Thank you!

And thank you, Bear, for being such a great role model!

Off to Explore

My son and his good friend left for Italy yesterday, to hopefully earn their Explorer Belts. I so wish that the Internet had been around when I was a kid! Things like this were rumours and legends in our group back in the 80ies.

Posing for the camera

For those of you who aren't familliar with the EB, it originated in the UK in 1962 and there are a few countries that still do it, in spite of insurance and security paranoia. The Swedish EB pretty much follows the original expedition plan (more information about EB in the UK can be found here) and the Scouts hike in pairs, for about 100 miles over ten days, in unknown territory, solving a number of small tasks that involves making contact with the locals.

Ida's granddad has laminated an emergancy note, with the condition that they will have had to starve for three days before using it.

It is ever so exciting even to us, left at home, as we have no clue to where our kids are off too either! We've been promised that an itinary will arrive in the post this afternoon, with a program. That will be very interesting. Even if my son is 18, this is his first really independent trip, and I'm so glad that he does it with Scouts, rather than partying in Turkey or Spain with his classmates.

On to the train bound for Malmoe, where they will meet up with the rest of the expedition for a 24 hour bus ride to Italy.

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.

School sports day

Today one of the primary schools had a sports day for the kids to try out various activities, and one was scouting. I was just meant to help out a little, as I was at work, but with volcanic ashes and a turning of the world economy, two out of the three guys that were responsible got new jobs (Congratulations, guys!! And good luck!) and one is stuck in London. So my daughter took half a day off school for "leadership training" and my students were well into their projects (and they're going on 19 so they are very responsible most of the time :o)

We played games, cracked codes, learnt a couple of knots and put together the Trangias to make billberry soup. The kids seemed to enjoy themselves and at the end we handed out "I've tried scouting" certificates and some old badges to take home. My daughter did a brilliant job of it, and suggested doing a larger scale Trail Day for schools. As a teacher I'm not usually for students skipping school for fun, but scouting is more than just fun! Scouting is learning, while having fun!

As one of the kids today put it: "I've even did maths, and I didn't even notice!"

In between

At the moment I feel in between things, in a kind of limbo Not that there isn't stuff to do! No, there is plenty, and the phone keeps ringing, and the mailbox is pretty full of things that need to be addressed. But there's an empty space...

This last weekend I went to Stockholm to finish the book project. Almost all the authors involved and the project managers met at the Scout HQ to have a look at the almost finished products, share our trails and tribulations and note our thoughts about the process and the results. It was great seeing the book for the Tracker Scouts (younger Cubs), with the action packed tale about Tofs, the fox, who takes the scouts through adventures on land, on water and in space, addressing everything, from practical outdoor skills, to introspective questions about values and personal beliefs. The title will be, in translation: The Big Tracker Book.

The Discoverers' (older Cubs) book, to me, with the title (my translation) The Discovery, brought 50ies adventure stories like Famous Five and the like, and you get to follow a six through an adventurous treasure hunt in short stories that deals with different kinds of issues and problem solving.

The Adventure Scout's book, The Adventure Handbook, is more realistic, and therefor illustrated with photoes. Besides the further outdoor skills, it also deals with puberty and personal development through fact filled articles and short stories with recurring characters, while the Challengers' book, "my" book, is deprived of knots and filled with life skills like project methodoligy, group development theory and advice on how to organize charity events and to make the council representatives to see your way. The illustrations are dark and muddy.

All the books have their own colour scheme and style, and the tone, although adapted to the target group, doesn't speak down to the reader, and isn't simplified. It felt great! But then, after a closing ceremony, a lovely dinner in a restaurant, on the way back on the train, I thought: What now? There is a big whole in my life, that for the last 11 months has been filled with angst for not writing, writing, editing, writing, angst, editing, editing, reading, editing.... I've learn a lot, and gained a lot of new contacts, had lots of fun and is more convinced than ever that I should really take up writing more seriously. And translating. I've got hooks out, that might lead to something new....

The books will be published at the end of next month. So until then I can relax, until the readers have their say. I hope they will be as impressed that I am.

prismotube

22nd WSJ



More Videos & Games at Bluesplayer Cartoons