry, two strapping chaps, and both technically trained engineers/mechanics.  There are one or two obstacles;

1) The tent was an eBay "bargain" and came without poles or pegs

2) The manufacturer failed to give us the specs for replacements when I e-mailed, but merely answered with a pro forma about suppliers/retailers doing all that sort of thing

3) So we looked at what The Husband calls The Destructions that came with the tent, and also watched (several times) a 5 minute YouTube video showing two people from a major supplier putting up the very same tent in a very neat and orderly fashion

4) Then I did a back-of-an-envelope calculation (actually on the back of an envelope, how good is that?) and ordered replacement kits for the three main poles and the window frame structure, and several guy and tent pegs

which all arrived today, so

5) The men have spread the tent out in the front garden and discovered it's probably bigger than the lawn

6) The lawn is on a slope.  Quite a steep slope

7) The Naval Nephew hasn't had breakfast yet, and he's a lad who values his food

8) I have bribed them with the promise of sausages sarnies as soon as it's up and recognisable as a tent, albeit a tent on a slope

It looks robustly tent-like and quite sensible from this angle, wouldn't you say?


 But go round to the other side and the tribulations of trialling a tent on a slope are all too evident

We may have to wait quite some time for weather warm enough to give us an incentive to leave an actual real house with beds, bathroom etc and instead take up residence in a sky blue lightweight fabric igloo.  Last time we camped, in Anglesey in July, it was during an Azores High with temperatures in the upper 20s or 30s centigrade.  Today it is 17c and cloudy.


Maybe next year...






4 comments:

  1. Ha! You got me with that 'sausage sarnies'! I had to look that up. I found "Posh Sausage Sarnies" - isn't that a contradiction in terms? I knew bacon butties - remember Onslow's favorite food? - but sarnies were new to me. It just so happens that I have some breakfast sausages in the fridge (well, at least what passes for them over here) and I'll be trying my hand at these for lunch.
    Have fun with the tent project!

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  2. Hari OM
    Oh my word, this is going to be good... photos awaited! YAM xx

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    1. ...popped back on 'spec' and there they were! I think your blokes deserve the "snag sanger" (aussie version)for brunch!!!

      Certainly hope you don't have too many sites with slopes on them. Looks good though. Maybe an Indian Summer? xx

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  3. The perils of an ebay bargain. :-) Well done for getting the replacements and having two strong men around to test them out. Here's to lots of nice high pressure next summer.

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