Connie the Conway's Maiden Voyage ...

 

Well Connie the Conway turned out far better than I anticipated. Until it went up, I was having nightmares about the canvas being in a terrible state. But it was fine! Two small holes in the roof, but it rained in the night and no leaks (except through a zipper that hadn't been properly covered when we were setting up, so our fault).

The nasty paisley cushions look very smart in their blue check covers and I even found co-ordinating blue and orange blankets for the bedrooms! It is now fully kitted out with our own equipment and ready for it's next outing - off to Sandringham for a short break next weekend. I just have a little shopping list for this week - pegging and window rubbers, metal buttons and replacement springs for the poles and fabsil to lubricate the poles.

My only gripe was the beds - I am used to a comfortable airbed and layers of blankets in my tent. And fairly level ground. We didn't check just how level the tent was last night and it wasn't - Al and I ended up slithering down the bed in the night, with the boys nearly slithering out of their own bunk! I know he thingks it a bit obsessive, but I am taking a spirit level with me next time. And some thin airbeds to go underneath the foam mattress - boy was that bed hard!

My latest project ...

Oops, is it really that long since I last blogged? *blushes* Well if you are reading this you deserve a medal for persistance in the face of very negligent blogging!

We discovered camping a few years ago and you will have seen previous posts showing our fabulous, huge tent. Well due to various factors (creeping age, need to take more short breaks instead of fewer long ones, need to include two mental spaniels on our hols etc) we started looking at the possibility of 'upgrading' to a trailer tent. Well we found this one on ebay, got it for a reasonable price and got it home. It needs a bit of work and TLC - hence it is a 'project'.
This was what we collected:
Decent canvas, green manky storage box (containing a broken fridge)

The trailer cover is ripped and holey and the kitchen unit was dirty, mouldy, with broken brake lights. I forgot to take a 'before' picture of the kitchen. This is it now cleaned up and bleached, with new brake lights. Ideally it needs new formica tops cutting, but that will have to wait a while.

The fabric is a pretty blue and orange/terracotta, but see that little strip of greyish paisley? That is the seat cushions, they have been recovered at some time in the past. Not a good match is it?

Work is in progress already - kitchen cleaned, new trailer cover arrived today, seats have been recovered, that manky storage box has been scrubbed to within an inch of it's life. Providing the weather holds we will take it to a local campsite this weekend and have a go at setting it up. More pictures will be taken and you will hopefully see it in all it's glory, rather than this sorry state! And 'it' needs a name. I don't know why but it does.