Changing Places Week 130 W/C 10th August 2008

`Come on Granddad I need a torch and your small binoculars' said Kate as she was putting the finishing touches to the tackle being assembled for the camping trip of a life time. A trip to Decathlon for a tent that springs to life with one touch and a blow up mattress was definitely camping for softies as far as Trev was concerned. He was a hard man camper in his day with climbing trips to Sky and the midge bites to prove it. He talks of driving in a mini from Chesterfield to Sky with no motorways and then arriving to find the McBrayne ferries not sailing on Sundays. He reminisced about feeding the seagulls porridge laced with whisky and the story began to resemble a spaced out hippy trip of the 60's. A lot of walking, drinking and camping in a two man tent, sleeping on ground sheets and storing his memory box with indelible pictures... The thoughts made his back wince and he could quite see the point of the mattress and was quite happy to find anything we had that would make his granddaughters experience fun. Kate and Matthew (son-in-law) were joining other dads and kids for a camp in the woods near the top of the mountain at Sa Figera. They were going to have a barbeque, camp fire, sing song and sleep in their tents in the woods. The fact that this is ten minutes from home should not cause the snorts of derision that came from `the hard man camper'. You really don't need to suffer to enjoy yourself do you? When you are eight the idea of sleeping in a tent in the woods is quite scary enough thank you very much. We saw them off with much fanfare as if they were off to the Himalayas and we await their tales.

Jay and Emma stayed at home not tempted to join the intrepid mountain folk. This was the girl that had the inclination to go to the Reading Festival when she was a teenager but couldn't hack the camping. She and Matthew (the shame of this!) hired a van and installed a bed and all provisions. My daughter does not do lack of creature comforts and even then knew she wasn't cut out for the life of sloshing around in the mud in the festival grounds. She had a great festival and boogied on down with the rest of them but when the time came to sleep, it was in a bed, in a van, with duvet and all mod cons! To be fair to her she couldn't have gone for a night under the stars as the new kitten has arrived in their house and needs round the clock care.

This kitten has left his mum at four weeks and can't drink properly yet. Sol has arrived in this mad house under the evil eye of the resident cat Luna- the idea is that one day they will be great friends. Luna glared at the tiny scrap that Sol is and promptly hissed before turning around and walking purposefully away. No surrogate mother here then! Cat milk was purchased together with a syringe and it's a routine of four hour feeds. Jay and Matthew went out for dinner on Friday and rushed away their romantic evening at the Esplendido overlooking the sea in the Port of Soller to rush back to feed the cat! Kind readers may remember Jay's attempt to get a cat from a refuge which promptly died on her the next day. This time the responsibility for Sol's survival is well and truly in her hands and she's taking it very seriously. A trip to the vet for the once over (thirty euros please) and then back to routines and feeding and a hope that Luna might deign to look in Sol's direction occasionally. It would be good to think that they might become best buddies and explore the mean streets of Soller together. There is a big exciting world out there for the Sun and the Moon  as long as they've had that little operation at the Vets (fifty euros please).






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