New Year edition

 

As we enter a New Year we look forward to new opportunities and embracing change as we learn new skills while expanding old aquired ones.

Happy 2026!

2025 Blog review

 

Twenty Twenty Five saw a good number of challenges from caring for a frail parent to coping for a period with a damaged wrist following a fall in circumstances that really warrented a health and safety review at one place I stayed at as full of character as it was.

Numbers created challenges so I was only able to get to a full residential time away although that was quite interesting going some arts and crafts, exploring a Castle in an area I'd never been before and getting familar with welsh speaking trains!

I did get around to some local exploration and photography during the year enjoyed a few weekends away doing things I hadn't done before which was good.

We looked a bit more at girls in scouting on the blog, historically under represented and scouting traditions outside the U.K and Ireland.

I helped local scouts raise over £250 for the local group helping meet day to day expenses, continuing its vital role in preparing youngsters for life.

I feel the year certain was worthwhile and look forward to setting new objectives.

Times past

 

Celebratories sometimes are connected with Scouts and from 1977 when I was assisting my oler brother in Scouts, here's a pictore of the legendary George Best, Manchester United footballer, and cubs and scouts from Portadown, Northern Ireland paying a visit.

The Christmas pause

 

Tis the time this eternal Scout needs to pause the blog as we have lots of things to do at home as well as helping others make their Christmas so I'm wishing everyone a Happy Christmas and all the best for 2025.

Christmas activities

 

Around Christmas, many Scout and GirlGuiding groups devote time to seasonal arts and crafts such as making Christmas cards and decorations that having been drawn can be coloured in or take part in community events such as singing Carols.

Christmas post

In Scouts as in Girl Guiding there is a tradion of district posting to help people get their christmas card to their reciepents that goes back a long time and here Hawick Girl Guides in the Scottish Borders are running such a service.

Miles cheaper for local cards compared with Royal Mail!
 

He came!

He came, we saw Mr Claus with powerful sound system on his float yesterday with elves and many cubs,scouts and others all following as he entertained us  and indeed one cub was so exited he really got into being a reindeer just like his lovely raindeer costume which several of us just adored for simple unbashed cuteness of it.

Collections were going to our local Scouts, part of the Potteries North district here in North Staffordshire and while I'd never say what mine was let's say it was "substancial".

Christmas is coming II

 

It's that man again!

This time we are in the UK, Burley, to be precise where the local Scouts and Guides co-operate a lot running a joint float to raise funds and add christmas cheer to all in the area which does go to show what can be done when both scouting organizations come together within traditional structures.

Christmas is coming!

 

Many scout groups around the World have Christmas floats that make their appearence in the area at this time of year often connected with raising funds for the local group.

Here's a highly decorated one from Williamsburg, Virginia, United States of America that mixes the nativity story with icons of modern Christmas such as reindeer

Winter is here

 

Pix credits: Jeremy Thomas

We're practically in winter as my legs and nose informed me on Friday as I was out but there are things you could do even on the coldest of days such as build a bird box to help our bird puplation by providing shelter or gather up twigs, leaves and other objects to make a collage out of or maybe wrap out and see how many species are active in your local wood.

The past over The Pond

 Very much a vintage post looking more like late 50's, 60's at the array of uniform for that TransAtlantic species, the Girl Scout starting with the Brownie who isn't so far removed from UK Brownies of the era but soon moving more towards a womans's style where our Girl Guides looked nearer to a school type uniform in blue.

At least people of colour were features in this which was good going back then when segregation ruled vast swathes of the United States.

Girlguiding and the Transgirl

 

Yesterday Girlguiding UK made an important announcement regarding what has become a thorny issue as it effects children and young people in many contexts from school to things such as scouts and girlguides, that of gender idenity as it applies to single sex settings which for reasons of decency may be needed as much as much of society is more mixed.

I try to aviod much of the often heated discourse around that on here although the unilateral action of the Scouting Association to make Scouts co-ed agains B-P's teachings and with no consideration to its impact on GirlGuiding is one that still burns to this day.

The position in Scouting on the outset was one of Scouts for Boys, Girlguides for Girls which generally worked well for 99% of children and often there was co-operation at the local level when it came sharing reeources or planning joint events.

Anyway while I do believe that and am personally sympathetic to anyone not least children who may feel their sex and their gender do not align and experience issues with that, the issues we have are not really around that so much as the person while they are said to be transitioning.

Few children in the UK undertake what is described as "gender affirming surgery" mainly because the issues involved long term require a level of informed consent they, themselves at 16 or under cannot give (at least in Law).

Thus in our world of Scouting a child who is Transgender comes with all the physical build of the sex that was recorded on their birth certificate and this does have implications for changing facilities, toilets and showers at camp as a Transgirl would look and resemble a boy when changing and so on.

In Girlguiding specifically there is a clear emphasis on it being a movement of and for just girls so given nearly all Transgirls would not of physically transitioned and the Cass Review caselaw they would be seen as Boys having them could mean legal challenges by Girls parents one of which was due before the decision.

The only way under the Law presently to avoid it would be to ditch that whole "For and By Girls" ethos - and some of us think having single sex spaces has value even if for many schools isn't like that.

