A weekend caravanning

We have just spent 5 days at the Blenheim Palace Horse Trials event.

This is Chrissy’s annual “chill-out”, away from work, watching horses and spending money on horsey stuff.

We take the caravan and pay an arm and a leg for “mains” electricity – the one time in the year when we do not have to monitor the battery and gas levels.

I do all the cooking and general housekeeping, including water supply, waste water and other effluent disposal.

The caravan toilet flushing system packed up on day 2, deciding to spread the required water across the washroom floor rather than into the toilet bowl, so we went back to “manual bucket flush” methodology for the weekend and used on-site facilities instead when practicable.

The weather was as usual.  Whatever you decide to wear in the morning is wrong by lunchtime when you are about 3 miles from “home”.

Our campsite organisers set a 1,000,000 steps challenge in aid of the event charity: “Dogs for Good”.  The charity representatives apparently did not know this.  25 campers took part and managed 1,003,500 steps as at 9:00 this morning.  

My personal total equated to around 22 miles walking about over the 4 days of the event, and I had one afternoon asleep!  Sparky, even if on a lead most of the time, probably did 25-30 miles.  He is exhausted, but happy to be home.

Overall, a pleasant weekend, but visitor numbers were well down on previous years, possible because so many “top name” riders were in America at the World Equestrian Games.  Many retailers were in dire straits due to lack of passing trade.

And I do wish that the concurrent attractions of the Royal Berks Show and “Colours” wargame show, both in Newbury, about 30 miles south of Blenheim Palace, would revert to their original dates so that I could enjoy them too.