About Camp
I went on camp to Second Valley from the 11th to the 14th. This is gonna be a long one.
DAY ONE
Jiffy was taking Sarah and I down to Second Valley, and we had to be the first ones there since Sarah was organising it. When we got there we set up our tents and walked down to the beach to check it out. The beach was really nice, with loads of rocks and pebbles on the sides and sand in the middle. The weather was kinda crazy, but not as crazy as last year's camp in Edithburgh. It was crazy in the sense that I'd be putting up the tent in a dress and then suddenly I'd be freezing. Then I'd put on a jumper and be fine. Then five minutes later it would be hot again. Plus the flies were evil. They were those kinda flies that are small and attach themselves to you until you flick them away. And the cockatoos were really loud and annoying.
Soon enough the others started arriving. We met up with Ben and Eccles at Normanville where we all bought saussages and rissoles and such, and then Steve came, Ali and Hissey and then Jade and her new boyfriend Michael (who most of us were meeting for the first time). Jamie was supposed to be coming around five, but was hours late. We were waiting for Jamie to show up before we made dinner (a big greasy barbeque) and when it became obvious that he wasn't going to appear in the next century we went ahead and started cooking. Well, Ben and Steve really. There were Shish Kebabs, chicken rissoles, saussages and eggs. And everything was very veeeeeery greasy. But hey, we were camping, and I've been eating impeccably well all year.
Hours later and Jamie still hadn't turned up, and we had to get all our money into the camp site by nine o'clock pm. We kept trying to call his phone but he wasn't picking up. When we finally got through to him it was after nine and we had had to pull together and pay the entrance fee for him and everyone in his car. We were not happy. He got all "Well it's not my problem if I didn't know we had to be here by nine." on me, and didn't even apologise. We all wanted to go Squidding off the jetty but were waiting for him, but at around ten we gave up waiting and went ahead. Eventually we got a phone call saying he'd made it to the camp site and he wanted two of us to come put up his tent for him. Needless to say we were all fuming. Steve eventually went over to help, though.
We didn't catch anything.
DAY TWO
The next morning it became clear that the weather wasn't nice enough to make sandcastles in. So we decided to go on a couple of road trips. In the morning we had breakfast and decided where we wanted to go. We ended up going to Rapid Bay to explore some of the caves and such. Then afterwards we drove to Middleton to see if their lolly shop was still open. It wasn't, so we all went into the second hand book store next door. I found some books I wanted to buy and called Barbara to tell her not to buy them for me for Christmas. About ten minutes later I was still in the store and Barbara called me back.
She told me she had bad news. Mum took the phone away from her and told me that our Elderly dog Tilzy had just died. She had been asleep on her favourite bed and when they found her, her heart wasnt beating and she wasn't breathing anymore. I basically started crying and ran out of the shop. Sarah, Ali and Jade followed me outside and gave me hugs. I was so distraught. I know she was old, but she's been in my life for so long. And I was also devastated that I wasn't home to say goodbye. My friends were really good about it. I just wanted some space for a while. I went to go on a walk and Jade and Sarah followed me to make sure I was okay, and hung out with me and talked for a while. I didn't want to be crowded so the others went to get some chips and lollies and gave me some. I felt a little better but there was still this awful feeling at the pit of my stomach that Tilzy was gone and nothing in this world could bring her back. I pretty much cried the whole way to Victor Harbor, where we were planning to go see the penguins at night.
Once I got there I told everyone I wanted to be alone and talk to my mum, and that I'd call them when I was feeling better. They were really great about it. Mum wasn't home, but Barbara was. I ended up talking to her on the phone for around half an hour and just crying my eyes out. Apparently Tilzy had been alive the last time Mum and Dad checked on her, which was around the time when I called from the book store. But it was like she literally waited for everyone to leave before she finally passed on. I was comforted by the fact that she had died of old age, and that it was peaceful, but I still felt like shit. Talking to Barbara helped though. When I felt I had cried all I could, I walked back to the town centre. I saw an ice cream truck, and figured maybe I'd get some before I saw my friends again. But I didn't have to call them because they were sitting right near there.
