62ndScouting

It was an honour and a privilege to attend a fellow Scout leaders Wassail evening the other night.

We paraded up and down their orchard (in Henleaze mind you) chanting huzzah and making as much noise as possible to drive away those pesky bad spirits, so the fruit on the trees grow, well, fruitfully. Huzzah is a very much underused phrase I feel.

To add special effect to the occasion they had even organised with the electricity company to have a number of power cuts part way through! Out came the candles, away went the candles, out came the candles again. Until such time that I left the truly atmospheric party.

A wonderful evening, huzzah!

Those 62nd Scouters that are old enough to think back to the sunny summer of 2004 you’ll recall the rather  lovely trip we did to Adelboden in Switzerland.

I notice the World Skiing something or other is currently coming from said Adelboden, it’s on BBC 2 today at 5pmish.

Let’s hope they have more snow than when we were there. Suppose it means the open air pool will be busy as well…

A selection of 62nd related people spent New Year in a cottage in Devon.

I’d like to be singing and dancing about who won the XBox car racing time challenge, but I won’t – cos it wasn’t me. I’d like to rave about how we had a refreshing dip in the open air swimming pool every morning, just like the wake up dip in the sea over summer camp, but I won’t – cos we didn’t. A complete sheet of ice covered the thing so funnily enough no-one was really that inspired!

I also like to single out the lovely tea shop we found in Princetown on Dartmoor, but I won’t – cos it was like a school dining room. Good tea cakes though. We didn’t even manage to leave anyone behind at the nearby prison. I’d love to tell all about a gorgeous walk to a Dartmoor Tor, taking in stunning scenery, but I won’t – cos it was flippin cold! And I was so wrapped up aganist the cold I could hardly see out.

I love to say I am a puzzle convert and ready to race out and buy another one, after our 636 piece challenge, but I won’t – cos there was a 10 set puzzle Christmas present waiting when I got back – many thousands of pieces in ten puzzles, all in one box!

Bloomin good week though, thank you everyone!

I’m always interested on Boxing Day, a little sad maybe,  to see how many people have browsed the Scout website on Christmas Day. This year a whopping 3 people went onto our site.

• Over the course of the year May and April were the biggest months with 390 hits each
• Throughout the year, 4227 paid a visit
• The lowest month was surprisingly July with only 200 hits

The total all time hits are currently 18 476 – I’m sensing the huge 20 000 next year…

It’s widely known that Winston Churchill did not think Britain could win the war without copious amounts of tea to drink whilst doing it. Apparently, he investigated growing tea in Britain in case supplies got cut off during the war. Upon realising that it took 6 years to grow and become suitable for harvesting, he ordered tons of tea to be imported and hidden at various sites around the country.

Rumour has it, not all of them have been found.

Now, where’s me spade…

Just watched an excellent TV programme, well the last 2 thirds of it anyway, all about building a very long Scalextric track at the very old Brooklands race track.

It did inspire many thoughts of the great Cardboard Cave build of 2009. Minus Cardboard of course, well vast quantities – which was replaced by vast quantities of Scalextric track. Throw in a few dramatic names, Spiral of Doom, some pipe lacking, a great deal of inginuity (how do you get a Scalextric track over a pond!?) and some very nutty but entirely enthusiastic people and it’s like I was back there…

…in the hut pondering how to get a cardboard cave around that very awkward space.

Excellent telly – my new favourite programme!