Blackout

*SIRENS*


It's time for a blackout people!


You shut those curtains Margerie



Okay, maybe not the type of blackout where you have to paint your cow...

Nice brush strokes... but no, not this type of black out Debra

I'm talking about the internet blackout.

That's right I am (kinda) joining the internet blackout for the protest against SOPA/PIPA... if I knew how to actually black out my website then I would for the 24hours. But seeing that I lack that knowledge you're going to have to put up with a post by my good self.



Mayeb I should invest in one of these...

Wikipedia handily has some information about the whole thing if you want to learn more about it... right here


If you're in America then PLEASE contact your Congressman to let them know that you are against SOPA/PIPA. With the number of pictures that I borrow for punchlines and jokes I would be shut down... even though I don't make any money from this site! If you are not from the US, like myself, then try contacting your Ambassador in the US... they are there to represent you after all.


So concider this site blacked out, and close your eyes or something!


UPDATE: Here's where you can add your name to the petition:



ANOTHER UPDATE: The blackout is now over... you can have your links and buttons and other useful stuff back now!

Times they are a changing

Well... just about everything has changed over the past month. I think if any more was to change then I could seriously rival this guy



And no comments about me being two faced.... okay?

The biggest change has to be that I have FINALLY moved house!

HUZZAH- *villagers rejoicing*

And what is more I actually now have internet in said house. I have got an app for blog posting from my phone, but I hate using it as it isn't really user friendly, especially for adding photos/videos etc.

While I was moving I was also finished up with the scout section. We had finally managed to get a hold of the Lincoln Mountain Activity Team to run a session for us at a climbing wall. The sprogs absolutely loved it, some of them were up there like a shot, as spry as monkeys they were... and about as loud

... SCOTLAND LOOK AT ME!!!

Yes that's nice, now get out of the way of that other line...

... I'M AT THE TOP!!!

I can see that, now be careful when you set off as you'll swing into that overhang...

... *THUD* ...

... *sigh*

I got to have a couple of goes myself, just to remind myself how long it has been since I climbed, and they had this automatic belay device which frankly scared the bejabbers out of me. Normally you have a person at the other end of the rope that would control your decent should you fall, decide you can't go further or even reach the top. Which is comforting cause they can talk away to you and they support you the entire time. This thing doesn't kick in until you reach a certain falling speed... and it's useless at conversation.

But generally a night that ends with the sprogs asking if they can do that activity again is always a winner.

My last week with the scouts was another Cinema night, like last year. We got a projector and screen and a choice of DVDs and they got to pick a film to watch... and periodically someone would pry the pringles away from my hands to pass them round the sprogs.

They have a good taste in films those sprogs, we watched How To Train Your Dragon... but this was partly because Jo (one of the leaders) vetoed all the Muppet movies. Apparently they scare her for some bizzare unknown reason. I mean seriously, how can you be scared of the muppets?!

Rizzo is, of course, my favourite.

I mean, if it was something like Mimic with mutant cockroaches start attacking people just for the fun of it then I could totally understand (ok, I'll admit that I only got about 5minutes into that film before giving up), but this is the Muppets! Well, I suppose that we'll accept all sorts to be scout leaders.

But Muppet-haters is getting close to the line...

And that was my last night with the 9th Lincoln Scouts!

*sniff*

I've had a brilliant time with the sprogs of the 9th Lincoln Scouts. They are a fantastic set of kids and I wish that I could take them with me... and I've told them all that I expect to see them at future explorer events.

I was going to put in about me starting with Dodgers Explorers, but quite a lot happened and this post is already rather long so I am going to be kind at cover that later.

And given that I didn't put up a festive message, please accept this little video (except if you're weird like Jo... )

... Don't say I'm not good to you!

Apparently I'm now an elf

One of the explorers in the Jamboree Unit just posted this on the groups facebook page and I just had to share it with you...

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

That's the 4 unit leaders!

... I have to say, hats off to the lad, it's definitely the most bizarre thank you I've ever received.

Twister + Record Cards + Investiture = An Impossible To Title Blog Post

Tonight was a bit of a mash up for the scouts as the radio station we were planning to visit never got back in contact with us. M'eh, it happens... you plan things, you try to arrange them and for some reason the planets don't align and it doesn't go ahead.


This is why we have back up plans.


