Change of Plans - AGAIN!

Hello everyone, sorry about the long wait in new info. As usual plans changed - AGAIN! The last time we blogged we were waiting in Porthcawl for the Festival of Wales to take place in the town centre. We arrived in Porthcawl on the Tuesday and the event was due to take place as from the Thursday - well typical Squires, by the Thursday we had had enough of Porthcawl
and the weather so decided to leave on the Thursday. Now about the weather. We were parked next to a beach and an amusement park that while walking around it (left guys in the van), I felt like I was on an abandoned movie set. It was quite eerie.
The only sounds I could hear was of one or two shops that were open with arcade games in them. Okay back to the weather.

For the two nights we "free camped"to save money - ha ha - (we drove around so long looking for a spot to camp I don't think we saved money at all!) the wind was so strong that it literally felt like we were on a boat rocking back and forth. On the first night I actually got up to check that we didn't have water swirling around us, that's how bad it was! Also to put the
cherry on the top, because there was so much wind (and I mean it was hectic!), when we put the boiler on to heat up water for the shower), the wind would constantly blow out the flame which lies in a panel on the outside of the van SOOOOOO no hot water. Do you know, it is possible to shower/bath in 2 kettles of hot water????? Yup, army here I come, I can cope with
anything :)Finding water was also a problem. In S.A. we would simply have just driven up to a garage (here they are called "Services:) and turned on a tap to get water. NOT in Wales, you either pay for water or the taps are all turned off. We drove around for about an hour looking for water, eventually Dean drove to a Garage and asked 2 ladies that worked in the onfectionary in the garage if we could use a tap from behind their serving hatch/pie machine. Yes they said! BUT their eyes just about popped out of their sockets when Dean arrived with 2 x 25 litre containers. Anyway we got our water and off we went.

Within 2 hours we were out of Wales, back in England and made our way to the Somerset District. We thought we'd get Jesse invovled in the decision as to where to sleep for the night. He did his homework and found a place in Polchem (heard of it?????, neither had we!). We even let him set the TomTom (GPS) so that we could be on our way. Now you're thinking!!!! Was
that a good idea!!!! Well we didn't think but trusted our 12 year old whole heartedly!!!! Did you know that England has the most fascinating 2m wide country roads which maze through hundreds of acres of green hedges, all of which lead to tiny stone-henge looking villages, none of which contain a petrol station and all of which are nowhere near Polchem. Well we discovered all these places for you, so don't feel the need to visit them. Seriously, our one hour journey took us 4 hrs and heated tempers along the way. Not all Jesse's fault, we did check the settings but the A359 and A39 roads escaped our careful scrutiny. We found that the difference between these 2 roads is a farmroad through sugarcane compared to the N3 freeway to Joburg! To cut a VERY long story short, by the time we got to our site, we were frazzled. On top of it, we got
to the site in Polchem and there was no place for us to park except snuggling up to a 22ft caravan whose inhabitants immediately tattle taled to the site owner who had to rush out in the middle of night to reshuffle everybody's power cabling so that our kids voices could be positioned at the far end of the camper/caravan line.
After a NOT very good night sleep because DEAN!!!!!! still has not bought the levellers for the van, we decided to visit Glastonbury the next day.Well what an experience which we did not enjoy. Jesse said he did not like this town - let me tell you why! In the city centre, the roads are lined by not only zombies but shops that deal with mystiscm, witchcraft, fortune-telling, crystals, etc.... After explaining to the kids that this town was from the Dark Side we walked up to the front door of the local 16th century Abby which had a plaque on the front door saying "This church is the house of God, enter in reverance and leave it not without prayer for those who minister here, those who worship, and for thyself". It was truly an island of holiness in
the centre of witchcraft. As we walked from the church grounds, a backpacker, came storming through from the street literally spitting and grunting and ran up to the big wooden doors of the church trying to barge his way in. This guy needed help.

We left and drove to a little town called Wells, about 15 minutes away. We found a little village in the town called "Wookey hole". The Wookey Hole has a theme park of Teddy Bears. You can meandre your way through a small forest into a cave area and tour the cave and hear the stories about it.Although the park was all about the Wookey Teddy Bear, it was all defintely very spiritual - not in a good way! The toilets had Witch and Wizzard written above them!
We left and drove to our next site in a place called Street. This is where we are parked right now. It is 9:38am in the morning. We currently don't have an internet connection and will upload this a bit later. Not sure if we are staying here today but are definitely enjoying the lie-in. Boys are watching The Thunderbirds at the moment.

France is coming up sooner and sooner (Devon first) but with a whole lot of unanswered questions. The internet connection is obviously a big concern for us but apart from promising the boys to take them to Eurodisney, I do want to see where my mom grew up so we need to do some planning.

Hope to hear from SOMEONE soon :)