Personally I feel some accomodation of long term social transformation would be possible with due care and planning where it was clear a sense of gender dysphoria existed AND this part of long term plan for that child as "she" transitions fully.

It is unfortunate in some respects and this change brought about through legal advice will not be applied retrospectively which is as fair as it gets. One hopes and more "give and take approach to accomodating the minority of children within the context of being in a Girls space.

Back in time, American style

 

Ah, the 1970's eh? The period some of us remember so well from the things we did and the groups we belong to but while quite a few us remember the uniforms of the local Brownies and Girl Guides - perhaps you had a sister or female cousin who was one most of us never knew the American version, part of what there is Girl Scouts.

This is the american Brownies dress that can be worn with a narrow belt but note just the top right pocket and the button detail on top - no zips or anything like that.

Climbing is fun!

 

Who never felt that urge to climb up and swing especially when in cubs as it was so enjoyable even for those of us who did struggle at times with such things as it just felt great.

Photo corrected as it was shot conttre jour in extemely contrasty lighting and originally had a major colour cast issue.

On parade

 Brownies and Girl Guides from the "classic" 70's and 80's era on parade with flags looking exceedingly smart in a way the modern uniform just doesn't in these situations however practical it may be for certain activities.

We all stand together

 

While this weekend has seen much attention regarding the Fate of Ukraine amid the much leaked American peace proposals, my thoughts are with Ukrainians in Scouting be they in Ukraine or overseas being in Ukrainian scouting groups overseas followin the mixture of Scouting and Ukrainian culture that has followed them from the changes in international borders to the displacement through war and opression in the Soviet era.

Ukrainian refuges are being helped around the world not least here in the UK in dealing with the scars from the conflict and in helping to forge a new life nobody really wanted to have to and scouting is helping with that.

The Scout Law

 This is a really super illustrated version of the Scout Law which makes its point well.

Having fun together no matter what

 

Very much a "As we were" post, if you lived in any urban centre there were areas that were cleared, all buildings being gone and people scattered to new estates leaving just memories of what was.

Here in the Midlands it was no exception if you lived in Brum, the Black Country boroughs, Stoke on Trent or as as this picture is of, Nottingham and within it as much as town planners and their ilk saw the environment as one that was unsatisfactory for people to grow up and live in.

Many of us from families who originated there however recall a life that was rich and part of that richness was the variety of activities  and the closeness of whole families in each group of streets forming one vast extended family.

Here we have school friends who were Wolf Cubs, Brownies, Guides and Scouts where meeting places and the like were shared who looked forward to week and the camps where you'd be away from the built up area with as it was then the air pollution from coal fires (and in my district the intense smoke of coal fire pottery kilns surrounding your house).

Today Scouts and Girl Guides helps keep some of that glue that keeps our cleaner environment but at times more disconnected communities together better able to support themselves.

The Old in the midst of the New

 

The onset of winter, definately a felt thing this week with temperatures down to 1 degree c does bring interesting lighting from the harshness of the summer months and here t brings out the feel of these nineteeth century cottages built backing on to the local canal for workers in the steam mill and nearby coal mines in living memory.

Anniversaries

 

A couple of weeks ago we marked five years of Squirrels, born during Covid, forty years of Beavers  for six to eight year olds and a massive One Hundred and Ten years of Cubs with a special badge being issued.

Each program dovetails into each other as you learn new skills and have exciting experiences as you get older in the Scouts family.

Recovering walk

 While there are possibilities of temperature drops and even snow in the next few days I did get out for a walk although I needed my walking stick having some issues with my left leg yesterday which made getting about difficult.

Sometimes you just have to make the effort and get yourself slowly moving again.

Remembrance Day

 

Yesterday was Remembrance Sunday and tomorrow is Armistice Day, the actual day when thank goodness W.W.1. ended, not that sadly all that loss of life prevented us having yet another.

We mark it for reason that are as much about our contribution in the wider Scouting community for what scouts and former scouts contributed, our losses as paying our respects for those who died fighting for our freedoms and liberties in our country and beyond.

We will remember those who give their lives and those while surviving carried the cost.

A riot of colour

 

Autumn leaves in all their magnificance taken in South Staffordshire a few days ago.

Spooky crafts

 

I was away across the weekend where we celebrated halloween in style playing games, having fun and here are two Jack o' Lanterns we made together lit by tea lights which is why there's a hole on the top.

I'm quite sure many beavers, cubs and scounts tok part in similar activities this weekend.

1,250th post

As this goes out, I should be just back from a weekend away that has more in common with a cubs Halloween Weekend in lots of ways and it does take a bit out of me as much as I enjoy it.

Conkers were always a part of that time first time around before goggles and health and saftey restricted the games we payed establishing who thad the strongest conker and this was one I found recently and taken practising my manual focussing skills as with high magnifications the area front and back of the subject get less sharp and so you're trying to keep the object in focus and less that backdrop.

Photography was and is a thing when it comes to Gaining an Award and a badge in Scouts even if the sorts of camera we might use have changed beyond recognition in the intervening years

And things around modern scouting is what we talk about here as much as both what I do today inspired by that and we look at scouting as we recall it from our own childhood pasts from those early posts in 2018 to now.

