Dwelling in Tents

Life needn't become boring just yet, as there are still fresh experiences to have, and some of them are very accessible. No need to book that trip into space while I can go camping for the first time.

I don't think camping is exactly forbidden among the brethren, but it's not very practical when combined with that lifestyle. When you need to be at a meeting every day if questions aren't to be asked, and need to arrange in advance if you expect to be at a meeting other than your own (in which case you will be offered a bed and hospitality), there isn't much call for a tent. Except in strictly metaphorical connections when talking about the early old testament.

But this last weekend was a holiday one, and on the agenda was a visit to some old folks in the country, so we decided to combine that with a night in a field - otherwise known as camping in the Cotswolds, which does sound better.

The setting was great and the weather was pretty good too. The field was beside a pub outside a village, and the village was small and pretty itself. We were by a stream and, apparently, a disused canal, and the rolling hills and surrounding trees meant that we felt quite as though we had a place of our own for a while. Well, we shared it with an odd assortment of fellow campers, a couple of whose tents were neatly set up across the entire width of some passing areas, but nature was more noticeable than the company.

All in all, it was a fun thing to do, and I look forward to trying it again. This wasn't a very fair test, because although we had lovely weather during the days, it actually rained almost all the night (I think - I did sleep as well as noticing the rain). Single skin tents are easy to manage, but tricky in a downpour. There is something quite pleasant about listening to rain while dry oneself. However, it doesn't make for restfulness if some part of one's mind is worrying that water may be getting to something it shouldn't.