So I'm figuring out Canva...

...it's got some very stupid usability issues where it's not immediately obvious why I need to make a series of "pages" before I can compile a single, edited video...but I kind of figured it out, it's not a deliberate act of obfuscation   - I guess I make some longer form videos (which is going to be annoying, as they don't get many views compared to YouTube shorts) and learn about transitions, intro cards and exit cards, thumbnails (and all other things YouTube)...

Anyway - another feather in my cap...I'm happy to make long form video content now - even if it is a bit clunky.  Just need to clear up some room on my 'phone to actually record some things now...

Adding a bend to my cap brim...

...just getting a few other things ready for camping in the extension (where it isn't getting in anyone's way)...My nice ENCOM cap arrived without a curved brim however, so I've had to jury rig a sort of hat-shaping device using one of my shoes and a handful of rubber bands...looks like it's doing the trick!

For my next therapeutic camping trip I think I have settled on Sussex Topiary Park in Rusper (it's got electric and toilet facilities and seems to have reasonable 4G coverage), I just need to fit this in around some good weather to pitch and take down camp (I will enjoy it if it rains while I am actually there, i just don't like bringing home wet camping stuff)...

Entry level tent solar power

Ok, so at it's most basic level, off-grid power requires the following things - a solar cell (nearly said solar sail there - not so practical) - with MC4 connectors - they are standard solar connectors that allow you to easily retrofit extra panels in serial if required and are fully waterproof - it's exactly the same system as they wire into your loft.  My particular solar panel is rated to 100 watts and 12 volts and is designed to be waterproof and flexible (for mounting anywhere, even in inclement conditions)...

You might find you need an MC4 extension cable depending on how far apart you are putting your solar panel and your battery, ideally it must be in direct sunlight for the maximum amount of available daylight and the battery should be somewhere cool and dry.

At this point the simplest and cheapest thing to do is buy something like this - 

- it's got a small battery pack built in (26,400mAh), plus an inverter to use DC via a standard Type G British 3 pin plug and also has an adaptor for 9v cigarette lighter and a number of variously rated USB ports.  Now I stressed entry level here - I tested this power pack vs the High Gear 28L cool box - it lasted almost exactly one hour before the battery was flat.  So I'm not expecting any miracles here - equipped as I am - Infinite power to charge telephones and laptops is priority 1 - we will see how far that can be extended as we move forwards - if we can even hit objective 1 on this next camp then I am very happy.

Down the line some small changes I need to make to the setup are immediately obvious - I'm thinking a waterproof box with a 100Ah deep cycle LiFePO4 battery (basically a caravan leisure battery) and a proper inverter/solar manager (that shows charge speed etc.) rather than this jack-of-all-trades charger that I know can't really cope with 230-240v for very long - the fridge probably isn't going to be a thing off grid - but the rice cooker and a nice fan are both possibilities - the minimum viable product at this point is simply to be able to keep my telephone and laptops charged with no mains power - let's not try and walk before we can run.

Edit - Camping off-grid with the 'fridge might be possible after all - if my calculations are correct - even without solar top up I should get 24 hours of refrigeration from a single, fully charged 12v 100Ah battery.

Therapeutic Camping (for one)

So between my psychiatrist and that part of my mind that deals with all things external facing and apparently self-conscious, we settled upon a interesting and slightly unexpected treatment plan that - 

a) gets me out of the house
b) is fun and gives me something to aim at 
c) takes good organisation and management
d) makes me take on at least some of my nastier symptoms like agoraphobia and photophobia 

e) might involve speaking to people but a hiding place is provided
f) doesn't feel like a step too far
g) is inexpensive

So this is the first draft of the list of camping stuff - 

Got - to pack

• Tent (4 man blackout tent - for obvious reasons - it even has a blackout vestibule which is unusual)
• Suitcase Cooker
• Butane can x 2
• Electric Cooler
• Portable rice cooker
• Electric Hookup
• Cooking set (2 x pans, 1 x kettle, 2 x bowls)
• Camp Bed
• Folding Chair
• Outdoor giant bean bag
• Sleeping bag
• Duvet (check forecast)
• Pillows (check forecast)
• Spork x 2
• Plastic Bowl x 2
• A book (currently a UFO book)
• Chargers
• Can opener
• Washing up fluid and cloth/sponge
• Warm hoodie/Jumper
• Novelty Hat
• Bin bags x 2
• Toilet roll x 3

Tech

• Headlamps x 2
• Mini fan
• Power Inverter / big battery pack
• Mobile Telephone
• Chromebook/HP Envy

