Back garden camping

[Robson Valley]

Yeah, I remember. It was a big Woods canvas tent with a wooden centerpole. It was blue. Dad taught us boys how to set up the camp, location for the fire pit (prevailing winds). He always seemed to have split wood and some rocks behind the boathouse. Mom set the fire and taught us how to cook over it, even fish in clay. Several family camping trips to northern lakes meant a week in the rain. Just other stuff to have to learn.

I got one useful piece of advice from my parents: "You will never have any fun in the world if you can't look after yourself."
Sometimes I was away for 2 months, 5 months, once for several years down under.
Old as I am now with kids of my own, grown and gone, I still believe they were right.

 

[mowerman]

Get in the garden, my two youngest kids, 6 and 4 love it.
We cook on the ghillie kettle and listen to the radio after dark. Awake early and while they go to the loo and get dressed I get the bacon and sausage sandwiches on.
Buy a cast iron pan because it makes it so much easier to cook !
We just use my fishing bivvy and some old blankets and the quilts off the bed.
Cheap weekend packed full of fun and right outside your own back door !

 

[R-Tron 3108]

Rocker, Walker, Camper, Husband, Dad

 

[R-Tron 3108]

Rocker, Walker, Camper, Husband, Dad

Striking up the meths stove for a bacon sandwich.
The sausages went on the kelly fire bowl.

Rocker, Walker, Camper, Husband, Dad

 

[Alan 13~7]

I've been doing this for years with the kids they love Garden stove time, for a while now they've each had their own little kit & trangia 27 meths stoves, I remember the day my middle boy (6 at the time) asked can we do stoves today Dad there's sausages in the fridge? OK then you go and get your stove set up & I will get my kit, by the time I got organised my boy was sitting Smugly eating his sausages & feeling proud of himself,

A proud moment for Ben, by Alan 13-7, on Flickr

waiting for Dad to get the kettle on to make him a brew. Till now he hadn't been permitted to cook unsupervised.... also a proud moment for dad! It was the last few days of the summer Holidays, my eldest (12) had his mate round & they claimed the play shed as theirs for the day, when the day was almost done they asked if they could have a sleep over in the shed, OK Then! The next night dad had to sleep in the shed with the two younger kids (6 & 8) a couple of chapters from Paddington bear, crisps & juice & off to sleep... the boys I think slept beter than me & in the morning I was rudely awakened by the noisy cries of Hungry sea gulls!
The weather was good that day so mum joined us for breakfast in the Garden? we had scrambled egg (made in a polly bag On my Swedish army mess kit) with toast, And the boys got their stoves fired up for a brew...

 

[R-Tron 3108]

Bliss.

Rocker, Walker, Camper, Husband, Dad