Hi-de-hi

Tim and I have never been natural campers, both enjoying the comfort of our own bed, a good night's sleep and a warm shower too much to want to spend many nights out under canvas. We had been together for at least 8 years when we first camped together, for some great friends' hen/stag do - I was the "best man" and although I was let off any organising (or part in choosing what to do) it meant we had no choice but to go along. We borrowed a tent from my brother, an air mattress from friends and tested our ability to put it all up in the front room of our London flat so as not to embarrass ourselves in front of hardened campers.
How times have changed. We're still not natural campers but the mix of young kids (who love the idea of camping and the time spent outside with friends even if they struggle to sleep well) and the cost of staying in hotels as a family of five and the amount of room we occupy if staying with friends coupled with living somewhere with relatively predictable warm, dry weather and a great outdoors means camping is much more part of our lives now. We own 2 tents (which even I can put up without a need to practice), sleeping bags,mattresses - we still have the air bed we borrowed 10 years ago, gifted because our friend never wanted to camp again - camping stoves, cooking gear and of course head torches and lamps galore. And last weekend we bundled it all into the back of our car and set off to join friends in a field right by lake Naivasha.
The weekend was organised by a really lovely family who leave Nairobi next week after 4 years here. They will be very missed both in the school mums net and at work and about 20 or so families with kids between 6 months and 11 came along to mark their departure. Early anxiety from Matthew that it would be all girls and all under 7s were soon dispelled when he recognised a fellow 9 year old from sports fixtures at a rival school and they bonded over a football and Matthew's "tracks and signs" book, trying to work out which animal poo belonged to what - the only one they were absolutely confident about was the tortoise (?!) so I think they have some way to go. Jamie rekindled his early years passion for horses and spent hours riding, leading others on a pony and hanging out at the stables. And Katie disappeared with the afore mentioned u7 girls.
We had a great weekend, with huge games of kids' football, rugby and cricket organised by a few dads, horse riding, toasting marshmallows, bbqing, drinking beer, breakfasting with giraffe's and spending time with friends. Tim and I opted out of the midnight hippo hunt but went on a lazy Sunday morning boat trip on the lake instead and saw loads, along with fishermen and great bird life. We came back to Nairobi tired but reminded that the faff that is packing up is reduced a bit in the absence of howling gales and torrential rain, and when there is a small army of people around to help put it all away, clean out the car and wash out the icebox when you get home. Definitely more glamping than camping.

Naivasha album View photos    Download all You are invited to view anne's album. This album has 13 files.

Anne