# 11 - Camp out in the garden in winter

So onto number 11 – To camp out in the garden in winter. I have to admit I was hoping to achieve this one last month but our weekends got very busy and suddenly it was March. Now there is quite a debate as to when winter ends and spring begins but according to the article below it is still very much winter:

"They may say that 1 March is the first day of spring - which it is not - but it certainly doesn't feel like it," says the seasonally named Sir Nicholas Winterton, Conservative MP for Macclesfield.

He is supported by Stuart Bell, Labour MP for Middlesbrough, who says: "Spring starts on March 20/21 and if the Met Office are not aware of this simple fact, it reflects a casual approach to facts, which is all too inherent today."

Historically spring starts on the day of the vernal equinox, which usually occurs on the night of 20/21 March.

Vernal comes originally from the Latin word for bloom and refers to the fact that, in the northern hemisphere, this equinox marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

An equinox is a time when the nights are as long as the days and the vernal equinox is recognised the world over as the start of the new astrological cycle.

Extract taken from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4767522.stm

So based on this research I camped out on 10^th March 2012.

So thanks to Sharon, who lent me a tent (I am now officially a convert to pop up tents!) I snuggled down to bed at 10ish. My mother-in –law who set this experience said no hot water bottles. Now those of you that know me will know how tough this was for me – I have them all the time! But I kept to the rules. I only woke once a little cold at 3am and was struck by the amazing sound of bird-song!  It really was amazing as it’s not something I usually bother to listen to. By 3.30am however, the sheer volume of bird-song was driving me slightly insane! I did manage to get back to sleep but at half six it was time to leave my tent and venture back inside where I won’t lie I may have had an early morning nap! Overall it was a fun experience. I felt like a kid again! So if you’re bored one day why not try it – although maybe wait until summer!