We had dinner at this place where I got a Chicken Schnitzel and a "Grape Expectations" cocktail, which ended up being made with cranberry juice. Eventually we went walking around Granite Island (the bridged island just off the shore of Victor Harbor known for its penguins) which was cold but not as cold as I thought it would be. Jamie and Kristy went back to the camp site, so it was just Me, Sarah, Jiffy, Ali, Hissey, Steve, Ben, Jade and Michael. The view as always was beautiful, although I had not seen it at night since I was a child. I had gotten a text message earlier from Barbara who told me that they had buried Tilzy in the back yard and put a rose and some pebbles on her grave. Needless to say when I started looking over the oceans and at the stars I started crying again.
Ben came and talked to me about the people in his life that died, and how it always feels like shit for a while but eventually the feeling passes. We talked about Tilzy and dogs and death and for some reason it was the most comforting thing anyone had said to me all day. I have no idea why, but it made me feel so much better.
When we walked down we saw penguins that Sarah named Leonard and I named Pete. They were cute. When we all eventually went back to the camp site (after we got lost trying to get back) we tried going squidding again. But again, we didn't catch anything. We did see a giant Stingray drag a guy's fishing rod off the Jetty, though.
DAY THREE
The last night I had dreaded going to sleep, because I thought I'd be depressed and crying all night. I actually fell asleep pretty quickly, and even though I expected to wake up feeling like shit, I actually felt strangely okay. I guess I have my friends to thank for that, for being so great about everything and giving me my space when I needed it.
Sarah and I made grilled cheese on the barbeque and helped Ali and Hissey do the crossword puzzle. I read out the horoscopes and it was funny because Kristy's was something along the lines of "The people you love are irresponsible and unreliable". Throughout the entire camping trip we had wanted to make sandcastles but it had always been too cold. But that morning seemed pleasantly warm. We played UNO and TROUBLE in which both games I lost spectacularly. Everyone decided they wanted to have lunch at this nice restaurant five minutes from the camp site. We did and ended up spending a good while there. I had the Angus Rump Steak and it was GOOD. And their desserts were yummy too. Mmmmmm.
Afterwards we went to Normanville to pick up some snacks, and ended up waiting a million years for Jamie and Kristy to show up and say goodbye as they were leaving early. There were dolphins on the beach. Jade and Michael were still back at the camp site seeing as they couldn't come to the restaurant with us. I kept trying to call Jade but her phone went to message bank. When we eventually got back to the camp site we couldn't find Jade and Michael said they had had a fight. Sarah and I checked the girl's bathroom and when she wasn't there, I walked down to the beach and found her. I brought her some vegan chocolate that I bought for her in Normanville. Apparently she was going to leave because Michael had to go home early. But we got her to stay. Yay!
So Michael drove home and Jade made arrangements to stay in Ben and Eccles's tent (which actually had seperate rooms!). Then we finally got our arses into gear and went to the beach to MAKE SANDCASTLES. Everyone brought their chairs and booze and we all just chilled out and had fun. Sarah, Jade and I made the sandcastle and it must have taken us around two hours to complete. By the time we finished it was starting to get dark and cold. Jiffy, Jade and Sarah thought it'd be a good idea to jump in the water. I could hear Jade screaming "IT'S COLD IT'S COLD IT'S COLD!". It was funny.
The rest of the night we spent on the beach talking and drinking and looking at the stars. It was a really great night, and probably the best night out of all of them.
DAY FOUR, THE LAST MORNING.
We slept in til 8:15 - which is pretty late by camp standards. Still we managed to get our tents packed up and out of there by 10:00, which is the time we needed to check out. We drove to Normanville and had breakfast at one of their random kiosks. I was intrigued by the fact that the French Toast came with Bacon and Maple Syrup, so I had to get it. Sarah said it's an American thing. Still I tried it and it was very very strange. After hanging out there for around an hour eating and talking, we decided to head back to Adelaide. We all hugged and went our seperate ways.