I will admit that it was Mim that came up with this particular back up plan. (Yeah, buying a house really takes up a lot of your time... they should come with a health warning or something)

Also... be careful of giants

After a quick game and introducing a newbie (a cub moving up- huzzah!) we got on with one of our activities for the night. OS Symbol Twister! We taped 16 OS symbols in a 4x4 grid on the floor, one grid for each patrol.... and then we randomly shouted out hand/foot and symbol combinations.

Sprogs should not be that flexible.

Both hilarious and disturbing at the same time, arms and legs all over the place.... one tiny little scout cowering completely underneath her PL. Slightly more disturbing when one of the sprogs asked "where's my left foot...?" *facepalm*

Once they had finally all fallen over Niall and Jason went on to do 4 and 6 figure grid references with them, while I pulled one of them aside and went through their Record Card, and it was a good thing that we went through it, as we had found that she had completed a couple of challenge badges.

The end of the night came along and I got to present a whole host of badges, most of them challenge badges.

And what's more I got to invest a PL.

Yes, I invest my PLs. It isn't normal practice, but I've found that it helps give them some confidence in taking on the role and it helps the others recognise the authority that they have. The investiture runs like any other investiture, but with a modified promise that I came up with.

Patrol Leaders Promise

On my honour I promise, 

That I shall lead my patrol to the best of my abilities,

And that I shall remain worthy of the position of Patrol Leader,

For the sake of my Patrol, my Troop and the Scout Movement.

It doesn't seam like much, but my scouts have taken it all to heart. You should have seen the beaming smile he had when I told him that I was going to invest him as a PL.

Does this mean that I will need to change the name of my blog?

You know how recently I have been kinda teasing you... saying that I have some secret stuff going on and that I couldn't tell you about them until the time is right.

Well, the time has come! 


*villagers rejoicing and dancing in the streets*


So huddle in and pinkie promise swear you won't tell anyone...


*deep breath*


.... I'm changing sections to be an Assistant Explorer Scout Leader!


There are a number of reasons why I am wanting to make the move, but the main one is that is it a section that I have always wanted to work with and all my recent work with the Jamboree reminded me of that and made me want it even more. I haven't made the change yet tho. That's going to happen after Christmas, to give me time to get all my loose ends sorted out in the scout troop (like updating blooming record cards).


You actually have no idea how much I wanted to tell you all that sooner. I shadowed an Explorer Unit here in Lincoln for a couple of months to get a feel for the section and I loved it and I wanted to share it all with you. Like the refugee experience, or the murder mystery night at halloween or the Guy Fawkes night... but I couldn't as my scouts didn't know I will be leaving them.


Not long now until Christmas, and I am so excited!


Oh, and that other secret project of mine... all in good time... you'll find out soon enough.

Stuff I've been doing while I've not been here

Recently I have been ______________________________


Baking like a fiend: Over the past year and a half or so I have gotten quite into baking. It started off with making some cupcakes and treats for my weekly 'Sunday Gathering' with my mates and quickly evolved into full on birthday cake baking and decorating. It's gotten to the point now that my friends are putting orders in, I kid you not.

I made this for my nieces first birthday

They're watching me!?

Only the other week I baked about 50odd biscuits. Some were getting posted up to my sister for her birthday, some to Cheshire to one of my friends who was going through a rough patch (cause receiving baked goods in the post is bound to cheer anybody up) and all the rest were getting sold in my office to help raise money for Jeans for Genes.

And I'm currently trying to figure out how to do a turn-table cake for someone in work and have been asked to do 2 wedding cakes!

Not buying a house: This is in spite of going to numerous house viewings (6 this week) and the estate agents getting to the "You've been looking for a while now" stage of proceedings. Which is basically them trying to tell me not to be so picky and buy a house already.

Sure the view would be stunning... but the commute would be terrible

And, unfortunately, it's not like my previous experiences in buying stuff. Normally when I go shopping, I walk into the store, see if I like stuff, put myself into a mini-guilt trip about wanting to spend money, leave the store, decide that I want it anyway, return to store, check out everything again (just in case something better magically appears on the shelf) and then eventually buy it anyway.

Dead easy.

Not like houses. That requires dealing with idiotic estate agents, arguments about getting things in writing, getting lawyers and people just to convince other people to lend me money. And the odd guilt trip about spending money... cause, well, it's still me we're talking about.

Buying a house would be so much easier if it worked like any other normal shop. Tho I would expect that the shopping trolleys would be huge.

So if anyone has a really nice house in Lincoln that they are willing to sell me for hardly anything I would be really grateful. I may even bake you something.

