This year has seen life change considerably for Team Adamson… with my return to stinky work (love it really but it gets in the way of summer!) has come time pressures and a different kind of juggling. This has meant that our summer adventure has altered slightly! We have tried really hard to fit the same level of fun and outdoors time for the scamps but have just had to think bit differently about how we have done it!

The last 10 days we have spent camping (on and off) at Faithorne Mannor, the YMCA family campsite near Botley, Southampton. The children have been filling their days making new friends, getting dirty, kayaking, climbing, abseiling, den building, learning how to light fires and generally doing things that are fun. Stew and I spent our days at stinky work, and our evenings sitting around a camp fire, toasting marshmallows and pretending that we are on holiday. It’s largely worked for us all, but its certainly been more of a juggle this year to prepare freckle for our great get away! I can’t recommend Fairthorne highly enough as a place where the children can play, roam free and generally have a ball. I’ll stick a recommendation in the campsite pages when I remember how to do that. Here is a link to the site now for those that can’t wait! Why not try it for a night!
http://www.ymca-fg.org/family-fun-and-childrens-parties/camping/

The best thing I learnt, bugged me so much about how I didn’t think about it! In all my years as a Rufty Tufty Ranger, not once did I think about scooping my marshmallow off my stick with a broken in half chocolate digestive. Come on admit it… you’re thinking “ahhhhh of course, the chocolate will go all gooey”… and it does!

All this said…. tonight Freckle is sitting on our driveway, packed and raring to go off for a 3 week adventure. The essentials are all in there…. telescope, silent disco (more on that later I’m sure!), tennis net, cockle rakes, shrimp nets, rockpool shoes, and exploring window and a cool new surfboardy type thing for the scamps. When I say all the essentials, this isn’t quite true as there are no clothes in there yet, but I have literally hours to finish that dull stuff!!

We are headed off tomorrow night to Saint Malo, via our first adventure on an overnight ferry. The scamps were so excited when they went to bed that it was their last night before their adventure. I’d like to say I’m cool about it… but I’m totally with them. The last 2 years adventures have found me anxious for different reasons the night before. Last year I was off for the first bit without stew, and the year before we weren’t sure the engine would make it… but this year I feel like we know how to rock this party, and the plans are laid down for another epic adventure!

Team Adamson…. lets get on it!! “Freckles French Foray Fourteen!” I hearby declare our adventure open… just as soon as I pack some pants!