Weekending...

We had a great weekend and yet I didn't take a single photograph! On Friday we set off in the caravan despite the pouring rain and gloomy forecast. This is what we do in Britain. J had two men's cricket matches to play and both at the same ground, just over an hour from home. It made sense to stay overnight and have a mini break at the same time.

The first match was rained off due to water logging from the night before. Saturday was nice and mild with only the occasional shower so we stayed at the site and played cricket (of course), frisbee and foxtail and took the dogs for a nice walk in the forests around the Belvoir Castle area. It was stunning countryside. We are planning a visit to the castle next time.

On Sunday the match went ahead. J played well. Although it was a 1st XI match; a men's team they generously gave J three overs and he took a wicket. He's really enjoying men's cricket despite his early worries about being just thirteen. I was pretty worried too but having seen him stop a few fast balls at short mid on I realised he could handle himself. I think they put him close to the fielding action assuming he couldn't throw in from the boundary. When they realised he could they made use of him accordingly.

When we arrived at the site and put up our porch awning in ten minutes and then put the kettle on, the poor bedraggled Duke of Edinburgh girls had just out up their tents in the pouring rain. We did offer hot chocolate all round but apparently they weren't allowed! Not only that but the next day they had to pack up their tents, take them on a hike and come back to the same site only to put the tents up again! I didn't think that was teaching them economy of energy at all.

This morning I woke to a bath completely full of dirty laundry. Cricket kit, bedding, towels, clothes. It's taken four loads to get through it. Once that was under control I was in the mood for a long walk. I'd have to look back over my blog posts to work out how long ago it was that I was having difficulty leaving the house alone. I've come a long way.

There have been a couple of unpleasant incidents in my life that have contributed to making me nervous in the middle of nowhere on my own but I'm determined to make the most of the fresh air and countryside. Today's walk started off through fields, into woodland, through a nature reserve, more fields, alongside a river and back through more fields. I came across just one walker, a man, I relaxed when I saw he had a dog and not an axe! M says the dogs would protect me. Pah! Unlikely.

After two hours Harvey was starting to take short rests in shady long grass. It was quite warm and the wasn't much of a breeze. Riley, meanwhile, had rolled in fifty different types of fox poo. I could smell him from 100 yards away! A long splash and swim session in the river did nothing to get rid of it hence the first photo. Bath time, with bubble bath and the sweetest smelling shampoo we could find. Unfortunately the fox poo smell still wins hands down. Harvey, who went very curly on drying out after his swim just collapsed into his crate bed. I did the same, on the sofa with a cup of tea and a book!