The best bits of March 2026

 In no particular order.

Pushkins celebrated her 18th birthday with a Happy Meal from Mcdonalds. She loves the fries.

Every now and then she drinks from the toilet bowl. In general she drinks the manky water from the flower pots outside. She demands fresh water daily in her water bowl and stares at you until she sees you change it every morning with her food.

She truly is a goddess.

I had a couple of days away in South Wales. Peter was in Turkey for most of March visiting friends.

I've not seen the tide in at Barry Island since the mid 80's.

I took part in the parkrun.

And won big on the 2p slots. I gave my winnings to my great niece.

It always makes me smile when I watch Gavin and Stacey as I used to work in an arcade which was owned by the Danter's who run the fun fair at Barry Island.

I went to Jenner Park to watch Barry play football. My father was their goalie in the late 50's early 60's.

I spent the second night in Newport and visited my nephew, his wife and great niece.

There was of course football at Birmingham.

We had sand from the Sahara.

The patio/undercover area was jet washed and tided and seeds were sown.

It's been extremely windy and cold and wet.

I'd walked for miles and ran a fair few more.

I completed an Ultra Challenge in Bath.

My time wasn't as fast as I'd hoped for, but I'd underestimated the elevation.

This was my last major training for the marathon. I was training for endurance not speed. I am 54. I enjoy these ultra challenges and I will be doing more of these.

It's been a fun month and I spent most of it outdoors regardless of the weather.

There was also a lot of cleaning and tidying done in March and I read a few books and uploaded the grandchildren's baby clothes on vinted with almost daily sales with some of my clothes also.

Days out in the Campervan September and October 2025

September

A night in the Chilterns ahead of the Ultimate50Challenge.

The van was parked at the back of tents behind the yellow car in the middle, bit of a walk to the toilet and shower block but the weather was dry.

I didn't bother with the insulated window covers, just hung a blanket over the front seats for privacy in the back.

Soup and bread for dinner and porridge for breakfast and I made myself a packed lunch for the day.

Glorious sunrise. I sat on my chair outside with my coffee to watch the sun rise.

October

Camping at Tredegar Country Park in Newport. Arriving Friday afternoon ahead of Storm Amy. We parked away from the trees as much as we could.

Not too far from the toilet and shower block.

I sleep soundly outdoors and slept straight through the storm. Peter however was disturbed all night with pine cones dropping on the van roof. We spent two nights here. We've got packing the van up down to a fine art so we can be in and out within minutes when we go out for the day.

Phone signal was brilliant despite the storm and we were able to stream the football.

A day trip to Hanbury Hall nr Droitwich. On arrival only 40 minutes from home, we made coffee and read our books for an hour, then headed off round the grounds. Back to the van for lunch and a cup of tea, then into the house for a look round. We were able to swop walking boots and muddy trousers.

Our next trip in October was a week on a campsite in Northern Ireland, but before we went we needed to do a bit of van maintenance. We had a full service the end of September and at the same time, it was stripped of everything and given a thorough clean, but it was time to check and clean the water tanks and hot water system.

We've discovered a leak in the van. I was packing for our trip to Northern Ireland and I found the fleece, gloves and hats I keep in the cupboards in the back were damp. I just assumed that the leak occurred when we were in Newport and the roof was up and something had touched the side of the tent and water had dripped through. I repacked the van on Thursday and after our journey on Friday we discovered items were wet again when the roof was down. After a night with the roof up with a towel in the cupboard, which was dry in the morning, we think the problem is caused by the awning bracket which is breaking the seal when the roof is closed. no idea yet how we're going to sort it. 

We discovered that the damp is actually condensation and make sure we don't store anything in the cupnboards and leave the internal doors open when we're not using the van, like we did last winter.

We camped on Lough Neagh and brought the drive away awning with us, we didn't spend much time in there as it was too cold in the evenings and we were out all day, but it was a great space to store our bags, more space to get dressed in and leave the bedding during the day which makes life easier without having to keep playing Tetris packing the van away.

The drive away awning is so simple. Driving back takes about twice as long but I need both hands and can't film it.

It was at the point of being too cold, wet and windy to have camped as it was difficult to get everything dried, especially the roof as it is made of canvas and folds onto the mattress. Once we got home, we removed the mattress from the van to ensure it was fully dried and the roof has been popped for the odd hour in-between showers to make sure it is fully dry and aired.

The awning is drying under the canopy, it's been turned, zips opened to dry the inside which was full of condensation and once the carpet in the house has dried after a burst water pipe when we were away, I'll bring it inside so we can fold it back into it's bag for storage.