Getting most of the ground floor in the house I am currently living in torn out: Dan, the guy that owns the house I live in (he doesn't like it when I call him my landlord), came round with his parents to decorate the house. All was going fine, until the paint that they were putting up on the walls was flaking off as soon as it had dried. It was then decided that we should get someone in to check for damp.

Turns out most of the ground floor, up to about waist height, has really bad damp. Which would explain the huge bulge in the wall by the kitchen door. The guy came back about 2 weeks ago to gut the place and damp-proof and replaster everything.

Some of it still isn't dry... so he hasn't been back yet to re-attach the skirting boards.

Given that I hate tidying/cleaning at the best of times, I didn't want to clean everything until he has finished... cause that plaster dust gets EVERYWHERE. Even in rooms upstairs. With the door closed.

... everywhere...

Geocaching in formal wear: Yes, you read that correctly. Geocaching. In formal wear.

My friend, Stacey (who you may remember used to be the Scout Leader for the 9th Lincoln) got married! And, stupidly, she invited Mim and I to attend. You would have thought that having left the group that she would have taken advantage of the situation and be rid of us, but no.

While the photographs were being taken Mim and I saw this tower...

South Kyme Tower

... and I commented that the area was just begging for a cache. Turns out there was one... and it was within 200m of where we were standing. It would have been rude for us not to. And during the break between the meal and the evening do, when everyone went to the pub... we may or may not have gone out and got 3 more.

See... actual proper formal wear

Beating sprogs at monopoly: This one is actually scout related! We had a board games night at the scouts a while back and I played some of the sprogs at monopoly.

That was what I ended up owning... pretty much the whole board

Yeah... they lost. Badly

Signing myself up for more work: Yup, I am actually a glutton for punishment. I've managed to sign myself up for not one but two new scouty projects.

You can stop shaking your head in dismay now...

First, I've been asked to be a subcamp leader at Poacher 2013, something that I am rather excited about. I've never been to a Poacher camp before, so I am kinda getting thrown in at the deep end

The second thing is super-secret at the moment, so you are just going to have to wait. If I told you what it was then it would spoil the event. And we don't want that now do we? All I can tell you is that it requires a heck of a lot of planning and logistics.

Doing big secret stuff: Even more secret stuff. It's big. And it's secret. I so want to tell you ALL about it. But I can't. Not yet anyway. Soon... hopefully.

Yes, I do realise that I am a bit of a tease.

And finally...

Winning the World Music Networks Battle of the Bands: For the past year I have been a member of the Choir Invisible. And we've recently won the World Music Networks Battle of the Bands, which means that we are going to be recorded for one of their albums! Absolutely fantastic news you'll agree, so I have to go now and brush up on my swahili...

Happy Birthday!

It's 2 years since I started this little blogging project of mine!

*Party streamers falling from the ceiling, villagers rejoicing and cake getting cut*

I can hardly believe it, can you?

To celebrate I'm going to post some of my favourite photos from the Jamboree for you all to enjoy

Look, everyone is all shiny and clean

Tivoli Gardens was so much fun! (even tho not all the rides were open)

One of the acts from the UK Party in Copenhagen (my Alphabeat photos turned out blurry *sniff*)

One of my favourite shots this one!

It was so peaceful on camp-in-camp...

... despite the warnings

Communal cooking area in camp-in-camp. Whatever you had left over you shared with everyone else. We ate like kings that night!

... and slept in some pretty nifty tents

The kids out canoeing

Heading for the Carnival day party

The 360degree stage for the closing ceremony

Our tiny tin can plane for the trip to Lithuania

Now... where's my present?

Note: Obviously Hobbes is copyrighted by Bill Watterson, and if you don't recognise him... first, SHAME ON YOU; secondly, go google it now!

Flaming Phalanges

As you all know I was recently at the World Scout Jamboree as an Assistant Unit Leader, and, as promised, I took my diary with me to jot down all the little stories and details.


Oh the best laid plans of mice and men... if only my writing hand hadn't caught on fire.


Yes, you read that correctly. Caught. On. Fire.

Not me, yes. Not exactly what happened, yes. Cool picture none the less, hell yes.

It was our first day on the Jamboree site in Sweden, we were still setting everything up, including the kitchen. The way that our chosen system worked meant that the patrol that I looked after was on duty and had to cook dinner.

We were making dinner, on our brand new stoves, in our brand new mess tent surrounded by packages and boxes hiding all manner of things, like those handy things called fire blankets. Everything was going smoothly until I hear one of the kids say "Oh look, it's on fire"

That, for the record, is a sentence that can send shivers down any leaders back.

