Dawn's taking the books to Cornwall pre-trip report

[Dawn]

We're going on Saturday... :mental:

Was hoping to finish reading the Skywatcher trip report before then but, hey...:taunt:

So, this trip came about after a nightmare couple of days spent at the outlaws just after Christmas when I ran out of things to read and they have no books in their house. :mental: Not having had a proper "notstayingwithrelatives" holiday for a couple of years was beginning to take its toll so we counted the pennies and decided to Carpe Diem a week somewhere over half term - just us - but more of that to come.

Found a nice looking group of bungalows suitably remote but a reasonably short drive from civilisation. The price was right and the dog could come at no extra cost. We were booked for the princely sum of £240 total. :thumbsup:

Then the "just us" bit went out of the window. It appears MIL sulks if you don't spend part of your holiday visiting them. :point: One day they get. Just one day. And only because while I'm there I'll set up #2 Secrets cache.

I've made a list. And started to accumulate things on the dining room table. I've let the boy's piano teacher know not to give him too much practise as we're not taking the piano with us.

I haven't selected the reading matter yet. I may raid the school library this week.

We've all had a haircut, including the dog.

I've printed off details of about 30 caches in the area and, ssshhh, don't tell Adrian, but there are 4 caches directly on our route down there. We'll leave Lancing and 20 minutes later I'll be screaming at him to stop at Arundel hospital to grab the cache. :evil:

I haven't bought new toothbrushes. :unsure:

This country must be the only place where you go on holiday and have "wetsuit" next to "wellies" on your packing list. :lol:

[lisaw]

No new toothbrushes! :mental:

Sounds fab! Especially as we have spent £150 to go camping in a tent for 4 nights :lol:

[Dawn]

Adrian is doing his "plan the route down to the finest details" while I'm heading west and taking a few scribbled notes on a post-it.

Steven is excited because on holiday he is allowed coco pops.

[Britchick]

Sounds fab! Especially as we have spent £150 to go camping in a tent for 4 nights :lol:

what? :faint:

where you off to? we're off to near York

[lisaw]

Steven is excited because on holiday he is allowed coco pops.

:lol:

I always buy those little mini boxes of cereal when we go camping - it's the only time we ever have them :lol:

[Dawn]

Yep got the mini boxes on the dining table ready to pack. Along with 4 pot noodles and 3 packets of super noodles. We know how to have a good time.

[lisaw]

what? :faint:

where you off to? we're off to near York

Ringwood near the New Forest. :yes: We go Friday after school - wanted to give the dog his first camping experience - we could be home on Saturday! :lol:

[Dawn]

We'll be through there Saturday morning - will give you a wave. :wave:

[Britchick]

Ringwood near the New Forest. :yes: We go Friday after school - wanted to give the dog his first camping experience - we could be home on Saturday! :lol:

hope he sleeps!

[lisaw]

hope he sleeps!

You and me both!

I'll :wave: back Dawn!

[*Bambi-Belle*]

Fantastic price Dawn.:thumbsup:

Can't wait for your photos.:wiggle:

[Dawn]

Can't wait for your photos.:wiggle:

*adds camera to packing list* :eek:

[mumof2]

see, if you'd started your list 3 months ago you'd have had the camera on there already! :tongue:

[Dawn]

I've got the batteries packed but not the camera. :lol:

Adrian says we will be on the road by 7am on Saturday morning. :laugh:

[Mari]

sounds like a plan!!! :)


so what happens when you find a cache????

[Claire]

I'll wave as you drive past if you beep your horn. I'll even top up your flask if you want!

[Deb]

Adrian says we will be on the road by 7am on Saturday morning. :laugh:

Aww, bless him! Sometimes men can be soooooo funny can't they? :D

I assume your trip takes you over no high road bridges? You have checked that out? :unsure:

I am most disturbed you don't have your books yet, especially after the last debacle. :unsure: Do you need a red cross book hamper?

[Dawn]

sounds like a plan!!! :)


so what happens when you find a cache????

There's a surge of adrenalin followed by lots of jumping up and down and cheering. :lol:


I'll wave as you drive past if you beep your horn. I'll even top up your flask if you want!

Thanks but I'll pass on the top-up, no way am I risking the Bournemouth one way system again. And yes I know you don't live in Bournemouth. If I honk near Dorchester will you hear it?


I assume your trip takes you over no high road bridges? You have checked that out? :unsure:

I am most disturbed you don't have your books yet, especially after the last debacle. :unsure: Do you need a red cross book hamper?

Well one potential route takes us over the Tamar Bridge which is high but no longer gairy as Teresa escorted me over it once. However Adrian is not familiar with that route and got all nervous when I mentioned it so we'll be on the A30 where there are no high bridges.

No books yet but I have 2 copies of the Sky at Night magazine ready. :thumbsup:

[Skywatcher]

little boxes of cereal :menatl: that WAS holidays when I was a kid

oh and trip reports have hita few technical diffculties but will be resumed soon I promise :yes:

[Tink]

Two magazines aren't going to cut it. Get some books laid in woman! :eek: And don't forget the vegetables!

[Dizneyblonde]

Have a fab week Dawn.

[Claire]

Thanks but I'll pass on the top-up, no way am I risking the Bournemouth one way system again. And yes I know you don't live in Bournemouth. If I honk near Dorchester will you hear it?





I hear a lot of honking in Dorchester. I thought it was a one way system in Poole you didn't like?

