Staycation - it's new new word for holidaying in this country. It's a bit of a trend - apparently. But for me it's become a way of life. I spent years going on foreign holidays, twice a year with my friends, met a boyfriend on one of them and then went twice a year with him. Worked on cruiseships and travelled the world - sailed into New York twice a fortnight, bought my knickers from M and S in Bermuda and witnessed the Northern lights and prostitutes in the Seamans mission in St Petersburg many times - but for the past 11 years or more, I have had a Staycation.
Not only have I had a staycation in this country - I have had a staycation in the same place in this country for 11 years.
In the same town, on the same holiday park and in the same accommodation - our static caravan.
Now - I know that lots of people cannot bear static caravans - they find them draughty and damp. Other people make an assumption about the kind of people who holiday in them - but we loved ours.
We have had a caravan since my son was a baby - in fact we came when he was 5 weeks old - but had to run swiftly back home because he screamed so much that we thought the neighbours may report us for anti-social behaviour.
We have had some great times - got to know the area, and the local shopkeepers and lots of people on the caravan site - while keeping ourselves to ourselves enough that we could have the very important family time that we craved.
Barbecues on caravan decks with copious amounts of wine - wonderful burgers made from the local Welsh Beef with the obligatory slice of processed cheese.
We have wrapped up in waterproofs and trekked across the sand dunes - spent hours by the lifeboat station eating sensational whippy ice cream and watching surfers and jetskis.
Entertained friends and family - my sister in law and brother in law descending on us with the "Big Black Bag of Doom" - a travel bag so big it would dominate the whole living area of the caravan!
Tumbling Monkeys tournaments, Dominoes games and "Pairs" with cards when its pouring down with rain and you are lying under blankets with the fire on - something comforting about the rain pouring down on a caravan and being warm and cosy inside.
Walking to the beach with a bottle of sparkly and a couple of glasses and an instant barbecue at dusk.
Dozens of lie-ins by convincing my husband that early season and late season were too cold - if he wanted me to come, he had to get the caravan warm before I even ventured from the bedroom!
Throwing stones in the water and skimming competitions - just lovely.
But over the last few years, our feeling towards the caravan changed. We had a rental caravan put next to ours, so we never knew who our neighbours would be. We would arrive on a Friday evening after a hard week at work and they would be up really late making the most of the last day of their holiday, sometimes smoking right outside our bedroom window. Then in the morning, they would be packing the car up from seven - shouting and banging doors as they got ready to vacate their caravan.
A new neighbour arrived with dogs - not just any dogs - but very noisy, yappy dogs. You only had to open the door and they would start. I admit - I am not a dog lover - but I challenge anyone not to have been annoyed by these dogs. I started to dread opening the door. And then one day I snapped. I was sitting on my deck in the sunshine trying to read my book and they just didn't stop. I went round to their van to see them barking like I don't know what, running round like idiots and sitting amongst all this chaos was a man with a grey beard and a cowboy hat... I already had doubts about the conversation I was about to have - especially by the time this happened I had been awake since before six which was when they let the dogs at and was feeling slightly unhinged. The cowboy hat with the beard must have been a wax dummy as it didn't speak through my whole tirade (no swearwords, no insults - just a slightly mental rant about being awake since dawn and not being able to read my book. ) And when I finished - still nothing. I knew I was losing a battle here, so I went to the office and ranted at the site manager instead. We weren't the only ones that had complained - but what could they do? Other than advise them to take their dogs to a dog trainer!
Instead of a weekend of peace, we found that we were feeling slightly nervous before we arrived as we didn't know what or who we were going to find next to us- and if the cowboy with the beards truck was there, I would almost immediately want to go home.
Then , our son started playing golf which takes up so much time, we can't get here anyway - so our caravan is up for sale and if we don't sell it by the end of this season, then it will go to the big caravan scrapyard in the sky.
I felt relieved - the rent had gone up and up and as everything else went up with it, it became more and more difficult to justify the expense of it when we weren't enjoying it. Our son is 11 and if there were no other boys there , he was getting bored with it. We no longer had so many barbecues with the friends we had here because the weather was so bad and it no longer felt like a holiday. Life is so busy that to come away every weekend was becoming more a chore than a pleasure - always rushing to get the washing in quickly before we left on Friday and ironed on Sunday when we got back - no shopping in and just catching up before it was time to go away again.
We had had a good 11 years - some real fun times - but it was time to stop - time to let someone else try the lifestyle for a bit - someone with younger children and more time. Our decision was made.
But today, I have come for a short staycation without my husband and just with my son and his friend.
Yesterday we walked along the nature trail, through the sand dunes, along the beach. Ate whippy ice creams by the lifeboat station and played pool in the clubhouse. Today we got up early - went for a swim and a jacuzzi. Then to the sand dunes where we spent five hours having fun. The boys were throwing themselves down the steep dunes, burying each other in the sand and making friends with other families who were also settling down there for the day out of the sea wind. Today we bought chips for tea and ate them out of the paper while we listened to the tide come in. We scratched our names in the sand with stones and we played frisbee and boules. Back at the caravan site the boys scootered round and had freedom that they are not allowed in our home streets.
It was great - this was the staycation I signed up for and I would challenge anyone not to enjoy a day like this.
I almost phoned my husband and screamed "Stop the Sale" down the phone to him. But I stopped myself.
Today the weather is beautiful - sunny and warm - everything seems better when the weather is like this and the beach by the caravan is the perfect place to be in sunny weather. There is no-one in the caravan next to us and the cowboy hat with the dogs isn't here either. It is only the 3rd time we have been able to get here this year and so it feels more like a "proper" holiday.
For us, it is the end of an era. 11 years of staycations over - it is time to travel to pastures new and see a bit more of the world.
It is a great way to spend time together - if you choose to own a holiday home, you will come every weekend and instead of all going your separate ways you are forced to spend time together as a family and it helps any family form a strong bond. We are "the three of us" and nothing will break that.
We must make sure when the caravan is gone that we still do this. We both spend a lot of time with our son - but we need to make sure we continue to do things as a three. We hope to have some nice holidays and weekends away together - its exciting, there is a whole new world out there for us to explore.
I hope that our caravan is sold to another family who can have as much fun with it as we did. Someone who will love it and care for it and make their own memories.
So to all the travel critics who say that caravans are cold, draughty and uncomfortable and the sites are full of retired people who love to play bingo and drink stout - please take note of my blog - the role of the static caravan is changing.
And finally - a note to my caravan.
Dear Static Caravan
I have loved you and had fun with you for 11 years now. You have seen lots of our life and met lots of our friends. But it's time to move on - we hope you understand.
Bye Bye Static Caravan - we will ALWAYS remember you with love