Comsumables

• Small veg oil
• Small butter
• Fresh water
• Tea (Earl Grey)
• Skimmed milk
• Rice (pre-mixed with cardamon pods, nigella seeds, cinnamon bark and a spot of seasoning)
• Beers
• Beans
• Cans of good quality chicken curry/chilli beef (one of each)
• Jalapenos, sliced in brine 
• Noodles (Indomie Mi Goreng)
• White loaf (sliced) 
• Grated Cheddar cheese
• Bacon, smoked
• Eggs, free range
• Chilli sauce (either Baron's, Frank's or Nando's depending on my mood)
• BBQ/Ketchup
• Snacks (Crisps, Biltong)
• Branston pickle

It was fine, I definitely should have taken a couple of pillows - the giant bean bag was waaaay too big for the inflatable mattress and was just a bit too thin (I could feel the ground through it even when freshly inflated) - so next time I'm taking a proper camp cot and chair...

It was nice to only really have to please myself - for example one morning I had hot chicken curry for my breakfast.  It didn't hurt anybody and it made me happy - I think these little things are what is going to end up making a difference - if I can establish a bank of small "happiness" events where nothing bad happened, I didn't get voted down or ignored, and maybe I can up the chances of not immediately feeling guilty or stupid...

Honeybridge Park Campsite

So a couple of weekends ago (after buying our -new to us- eBay bargain trailer tent) we decided to go and do a local trial run, several reasons for this - it was Flyingpops' first time towing anything, the tow bar on the car had only just been installed (and was untested), we had never actually put up a trailer tent and last, but not least, this was Thomas' and Poppies first time ever under canvas (lots of unknowns to bring into focus before we end up 5 hours away discovering problems for the first time)!  Flyingpops spent a few days organising everything (including trips into the loft to find all our old camping stuff and buying nice new magnetic LED lamps) and packing the car, then on the weekend we loaded up the bikes and hitched up the tent and headed off to Honeybridge Park (near Dial Post) - (only about an hour away from home at trailer tent speeds - just in case of emergencies) -

Putting the trailer tent up took 6 (slightly confused) adults about 2 hours, but most of that was working out how to get things level, where all the posts went and the proper order to do things in...I'm pretty confident two of us can do it (assuming a fairly level pitch) in about the same amount of time (and we will only get quicker with practice) - as it happened taking the whole thing down again only took about an hour and I pretty much managed most of it on my own (just needing some help with pole holding to stop everything collapsing onto Poppies head a couple of times)...

Once it was all up we were able to get everything arranged satisfactorily quite quickly, the camp kitchen is large and easy to use, pretty much everything we needed was included (so we had electrics, a camp toilet, an electric fridge, gas etc. all just waiting for us in the box) unfortunately we didn't spot the gas cable and regulator stashed under the plastic sink in the kitchen before we decided it didn't exist and rushed out to buy one, so we now have a spare... ;)

You can get an idea of the size of the thing from this shot, each of the two beds in the off-ground sleeping area is roughly the size of a king sized bed, there is extra sleeping for up to 4 other people underneath them in hanging pod mini-tents and all sorts of dividers you can use to make private areas in the main body of the tent for things like the camping toilet if you wish to (but we didn't) as we were 30 seconds walk from the shower block...

Thomas and Poppy completely *loved* the camping experience, Thomas especially just running free making friends with lots of the kids on site and zooming off on adventures then coming back and jumping on his new bike, Poppy desperately trying to follow him but being foiled by the gravelly roadway (which acted as a nice barrier to keep her near the tent without resorting to putting her on a dog lead)!  Anyway, all went really well, the towing was fine, there was a steep learning curve putting the tent up, but I'm comfortable with doing it now, so the next trip will most likely be down to Cornwall in a couple of weeks time! Really looking forward to that and here's to many happy camping trips to come! :)

Life in a trailer tent with 2 children

It's amazing to think it's almost 5 years since we last went camping and next weekend, we hope to have our first trip out in the new trailer tent.

So much has happened in 5 years, we now have Thomas and Poppy to think about and whilst I'm sad we sold Colin, there is absolutely NO WAY all 4 of us would have squeezed into the camper.  Next weekend, we'll be off on a trial break and I've been unpacking all the old camping bits, along with all the memories attached.  I'm wondering how the children will cope with sleeping under canvas and more importantly how well our neighbours cope as I'm sure we will all be up early! Still, all very exciting and I can't wait!

