Tilley’s Travels

Daisy Turnip writes.....

Speaking to a good friend of mine makes me think she should change her name by deed poll to Judith Chalmers 2.

To blog readers, she is now permanently called Tilley.

At the beginning of April Tilley trouped off to the Galapagos Islands for an amazing 3 weeks holiday. And then, to assist a friend with a spare last minute place, last week she ended up at Lake Garda for another week’s holiday. She emailed me tonight and ‘just happened’ to remind me that she was off to Cape Verde at the beginning of next month! Oh, and then hinted about a weekend away, chez our house, for the annual village fete / carnival (the highlight of rural village living for me, Hubby, Daughter and now a list of friends wanting to attend – the entire village basically gets drunk while bands play from mid afternoon into the midnight hour, on the back of a 38 tonne open curtain sided lorry in the middle of the village – trust me, it’s fun!). I actually think Mr & Mrs Tilley are now officially homeless and just spend their time floating round the globe, taking on board all these amazing places to then return to the UK and stay in a B&B for the odd week here and there just to do some work earn some pin money to pay for even more globe trotting!

Said friend is called Tilley because when given the clothing list for the Galapagos Islands it said ‘hat’ – knowing we were big walkers she asked if she could borrow my hat – being fashion victim extraordinaire she said that my hat is the only one she can wear that doesn’t make her look like a moron. The hat is a delightful Tilley Hat which I bestowed to her, with the request to look after it and ‘don’t let the elephants eat it’ (if you’re a Tilley owner and have read the ‘manual’ you will understand)

Myself and Hubby have a week’s leave booked at the end of this month. We plan to go walk Ben Nevis and then do some sightseeing in the highlands – we’ve done Scafell Pike and Snowdon and being the trophy hunter that I am, I now need to include the final ‘biggie’ and do Ben Nevis. The Galapagos Islands or Lake Garda 5 star accommodation it is not.

Upon receipt of Tilley’s email re the next holiday, my response was as follows:-

‘Cape Verde – God, you got a hard life with all these holidays! : ) I’m just green, don’t you worry about me being stuck up Ben Nevis with my midget cream smothered all over me, looking like a moron with the Tilley on my head. And don’t forget camping at the foot of big Ben the night before the walk and again the night we get back down it!! I’ll be ok, honest we’ve now invested in an automatic blow up bed (singles) – which is a huge bleeding exaggeration by the way – it takes a slight gulp of air and thinks it has inflated into some great big 4 poster bed!! It’s about as thick as 20 sheets of Andrex and you only roll off the bloody thing during the night anyway!!! And then there’s the issue of putting up / and down the tent again, based on the fact you’ve had a crap night’s sleep due to the naff self inflating mattress. But, as I say, I ain’t bitter. You have a good time luvvie!! : ) xx’

Her response read, ‘hope you have a good time in insect infected Scotland. Tilley all freshly laundered and raring to go again. By the way, is the carnival the last week in June or the first weekend of July?’

I do hope I like Scotland and Big Ben as much as I think I should!