By: Blonde Two
On Boxing Day, it is traditional to get up late (probably around 11.25 a.m.), eat cold turkey (probably around 11.30 a.m.) and drag the whole family out for a walk (probably around 3.30 p.m. when it is starting to get dark).
All of these should be considered most excellent and worthy post-Christmas pursuits, but family Blonde Two found themselves doing something a bit different. They spent a chunk of their Boxing Day (after the turkey and before the dark) wading round in mud and admiring Six-Foot-Blonde’s hammock system.
As you know, we Blondes love a system, and this was a system to be envied. Six-Foot-Blonde has spent 25 nights sleeping in his hammock this year.
You would imagine a hammock to be a net-like thing which dangles a body between two trees whilst making unattractive patterns on his/her backside. Six-Foot’s hammock system was far superior to his mother’s imaginings.
To start with he put up his tarp (apparently I can’t say tarpaulin as this makes me sound old!). This formed a very effective shelter underneath which we all stood, until it became clear that we were obstructing the next important system-element.
This was the hammock itself. Lightweight, posh polyester with a very nifty hanging-device set-up (please note that this Blonde mother has not remembered all of the technical names for all of the dangly bits!)
You would imagine that a shelter and a bed would be enough, but you can’t be too careful in December about insects, so Six-Foot put together his mosquito net as well (this has clever poles which make hoops).
This whole hammock-system proved to very comfortable (once Six-Foot had utilised persuasion and lifting to get me into it – there are advantages to having giant sons).
We didn’t get to see the “hammock-under-blanket” which is half a sleeping bag slung underneath the hammock http://www.ddhammocks.com/product/dd-underblanket. But apparently, it keeps Six-Foot very, very warm! Maybe Blonde One should try it!
Wow I never knew hammocking was so technical!!! Looks like good fun though and more or less like being in a tent by the time you’ve added all the extra hanging and dangly bits!!!
Isn’t it just a teensy weensy bit cold to be sleeping out in a hammock? Even my garden tap (on the wall that has the boiler on the other side) was frozen this morning! I have lovely frost patterns on the porch windows, duly photographed. It is a beautiful day here, but the goldfish are not in evidence!
To be fair, Six-Foot didn’t actually sleep out but I think that he will over the next week, in frosty Herefordshire!