We've got to get through the week first, then get lots of things packed and organised.  Finally, I have to tow the trailer for the first time & work out how to put up the trailer tent.  Fink and I will probably fall out and provide lots of entertainment for onlooking campers, but hopefully we'll be able to get it all set up before it falls dark :O)

Heres a link to our last holiday in Colin... I can't believe it's been so long

Here's to more happy times ahead.

http://finkangel.blogspot.co.uk/2007/08/blazing-sunshine.html

Titanium Spork!

Thank you Flyingpops (albeit slightly belatedly)! After moaning (probably a little too much) in the evenings, as a lovely surprise - I'm now saved from having to struggle eating my chicken lunches with the tiny children's sized, wobbly plastic Tesco sporks (which they have often run out of - but only because people like me grab a handful when they *are* available, I would imagine)...

Now I have a beautiful, super light and super strong stainless titanium camping spork, complete with full spoon and spork sporting a neat bevelled cutting blade on the other end! Woot... ;)

Itchenor Caravan Park

Can't believe this was so long ago and I'm only just getting round to writing about it...what a slacker! Being away from home has really messed with my routine (not necessarily in any sort of bad way, apart from my lack of blogging, of course, but) things should get back to (whatever) normal (is) soon...Anyway, if you would care to join me, set your wayback machines to two weeks ago, Friday morning - Flyingpops and I are to be found battling around the workmen, gathering clothing/bedding and then squashing everything into the back of Poppy the Beetle (in a tetris-like jumble), before somehow levering ourselves into the remaining space and setting off for the seaside (yay!), the journey was pretty good until we got to just outside Chichester, where we hit a *huge* traffic jam, my knees started to seize up with all the use of the clutch, and by the time we pulled past the (very welcome) entrance sign and I hopped out of the car to visit the little reception office, I really was hobbling...

Anyway, equipped with directions, we made our way through the maze of roadways, lined with literally hundreds of static caravans, each lovingly embellished with their own individual quirks, be it a posh raised decking arrangement, or a beautifully appointed garden with topiaried(sic?) hedges...the initial impression you get is that this place really doesn't feel like a caravan park - these are more like lovingly tended second homes...you definitely get the feeling that there is little in the way of normal "camping" taking place here...

So, working our way slowly, to avoid the wildlife -

- we found the static caravan we were lucky enough to be borrowing (which, of course, was situated right in the furthest possible corner on the other side of the site, directly opposite the way we came in) -

- but actually, that was rather nice...it certainly guaranteed by far the best view from the back windows over the fields towards the bay and was blissfully quiet, devoid of all but the most personal of transient visitors (*so* many people knocked on the door expecting their neighbours, only to find Flyingpops or myself peering out the front door and comments like "Oh, you aren't x")...

The inside of the static was an absolute revelation, an incredible kitchen (probably smarter than our one at home), a washer/drier combo, microwave, posh toaster...and the living room had large screen TV, DVD player (with surround sound), and even an old SNES! Incredible...

But, and this is most unfortunate, if you fancy coming to stay here then you are most probably out of luck - of all the statics on the site only *one* is available to hire, all the rest are permanently privately owned...which is actually rather a telling endorsement for the place all by itself...fantastic site, and a privilege to be invited to stay there! :)

More to come!

Sorry Guys...

...for not posting - serious knee-cartilage related soft-tissue flare-up caught me by surprise over the weekend, exacerbated by whacking my knee on the corner of my metal pedistal under my desk three times in a row (training our new chap, so sat in quite the wrong position for speedy desk tucking - ouch!), dashing the commute home to start the break as soon as possible, followed shortly by an hour and a half sat in an incredibly uncomfortable position in the car on the way down to our weekend break...anyway, whatever it was that caused it I've ended up being practically unable to walk (again)...I honestly think we would have been forced to cancel the break completely if it wasn't for the fact that we *knew* the house was still going to be in total chaos (bathroom no-where near done), and that between Flyingpops and I, the whole process of even packing the car up to come home in a hurry would have been a complete farce...as it was, it was pretty hilarious (although *only* in retrospect - and this is no joke, we were hefting things to one another out of the second door (the one without stairs) at the head of the caravan to save bending and stretching, Flyingpops holding in the Bump, gasping and me clutching at my knee making the odd indecent outburst)...heaven only knows how we got it all done...

Can't fault where we went though, despite the medical "issues" stopping us exploring terribly far afield, it certainly looks like an amazing part of the country - pics and stories to come, once I can lean toward the keyboard without grinding my teeth in pain...and thanks to Emily! Don't know what we would have done without the blissful rest afforded to us...trying to cope with all this *and* the builders taking over the house? I can't even start to contemplate it...! Once we got back to civilisation, we just decided to give up on home completely instead heading straight to Oxted (where we had kipped all last week), although this time, instead of being resident for house sitting and watering duties, thanks to my folks actually being home, it's a bit more like us being looked after for a while...so thanks (very much) Mum and Dad too... :)

Static 19 at Hedley Wood

So after our very pleasant stop in Okehampton (I think we'll be going back in the summer time to explore the touristy things properly) we headed off for Hedley Wood, only about an hour away...

