Is it me…..have I turned into a ‘grouch’?

Is it me? have I turned prematurely into the female version of ‘Victor Meldew’? have a lost the sense of fun I used to have? or do I just dislike having what little sleep I am able to get (in the inferno that is Bessie) DISRUPTED…….

The reason for this sudden and violent rage you may well ask is a group of ‘scouts and guides’ and I use that term liberally as I think that may have just been a guise to make Sebio think they were going to be well-behaved. I think the church had been thrown in there for good measure as well, although I strongly think that it was all a rouse. I mean I don’t ever remember guides and scouts mixing when I was young; or ever having as much fun on a guide camp as this lot seem to.

In my day it was a stomach turning tea of corn-beef hash and baked beans before a rousing campfire singing such jollies as ‘Cuckabura sits in the old gum tree’ before bed as the sun was coming down.

Not so our group of high-spirited, hormonal little darlings who setup camp opposite us on Friday. They have spent their days in noisy possession of the pool with no other child on site being able to get within 20 yards without being drowned as they dive bomb each other with manic exuberance. Their nights have been spent screeching and screaming (what is it with teenage girls that they can only communicate with high-pitched wails and cries) and traipsing up and down the path that divides us.

Sebio has been wandering around for the last two days muttering under his breath that he hates groups as they are so much work, the cats have spent two days peering out from beneath the caravan which has become their sanctuary and I have been getting more and more irate at the seeming lack of control that the adults with the group (yes there are some)  have on their charges.

Why are these children not being taught that 1.30 in the morning is not an acceptable time to still be making enough noise to wake the dead in nearby Estremoz. Obviously the guide and scout associations no longer teach their members that respecting others and acting in a courteous way is necessary anymore – or is that too ‘old school’.

They are leaving today thank goodness so tonight quiet shall again prevail the campsite and I can happily get on with my knitting without the fear of dropping a stitch every time a blood curdling scream travels across the ether!! (lol)

Seriously though – am I getting too old??????

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Surviving the summer….

There hasn’t been very much to write about over the last few weeks because quite simply we haven’t been doing anything.

Except trying to survive the searing temperatures that is – I think I may have mentioned them once or twice.

Since mid June the mercury has been on a steady rise, peaking over the last few days at a toasty 105F. When its that hot we really can’t go or do anything that involves us being away from the caravan longer than lunch time. Or else we would return to two very hot cats!

So, any outings have been put on the back burner until September when we are hoping the temperatures will be more manageable. We have lots planned though and it will be a busy few months with hopefully a night over in Lisbon and the treat of a stop over in a hotel – hubby has requested one with a bath as he hasn’t had one since last year!!!

To illustrate just how hot it has been:-

The coconut I cracked open yesterday had HOT water inside of it.

The potatoes in the awning actually start to bake themselves.

The cats have gotten used to their tuna being hot when it comes out of the tin.

And this morning when we woke up – or rather got up as we hadn’t actually slept that much the temperature inside the caravan was 28C (82F) the optimal temperature to sleep in is 18C.

The summer has been a learning curve for sure and not made easier by the fact that we have the cats with us. If it was just us then we would probably have moved closer to the coast where the temperatures are a little cooler but the campsites busier.

Oscar in particular finds the heat unbearable if it goes over 32C in the caravan and starts panting. We now let him out in the night if he asks as its just not fair on him and he tends then to just sit in the awning in the cooler night air.

Maybe we should be joining him!!

So, apologies for the lack of ‘exciting’ posts but hopefully full service will be resumed soon……

 

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From Diss to this…..

A year ago today we were sat in Diss going about our business when we got a phone call out of the blue from our agents saying they needed to talk to us. It was all very cloak and dagger and obviously either a rent increase of we were being given notice.  Of course it was the latter and the rest as they say is history.

Eight weeks of manic selling, packing and organising ensued before we set forth from the UK on the journey of a lifetime.

As with all things it doesn’t feel as though we have been living in Bessie for almost a year and then again it seems like we have been doing this forever. It’s amazing how quickly things become the norm isn’t it.

Things like filling the caravan with water, emptying the toilet and using communal showers are all as routine as brushing our teeth whilst stepping out into the early morning air to witness another amazing sunrise still feels like Christmas morning used to as a child.

And so a year on from the decision that set us forth on this crazy journey and I can honestly say (aside from marrying my fellow partner in crime that is with me on this mad trip) that it was definitely the best decision I have ever made.

Bring on the next twelve months……

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