Gold Digger

Camping Lullaby - pencil drawing by Nigel A  JAMES

A Trifle of Tattle

Summer is the sum of the stories that come back, and, just the other day, a good friend of mine shared the following one or two thoughts with me, and, they were all about camping!

Camping had always been one of his passions, but sadly, a holiday under canvas was something that his wife had always dismissed as being out of the question. A comfortable room with a view was the only thing that she was prepared to consider, that was, until now.

This summer, after years of persuasion, she finally gave in and agreed to spend one night – and one night only - discovering the joys of nature and helping her husband to claw back a long lost dream that was still, in his mind, very much alive!

And, so it was, that on a tour of the Austrian Alps, a camp site was found, and everything looked set for a night near to nature. They had succeeded in getting to know their immediate neighbours, and, it looked as though the maximum of fun in a field was about to brake out. My friend’s wife, amazingly, seemed to be enjoying it all.

But then it happened. To my friend’s utter dismay, he couldn’t find the tent! He almost turned the car upside down and inside out looking for it, but it was no where to be found. How would his wife take it? Would she be very disappointed?

Surprisingly, she took it very well! In fact, my friend thought he saw a look of happy relief on her face, and, as they drove off in search of a 5 star Gasthaus, her smile seemed to grow by the minute.

But then came the mystery! Whilst unpacking the car back home in Vienna, my friend found the tent. It was right there in the boot where he had packed it! But where was it when it was needed? This, he says, will remain a mystery for ever! Obviously, the night in the tent just wasn’t meant to be – and the holiday, despite the no-camping, was simply fantastic.

And 5 star great holidays are better than the cold of a tent, and, that’s how it’s going to stay. My friend has decided that camping has become a definite thing of the past and will never return. He took his “not-finding the tent” as a sign – and, maybe his wife did have a point – tents are simply very uncomfortable – especially for ladies (and men, too!) with bones well past 50!

Nj- summer 2011 – njmailboy@gmail.com