...where we took posession of our new home for the next (almost a) week, the rather frosty static number 19 -

- immediately closing all the doors and windows (goodness only knows why they were wide open!) and lighting both the gas fire and the oven (which we left both open and on until the whole place was warm enough to allow us to stop seeing our breath and remove our coats)...I did a quick ninja mission to swap the TV in our static over with the (unoccupied) one next door, as the one we had was missing a SCART slot (and I had all these new games burning a hole in my Xbox), then we settled in (dumped most of our stuff in the second bedroom, filled up the fridge) and then nipped down to the clubhouse for some supper (deep fried scampi and chips) -

- which was looking every bit as festive as ever, quite the most wonderfully garish display! That night we shunned the bedroom (as the heater in there was woefully inadequate at combating the distinct lack of heat outside in the darkness) instead snuggling up with a sleeping bag, hot water bottle and 4 blankets on the sofa-bed in front of the gas fire in the living room...(Flyingpops even kept her wooly hat on)... ;)

The next morning we discovered that the hot water didn't work (never got above tepid), so abandoned any thought of showers (and put in an emergency call with the owners via Flyingpops' dad), boiled the kettle made hot tea and coffee and contemplated how we were going to spend the day...it was so icy outside that it actually looked like it had snowed, so we decided to make a start with the most logical place to go in such circumstances...yes - the beach -(obviously)! :)

Off to Rudgwick!

Really looking forward to tomorrow, we've bracketed the weekend with holiday and are going to exhibit at the "Rudgwick Steam and Country show" (don your trip-a-tron shades before you click that link, it's a bit "exciting" in the colour department)...

So the camper van is largely packed (as of last weekend actually), just got to throw in the fridge and a few changes of clothes and we are all set...! The weather report isn't looking too bad either (worst day looks like Sunday with "light showers", best day is Saturday with "Sunny" and 21 degrees)...last thing to do tonight will be to made sure all the batteries are charged on everything...

Can't wait... ;)

Lingfield Country Show 2008

So a bit of an update on the weekend, which we spent extremely pleasantly camping and exhibiting at the Lingfield country show (which is actually situated up the road on the A22 just outside Blindley Heath, not in Lingfield itself)...Flyingpops packed up Colin the Camper during the preceeding week with her collection and all the various bits and bobs we were going to need to go with it so on Friday night the plan was that we both get on an early train out of London and set straight off, however (as with all the best laid plans), things didn't go 100% smoothly...I managed to get out of the office okay, but when I got down to the Jubilee line it was absolutely *rammed* with people, I ended up having to go the wrong way one stop (from Canary Wharf to North Greenwich) as two trains came and went completely packed full of people and no-one was getting on...this, while being much quicker than waiting in the queue, did still delay me by about ten minutes, meaning I missed the train out of London Bridge that I had been planning on catching...Flyingpops was rather miffed as that one slip would mean about an hour's delay changing at East Croydon (and by this stage she was already sat impatiently at Redhill in Colin the Camper with the engine running, and now in a big huff)...Anyway, we changed the plan slightly, and met up at Oxted (which was actually only about 10 minutes up the road from our destination, and only about 20 minutes away for both of us by respective modes of transport)...finally pulling onto site (and started getting set up) just past seven, so not actually all that bad - From London to dusk in a Surrey field in an hour and a half... ;)

Once everything was ship-shape, Flyingpops made a spot of supper (cheese and onion toastie in our amazing new double skillet - which basically mimics an oven, but can sit on top of the camp cooker - apparently Flyingpops mum managed to do a full roast beef and roast potato dinner on the day before we arrived - which is simply staggering, but that's another story)...Anyway, that night we decided (after a few drinks with R&A at their tent) to take a bit of a walk around some of the stalls (not many were open though) -

- and the fun fair (which was completely open) -





- and then collapsed into exhausted sleep...next morning Flyingpops put the finishing touches to her display -


- in sporadic rain, and then we went to watch Alan take his Scammell around the arena (in our waterproof clothing)...

My folks arrived mid-morning bringing some better weather with them and we spent a very pleasant time nosing around all the stalls -






- (very nearly being temped enough to buy a gosling to fatten up for Christmas, but I think the cats that live next door would have made short work of it) -

- and then feasted on traditional German sausages for lunch -

- that evening we spent up at the beer tent with the other exhibitors and traders (and a lot of LED-covered GMC Vans which I singularly failed to take a decent picture of, lacking a tripod)...I was actually a bit of a lightweight, calling it a night comparatively early...