I quickly turn round and not only has the kitchen roll that was beside the stove gotten so hot that it spontaneously combusted, but it was in said kids hands. Everything following this happened in a matter of seconds. I ran over, I think I stupidly tried to blow on it (I know, I know, but this was like a second after seeing it) realised that I needed to get it out of her hands and out of the mess tent.

So I grabbed it and ran.

And then stomped all over it.

And then released that in the past 3-5 seconds from seeing fire to stomping it that I had burnt my hand...   not my best moment I will admit.

We got to treating it straight away. I was pouring cold water over it while Elaine (our first aider extraordinaire) was prepping the burn kit, and as soon as that was on I was on my way to the first aid facility. A first aid centre which was embarrassingly still setting up, that's how early in the Jamboree this happened!

I did try to write that night, a lot had happened that day after all... we'd gotten to Sweden, to the actual Jamboree itself after 2 years of work... but it just hurt too much to write with my burnt hand and if I had tried with my left it would look like a 5 year olds scrawl and a single word would probably take up half a page.

So all my Jamboree stories are going to be just that, stories. Unlike the 3Nations posts (going day by day) I'll be doing some random little stories from time to time. If you don't like it then you can blame the flaming kitchen roll...

And if you still don't get what "Flaming Phalanges" are... then this little clip from Bones might help

A little pick me up

Every leader has their ups and downs. And at some point or another we all need a little pick me up. I'm not talking about a cake and a good cuppa type pick me up.

Not this type of pick me up...

I'm talking about the pick me up that only the scouts can provide. They may not intend to provide it... heck they might not even realise that they have done it, but I've generally found that when you need one, then they will deliver.



This summer I was in dire need of a pick me up.


Things had been getting on top of me, I was getting mega-stressed with everything and if I am honest I wasn't exactly a happy bunny. I stayed clear of here for a while (if you hadn't noticed) as I didn't want to be all negative. That's also why I'm not going to go into any details.

from here

But not to worry, my pick me up worked and I'm happy again! (woo hoo)


The nature of the pick me up, well, it's rather unusual as it actually involves something that we scout leaders dread, medical care. And no, before you say anything, I did not go round doing Timmy Mallet impressions and hitting the kids with an oversized mallet to relieve my stress.


Let me set the scene. At the World Scout Jamboree in Sweden one of the set activities was Dream, a night time activity in the forest based round self discovery. Our subcamp had this scheduled straight after the Opening Ceremony, so after the party at the main arena we had to fight the crowd back to our site to get changed and then make our way to the queue for the activity. Needless to say we were all shattered.


In fact we weren't the only ones that were shattered. A girl from another UK unit fainted near us while we were in the queue for the queue. One of her leaders dutifully stayed with her, but the rest of her unit carried on and went into the queue for the activity. My unit on the other hand, instantly, and without being asked, formed a human shield round them and started doing crowd control.


It was shortly after that, that one of our own keeled over. Well, the newly formed Protection League went into over drive. Passing water among themselves to make sure that everyone was okay, protecting the casualties from being walked over and clearing the road for the ambulance to get in.


At one point there was actually three people under our protection, altho the third wasn't there for that long... so I presume that he recovered quickly and went on to enjoy the activity.


I know, I know, it sounds like a complete disaster. Obviously it wasn't the situation that was the pick me up... that would just be a bit too sadistic even for me, it was the way they reacted. They truly went above and beyond the call of duty that night and I was immensely proud to be able to call myself one of their leaders.


Now, I'm not trying to brag, I've done a number of things that are rather pride worthy. I've got my Queen Scout Award, Duke of Edinburgh Gold, Explorer Belt and Wood Badge all before I was 25. All of which were presented to me at various times, and don't get me wrong, I was very proud at all of them. But all of them pale in comparison to how proud I was of my unit that night.


That night, not only did they protect their fellow scouts, but they restored my faith in being a scout leader.


Note: The scout from my unit that fainted recovered rather quickly as was fine. We also received a thank you message the next day from the girl from the other unit that fainted saying that she was fine.

What an adventure!

Wow... what a couple of months it has been!


A lot has happened in the past couple of months. So much that I simply haven't had the time to type it all out for you all.


Some things have changed, some started, and some sadly going to come to an end, houses are being hunted, best man speeches written (tho not yet delivered), Jamborees prepared for and new events signed up for.


