- Last Sunday we packed up the maximum our Corsa E could handle (volumetrically speaking) and headed to Wowo. Jeremy described this as “not like normal camping, more like the Soho House of family campsites”. Every pitch has a fire pit. It has a stream, woods with big muddy slopes to scrabble around in, evening entertainment every night and an on site shop that only sells organic things and a large number of items with a “Great Taste” award.
- On Monday afternoon I headed off for a massage and a couple of hours in the on-site spa. I took Lemn Sissay’s book “My Name Is Why” which I found on a wall in Brighton. Lachie says you can’t read a book in a Sauna. He means “can’t” in a “it’s just not right” sort of way, and I have to say that the glue in the book did melt and the pages did start to fall out. But look, it’s a great book, and I read it in all three of the saunas. And in the plunge pool. And in one of the hammocks strung between trees like a normal person too.
- The massage was broadly good but too “woo” for me, the masseuse was so extremely earnest and clearly vibrating on a spiritual plane that I am not on, so there was some mugging along with some somewhat awkward woo business. After the massage another person at the spa told me that there were some goddess cards on the table and so if I was seeking answers from the universe I should definitely make use of them as I convene with nature. I actually have a perfectly functional magic 8 ball at home so I didn’t take her up on this offer.
- Another high point was getting a blanket out and lying with the girls in our sleeping bags spotting satellites, pointing out the plough, and trying to explain to them (8 and 7 years old) that space contains mostly nothing but also everything.
- When I was born, there were approx 750 satelites orbiting the earth. There are now ~1850
- Another big hit of the camping kit was the friendship bracelet making kit I threw together out of a bunch of embroidery thread I inherited from Lachie’s great aunt.
- The kids came up with camping nicknames for us, Lachie was “scotty” and I was, regrettably, “boobs”.
- I got to trot out my favourite apple fact which is that a Jazz apple is a cross between a Braeburn and a Gala.
- On Friday I went to see Nick Cave with my Dad and Lachie. I wouldn’t describe myself as a particular Nick Cave fan and as such I do think he could probably have trimmed about 10 songs from the set and I would not have minded. However he did bring KYLIE MINOGUE out to sing their duet, and I got to see their wonderful friendship in real live.
- Every time I see some old bloke being borderline rancid looking in public (cf some of the bad seeds, or Gary Oldman in wild horses) I think how massively annoying it is that no women seem to be allowed to be that feral.
- E and I have been playing Animal Crossing New Horizons together. I make her little gifts and she seems to do a lot of fishing and bug catching. And we leave each other little messages on the board.
- Tonight it’s Pride in The Park and I’m going to do a 5k run during Five’s set so I can listen to them as I run the perimeter.
