Due to the late departure, we were forecast to arrive at Whitemead Park around 4.30. Due to a hiccup by Georgie Kelly, Dame Shirley’s new special Motorhome Satnav (purchased at great expense after the Bakewell debacle) we were forecast to arrive around 5.30! Still, every cloud has a silver lining. We took in a new Motorway Services. Corley. Many many things conspired against us on this trip. Georgie, the school holidays, the idiots from extinction rebellion, tractors and the M42, meaning our actual arrival wasn’t until 6pm. Long day of driving for Ian. I did manage to get some homework done in my table seat though!
Homework in Dame Shirl
Meanwhile, Kathy, Einar and Sam had started the second leg of their epic weekend. A trip to Oxford to leave Sam with Renchin and Matt. Poor souls! He can be handful
Back at Whitemead, mum and me went to check out the chalet (not very good, very dated with a bit of a pong) while Ian got Dame Shirley all shipshape, filling her with water, turning on gas and electric, and setting up the awning. We were on a lovely big pitch in a shaded area under some trees. There were children about, but they were peaceful children. All very pleasant. I set about throwing together a tuna pasta bake and we ate outdoors. There were bats flitting about. There was also absolutely no Wi-fi! So it was very difficult to communicate.
Susan arrived about 8pm to take mum back to he house for the weekend and we were very proud to show her around Dame Shirley .
Dame Shirley under the trees
Not too brilliant chalet
Between 9 and 10 all the kids arrived and settled into their chalet, two bedrooms and a bed settee. Ian and I weren’t around for the fighting. That done we shared a bottle of wine under the awning before retiring for the night.
About 8am on the Saturday, the wedding day, we were awoken by a knock on the door. Chris was feeling really ill, stomach pains and hot and cold. Ian took him to the minor injuries department at Lydney who promptly sent him to A and E in Gloucester. Possible appendicitis! It turned out, after a full day, paracetamol, codeine and morphine, that it was a very bad bout of food poisoning! Sadly this caused Ian and, of course, Chris to miss the wedding ceremony. Happily, the rest of us made it.
Grandmas new teeth
The Famous Five
Waiting for the ceremony
Naomi, Susan and Alice
Table six
A very good photograph
Jenga on the lawn
The love hoop
The young ones boogieing
Once Chris was settled and under observation, when they had decided not to operate, Ian left the hospital and arrived at the wedding in time for the meal. When he was ready to be discharged, I went up to Gloucester to collect him and take him back to the not too good chalet. I then returned to the wedding myself. Although I had missed the live band and the Mexican street food! I did manage to do a bit of boogieing though. All in all, despite the medical drama, most of us had a very good day.
Kathy had also missed the live music and Mexican street food as she left right after the big meal for a hen do in Bristol, leaving Einar to play Jenga (see above). The very next morning, Sunday, Vicky and Alex left for Birmingham where Vicky was headed for her first Commonwealth games volunteering shift. This left sick Chris and Einar in the not too good chalet. We had arranged to go over to Susan’s for breakfast so took sick Chris, who wasn’t too sick anymore, with us. Einar stayed in bed as Kathy was returning for him that morning and then they were hotfooting it to collect Samwise from Renchin. Apparently he had been ‘A little devil’. We arrived to bacon butties and coffee in the barn, and sick Chris was able to have a long chat with Elliot to somewhat make up for him having missed the wedding.
Afterwards we grabbed Grandma and Chris dropped us off at Whitemead before they headed off to rescue
Misty. Little did she know that Sam was once again staying the night at her house.
Back at Whitemead, Ian and I decided on a little walk through the nearby RSPB nature reserve, Nagshead. Home of all kinds of flycatchers, redstarts, and all three types of British Woodpecker. In all the time we were in there we never saw a single bird. We even climbed into a bird hide and sat for about fifteen minutes. Not a peep.
The no bird bird reserve
We relaxed for a bit then went round to ‘The Venue’ for some tea. We both had fish and chips which were surprisingly good, then Ian had a giant waffle. The centre is where all the entertainment is, thus it is full of the screaming children that were nowhere to be seen around our pitch. We decided to retire for the night and we’re in bed and asleep for 9.30. It had been a long few days
Strava watch
As before, I forgot to start the app, so imagine we walked there and back again! 3.04 miles all uphill!! The tiny spur is the well worthwhile walk to the bird hide
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