This is the end...

... I'm no longer in Network! *cry*

GI had been very quiet about what exactly he had planned for me. So, understandably, I started to get a tad worried.

A worry that I feel can be slightly justified when you arrive to see this:

What on earth? Is he taking the 'Scotland' thing too far and going to crucify me St. Andrew style?

Thankfully not! We were to build catapults and fire wet sponges at those itty bitty bits of paper.

Look at us, being all industrious

Rather formidable no?

 

 

Look at it fly!

Mind you, that was the other team... we had a minor technical hitch...

... opps

After this point, things started to get rather messy/wet... so such items like cameras and phones were quickly put away. Good for phones, bad for having photos to show you what happened.

So today class we're are going to use our imaginations (keep with me trust me)

[image of water fight with buckets, sponges and water pistols]

[image of us fixing our catapult with a bucket instead of a collander]

[photo of catapults aimed at each other]

[photo of bucket-of-death flying off and hitting people: twice]

[photo of GI handing out whipped cream and shaving foam to teams to 'mark' their hits]

[photo of me COVERED in shaving foam and whipped cream]

GI did have one more surprise up his sleave: investitures... thats right folks I was invested into COLDnet on my last night!

d'oh

COLDnet photos

Was looking on COLDnet leaders facebook page for those photos of my last night that I said I was going to steal borrow permanently relocate... turns out there are loads of photos from numerous nights... so here is a little selection of them:

Mongolian Night:

Making Khuurshuur!

 

It can get rather fiddly...

All good things are deep fat fried!

Believe me, these are tastier than they look!

Network Camp (pre-blog):

Pioneering Project (I'm not looking that stable, am I?)

You know, am pretty sure it was climbing onto this contraption that did in my shoulder...

Look! Proof!... but don't ask me what else is going on in the photo, I have no idea!

(I'm actually having to see a physiotherapist for my shoulders now)

 Marshmallows!... cause traditions are sometimes there for a reason

Growing older *tick*, growing wiser *errr....*

Who says that you have to behave more when you get older? I say we find them, hunt them down and throw foam balls at them and cover them in silly string.

I will do a full post on my 'last night in COLDnet' soon... as soon as I have managed to steal photos off the network leaders facebook (well he did take over 200 photos, and I was far too wet to take more than a couple near the start)

All that I'll say for now is that it involved: rope, shaving foam, squirty cream, water pistols and bungee cords

... I'll let that twisted imagination of yours run rampant for a little bit longer

Ominous news

Ladies and gentlefolk...

I am about to enter the last week of my youth, officially.

... well, last week of being a 'youth member' of the Scout Association anyway. That's right next week I turn 25 and therefore get chucked out of Scout Network *sniff*

But I don't know what is more worrying; turning older, or the 'final night' that I have just been informed about at our local campsite... which I have been told to take a change of clothes to.

The guy organising it has told NO ONE what he has planned for me to ensure that it will remain a surprise.

.... help!

This definition thing is getting out of hand

It wasn't that long ago that I lamented at the fact that the scouts didn't really get the idea behind the word BOIL

todays word is: HIKE
today is also brought to you by the colour red and the number 9

to make matters worse... it wasn't the scouts that had the mix up. It was Network!!

Gav and I hastily put together a hike for the Network to do (in about an hour and a half, and thats including visiting some of the way points!). They were to set off from Sudbrooke (local campsite for those of you not from Lincoln) and they had been given a point to get to. I would be waiting at this point with the grid reference for the next point they were to go to.

so on and so forth.... you get the idea.

Unfortunately the types of hike that Network has done in the past (across the South Common to get to the pub, and then back) kind of missled some of the Network members to think that we would have organised a short stroll. So weren't entirely prepared for the 3hours that they were out walking for. (one actually had to be picked up in my car and taken to the end)

I think they all know now that when Gav and I say hike we don't mean a stroll... the scouts and boiling on the other hand I'm still not so sure about!

