OMG what a weekend at Riverside!!! It was a little like a catalogue of errors. Are you sitting comfortably ... then I shall begin.
Set off at 4.00pm Fri with a set of directions printed from UKCampsites. When we reached Shipston-on-Stour I realised that we had perhaps travelled too far and rang the campsite who informed us we were 10 miles past our destination! Anyway, long story short - got back to Stratford on Avon and found the Tiddington Road and sailed straight past the turning for Riverside. At this point my shoulders were touching my ears with tension and my OH was speaking to me through gritted teeth in a raised voice. Once I'd informed him he'd missed the turning he decided to turn right into a junction where there is a triangle in between the roads. "You can't turn here", said I, to which he replied "Sssshusshhh - hush now!". To his credit the van followed the car perfectly without so much as grazing the kerb. We then booked in and arrived to my parents and their friends all suited and booted in waterproofs clapping as we pulled up about an hour late!
So, I was told to go and sit with my Mum and her friend whilst the men did their thing and sorted out the van and awning. Great (it was raining again by now) so I wasn't going to argue! Eventually the time came for me to sort out the food etc. and making the van look nice whilst my OH got tea (chilli) underway. Every ten mins the electric kept tripping - luckily OH could re-set on EHU post but it was a tad annoying as we'd not got a lot on and couldn't understand why (now realise that Riverside is only 10 amps if this makes sense?) Anyway, just about to serve tea and I heard an expletive which I shan't repeat on here and the ladle had fallen out of the saucepan, complete with chilli con carne in it and fallen on the floor - splashing the vibrant redness all up the cooker, units, bed, bedding and all over the floor. "Oh dear" I said - well, I didn't want to cause a scene. "We'll sort it out in the light of day." Ate our tea and walked over to where my parents were in the motorhome next door. What happened next can only be described as a perfect re-enactment of the scene in Only Fools and Horses where Del Boy, not realising the bar flap has been lifted up, goes to lean on it and falls perfectly onto the floor. I had returned from fetching a candle to show my parents and friends, and was in the process of turning around to shut their door, when I'm not sure how - but I lost my footing and went flying out of the m/home and landed on my right wrist face down on their astro turf!!! Mum said it was like I'd been sucked out of a vortex. Anyway, obviously my OH jumped up full of concern and came to my rescue ... NOT! My Mum and Dad were there like a shot (you still need your Mum when you're hurt and I'm 43!). Well, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry so I did both - laughed until we cried. Tears were rolling down our faces. Then to top it all off my Dad managed to get himself locked in their loo - we heard this knocking and then had to release him. It was such a funny moment and I wish we'd been able to film it! Apart from a twisted back and sore tendons am pleased to report that my wrist wasn't broken.
But, the saga doesn't end there because as you all know the weather was absolutely horrendous Sat night/Sun morning. At 4.15 am Sun morning I was still wide awake, lying in bed listening to the wind howling and the rain lashing wondering if the caravan was going to blow over at any moment or if the awning was going to be ripped off! I think I managed under 3 hours of fitful sleep - I kept thinking the Avon was going to burst its banks and flood the site. (Your imagination works overtime at night doesn't it?). Anyway, sure enough Sun morning OH had emptied the awning when I heard him call my name .... it was about to be ripped off the rail so I grabbed it and we managed to save it from being torn off but have sustained a small amount of damage which he says he can fix. We were lucky, some poor chap was walking up the road with the remains of his small awning trailing behind him as it had been ripped off. Horrendous.
I didn't dare comment about how worried I was about the journey home but have to report that my OH did a sterling job and we stuck to 50MPH following their m/home and didn't once feel the van move on the back. What a trip! All we need now is to be out in it in a thunderstorm and we really have experienced all kinds of weather in three visits away! But it hasn't put us off at all. (I can say that now after a good night's sleep).
Roll on Broadway in two weekends time!!!!