Vacationing in Verwood

It can always be considered a successful social visit when you put your host in hospital…

We went to visit Mark’s 94-year-old mother. One of the dogs bumped into her leg while she was sitting down. She was fine. Until about an hour later when we returned from a ‘dry’ walk with 4 dogs, who had found and explored the only pit of stinking black mud in Surrey. Mum showed us her leg. It had developed a haematoma the size of a golf ball!

Thus, we didn’t get out for a Lamb Jalfrezi as intended, but spent an enchanting evening split between A&E and decontamination of dirty dawgs. We are just the perfect guests! On the positive side, we met a REAL person called Moriarti in Casualty.

We stayed over to make sure that Mum was OK. We had to do that thing that you haven’t done since you were young and irresponsible – buying a toothbrush and some toothpaste for an unexpected overnight stay. Had we bought a bottle of vodka and some condoms with the toothbrush, we would have been dudes, but the emergency supplies of dog food kinda dispelled any sense of carefree recklessness.

The following morning, Mum was a lot better and the swelling had gone down. Mark’s brother came over, so that she had company and we, the model guests, departed…

We had an invalid of our own to look after. Our poor little Ruby is pictured here wearing the Cone of Shame. Her condition had improved, but being a Princess she was feeling a little bit sorry for herself and had a sore botty. She needed lots of love!

But the travelling person always has things to do! Besides nursing Ruby, Mark optimised the racking in the van ready for our next European trip. And more importantly, having missed out on Jalfrezi, we treated ourselves to an Al Fresco fry up. With proper sausages, bacon and a Bury black pud. Curry, Roast Dinners and a Fry Up are the gourmet feasts that we pine for the most when we’re in Europe!

We went for a walk in the bluebell woods where we could harm no-one. I love bluebells – their scent is AMAZING! We used to play in what we called Bluebell Wood when we were kids, before the days of Swampy, the tree-dwellers and the M65, which now cuts straight through it. (Click here for a rather endearing treatise about a walk around some of the sites that I frequented in my childhood!)

Ruby was still being a bit of a Princess. She knows Mark is a soft touch. She was at the stage of recovery which required frequent cuddles and a carry on walks because she was still just so POORLY!

Although, every now and again, Princess did forget that she was ill…

8^th April – Spring has Arrived. Officially!

It is officially Spring. The sea temperature has now reached 10.2°C so it is definitely The Windsurfing Season. We work on the principle that we can windsurf so long as SOMETHING – either the air or water temperature – is in double figures. A constant 10.2°C leaves us with no excuse!

Our gear budget has gone through the roof. We both have new powder skis and finally treated ourselves to the new windsurfing harnesses that we have coveted for over two years. James at H₂O Watersports generously gave us a substantial discount and a free tube of Dr Ding. On the up side, the harnesses cost less than Ruby’s vet bill. All we need now is to get our sails repaired and fix the nose damage on my Firemove board (here, the Dr Ding comes into its own) and we’ll be SHREDDING! When the wind kicks in, that is.

However a full, pink moon brought us high tides at Mudeford to coincide with 14mph westerly winds and some sunshine. Time to squeeze the lithe and muscular skiing body (which is hidden under the insulation layer of stodgy, mountain energy food) into that wetsuit, I say!

Sandwiches made. Van loaded. Bikini on. Remembered to put towel and spare undies in a bag (always grim forgetting your dry undies). Wind forecast downgraded and currently 6mph.

Welcome to the start of the Windsurfing Season!

I HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN HOW TO DO IT! The last thing to blow my mind was – the wind!

We FINALLY got windsurfing at Weymouth. Me new harness was FAN Dabbi Dozie and I didn’t make a complete prat of myself, as I usually do at Weymouth. Examples are;

1. Thinking ‘I’ll turn in a minute; turn in a minute…’ Then riding my board up a slipway; all in full view of the Official Test Centre. 2. Going the wrong way through the middle of a windsurf race. 3. Falling off in front of the USA Olympic Team while they were filming. 4. Nearly beheading Nick Dempsey, windsurfing’s 2012 and 2016 Olympic silver medallist, with my mast. 5. Crashing into and then sliding slowly down a buoy covered in gull poo in front of Guru Jim Collis…

Well I say I didn’t make an idiot of myself; I had dry hair until the final few minutes. I did fully grown up windsurfing, replete with dry tacks and gybes. Mark said “You were sailing really well until the last 10 minutes! What happened?!” I think I just got tired and everything went Pete Tong. I considered my rig flip for so long on my last gybe that I got back-winded and was knocked into the water by my own sail! Then I got up, fell in, got up, fell in, got up, fell in… A girl just instinctively knows when it’s time to quit and go for coffee and a super-sized Cherry Bakewell!

AND – On this day in history…

I can’t believe that we have been caravan owners for a whole year and caravan dwellers for 11 months! We love this lifestyle.

Let’s just say; ROLLIN’ ROCKS!

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We stayed at the Verwood Camping and Caravanning Club Site in beautiful Dorset, close to the New Forest National Park and the gorgeous South Coast of England.