Centenary Camp 12-15/5 2010

Clever scouts by their camp kitchen.

The group's annual camp had a centenary theme, with classical scouting activities. Chief of the Camp was Eva, who sported a lovely, handmade Guide Leader uniform from the early 60ies. The scouts listened tentatively when she told them how scouting had developed in Falkenberg since 1910.

Eva, missing her hat, in the middle of the camp reception area.

We also had an inaugeration ceremony for our latest Gilwell leader, Marcus. Some of our oldest active scouts from the district participated and we were told old memories of among other things a football match in the summer of 1947, where among others the Swedish Crown Prince Gustav Adolf and the UN Secretary General Folke Bernadotte played on the Scout's team against one of the leading Swedish football teams of the time. A few months later, they were both dead in plane crashes.

Marcus, our latest Gilwell leader. Well done!

On Thursday evening, after having lowered the flag for the night, the scouts walked quietly in the sweet dusk back to the house for their hot chocolate and were met by the booming voice of B-P, and a pack of Cubs from a century ago, a recording found on The Scouting Pages. This made a big impression on most.

Tom, from 22nd Oxford, and Victor, getting ready for Kim's Game on the trail.

On the Friday we celebrated the centenary with a BBQ buffet, with appr. 80 out of our some 120 members present. The weather was with us, and the sun stayed until the end of the campfire, when the scouts again walked together in the dark, on a light trail, where qoutes and messeges on paper bags, lit from the inside by tealights, expressing the scouting spirit lit their way, together with sweet smelling insense soothing music, jingling chimes, mirrors, candelabers, chinese lanterns...

For once, there is pop at camp! You can't be healthy always, and when there is a party there should be pop, shouldn't there?

On Saturday morning it was time to pack up in the pouring rain. But just as we got together to lower the flag for the last time together and say goodbye, the sun broke through the clouds and we went home dry after all.

Pioneering in the rain.

Still not gone to the press

The books are late. Which is ok, but annoying. Today, I've done yet another read-through-check-headings-missing textsandwhatnots. There are still things not right. I expressed my frustration to a collegue at work, who just laught and said: "Did you think the job would be done just because you'd finished writing!?" His sister is in the publishing business and he says that she has a mild nervous breakdown everytime a project comes to the publishing phase, due to the millions of little knacks and knicks that need addressing before the finished product goes to the press.

Never mind. I enjoy this type of work. Perhaps this is what I should do? It's a bit difficult working on two computers at the same time though; keep clicking the mouse on the one trying to get results on the other....

I applied for two Scouting jobs, and got called to interviews, but for different reasons nothing became of it. It's nice to know that it's not me, just my geographical location, that is wrong.

A bit stressed out at the minute, and there is a risk of entries not being very regular for the next month as national course tests, grading and other pressing engagements in my other life will have to be prioritised.