I didn't plan to spend my evening fighting with a tent.

It’s been a while since I put up a tent. In fact, I believe the last time I (helped) put up a tent was at Aimee’s 13^th birthday. Incidentally, this is also the day that I swore never to camp again having got so cold that I was unable to sleep and quite miserable. So, if you had told me then that just a few years on I would be assembling a tent with the aim to stay in said tent with Aimee I would have laughed at you and then probably prayed that such a time never came.

However, today I put up a tent. Admittedly, it was on my front lawn and I was just practicing for when Aimee and I go to Castlefest together but it still took some doing. Actually, I think that the presence of ants nests on said lawn made it all the more impressive; I have been bitten to death. Struggling with putting the pins into the poles my father told me that I should resort to flirting with a man and get him to do it (he also specified that, after flirting with aforementioned man I should unpeg my tent and move it, assembled to a new pitch). Rolling my eyes I found that he was doing it wrong and that there was a much easier way that didn’t rely on brute strength. As a woman I might be physically weaker but I sure have no problems with logic!

Once the tent was up I got to meet my new neighbours, well the younger ones anyway, who, enticed by the possibility of a new play zone, flocked into the garden. It was lovely to be able to play with ‘little people’ again even if they made the whole taking down of the tent a bit difficult. They were determined we were all going to sleep in there! I figure that they are good practice for the real thing where I’m going to have to put the tent up with Aimee around. I might just sit her down on the floor with a book and do it myself!