Camping, Catbells and Mrs Tiggiwinkle

Not posted for nearly two weeks as we have been away camping in the Lake District.  Mixed weather but had a good time anyway.  It was great to have 22yos join us when he arrived home from Botswana on the Wednesday of the first week. I miss my children a lot when they are away.

 

We spent the first few days in a National Trust campsite but we were disappointed in that one so we moved earlier than intended to one near Cockermouth.  That was really nice.  One of the highlights of the first week was a visit to the World of Beatrix Potter which I have wanted to visit for ages.  I got to meet my favourite Beatrix Potter character - Mrs Tiggiwinkle and 6yos and 11yod thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

The disappointing thing about the holiday was the fact that I ended up not doing the trail 10k which I had planned to do.  A variety of factors influenced this, not least that it had been raining for 48 hours before and conditions were really bad underfoot.  I did, however, get a couple of good runs in, one being a beautiful 3 miles round a castle and lakeshore and the other involving 3/4 mile uphill run which I managed to get up without pausing.  It was lovely running down again.

Another highlight was walking/scrambling/panting my way up Catbells.  11yod found it really hard and managed to push herself, 6yos had his usual fantastic energy and Rick, 23yos and 13yos got up really fast and jogged down, Rick managing to run up and down a couple of times to my one.  However, it was wonderful to have got to the top (even if all the world seemed to be up here with us) and the views were a wonderful reward for us all.  I love walking out in the countryside and could have carried on and stayed out much longer.

We had a good holiday really, despite not having brilliant weather and some real windy times.  We came home a few days early as the weather was set to break again and it made sense to get the tent down dry.  We have finished all the unpacking just 24 hours later and it means that 22yos gets to stay here for a few days before heading away again and Rick, 22hos and 13yos get to go to Scout camp this coming weekend in all the wind and rain while 11yod, 6yos and I get to stay at home in the warmth.  How good is that!!!  I had my written offer of a place on the Return to Nursing Practice course from the university so that was exciting and means it is all getting closer.  Still a few weeks to enjoy time together before life goes crazy!