Home Away From Home
My husband and I have a vacation home. It's a tent, a good-sized tent the requires similar rules to cottage living as Taigh Beag does. Everything needs it's place. You see, we're living historians, or re-enactors. We re-enact the 18th century. We own this tent, behind the gentleman with the horse:
In it, we house a full size four poster bed, a full size dining table with 4 chairs, a side table, a carpet and floor cloths, and numerous trunks. We have running water in the form of a cistern. Next to it is a teapot on a hook with a candle under it for warm water. We even have a bathroom behind the bed in the form of a chamber pot and a bucket of water. The only thing missing is the kitchen, which has to be outside.
Hubby and I have a system when it comes to setting up our tent. He and I get the tent up, he does all the pounding of the stakes. He helps get the bed and table together and then leaves the rest to me while he goes and helps our master and mistress set up their tent. As I said before, everything needs it's place. The bed is neatly made and dressed with curtains appropriate to the weather and season. Heavy drapes for the cooler weather, mosquito netting for the warmer weather. There is always a drape along the back for privacy for use of the chamber pot. Facing the back of the tent on the right hand side is my "closet." My trunk is placed there and a tie a cord between two poles for hanging clothing on. My husband's closet is on the left hand side. Access to the "bathroom" can only be acheived on my side, so a seat is formed from an emptied trunk and extra blankets on hubby's side. Hubby's "closet" also has to hold a variety of weaponry and ammunitions for the event.
Then we have our table in the middle accompanied by two chairs. The table is covered with an Indian Print cloth and holds candle sticks, our candle box, my tea set, and our box of silverware. Along the right hand side of the tent from front to back is our burlap sack for trash, our kitchen box, our cistern and teapot on a hook and a box for food (ok, I admit, it's a cooler, but we have to make do with modern for safety reasons). On the left hand side from front to back is the side table that is covered with a white damask cloth and holds hubby and I's accessory boxes, a lantern and a mirror. The other two chairs are here at this table. Then it's our laundry bags. Two large bowls are kept under the table for use as sinks, laundry or for serving or mixing. Here and there are iron hooks holding lanterns. From the ridge pole hangs a small chandelier.
Outside are a couple more buckets, and usually a line from rope to rope for laundry.
The kitchen is outside under a canvas awning called a fly, the fire in a small pit with irons over the top.
We live quite comfortably in such surroundings. The longest I've ever lived in our tent is 5 days.
In it, we house a full size four poster bed, a full size dining table with 4 chairs, a side table, a carpet and floor cloths, and numerous trunks. We have running water in the form of a cistern. Next to it is a teapot on a hook with a candle under it for warm water. We even have a bathroom behind the bed in the form of a chamber pot and a bucket of water. The only thing missing is the kitchen, which has to be outside.
Hubby and I have a system when it comes to setting up our tent. He and I get the tent up, he does all the pounding of the stakes. He helps get the bed and table together and then leaves the rest to me while he goes and helps our master and mistress set up their tent. As I said before, everything needs it's place. The bed is neatly made and dressed with curtains appropriate to the weather and season. Heavy drapes for the cooler weather, mosquito netting for the warmer weather. There is always a drape along the back for privacy for use of the chamber pot. Facing the back of the tent on the right hand side is my "closet." My trunk is placed there and a tie a cord between two poles for hanging clothing on. My husband's closet is on the left hand side. Access to the "bathroom" can only be acheived on my side, so a seat is formed from an emptied trunk and extra blankets on hubby's side. Hubby's "closet" also has to hold a variety of weaponry and ammunitions for the event.
Then we have our table in the middle accompanied by two chairs. The table is covered with an Indian Print cloth and holds candle sticks, our candle box, my tea set, and our box of silverware. Along the right hand side of the tent from front to back is our burlap sack for trash, our kitchen box, our cistern and teapot on a hook and a box for food (ok, I admit, it's a cooler, but we have to make do with modern for safety reasons). On the left hand side from front to back is the side table that is covered with a white damask cloth and holds hubby and I's accessory boxes, a lantern and a mirror. The other two chairs are here at this table. Then it's our laundry bags. Two large bowls are kept under the table for use as sinks, laundry or for serving or mixing. Here and there are iron hooks holding lanterns. From the ridge pole hangs a small chandelier.
Outside are a couple more buckets, and usually a line from rope to rope for laundry.
The kitchen is outside under a canvas awning called a fly, the fire in a small pit with irons over the top.
We live quite comfortably in such surroundings. The longest I've ever lived in our tent is 5 days.
Comments
I am not much a camper...but I would love to spend the night in such a gorgeous tent.
Where do you buy those?
Donna