The ground sheet needs rinsing properly with a good downpour to remove all the mud, then drying.

Welly boots waiting to be washed.

I've a couple of overnight trips in November but I'll be sleeping on the bench seats. I've purchased a stool to sit on in the back for when I'm cooking or making hot drinks as it's difficult to do when the roof is down, but I'll have to have the tail gate open which means I'll need to park carefully to ensure the wind and rain isn't blowing in.

Week 43 - One Daily Positive and Project 366. Newport to Dubai

I arrived back in Dubai on Friday, I'm shattered. I've unpacked and put most of it away. I really don't want to go to work tomorrow, I'm not getting any satisfaction from working, there's too much pressure on me, while I enjoy the teaching side and don't mind planning and evidencing work in my own time, I don't think I've ever worked in a job where I'm under so much scrutiny and asked to justify EVERY single action. I've already decided I will pack it in at the end of the school year in June, but at the moment I'm not sure I'm going to make it to the new year.

Whilst I had a lovely time in the UK, it was sadly a trip made due to family bereavement. My Father's youngest brother's funeral was on Monday. It was lovely a service, there were lots of people there from his involvement with Gwent Football Association and the bands he'd played in over the years.

Sadly on Thursday we heard the news that my Mother's eldest brother had passed away. The funeral will be in mid November and I won't be able to travel to attend.

Day 297 - Kids. Picked up a few craft activities for school, I did want to post a picture of the teen, but he was having none of it as usual.

Day 298 - Cute. My sisters missing cat, he ran away last year, she has moved towns since then, she finally located him and brought him back to the new house where he has settled back in.

Day 299 - Amazing. Lovely to meet up with my SIL who I haven't seen since her Cancer was diagnosed in July, she is half way through her treatment and looks fab. Her daughter (my niece) is spending new year with us and 2 of the boys, she needs a break, she doesn't want or need the break, but her mum and I have ganged up on her.

Day 300 - Light. I've really enjoyed being in the UK in autumn, the rain and the cold, it all looks so pretty, it's amazing how early it gets dark now. In Dubai we average 10-12 hours of light every day. While we miss the long summer evenings of the UK, we certainly don't miss the lack of sun in the winter.

Day 301 - Leaves. I've loved the sight, smell and sounds of autumn. 

Day 302 - Dark. Back in Dubai, an evening at sunset spent on the beach, I've been sleeping the rest of the time.

Day 303 - Trick. I hate this part, the unpacking and eventual putting away of stuff. 

Walking in the tree tops at Celtic Manor, Newport



As you know I've been in the UK a while now, visiting from South Africa. The last few weeks have been spent at my parents where my 20yo nephew is also staying until he starts his new job in 2 weeks.

We've spent a lot of time together in the house and apart from the odd bit of running around we haven't actually done anything together. But what can a 42yo Aunt and a 20yo nephew actually do together?

We went to the pictures on my last visit, grabbed lunch out, but he has his mates, his golf and his video games and I'm not a big fan of the films he likes to watch.

So today, my last day of the trip we went to Forest Jump at The Celtic Manor in Newport. Home of the 2010 Ryder Cup.

After we had run through the safety checks and the instructors were happy that we knew what we were doing, I climbed a ladder as tall as a 2 storey building, stood on a platform that was moving in the breeze and announced to my nephew 'I can't do this' well by the 5th platform it was all systems go and we gained ground on the rest of the group finishing a good half an hour ahead of them, by whizzing down the zip wire. Click here for the videos. The whole course took just over 2 hours to complete.

I would recommend you wear a long sleeve top as I've a few rope burns and a pair of cycling gloves as my hands are blistered from clinging onto the ropes for dear life and I'd certainly recommend a padded bra.....you have been warned.

This was a perfect day out for all, there were children as young as 12 up on the high ropes and adults easily in their 60s. There is a low rope course for younger children and there were a few dads joining in and having a great time with their kids.

I'd certainly do it again and at *£19* per adult which included all the safety gear, demonstration and 2 hours of fun, it was worth the money.

I wouldn't mind exploring the fitness centre on my next trip to the UK or maybe a few golf lessons and a chance to play on the 2010 Ryder Cup course with hubby.

*I received 2 complimentary tickets from Celtic Manor*

 Sam demonstrating the safety gear to the others

 Once you connect the first safety clip, to secure it, you slot it into the yellow device and it locks in place, whilst then releasing the lock on the other clip. Ensuring that at all times you are secured to the equipment.