[Johnie]

Get lots of books. Lots of them :yes: You can never have too many.

[uscwest]

I'm totally oblivious to this geo-caching stuff. But how do you know the cache will still be there? If you find it first are you supposed to leave something in return?

Oh yeah, and have a great trip.

[Dawn]

I can't decide whether I'm coming down with something or not. :unsure:

[daveann]

I hear a lot of honking in Dorchester. I thought it was a one way system in Poole you didn't like?

have we got a one way system in bournemouth :unsure: is that why i cant find my way around :surrender:

wave as you go past but i wont be here so maybe not were off to the lakes :)

[Dawn]

One time driving to Devon there was a big accident that closed the A31 through the New Forest so we were detoured and in either Bournemouth or Poole there's a perpetual one-way system that took us 3 weeks to escape from.

[daveann]

i have been down here 16 months and only been to poole twice i wouldnt chance it on my own yet :mental:

[Beccaberry]

I'm totally oblivious to this geo-caching stuff. But how do you know the cache will still be there? If you find it first are you supposed to leave something in return?

Oh yeah, and have a great trip.


Typically, you can track the "status" of a geocache on geocaching.com, people post that it's been found, what condition it's in, if it needs attention...that sort of thing.

As for whether it will be there or not, you don't actually *take it* when you find it...you put it back exactly as you found it, usually after signing a log of some kind. Some geocaches are in 35mm film canisters and allow for little more than a stub of a pencil and a rolled sheet of paper to sign on...other caches are larger, usually in sealed containers and containing tiny trinkets. The typical protocol is if you take something, you leave something :)

Dawn, you're going to need more books. If you're raiding the children's library, might I suggest The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman :)

[Dawn]

I've packed 6 books, the binoculars, and Steven's wetsuit. :unsure:

[Tink]

The veggies. The veggies. For Pete's sake you are forgetting the veggies! AND the fruit! :mental:

[Dawn]

We'll buy them locally. Don't panic there will be green stuff. :D

[Tink]

Whew. I was worried! :mental:

[Disneybumble]

Have you packed Dog food and does she get a holiday food treat.

[Dawn]

Dog food. Check.

Holiday treat? Not if she carries on waking me up at 5am she won't. Her treat will be to sleep outdoors.

[Deb]

I want to know the names of the six books please :D

[Dawn]

Really?

[Deb]

Really :yes: That's if you don't mind. I'm always interested in books.

[Claire]

Probably a couple of Jackie Collins I would imagine. The rest will be Mills and Boon and Black Lace.

[Dawn]

OK but I've had to practically unpack a bag to get to these...

Peacemakers - Margaret MacMillan. This is about the Paris conference at the end of WW1 - the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations was one of my big interests at uni.

Born to be Riled - Jeremy Clarkson :sorry:

The Crucible - Arthur Miller

Ratpack Confidential - Shawn Levy

The Jungle - Upton Sinclair

The Imagineering Field Guide to the Magic Kingdom :D

[Deb]

OK but I've had to practically unpack a bag to get to these...

Peacemakers - Margaret MacMillan. This is about the Paris conference at the end of WW1 - the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations was one of my big interests at uni.

Born to be Riled - Jeremy Clarkson :sorry:

The Crucible - Arthur Miller

Ratpack Confidential - Shawn Levy

The Jungle - Upton Sinclair

The Imagineering Field Guide to the Magic Kingdom :D

Oops, sorry :embarassed: It's just that seeing their were books in the topic title I thought they should take centre stage :D Hope you didn't get creases in anything or destroy the Pot Noodles while checking them :unsure:

Very wide ranging selection :thumbsup: I really like the sound of Peacemakers :yes: Not too sure about The Jungle though as a happy holiday read :taunt: Seriously, it's one of those books who's impact I greatly admire but I don't think I'd have the stomach to read, I'd be interested to know what you think of it.

Chuck and Dave are nearly there now. I'm sure there must be a list you haven't written yet that is dreadfully crucial :unsure:

[Dawn]

The Jungle is one of those books that I've read many times as my crumpled copy will testify too. I don't know why it draws me, it's a truly horrendous picture it paints but I keeping reading it. It's obviously very well written. As important as a historical document as it is a piece of literature.

It was a toss-up between that and Catch-22 but there wasn't enough room in the bag for Catch-22. :lol:

[Johnie]

May I suggest Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach? It was delightfully funny yet not disrespectful which is a really hard thing to do. It was a very good book. And our very own Ms. Rebecca informed me last night that she's written a book called Bonk which I must go to Barnes and Noble and get! :tongue:

[Dawn]

Ohoohohohohohohohohohohh

I'm going now. :wave:

[Tink]

BYEEEEEE! Have fun!!! :wave:

[Claire]

See you in a week. Have a peaceful, bookish time.

[Dizneyblonde]

Enjoy the Crucible.

Robyn got an A for her GCSE essay on it.

Have the DVD if you 'get' the book!

[Mags]

Have a lovely holiday Dawn.

Margaret

[foreverducky]

May I suggest Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach? It was delightfully funny yet not disrespectful which is a really hard thing to do. It was a very good book. And our very own Ms. Rebecca informed me last night that she's written a book called Bonk which I must go to Barnes and Noble and get! :tongue:


I just looked at both of these on Amazon and have placed them in my wish list. Hope to get them soon. I love books like these.