Camp food preparation

As B team get on with putting up the tents with all the guy ropes, these boys get on with making a salad, finely chopping the unions, sorting out the lettuce and tomatos plus buttering the bread.
working as team isn't just a matter of doing the exact same thing as everyone else but each group doing a part in meeting the entire teams needs such as fixing a meal.

The before bit where each boy waits at an agreed location with his own kit bag and accessories before they make their camp.

Opening of a new Scout Hut

The opening of a new scout hut is a important moment in the life of a Scouting Association so no doubt these scouts and wolf cubs feel excited as they stand to attention at the opening of their new one as taken here in 1962, Oxford, England.

It is a pity this wasn't shot in colour but colour film and processing was more expensive then, a trend that continued into the 1970's as I recall as a small boy and so whoever took this possibly wasn't able to afford it.

The making of the Canal

 

It was in 1765 that the engineer James Brindley and pottery manufacturer Josiah Wedgwood met at The Leopard public house in Burslem and resolved to build a canal to take production from the potteries to Runcorn before meeting the Port of Liverpool to ease the distribution of their wares.

This is a local section of it showing on the left the "Homes Ashore" from the late Victorian era the Lock and with it the lockkeepers cottage as we exit the city region to the countryside of Cheshire.

Sadly we lost The Leopard which goes back to the Eighteenth Century to a catastrophic fire on Saturday afternoon but it was here on Market Street, Burslem that one of the most important drivers of industrialization in this region that lent the unofficial nick-name "The Potteries" was born.

The dawn of a New Day

 

The cool spell continues as well wrapped up I explore the wood.

The absence of leaves on these deciduous trees is telling as the photographs exposure shows them in stark relief against the blue sky and yet the suns reflection is pepping out  on some of the branches bring out the silver colour.

There are between some of the branches a number of nests that were made with diligence just visible.

Knowing how far you have to go

While getting about on a hike part from obviously in the UK having your Ordinance Survey map at hand for the sheer wealth of information at hand on it and checking with your compass you are along the correct path, there are other things that can help.

The Milestone is one which is useful being erected often by local authorities in the early days of modern Local Government that can be found along roadsides from the days when travel was more difficult and took longer by road.

This example in the next door County of Cheshire for instance tells you how miles along what is now the A50 road the following significant settlements are which would give you a good indication of how long it may take you to arrive there although there are two small parish you go through to get to the first having walked along here.

The other thing is metal lased signage by the roadside.

As you can see there is a fair amount of woodland nearby and associated wildlife.

The True Stories of Scouts In Action

Three reasons why Scouting is the #1 thing for a boy to be involved in his spare time.

Out in the wood

 

To say it has been pretty cold is something of an understatement being very well wrapped up  from top to bottom but let it be said it takes a lot to stop me being out exploring even facing down bad experiences from the past.

On a very frosty and icy Thursday morning I ventured out taking my time walking given I'm not very steady on my feet coming out of one near miss losing my balance to get to the woods.

That was because I could hear a lot of birdsong from all over and while making my way there saw a good number of birds about.

I saw these two pigeons and steadying myself and the camera, I took this picture on a very sunny morning.

Brown Owl

The Wise owl does things connected in the broadest sense to Scouting in it.

After all the Leader in charge of a Brownie Guide Pack is called a Brown Owl and she is assisted by other Leaders called Tawny Owl, Snowy Owl, Grey Owl, etc. 

They pass on their knowledge and skills that are a part of the Brownie program to the youngsters as they learn more about and become more able in time to take a full part of Guiding.

Brownie Guides have fun while learning to help others, enjoying the out of doors, playing games, doing crafts and singing.

Story telling too has a history within scouting being a good way of exploring ideas and situations that you may think about because the ability to make good choices "on our feet" is very important.

Outdoor reflections this winter

 

Been a fairly cold week or so here so have been well wrapped up but outdoors watching the squirrels at play and even treated to extended birdsong this morning while out in my new duffle coat Paddington style in the local woods exploring.

Of course around here it's not only in the woods and up in the nest towards the tops of the trees that you'll find life.

Take these four ducks for instance part of massive group swimming about on the canal where incidnetly there are the odd moored narrowboats to be found.

They're having a great time outdoors.

Why shouldn't we?

Father and Son

Man and boy belong together in the great outdoors and is an excellent thing to do together

Recently in the Queen's New Year Honours scouts Tracey Rogers, Sarah Townsend and Jack Abrey, three Scouts community heroes who’ve been awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list for services to young people.

Those awards are indicative of the value of scouting and what people learn from not for merely what they do in scouts but also in the role they play in the wider community supporting various programs and initiatives that benefit society.

Almost there

After slowly starting his ascent, he's almost made it right the way to the top to meet with the rest of troop on this activity which no doubt was a great achievement for him that day.

I would presume this is somewhere in central Europe (Germany, Austria or Switzerland) given the uniform and the image source is from there.

Making the most of our weather

It is supposed to be Winter and I'd expect this sort of weather but you know, we didn't have it around Christmas with it being almost early autumn but later on this week it should be changing  with some parts to drop and we may even get snowfall this year.

Snow is something I love, as boy I played in the snow with thick boots or wellington's on and we even walked in the snow, enjoying the crisp air which I suspect these scouts are too bit one trend in our society that concerns me is to view snow as a disaster, fearing it.

Yes there are risks in it - as most things in life have - avalanches can and do happen sadly, you may get hypothermia too but snow is a normal thing to which these risks are foreseeable especially with modern forecasting and we can protect ourselves from it while enjoying the weather we have. 
Not hiding indoors every time the temperature drops or snow is forecast. 

The dedication of the young

This Monday we'll look at two remarkable children who both were recognized in this years Queens New Year Honours.

Max  Woosey probably won't need much of an introduction on this blog as he has slept out for a year in his tent raising £700,000 for North Devon hospice, having quite an adventure including sleeping out in the garden of No10 Downing Street.

All done at grand old age of twelve!

Tobias Weller is eleven years old and has autism and cerebral palsy like me.

Inspired by the late Sir Captain Tom Moore he raised £157,000 for Paces School, where he is a student, and The Children's Hospital Charity, in Sheffield, Yorkshire

Both how shown considerable energy and gumption in doing very challenging tasks clearly focussed on their chosen objectives that a good number of older people have not which does go to show just what potential children and young people have when shown good examples and support.

It is entirely fitting that they should be honoured and for Tobias, he is the youngest ever recipient.

*Photo credits s woosey/bbc