Busy busy busy!

Life on the site is rolling on in a most hectic tempo! I still haven't managed to get a run in, and this is only my second blog entry!

The second dining hall has been erected, and today 6 articulated lorries and 3 ordinary ones (European size) are bringing the kitchen equipment. Walking back from breakfast we saw some volunteers rolling off cupboards for hot-keeping on mass at great speed.

We are now approximately 130 people checked into the system, plus that we have 30 teens, employed by the town council who have been placed here for a summer job. Most are out in the field, building the tents, some is working with electric installation, and some in the kitchen. Appart from that there are a couple of British engineers that are working on the water heating system, and some plumbing specialists still, but people are arriving all the time.

Earlier I had a conversation with a very clever person, who was constructing a device for messuring the flow of eaters in the canteen, to be able to make accurate prognosis on the amount of food needed every day, and to work out the staffing needs of the canteen within a few days. The cost of the system will be paid for in less than a day, and hopefully it will save the kitchen thousands and thousands of krona.

More and more volunteers are arriving from ... everywhere. Yesterday, a young man arrived from Pakistan, and just half an hour ago two scouts from a near-by town, who wanted to do a good turn in the kitchen showed up at my door. My son Mike, who is staying with me this week, helped Lizzy from the English contingency to put up her tent next to ours, and swopped a super nice badge for a cub pin and toggle. He was super happy!

Yesterday we got our super smart staff outfit, exclusive for the Site Crew: Snickers pirate trousers and a polo with very handy pockets for may 2 (two) function phones and com-radio. Pictures will be included when I have time.

Gotta run! Lunch is being served in a few moments, and then Mike and I will have the afternoon off to explore Kristianstad.

Scout forum

Last weekend of August, and 700 scouts gathered in the site of the 2011 World Scout Jamboree for seminars and information about upcoming events in Swedish scouting. The WSJ planning team was present, and so was the B-P Fellows, His Majesty, King Carl Gustav of Sweden.

His Majesty is the grey-haired man between the man in black and the man in grey, just in front of the portal.

We are subjects of experiments, trying out the proposed camp toilets, showers and some of the other facilities. Representatives from the Federation committee and the various subcommittees are present to answer questions and inform of the program reform, the WSJ, other European camps, and functions within the international scout sphere.


The shop is doing brilliantly, as the foreign guests are shopping madly for the Swedish profile clothes, and I don’t blame them: The clothes are wonderfully designed, reasonably prized and probably very cheap, considering the Swedish currency being so weak at the moment. One Japanese lady walked out of the shop, carrying at least 5 Swedish scout uniforms! The piles of Simply Scouting WSJ profile merchandize melted away during the day.
Myself, I was in place to inform about my work with the Challenger scout material, and to get input from leaders and scouts, and to help inform about the program reform and the new Leader book that I have helped with (in a very small way). It will be published in November, and we have a trail print with us for feedback. Generally the reception has been positive so far.

Now, I'm in the café. I've lost the electricity cable for my computer and am about to loose power. But that's ok, Ik'll have another cup of coffee and listen to the band, and be a little bit sociable instead....