A Rave in the Favella of Pembrey

A few weeks back it became apparent that the van needed a few niggles sorted out, so it got booked into the dealer between two planned trips.  I dropped it off last Saturday and all was well, until that is Herself heard @DerekTheWeather waxing lyrical about the possibilities of a scorchio weekend.

Herself was miffed, especially as yesterday I got a call from 3aaa's letting me know that the van wouldn't be ready until next week!

Thursday 20 June

Mid afternoon on a particularly tortuous day in work and my Samsung start to vibrate its way off my desk, the home screen telling me is was 3aaa's, so with baited breath I take the call.  It's good news though, they've finished with he van for now and I can collect it as my leisure.

Before they get a chance to explain further I've hung up, shut my screens down and am tearing down the stairs as quick as my dumpy legs can carry me.  Points are risked on the 15 sprint down the M4, I skid to a halt outside "Home is where you drag it" Towers, throwing Vera's keys at Herself who has already thrown Toyah's keys in my direction.

More points are risked on the 20 mile sprint to the other side of Carmarthen, and by 4pm I have the van back in my possession and coupled to Toyah.

By now Herself has pinged me to let me know that  a pitch next to Grumbles' seasonal pitch at The Favella in Pembrey has been reserved.  The spin through Kidwelly to the country park was somewhat more sedate.

The warden is sat on his buggy at the gate waiting on my arrival and I'm escorted to the pitch and left to drop the legs, before returning home to collect Herself, the dogs and all the crap that we has to empty from the van last week.

Neither of us CBA to cook anything this evening so a (Healthy as possible) Tandoori meal is procured from Burry Port to be devoured back at the van before taking the dogs for a late evening walk.

It's gone 9.30 pm by now and we had the place to ourselves.  If our Derek is anywhere near being accurate it'll be a damn sight busier than this over the next few days.

Friday 21 June

An early start today, very early indeed.  Our multiple alarms go off simultaneously at 5.45am, which is way before the sparrows have even thought of farting, and we're up and heading back along the A484 to collect a precious cargo.

With Ronnie not yet home from his night shift and MBW just about to leave for work we have Beastie safely strapped in and we are on our way back to site for a day of Beastie minding.

We don't get the pleasure of having her all to ourselves very often, so make the very most of our Beastie time.  She's a determined young lady, and it has to be her way or not at all, to the point that lunch was not acceptable eaten from a plate, but has to be tipped onto her chair to be enjoyed.

Post lunch she is tired and we take her for a push in the pram to try and get her off to sleep and throw a ball for the dogs at the same time.  We're making our way back and a black Lab comes bounding over.  We're firm believers in letting dogs socialise with each other and are quite content for him and Tali to have a sniff of each other and sort out the pecking order.  So too was its owner, and was quite comfortable with it jumping all over Tali and nipping at him.  That was until Tali started to get the upper hand!

His attitude changed somewhat and decided to intervene, going to kick Tali in the process!  After dishing out a mouthful of obscenities and finishing off with a "your dog should never be off a leash if it bites" he stormed off taking a long slug of his can of luke warm Monster.

We're not going to let a valleys roid head spoil our day and stop off at the newly opened cafe in the Favella to treat Beastie to an ice-cream.

She enjoyed.

Too soon though it's time for me to put on a black suit, and leaving Herself cwtching Beastie to sleep I head back along the A484 to attend the funeral of a close family friend.

When I arrive back Grumbles and Creaky have arrived and Grumbles is giving the grass around his seasonal pitch the good news with a Flymo.

With that done and his windbreaks re arranged once more we sit out enjoying the sun until Creaky says she's tired from watching Grumbles work all afternoon and they are packed off home.

Ronnie and MBW rock up and unload their Beamer to stop for the night.  Tea comes off the Weber but is an unexciting combo of Syn Free sausages and burgers with some Jersey Royals and a side salad.

We're all knackered and as we turn in at 10.15pm is is still light.  It seems like everyone in The Favella has a fire pit going and is making the most of the Summer Solstice.

Saturday 22 June

Slept like a corpse last night but my Samsung wakes me at 6.30am.  It's Ronnie.  We wonder what's wrong as they're only pitched over the way from us.

Thankfully it's nothing serious.  They've tripped their electric and cannot locate the fuse box in the van.  Still wiping the sleep from my eyes I'm unzipping their awning and Beastie is in the window grinning at me.