Next morning I had the pleasure of joining Uncle Alan in his Scammell for it's trip around the arena -

- thankfully I was (as a result) under cover for the only real rain of the whole weekend -



- we packed up with everything dry (thank goodness) and made it home early enough for evening baths to wash away the country before coming back into town for the week... ;)

Next show is in about 3 weeks time... ;)

Toyota Mystery Machine

Spotted in Redhill the other day...not quite as polished as the T25 one we spotted at Volksworld, but a decent try... ;)

Daisy Fields Camping Park, Littlehampton - review

So, as I mentioned briefly on Saturday, after a quick haircut at my folks we managed to get ourselves booked in for a mini-break last weekend in Littlehampton...the plan being that this year we get away on a *lot* more little trips (anywhere is fair game as long as it's around an hour away from home, which luckily takes in a large amount of the south coast) and really make use of Colin the Camper (we already have our next trip planned, but more on that later)...the place we chose was the charmingly named "Daisy Fields" camp site (about a mile from the center of town, so easy walking distance), it was painless to find, being clearly signposted from the main road (but *just* far enough away from it not to be troubled by the traffic noise) -

- we were intending to come along with Flyingpops' folks, but an extremely strict "No Commercial Vehicles" policy meant that they couldn't, as the only vehicle with a tow bar available on that day was a transit van -

- and it's enforced too, by locked gates...

So when we arrived we had to leave the camper outside and trot round to the reception (hidden, from where we had parked, by a large hedge) -

- Reception did have a few things on sale, but really only *very* few (jars of coffee, soap, that sort of thing) so make sure you bring everything you are going to want to eat and drink, although their walls were absolutely overflowing with flyers for various attractions around the place (so if on a slightly longer break you would have no shortage of suggestions for "days out")...Flyingpops decided to try and push the lady behind the desk on the commercial vehicle policy, but she was extremely firm, not even prepared to entertain the idea of the van being parked in the visitors car park...so if you are in a similar situation - find a different place to go...anyway, we paid our bill which was £14 (including £2 electric hook up) and then balked slightly at having to leave £10 deposit for the toilet block access key, but not having a lot of choice in the matter, yielded...and then the site gate was unlocked and we were allowed to proceed inside (watching the roof carefully to make sure it didn't scrape)...

...and (once inside) it's really very nice, definitely set up for families, equipped with an adventure playground (of sorts), a fenced in area for ball games (so footballs don't go flying all over the place), however it's perfect for couples too as the pitches are absolutely huge so you don't feel like you are having to pitch right on top of anyone else, and all the kids activities are right in the middle, a long distance from the pitches, they also just let us park up wherever we wanted, no allocated spot or anything like that (but then the site was quite empty)...

...we spent a lovely lazy day sitting in the sunshine, reading, dozing and munching (too many bags of crisps and a lot of strawberries)...about the only moment of (unwanted) excitement was when a flock of about 40 seagulls descended on the site (making a huge fuss), but when they discovered that there weren't any bags of rubbish to plunder they swept off to the next target...

My folks came down in the early afternoon (another bonus of being quite near to home), they coughed up their £1 entry fee (yep, visitors must also pay...but it gave us a laugh as a certain scene in "Carry on Camping" sprang to mind as a result) and we had a few drinks at the camper, then headed into town for a nose round -



- and some grub, we found a fantastic Turkish/Mediterranean fusion restaurant where we had an incredible meze -

- and then headed back to the site (for a very good night's sleep), woke up at about half nine (very rare for me, normally awake by about 7-8am on the weekend), made a cooked breakfast, thought we had lost a gas bottle (but found it hidden in one of the secret smuggling compartments) and then went to claim our tenner back (realising that this is a very clever trick to make *sure* you check out exactly on time as the shop closes at 11am...stay any later and you are looking at paying another £4 for the privilege)...did also seem a bit tough if you fancied leaving early as the shop isn't open all the time (I think it was an 8.30am start)...so you do need to be rather organised or you will be walking away with the most expensive useless lump of metal you ever accidentally bought...

Anyway, we had an excellent weekend, proved to ourselves that we can get organised enough to get away just for one night *and* manage to get that relaxed "holiday" feeling and also proved that (in fact) it's actually better sometimes *not* to go too far afield...thus my suggestion for the next break is a really nice looking place in Horsham (which is very near home indeed)...now, we just need to find some free weekends! ;)