Camp Bestival pt. 2

Part two of our mini-break. Some are from my disposable camera (I'm obsessed with them now I've discovered that Timsons develop and give you a camera for £7!!) I think they're my favourite.

^^ Another to add to the collection of awful family photos I love haha!

^^ This bubble machine from Samsam The Bubble man (below) was the biggest hit. I've never seen anyone happier about any gift. She went through two bottles of mixture before the end of the trip.

Molly's art creations in the Art Town. We have a 'take-away box circus'. Some colouring in, a card made with glitter and watercolour pens and Molly's fabric painting contribution to a large tablecloth mural. So fun! We didn't manage to get a spot at the tattoo table though. I was gutted ha. 

^^ There was this moment, it was the end of a hot day so it was suddenly feeling a little crisp, and my muscles felt deliciously achey and ready for a warm jumper and everything was just faultless. Sinead O' Connor was on stage, which was a stones throw away from where we were in the woodland area, and she was singing Nothing Compares 2U. Jamie and I were either side of a tree trunk bridge holding Molly's hand while she walked across listening to it. It was as though we had our own soundtrack, that song is really special to me and I was just so happy I could have burst.   

^Such a magical place at night

^^ On the last night Jamie fell asleep about 10pm, and Molly decided she needed another bed time wee. So we went on a last 'adventure'. She made a teenage friend in the toilet while we were brushing our teeth (I don't think I can ever not do boutique camping again, it was SO CLEAN!!). I love how she'll chat to anyone she meets. When we got back to the tent I thought I probably needed to take some pictures of the cosy fairylights our tipi was laced with. Molly asked that I take her picture, she's pretty into posing. Going for another wee when I knew she was just avoiding bedtime can be pretty annoying, but if you embrace it and take it as another opportunity to chat and connect all the while be out in a field late at night, well it's just so worth it. Parenting is so rad.    

A little girl and her Fox Tail.

Camp Bestival: The Wagon Diaries

I felt the wagon needed an appreciation post of its own. We bought her off Amazon for a steal, and she served us well getting all our junk to the tipi and back again, as well as save Molly's (and our) legs. Moo bear is a little bit of a lazy princess and demands to be carried very quickly on our walks! 

Halfway through the visit Jamie insisted on buying those horrendous stickers as we hadn't decorated her. Molly seemed to like the look. 

Anyway, Molly ate, made bubbles and slept in the wagon. She became an extension of Jamie's arm. And helped us stay together as a group in large crowds. To be honest I don't think I would ever do a festival with a child without one. We even took apart the sides each night to use as a barrier against the wind in the tipi. And you can't complain for £34! Sadly, when Jamie dismantled her for the last time just before we left, he broke her :( sadly she is unfixable without a welding kit. So goodbye Winnie, you served us well. We shall buy a Winnie v.2 next year and we will actually decorate her.. but shhh don't tell Winnie the first.

Camp Bestival pt.1

Last week Jamie and I took Molly to Camp Bestival. It's like the childrens version of the Isle Of White festival Bestival. So imagine the best place on earth for a child.. a big castle, a wagon to pull you around in, ice-cream vans at every corner, story telling in the woods, play grounds, toys everywhere to pick up and play with, puppet shows, bubbles, a childrens catwalk and fairground. THAT is Camp Bestival, and so much more! I took like a million photos, and so did Jamie on his phone so I've split this into two posts, more for my own sanity ha.

So this 'bus'. Basically,, it was these two wagons/trucks connected by this crazy structure made from wood/bikes/kettles/fairylights/amazing junk that all the children (especially me) wanted to hang out on/in. I only got a picture of it as a whole (mostly) at night. But below are the pictures I forced Jamie to take of Molly and I on our bus/truck/structure adventure. Also I'll add here that every time we left the tent or any area of Camp Bestival to move on to another we named 'an adventure'. We weren't going for a wee that holiday.. we were going on an adventure. 

^^ Wouldn't this be the perfect picture if the glass wasn't so glare-y!?

My little safety girl. Also, I'm going to add here, Molly was amazing at taking turns. She had a go on the steering wheel after waiting patiently from some little oiks that had been in the front since Molly and I went on the truck, and after a short go at the wheel allowed another child to play 'driver'. We're almost worried she's too thoughtful.. 

So this little part of the woods had a special part in my heart. As a lover of all things old and junk-like, it was basically a woodland full of activities made with junk. A 'Mud Kitchen' decked out with brass and copper kitchen utensils/cookery junk, a well stocked dressing up den, fairies houses made from glitter and junk, stick people making, a 'theatre' with a wooden stage and toadstools to sit on, small baskets full of little woodland animals and so so much more. I wanted to live there. In my dreams I have a little woodland at the back of my house (nearly happened with that property I saw in Newtown Linford last year but I won't dwell) full of essentially this for Molly and I to spend our days in. It was a forestey junkey dream come true. 

While I was busy being ill (I'll discuss that in the other post) Jamie took Molly on an adventure without me. Broke my heart BUT he did photograph it all for me so I didn't miss out- awwwhhh! Made me well up that did ha. There was another one of those structures that I didn't get a chance to go on, Molly said it was very high. She also made her catwalk debut! 

On the way back to the tent after our first night Molly asked me to take a picture of the 'happy moon'. And you know what Molly I think this was the happiest moon I'd ever seen.