It's been days and I still haven't unpacked my bag.
DAY ONE
Jiffy was taking Sarah and I down to Second Valley, and we had to be the first ones there since Sarah was organising it. When we got there we set up our tents and walked down to the beach to check it out. The beach was really nice, with loads of rocks and pebbles on the sides and sand in the middle. The weather was kinda crazy, but not as crazy as last year's camp in Edithburgh. It was crazy in the sense that I'd be putting up the tent in a dress and then suddenly I'd be freezing. Then I'd put on a jumper and be fine. Then five minutes later it would be hot again. Plus the flies were evil. They were those kinda flies that are small and attach themselves to you until you flick them away. And the cockatoos were really loud and annoying.
Soon enough the others started arriving. We met up with Ben and Eccles at Normanville where we all bought saussages and rissoles and such, and then Steve came, Ali and Hissey and then Jade and her new boyfriend Michael (who most of us were meeting for the first time). Jamie was supposed to be coming around five, but was hours late. We were waiting for Jamie to show up before we made dinner (a big greasy barbeque) and when it became obvious that he wasn't going to appear in the next century we went ahead and started cooking. Well, Ben and Steve really. There were Shish Kebabs, chicken rissoles, saussages and eggs. And everything was very veeeeeery greasy. But hey, we were camping, and I've been eating impeccably well all year.
Hours later and Jamie still hadn't turned up, and we had to get all our money into the camp site by nine o'clock pm. We kept trying to call his phone but he wasn't picking up. When we finally got through to him it was after nine and we had had to pull together and pay the entrance fee for him and everyone in his car. We were not happy. He got all "Well it's not my problem if I didn't know we had to be here by nine." on me, and didn't even apologise. We all wanted to go Squidding off the jetty but were waiting for him, but at around ten we gave up waiting and went ahead. Eventually we got a phone call saying he'd made it to the camp site and he wanted two of us to come put up his tent for him. Needless to say we were all fuming. Steve eventually went over to help, though.
We didn't catch anything.
DAY TWO
The next morning it became clear that the weather wasn't nice enough to make sandcastles in. So we decided to go on a couple of road trips. In the morning we had breakfast and decided where we wanted to go. We ended up going to Rapid Bay to explore some of the caves and such. Then afterwards we drove to Middleton to see if their lolly shop was still open. It wasn't, so we all went into the second hand book store next door. I found some books I wanted to buy and called Barbara to tell her not to buy them for me for Christmas. About ten minutes later I was still in the store and Barbara called me back.
She told me she had bad news. Mum took the phone away from her and told me that our Elderly dog Tilzy had just died. She had been asleep on her favourite bed and when they found her, her heart wasnt beating and she wasn't breathing anymore. I basically started crying and ran out of the shop. Sarah, Ali and Jade followed me outside and gave me hugs. I was so distraught. I know she was old, but she's been in my life for so long. And I was also devastated that I wasn't home to say goodbye. My friends were really good about it. I just wanted some space for a while. I went to go on a walk and Jade and Sarah followed me to make sure I was okay, and hung out with me and talked for a while. I didn't want to be crowded so the others went to get some chips and lollies and gave me some. I felt a little better but there was still this awful feeling at the pit of my stomach that Tilzy was gone and nothing in this world could bring her back. I pretty much cried the whole way to Victor Harbor, where we were planning to go see the penguins at night.
Once I got there I told everyone I wanted to be alone and talk to my mum, and that I'd call them when I was feeling better. They were really great about it. Mum wasn't home, but Barbara was. I ended up talking to her on the phone for around half an hour and just crying my eyes out. Apparently Tilzy had been alive the last time Mum and Dad checked on her, which was around the time when I called from the book store. But it was like she literally waited for everyone to leave before she finally passed on. I was comforted by the fact that she had died of old age, and that it was peaceful, but I still felt like shit. Talking to Barbara helped though. When I felt I had cried all I could, I walked back to the town centre. I saw an ice cream truck, and figured maybe I'd get some before I saw my friends again. But I didn't have to call them because they were sitting right near there.
