International Fun at the Jamboree

The uniform makes for brotherhood, since when universally adopted it covers up all differences of class and country.
Robert Baden-Powell

Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably have noticed there's been a lot of stuff in the press about Scouting recently. The Scout Association is 100 years old this year, and there has been a lot of hoo-hah about it in the papers in the last few weeks because of the Scout Jamboree in Essex.

I was lucky enough to go to visit last Saturday and it was amazing! 40,000 Scouty people in a huge field (Hylands Park, where the V Festival is held), with national dances, food, games and even a huge ferris wheel made of wood and string!

I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and immersed myself in the wonderfully Scoutiness of it all. I've got plans to take a group of girls to Iceland next year for an international camp there - how cool would that be??

PS: I know I'm a big geek, I can't help it, and make very little apology for it!

A Valuable Member of Society - Officially

Yesterday I went to Gibson Hall in London to be presented with my Queen's Guide Award. The Award is the highest accolade (right word? sounds good) in Guiding, and takes three years to complete. I started it in August 2002, and officially finished in September 2005, as I took some time off over my finals.

The Queen's Guide award is the highest attainable award for members of Girlguiding UK. Although originally awarded to Girl Guides, it is now only attainable by members of the Senior Section (including Rangers, Young Leaders and Young Guiders) aged between 16 and 25. It is a challenging programme comparable to the Queen's Scout or Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Since the awards creation 60 years ago 20,000 young women have gained the award. (Thanks, Wikipedia!)

It was presented to me by Sophie, Countess of Wessex, who is the President of Girlguiding UK. She was lovely, really friendly and normal. Which is surprising, considering she's royal... It was a lot like Graduation - lots of faff, lots of co-ordinating of parents, making sure hair is right, uniform was right etc. Then, up onto a stage for a quick handshake and a photo and then off again. After all that!! There was a "splendid tea" (my mother's words), and Soph came round to chat to us all about what we did for the award, what we're doing now etc. I obviously pressed the right buttons by saying I was studying to become a Speech Therapist (only a small stretch of the truth...but who understands "Human Communication" anyway?) as she was really interested in it and chatted to me for some time.

All in all it was fun - and my parents were proud, so it's all good!!

St David's Day

A day late I know, but I was at uni with the presentation yesterday (the waffle god was with me, hoorah!), then Brownies, then Phil's birthday... Anyway, HAPPY ST DAVID'S DAY!!!

My Brownies enjoyed the day of daffodils (they didn't much enjoy the leek and potato soup, more fool them!). Did you know that you are allowed to wear your Brownie (or Guide/Scout/Beaver/Cub) uniform to school on Saint's Days? Nope, neither did I!

Guiding

I'm currently planning what to do with my Brownies tomorrow. As usual I've not been organised enough to actually have anything planned a term in advance like some Guiders do, but me and Deb (Little Owl, if you will), find that the "play it by ear but look like we know what we're doing" approach normally works well. We spent most of the summer turning up, making something up on the spot and then having a great time - the girls were none the wiser. I'm thinking of something on a spring theme - making a "Spring Watch Diary" where the girls monitor a "new thing" that's growing in the park, and also note down what birds they see, that sort of thing. And also trying to grow something - cress, or orange seeds or something. I love the creativity of Guiding, and inspiring girls to learn new things.

Whatever mood I'm in when I get there I always leave with a smile on my face. I tell you what, if you've got no self confidence at all, spend some time with 7 year old girls and you'll soon feel like the cleverest, "most bestest" person ever. They don't care if I'm fat, spotty, stupid and uncool - to them, I rock. Me and Deb make a good team because we have similar ideas and are similarly laid back. I've really missed working with the girls regularly while I've been living in London, and one of the best things about moving home again is that I get to go to Brownies again and get my weekly dose of self confidence. They're great and I love 'em all :)

Pussy cat pussy cat, where have you been?

"I've been up to London to visit the Queen...."

Last Wednesday and Thursday I had a very exciting trip to London. Indeed, as the nursery rhyme goes, I did indeed go up to London to visit the Queen!

Through Girlguiding UK I volunteered to steward at the Duke of Edinburgh Award 50th Anniversary Supporter's Garden Party, at Buckingham Palace. As well as Prince Philip, the Queen and the Earl and Countess of Wessex, there were a number of celebrities (actual celebrities, not "reality tv celebs"...) who are supporters of the Award, and there to give out certificates to members of operating centres from around the country.

Our job as stewards, was to hold numbers so that people could find their groups for the presentations, and then to be lane marshals for the Royals. In a crowd of 2,000 ish people, all trying to get a glimpse of the Queen, this was no mean feat, but the Guides were actually more effective than the Army at shooing people out of the way. The lesson to be learnt here? Don't mess with the Guides!

I was lucky enough to have Buzz Aldrin as my celebrity presenter, who chatted to me about my Queen's Guide Award, and was generally charming. I couldn't get over the fact I was talking to an ASTRONAUT!! Someone who had actually walked on the moon! Then in the lane marshalling part, Sophie Wessex came up to me and chatted for about five minutes about my Queen's and what I did as part of Guiding etc. She was really nice, and when I saw her again later, she remembered me and said hello again.

I saw, but didn't speak to, the Queen, Prince Philip and Prince Edward. The Queen looks exactly as I expected her to look and she's really really small. I got a smile from her and Prince Philip, but Edward ignored me completely (rude!).

It was a great couple of days (we had a rehearsal for the standing around on the Wednesday), working with really nice Guiders, and Army, Navy, and Sea Cadets. I've learnt how to get my way with an Army major (talk nicely, and flutter your eyelashes), and how to get into Buckingham Palace building without a ticket (walk purposefully and wear a uniform!). I giggled an awful lot, and even got to sunbathe on the Queen's lawn - classic!

Another busy week...

Well, I didn't die in Newcastle (hoorah!).

Kate and I completed the Race for Life in a slightly less than respectable time, but never mind, at least we did it. I ran 1k, walked 1k, for the whole thing, thus running about 3k of the 5. The course was round Newcastle Racecourse in Gosforth, which we were initially pleased about as we assumed it would be flat... Sadly not, and the ground was really rocky and uneven to boot. At one point we all (all 4,000 of us...) had to cross a "bridge", or at least, a few planks of wood across a stream. Needless to say, this held up the proceedings some what, as you could only get 2 people on the bridge at one time... Anyway, we finished it, and got our medals at the end! Then it was back on the train to London, with a number of tremendously drunk people, one of whom fell asleep whilst clasping a glass of beer, which he proceeded to throw over the woman next to me...

As a consequence of my incredibly busy weekend (I was at Brownie Pack Holiday on the Friday night and Saturday morning), I was ill on Monday andTuesday, which at least gave me a chance to breathe, and sit out and enjoy the sunshine. It's amazing the properties of Vitamin D... But that's probably a blog all of its own. So yesterday I was back at work, still as boring as ever (my brain is atrophying as I type), but hey, its money, and it's only until September!