I open every bed box and cupboard, but do you think I can find it? Not on your Nellie!  Ronnie then pulls out a drawer, and there it is, nice and easy to find FFS.

I leave them to it and take Beastie back over to our van for a cwtch in bed with Mims.

Jax also followed!

It's not long before Ronnie and MBW come over, having given up on the idea of boiling some water in theirs, and Ronnie lights a flame (using our gas) under the kettle.

@DerekTheWeather is promising great things today, and as I open the blinds on the roof lights I'm overcome with joy.  This is a sight that only caravanners would understand.

I'm left in charge of the dogs as they all pop off the weigh in at fat club, and take the opportunity to wake The Favella by firing up the Hoover to give the van a spruce up as Journey blasts out of Alexa.

I've breakfast ready for when they get back, and we eat in the windbreak enclosure outside their van in bright sunshine as the day begins to heat up.

Midday, and we motivate ourselves to go out for a walk through the forestry, figuring that Beastie will have a well needed nap and the dogs will be fine in the dappled shade of the forestry.

It took a few thousands steps, but in the end she could fight it no more, and Dats won.

We somehow manage to grab a table outside the newly opened bistro at the entrance to the Favella and sit to enjoy some refreshments in peace and quiet while Beastie recharged her batteries catching up on some personal contemplation time.

It was nice, and you could see both Ronnie and MBW starting to unwind proper.  they both lead such busy lives what with working full time, trying to spend as much quality time with Beastie as well as juggling time to keep us, the olds and MBW's family happy!

So you can imaging our annoyance when another grandmother let her grandson, with obvious ADHD (or just plain naughty - you decide) issues, come up to the push chair and start to prod Beastie.  When that didn't wake her he started to bang on her sun shade like a drum.

Granny then grabs him by the arm and drags him away softy saying "Be careful, you might wake her."

"Er, he just did love!!!!"

Beastie is now unsettles so we head back into the Favella where she can run free in the enclosure, play and have a splash in her paddling pool.

It's not quiet though, as Wayne & Waynetta just two pitches down are playing music, very loudly, and it's like being sat out in a rave.  Little wonder the old elderly couple were complaining about them and their feral children who are left to run riot while they make a mountain of empty cans of Carling.

Grumbles rocks up with Creaky just before tea time.  He makes out that they don't want food as they've already eaten today, but he doesn't fool me, so a few extra chicken thighs are thrown onto the Weber for good measure.

I'm stood over it, with an obligatory pint of San Miguel, pondering why some people just don't get caravanning. 

Wayne & Waynetta are now treating the general population as far as Burry Port in one direction and Kidwelly in the other to The Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits.

Beastie is tired, very tired, and had got to the stage that she doesn't know what to do with herself.  Ronnie and MBW retreat to their van and close the blinds to try and settle her down.

Herself and I retreat to ours to enjoy a few large G&Ts while listening to the complete music collection of Wayne & Waynetta.  9.30pm, and it's still blasting out.  Herself senses I'm starting to lose it and suggests a walk with the dogs in the cooling evening air.

It's 9.55pm as we return, and as we turn into our cul de sac the boom boom boom gets louder.  We ask another seasonal pitch holder how long this usually goes  on for?  He looks at his watch before saying "a while yet!"

10.20pm and it's like sitting in a night club, only now the earlier music of the 70s, 80s and 90s that we don't mind has been replaced with wordless techno shit, with no sign of it abating.

Wayne hops out over their dog enclosure to retrieve more wood for the fire and my heart sinks.  Some people just have no consideration for others.  They have a brand new Pegasus Grande and two brand new cars sat alongside, just goes to show that money can't buy you class!

It is gone 10.30pm by the time we are rescued by a flashing orange beacon pulling into our cul de sac.  Music is turned off instantly, and a cheer goes up from surrounding units who've endured the din for the last 10 more so hours!

Sunday 23 June

No early morning call from Beastie this morning and by the time I lift my head from the drivel soaked pillow at 8am Herself has already got a brew on.

We set about breaking camp, taking particular care to clank the Nemesis locks together under the windows of Wayne & Waynetta.

A quick cwtch off Beastie and we're on our way by 9.30am, with the van sitting outside the house at 10am waiting from the Captain to stir from his pit and move his car.

A lovely unexpected weekend away and not long until the next one, so until then .....