We had dinner at this place where I got a Chicken Schnitzel and a "Grape Expectations" cocktail, which ended up being made with cranberry juice. Eventually we went walking around Granite Island (the bridged island just off the shore of Victor Harbor known for its penguins) which was cold but not as cold as I thought it would be. Jamie and Kristy went back to the camp site, so it was just Me, Sarah, Jiffy, Ali, Hissey, Steve, Ben, Jade and Michael. The view as always was beautiful, although I had not seen it at night since I was a child. I had gotten a text message earlier from Barbara who told me that they had buried Tilzy in the back yard and put a rose and some pebbles on her grave. Needless to say when I started looking over the oceans and at the stars I started crying again.
Ben came and talked to me about the people in his life that died, and how it always feels like shit for a while but eventually the feeling passes. We talked about Tilzy and dogs and death and for some reason it was the most comforting thing anyone had said to me all day. I have no idea why, but it made me feel so much better.
When we walked down we saw penguins that Sarah named Leonard and I named Pete. They were cute. When we all eventually went back to the camp site (after we got lost trying to get back) we tried going squidding again. But again, we didn't catch anything. We did see a giant Stingray drag a guy's fishing rod off the Jetty, though.
DAY THREE
The last night I had dreaded going to sleep, because I thought I'd be depressed and crying all night. I actually fell asleep pretty quickly, and even though I expected to wake up feeling like shit, I actually felt strangely okay. I guess I have my friends to thank for that, for being so great about everything and giving me my space when I needed it.
Sarah and I made grilled cheese on the barbeque and helped Ali and Hissey do the crossword puzzle. I read out the horoscopes and it was funny because Kristy's was something along the lines of "The people you love are irresponsible and unreliable". Throughout the entire camping trip we had wanted to make sandcastles but it had always been too cold. But that morning seemed pleasantly warm. We played UNO and TROUBLE in which both games I lost spectacularly. Everyone decided they wanted to have lunch at this nice restaurant five minutes from the camp site. We did and ended up spending a good while there. I had the Angus Rump Steak and it was GOOD. And their desserts were yummy too. Mmmmmm.
Afterwards we went to Normanville to pick up some snacks, and ended up waiting a million years for Jamie and Kristy to show up and say goodbye as they were leaving early. There were dolphins on the beach. Jade and Michael were still back at the camp site seeing as they couldn't come to the restaurant with us. I kept trying to call Jade but her phone went to message bank. When we eventually got back to the camp site we couldn't find Jade and Michael said they had had a fight. Sarah and I checked the girl's bathroom and when she wasn't there, I walked down to the beach and found her. I brought her some vegan chocolate that I bought for her in Normanville. Apparently she was going to leave because Michael had to go home early. But we got her to stay. Yay!
So Michael drove home and Jade made arrangements to stay in Ben and Eccles's tent (which actually had seperate rooms!). Then we finally got our arses into gear and went to the beach to MAKE SANDCASTLES. Everyone brought their chairs and booze and we all just chilled out and had fun. Sarah, Jade and I made the sandcastle and it must have taken us around two hours to complete. By the time we finished it was starting to get dark and cold. Jiffy, Jade and Sarah thought it'd be a good idea to jump in the water. I could hear Jade screaming "IT'S COLD IT'S COLD IT'S COLD!". It was funny.
The rest of the night we spent on the beach talking and drinking and looking at the stars. It was a really great night, and probably the best night out of all of them.
DAY FOUR, THE LAST MORNING.
We slept in til 8:15 - which is pretty late by camp standards. Still we managed to get our tents packed up and out of there by 10:00, which is the time we needed to check out. We drove to Normanville and had breakfast at one of their random kiosks. I was intrigued by the fact that the French Toast came with Bacon and Maple Syrup, so I had to get it. Sarah said it's an American thing. Still I tried it and it was very very strange. After hanging out there for around an hour eating and talking, we decided to head back to Adelaide. We all hugged and went our seperate ways.
It's been days and I still haven't unpacked my bag.