Friday: The big meet up had come and I was ready for it. I finished work early and had gone home with a celebrative cake. I had time to make pancakes to take with me and just when I told my husband that I was off to a shower Helens texted me that she was about to arrive in Leeds.

I collected Helens and went back home to a well deserved shower (as far as I knew then it could have been the last warm shower until Sunday night).

6pm came and we were off to Mary’s. We piled up our belongings in Mary’s car and with a bit of a squeeze managed to get in too. Isn’t amazing how much stuff 3 women need to take for a 2 days week-end? The food took most of the spare space.

We followed the satnav faithfully to a deep gorge in the middle of Derbyshire and after a slight detour found the place in Castleton. We were not the first to arrive but not the last either.

Helens chose our room at the end of the ground floor on the right. It was basic but just fine for us 3. We would come to realise that going to the first floor might have been a better idea.

The first meal was about to be served and it was delicious. We all wore our badges, or stickers. I even brought post-its but never needed them.

We had a very nice meal followed by some entertainments/icebreaker dreamt by Waughy. Alcohol was flowing and people were getting merry. The atmosphere was very good.

As I am not an evening person I retired just after 10pm. I think the party went on for at least 3 hours after that. I could not sleep very well but did not feel too tired the next day. I woke up at normal time 6am and tried the showers. At a glance they reminded me of school showers. The ones with no settings and curtains that predate the war. I decided not to be brave and pressed the button while hiding behind the curtain. It was a very good move as the water was freezing the first couple of pushes and then turned boiling. As I cope better with warmth than cold I cooked myself for a bit then enjoying the peace and quiet took my time to get dressed. That is so unheard of. That week-end was getting better and better. Nice location, nice people, nice food and time for myself in the morning. I was a very happy bunny.

I went on to have breakfast and read. Heaven.

Then Lindsey arrived for her morning cuppa. She had not seen me so I gave her a bit of freight and seeing that I was up decided to get everybody else up for breakfast. I was up for company and more food as I had had 2 hours on my own. How lovely was that?

After breakfast we had a great day ahead of us. The sun was shining. It was warm. Warm enough for Cass to sunbathe and a few others, me included, to catch the sun on our face.

We could see a castle in the distance and we decided to walk there and have a picnic at the top. Sandwiches were made and packed. Add some wine, icecubes, and the best brownies of the week-end we were ready.

The walk to the foot of the castle was not very long. The walk to the castle was hard going. Luckily the English heritage had positioned benches at strategic places. I had to try them all but one on the way up.

It was a perfect place to have a picnic and to try to spell TWINSCLUB on the grass with our bodies. I do not have a photo of the result but I have been told that we looked fine. We even had spectators to appreciate our living art.

Then the group at that point all 29 of us decided to split for 2 different activities. One group went to the pub, the other to the Devil’s Arse. I went to the cave. I love caves. The show was very good. Our guide, Richard, had his dog, Jake, with him. That dog stole the whole show. That dog was worth every pennies for the tour. The cave was worth going to.

Then back to our home for the week-end. Some more sunbathing fully clothed and with blankets and sleeping bags was needed to recover for our walks.

When the second group came back, having had to be praised from fit looking rugby players, we started on the evening meal. Another fab meal was prepared and eaten.

After tea, Waughy had prepared a scavenger hunt and a quiz. I was getting increasingly tired during the quiz that I took myself to bed before the results were announced.

I slept well and discovered at breakfast time that I had missed observing a very important bonding event that I have been told happens usually earlier in life (school years). A food fight.

Those twins mums know how to celebrate.

After breakfast Helens, Mary and I said to another meet and made our way to another caves. I just love caves.

This Castleton meet was my first overnight meet. I had been previously to the Leeds meet but as it was in a noisy environment I did not enjoy it as much. I have had a very good week-end. It was good from beginning to end. I would without hesitation go again. I liked the fact that we had activities as a group, as subgroups and as individuals. I loved my quiet time in the morning. It was such a special treat.

It was also very nice to meet the people who post on the forum. Some were new to big meets; some have been to every one of them. It was a nice mix.

I can’t wait for the next one.

Unfortunately my photos are not of quality enough to be added to this post.