And that is not to mention all the week to week stuff with my scouts; all our work on the communication badge and our recent camp at Sudbrooke... as well as getting some new members!


The biggest adventure is, of course, the World Scout Jamboree, for which I will be leaving the house for in about an hour. We have a fantastic group of kids and I am so excited about it, it should be a trip of a lifetime. I'm not entirely sure that the kids, if you can call them that, know what it is that they have let themselves in for... but that is all part of the magic.


... and don't worry, my diary is packed...

CLEAR!

CODE BLUE!!!

*rushing of nurses and other people with odd bits of beeping machinery*

...

we're loosing him...

...

*overly shiney doctor with sparkly glint in teeth stares into camera* "Not on my watch"

*pounds chest*

... *blog splutters back into life*

No I haven't been in hospital and I haven't fallen off the face of the planet. Infact I've been to Africa for my first non scout related holiday in over 12 years (which for a 25year old is a rather sad fact).

Given that it was a non scouting trip I won't be covering it in any detail on here: altho being surrounded by elephants and chased by rhinos (I kid you not) was exciting and I thoughly enjoyed myself.

Rest assured that normal coverage of my scouting adventures will resume as soon as I figure out what normal is.

And now for something completely different...

Ok, I realise that yesterdays post was a little heavy.

So here's something to lighten things up a bit...

Someone, not me I might add, gave this to Mim (who looks after the Beaver section)

....pffft *tries not to spit out tea*

ha HA ha ha ha ha ha ha ha


me?! childish?! NEVER!

Board games and basic bases

This covers 2 weeks of scout meetings, have been a busy boy again!


Our first night after the Christmas holidays was a board games night. It's not very often that the sprogs would be able to get a group together to play some board games... at least that is what I found, so I used to always enjoy the opportunity.


So we asked the sprogs to bring along a board game and they could have a laid back evening playing them.


It would also give us leaders an opportunity to get a couple of plans together, even if it was just when we would be able to get together to do a proper program planning.


Fairly simple yes...?


what could possibly go wrong...?


By now I should realise that seemingly simple nights never quite work out. A couple of the sprogs decided that they didn't want to play board games, they wanted ball games... or to listen to their ipods.


So of course I gave them a simple choice... take part in the program that we put on; which was just board games after all, it wasn't as if we were making them do drill or something like that; or they could do some washing up for us, cleaning out some of the camping equipment.


Given that about 15mins later they were still sat off to the side doing nothing, they were put to some use. Who would have thought that they would have picked washing up over games?




Fast forward a week


*imagines pages pealing off a calender


This week didn't exactly get off to a brilliant start. It started with one of my scouts leaving, not up to explorers like I would have liked... but to leave scouting entirely.


It wasn't exactly a surprise, he'd grown out of it... it happens.


... but he is the 5th since the summer that has left in such a way. And yes I realise that most Scouts won't actually move up to Explorers, rather they grow out of it.


I understand that.


It makes sense.


Doesn't stop me thinking that I'm doing something wrong tho.


I keep trying to put on activities that they would like. Mixing simple fun evenings (like board games the week before), adventurous activities (like kayaking) and scouting stuff (like the cultural stuff and scouting skills etc). Trying to keep things mixed while sticking with the principals of scouting. And hopefully you would agree from what you've seen on this blog that I keep it varied.


I'm obviously still on a learning curve.


It wasn't that long ago that I was an Assistant Cub Leader, and I've been trying to adjust my approach for the different ages ranges... and for a while I was getting away with it. But I think more adjusting may be needed.


And then the scouts go and surprise me again!


Just when I am thinking that I must be the worst scout leader on the planet, and have the smallest troop in the UK (I only have about 8 sprogs now), and that frankly I'm a failure and should just retire for the sake of the children (oh please won't someone please think of the children).... just when I have all that running through my head, the scouts pull it out the bag.


One of the most peaceful and enthusiastic nights I've had in a while.


We put on some basic skills bases, just to jog there memory. Knots, pioneering, recovery position and bandages. And even tho we were covering the basics, they all seamed to enjoy it, and the all paid attention.


I really don't understand these sprogs sometimes! (How did my leaders manage it when I was in scouts?!)


Oh, and to the one that left...


Thank you!


It takes some courage to admit that you're no longer enjoying something. I hope that you enjoy whatever you go onto do next, where ever it may be. You were actually a really good scout, and I am sorry to see you go... I'm just sorry I couldn't be the leader that you deserved.


If ever you wish to come back, then you're more than welcome.