Camping in a Van

Last week we took a weeks holiday in a campervan. As a family we’ve never done that before and so it was all new. The children were very, very excited about it. I’m not sure what it was about a campervan that piqued their interest so much.

Maybe, it was the fact that it was a ‘house on wheels’ or that the beds were high up, like bunk beds but with little curtains that you could peep out of. But whatever it was, this was the most excited I’d seen them about anything, ever. Including, the time a policeman stopped and said ‘are you alright mate?’ directly to Jackson.

I was excited about our holiday too. I always look forward to camping-style holidays. I like getting all my camping cookware out and using my red kettle! But mostly, and I think this comes from the gardener in me, I like the fact that camping ‘forces’ you to be out of doors.

We BBQ’d every night. Some nights were lovely and sunny and we sipped wine and read magazines while the food cooked. Other nights were cold and we needed layers and blankets and extra coals on the fire to keep warm. But the fact is we were still out there, cooking. You just don’t do that at home.

I also have a teeny weeny obsession with dusk and the light that it creates. Ask my husband, I will stay out longer than anyone else. He’s freezing and I want to stay, ‘just five minutes longer?’. I want to see what it looks like when the candle flame starts to glow, or what my book looks like when we really do need the lantern to see.

The other thing I love about camping holidays is that you just spend time together, with no schedule. Often we would just ride our bikes around and around the campsite. Or sit and watch as the boys got filthy playing in muddy puddles.

Or when it rained we sat around the kitchenette table and talked and drank tea (and beer), and ate cake, and drew pictures, and read books. For hours. I can’t remember the last time I did that.

I’m starting to think that possibly, just possibly, I fill my time with too much stuff. Always coming and going, and thinking of a trip here or an outing there. And maybe what I need to do is spend some more time doing nothing with the people I love.