It may vary from week to week but that's the focus so we're celebrating the 1,250th post here today.

All is reflected

 

Framing.

There are ways you may of photographed this scene, front facing, straight on from the side but for me using the foliage to to frame the scene with the reflections caught seemed to me to the be better bet, giving you the emotional feel on a cool autumn morning.

The brilliance of Autumn

 

The enchanting combination of leaf colour and sunlight shows here taken one  morning stroll locally and why I just love this time of year.

Jadanik

 

While out, I noticed we still have mooring narrow boats ("Barges") although less than the summer months apart from encountering Anglers with their rods and tackle boxes but this scene with the reflections, autumnal colour and stillness appealed to me.

Again using a wider aperature and the telephoto end of the zoom lens helped to keep the focus on what the picture is about

More berries

 

As we exit November and prepare tomorrow to set our watches and clocks back to GMT , the berries are all out here having been out today and here 's a good example.

This was focussed by hand and by exploting the narrow depth of field this Nikon 24-85mm ED zoom lens has available the background desolves beautifully in a pleasant shade of green.

Memories

 

Things you loved: Gathering leaves at camp either for arts and crafts like making a Leafman with arms and legs or maybe lighting a fire (but do take care!)

Two's company

 One great thing about life in this district is there are dotted about smallholdings jetting out from the sprawl making seeing scenes such as this a great rewarding experience.

An adventure in the trees

 

Berries

Just in time for birds and certain mammals, juicy berries growing here  and part of a lens test session one day.
 

Will this be the conquerer?

 

Somethings are running early this year such as Acorns and yes Conkers that we loved playing with in the autumn as boys old boot laces fastened through a bored hole and suitably hardened.

A golden touch

 

The crispness of autumn leaves backed by that golden colour makes you feel great when out on a hike.

Autumn is here

 

Autumn is here with an abundance of Acorns ready for his nutkins to put into his larder.

Signals

 

There are many ways to communicate but sometimes you don't wish to make a sound and here are some common Silent Signals you can use in your pack.

Awards B.S.A. style

 

The matter of Awards and how they are marked varies between various Scouting Associations and here the B.S.A use a system of "Knots" to symbolize them as they apply across the variety of programs offered.

The evolution of the B.S.A

 

A look with an obvious American bias at some of the great moments in development of scouting at as it run in the B.S.A in the last century as the movement spread from the UK that perhaps we may be unfamiliar with.

Autumn Camp III

 

Well situated on the edge of the trees with a carpet of colourful autumn leaves the Scouts enjoy their camp observing the birds and squirrels, visiting places and having fun around a camp fire.

There always was something really magical about that

Back to Cubs

 

It's the introductory season for New Cubs and with all that excitement indoors and out and fantastic colours what more could you want?

Autumn Camp II

 

Ooo a Camp. Better work on getting myself down on the list to attend and then work through the list of items to bring with me but then there's a proper layout with our flag, a circle for the fire whhich we need to keep warm in the evenings and cook things.

You have to get that tent properly pitched so it can't take off on a strong gust of wind or let rain in as that's going to be your base for a few days.

Fortunately advice is at hand if needed.

Autumn camp

 Seeing it is cooler but we don't hibenate as Scouts, just take sound precautions, a camp in the Autumn isn't unknown and you could gain a badge for it.

You'll observe so much over a few days.

Autumn scenes

 

Autumn scenes near the stream that feeds into the River Wheelock which thanks to subsidence has grown somewhat in over a hundred years.

A great view but you need to careful getting near thedges for land giving way.

Go Wild with diplomacy!

 

Pix credits: Nathan Howard WPA/Getty

Ignoring the politics of the second State Visit of the President of the United States, Melania Trump, the Presidents wife, Kate, The Princess of Wales and Dwayne, the Chief Scout are with a group of Beavers working on their "Go Wild" badge on Thursday morning in the grounds of Windsor castle.

Apart from learning something about how Scouting works in the U.K. this was an opportunity to interact with the Beavers and give them something to remember in years to come beyond the badge while helping to keep scouts visable.

A colourful view

 

As I just dry out from torrential rain this is the kind of scene we start to see in our woodlands crisp, colourful trees as we walk on a bed of fallen leaves and sometimes various fungi starting to come out as things break down.

Castles

 The history of Castles in Wales is interesting and one that is interesting is Harlech Castle, Gwynned, which is most ispressing set on a hill with clear views - an advantage for defence purposes.

It's hardly surprising then as Britions we make castles as either models or indeed oon the beach during our childhood holidays often adding a moat for good measure.

The impact of the hot spell

 

I think it'll be another two to three weeks before the autumn colours bring forth here looking around the local park and play area but you can see the impact of the hot dry spell on things quite clearly and why climate change is very much a hot issue presently.

Autumn begins

 

The autumn may be coming earlier even if "officially" we're in the autumn months as these berries are out ready for our feathered friends to consume and His Nutkin was seen leaping across the burial grounds of one local church one day last week trying to find a spot to bury his hidden treasure for Spring.