BOOM *evil laugh*

wha ha ha ha <=evil laughter

Welcome mere mortals.... to network...

The plan for our Halloween/Guy Fawkes night had been to invite the older Explorers down to join us so that they could get to know us. Due to the invitation going out late, my own fault, we only got two (GIs sister and one of her friends). But hey, its better than none!

We started off the night by carving melons, which is so much easier to hollow out than pumpkins (or the traditional turnips that I had to carve when I was a scout- talk about your spoon bending, Uri Geller had nothing on us). Buffy and I made a decent attempt, but it was Gav and Lornas 'lovechild' Ernest that stole the show.

Ernest shortly after being 'delivered', thankfully there was a nurse on hand

*news flash* Ernest, after spending over a week in intensive care in Lornas fridge has sadly kicked the bucket (or at least the bin). It is also recorded that altho he was given visitation rights, the father never saw young Ernest again after his birth... some say Ernest died of a broken heart (he certainly had a gooey centre anyway)

Aww look... sharing

ok... maybe there is such a thing as sharing too much

We played some more of the traditional halloween games... hanging doughnuts, marshmallows in flour, fluffy bunnies etc before we had a surprise visit. Cabbage, Steve and Pual all came down to present us with our Rabbit Run trophey; newly engraved with COLDnet 2009

And now that the scouts in the other hall had finally left it was time for the fireworks, which generally doesn't need much commentery other than

BANG

ooooo

aaaa

....sparkly!!

Down in a hole

Last night COLDnet went on a little outing, to meet the Lincoln Caving Club.

They showed us a couple of promotial videos (which, for videos about caving, had a surprising amount of flesh on show- i think they got calender-girls-itis for a while) before asking us if any of us wanted to have a go at there little obsticle course.

Most of us agreed (the only two that didn't had medical reason... so I suppose we had to let them off with that one!) so we had to get suited about booted. Getting into the overalls alone was a challenge for some... superheroes in their jumpsuits are going to have a run for their money with Tom in his skin-tight overalls. Actually I doubt that Tom would be able to run anywhere in those overalls, well, without loosing any potential offspring. Luckily for him the caving club pulled out some slightly larger overalls for him to use.

The obsticle course underneath the huts at Althum Terrace isn't too bad. They have a couple of squeezes for you to fit through, and other things for you to scramble over. The only thing that I would say against it is that its on hard concrete which can be rather sore on the old elbows and knees.

I think that everyone enjoyed the night, and I have to say that I would be tempted to go on one of the trips that the Caving Club organises.

Stick another one on the Barbie

No... not the plastic doll... and you ain't sticking that anywhere!

The barbie was hosted by COLDnet for the local explorer units. So that they would know that we exist and hopefully be tempted to join us. Not only were we going to feed them, but we said that we would entiretain them aswell with a good old fashioned game of rounders.

After arriving at the wrong part of the park (woops), we quickly managed to get ourselfs sorted out with the gear, which was handy given that the explorers started arriving shortly afterwards. Dirty Scout and I quickly took some sort of register and collected money (£1 a head isn't too bad for food and entertainment of an evening), while GI made sure that the area was ready for rounders.

And then the race began... we had about 40odd kids playing rounders while Dirty Scout and I cooked burgers and sausages on the barbie. There was, of course, the odd sacrificial burger that disintegrates (damn you Birds-Eye). But in the end we managed to get them all fed! (although I will admit, they won the race and finished the game before I finished cooking)

Given that it was dark, I got some of my light up circus equipment out and they got to have a go of some poi (weights on end of chains that you swing round) and some staff spinning. I also did a bit of fire poi... but don't worry, none of the explorers got their hands on that!

All in all the night was a success, I'm not entirely sure if we actually raised any funds with it... but it has certainly raised the profile of the network.

my apologises for this being so delayed in getting posted.... life has been rather busy to say the least recently!