Coming across from Finstock via R’n’R #9 (we’re absolutely doing this series in the wrong order!), the geokid, geopup and I made a poor choice by hugging the tree line rather than
cutting out of the field and coming up the road: it was super muddy in the field at the points at which the footpath runs nearest to this cache, and we struggled to get through a
particularly large puddle.
We initially made an effort to get “behind” the bush but eventually discovered we didn’t need to: the cache (whose nature we’d eventually managed to guess from the name) was accessible
– with a bit of a stretch – from near the roadside.
And, in accordance with the theme, we’ve got a verse for you:
🎶 I used to wonder what caching could be,
🎶 Until you all shared this series with me.
🎶 Big adventure, tons of fun.
🎶 A beautiful cache; now it’s signed and done!
The younger geokid and I had a plan, this morning, to drive out from our temporary (post-flood) accommodation in New Yatt, park at St. Peter’s in Wilcote, and then walk the dog around
the area between Wilcote and Ramsden while we collect a few more caches from this excellent series.
Unfortunately our plans were scuppered early on when we discovered that a Scouts troop had completely occupied all possible parking spaces in Wilcote, and a platoon of children,
supervised by some tired-looking adults, were beginning a walk around what looked likely to be the exact same routes we were planning.
So we came at it from the other angle. Driving around to Finstock, we parked near The Plough and came across the network of footpaths from the other end.
By the time we were at the corner of this field the kid and dog were enjoying running around in the Spring sunshine, and once we got to the GZ the cache itself was a quick and easy
find… although the kid did take the time to stop and make a crude joke about the rabbit’s bum being corked!
Another quick find for the sharp-eyed geokid, once we found the right host. Three for three and that’s time for us to turn about and go have our brunch. TFTC!
Mission accomplished. Time for bacon! (Wait… where’s the dog gone?)
The woods made it hard to get a good fix, but eventually we were in the vicinity of this excellent cache. It took a few different tree hosts before eventually we were looking in the
right place. The younger geokid insists that I log that he caught sight of it before me!
Came out for a dog walk from New Yatt this morning. The GZ is deep within thick brambles, but the younger geokid was up to the challenge and soon the unusual cache container was in
hand. TFTC!
My regular home office of the last six years sits stripped-down, with no flooring, skirting boards, or power (with the exception of the specialised circuit powering an industrial
dehumidifier).
And man, a home insurance claim seems to be… slow. For instance, we originally couldn’t even get anybody out to visit us until F-day plus 10 (later improved to F-day plus
7). The insurance company can’t promise that they’ll confirm that they’ll “accept liability” (agree to start paying for anything) until possibly as late as F-day plus 17. Nobody will
check for structural damage until F-day plus 191.
Right now, though, we’re spending two weeks in this holiday let about half an hour’s drive from our house. It’s pretty nice, except that we have to commute over the ever-congested
single-lane Burford Bridge to get the kids to and from school every day2.
Some days it feels like being stuck in a nowhere-place… but simultaneously still having to make the regular everyday stuff keep ticking over. Visiting the house- currently stripped of
anything damp and full of drying equipment – feels like stepping onto another planet… or like one of those dreams where you’re somewhere familiar except it’s wrong somehow.
But spending time away from it, “as if” on holiday except-not, is weird too: like we’re accepting the ambiguity; leaning-in to limbo. Especially while we’re waiting for the insurance
company to do their initial things, it feels like life is both on hold, and not-allowed to be on hold.
The dog gets it. I had to take her to the house for a while on Monday3 and she spent the whole time leaning against my feet for reassurance.
And I worry that by the time they’re committed to paying for us to stay somewhere else for at least half a year, they lose any incentive they might have to contract for speed. There’s
no hurry any more. We’re expected to just press pause on our home, but carry on with our lives regardless, pretending that everything’s normal.
So yeah, it’s a weird time.
Footnotes
1 I’m totally committed to this way of counting the progress, which I started on F-day plus 3. I get the feeling like it might be a worthwhile way of
keeping track of how long all of this takes.
2 Normally, the younger and older child are able to get to school on foot or via a bus
that stops virtually outside our house, each day, so an hour-plus round-trip to their schools and back up to twice a day is a bit of a drag! We’re managing to make it work with a
little creativity, but I wouldn’t want to make it a long-term plan!
3 And do some work from there, amidst the jet engine-like noise of the dehumidifiers!
The family and I are staying in Lyneham for a couple of weeks following the flooding of our house (on the other side of Witney). This morning the younger geokid, the geopup, and I came
out for a walk to find this geocache as well as to explore Milton-under-Wychwood and tag some of the memorial benches for OpenBenches (1, 2, 3, 4).
We sat near the cache and the geokid immediately found it. Looks like we’re the second signatories of the New Year: somebody beat us to it on 5 Feb! TFTC.
Still at MegaConLive. I’ve not done this kind of con before (and still wouldn’t, were it not for my tweenager and her various obsessions). Not my jam, and that’s fine.
But if there’s one thing for which I can sing it’s praises: everybody we’ve met is super friendly and nice. Sure, you can loudly telegraph your fandoms and identities via cosplay,
accessories, masks, badges, bracelets or whatever… but it’s also just a friendly community of folks to just talk to.
The fashion choices are, more than anything, just an excuse to engage: a way to say “hey, here’s a conversation starter if you’d like to talk to me!”
Overheard a conversation between my kid and another of a similar age, and there was a heartwarming moment where the other kid said, “oh wow, I thought I was the only one!” Adorbs.
I may have been dragged to MegaConLive London by my multi-fandom loving 12-year-old, but I at least managed to find somebody worth getting a selfie with.
My 12-year-old’s persuaded me to take her to MegaConLive London this weekend.
As somebody who doesn’t pay much attention to the pop culture circles represented by such an event (and hasn’t for 15+ years, or whenever it was that Asdfbook came out?)…
have you got any advice for me, Internet?
As part of my efforts to reclaim the living room from the children, I’m building a new gaming PC for the playroom. She’s called Bee, and – thanks to the absolute insanity that is
The Tower 300 case from Thermaltake – she’s one of the most bonkers PC cases I’ve ever worked in.
Back at the Rollright Stones fire New Year’s Day, per family tradition. This year the younger child counted 74, the elder 59. The curse that prevents
you counting the same number twice continues!
