Ones handbook

 

When you get invested into cubs, you need to know what you need to to do to earn your awards and gain your badges and this handbook set out what the requirements were and how you'd prove you could pass them.

It might be to give an account of the steps you need to take with an emphasis on safety, tasks you need to complete by yourself with support.

This edition the 1976 reprint based on the 1967 original post upheaval, uses then then term"Cub Scouts" rather ignoring Baden-Powells reservations of calling younsgters of this age "Scouts" and references the then uniform which unlike other sections didn't change that much from what Wolf Cubs were.

They might as well of kept it.

Finding ones way

 

Someone I hope is most familair with reading your Ordinance Survey Landrover series OS Maps in this group of four cubs given they have some written instructions to follow with will involve the use of a compass and said map.

Scouts Knowledge

 

Weekend wasn't great - horizontal in bed  for a few days - but if you need something to keep your spirits up and push on through, then this little summary of Scouts Knowledge and what you know of this life will always help.

I did get a bit of photography done yesterday to aid recovery as I'm afraid my brain got a bit mangled with the miagraine.

5 years of Squirrels

 

Squirrel Scouts are celebrating their 5th anniversary in 2026 as part of a landmark "triple birthday year" for the Scouts, which also marks 40 years of Beavers and 110 years of Cubs.

Launched officially in September 2021, the youngest section of UK Scouting (for ages 4–6, known as "dreys") has grown to nearly 30,000 young members across 2,500 dreys.

Celebrations were led by actor and Scouts Ambassador Warwick Davis OBE at Gilwell Park, featuring climbing walls, games, and a birthday bash.

Making structures

 

Here we have a illustration of French Scouts  building a structore from logs and string.

Let's all hope it stays up!

Parliament Week

 Parliament Week may seem a few months off being November 23rd to 29th but many are all ready looking at what can be done to mark it.

It's about explaing how our parliamentary domocracy works, candidates getting selected, how an election is organized and how as citizens we engage with it to make changes through meeting with people, how consultations are done.

We do actually have a Youth Parliament which helps teach children about it and holds debates of its own.

 

Explorer Scouts can earn theew Democracy Activity Badge – made to encourage your young people to use their voice and get involved with decision-making.   

At the waterside

 

Exploring by the waters edge is something I do love although you have to be careful not to fall in but you need to check your laceds are done up on any footwear or for me velcro is well sticky, unlikely to come off

Moving along

 

We're starting the transition from Summer to Autumn  with all the complications of the Heatwave it doesn't look advanced as much as some had forecast about a month and a half ago but the berries look reasonable around here even if we've lost a few leaves due to dehydriation.

The birth of a movement

 

Where it all began, the publication that launched Scouts, expanded upon Baden-Powells own experiences.

Carry that weight

 

One of the first things I recall my late Headmaster saying to us on a day we were going out for hike in the Country was about the importance of how you packed your rucksack (or backpack) so it didn't strain your back and making sure it was securely fastened to you so the straps didn't start cutting in to you.

No doubt as being Ex RAF he had been trained all about this stuff incase he was behind enemy lines and in any event physical fitness was worked on as bothe the mission and your own well-being depended upon it.

It no surprise he was very much working on this as much as the academic.

Looking out

 

The area from the Prom towards the Pier had over a good decade and a half showing its age, looking rather down at heel including the Grand Hotel but in the last few years a lot of work has gone up to it.

Some such as the pier following late December's storms was remodelled taking advantage of the need to replace some structures giving a very real commercial purpose for it such as dining and shop units.

A day on the beach

 

Neo-Panoramic view of Llandudno beach with the Little Orme in view at the rear left while some children played on a sunny afternoon.

The camera's matrix metering did pretty well getting a decent exposure.

The way things were

 

A year or two before the major changes to brownies uniform, although this oil painting-ish kind of illustration isn't my idea, it does show being a Brownie was fun and while at camp you might some regular clothes with you.

One big problem in scouting is matching the demand with fully trained leaders and assistants which can mean guides and scouts having to join a pack a few miles away.

In the 1950's

 

Life immediately after the Second World War had it's challenges, perhaps you might of spoken to people you know who lived through it with many things still rationed and delays in getting production up to prewar consumer levels.

This affected Scouting as material for uniforms was affected as for that matter the austerity of the era made brand new uniform difficult to come by.

With this early 1950's Brownie an earlier tunic has been adapted to give it a more contompary feel - perhaps it was passed down from former family member or that of a friends - and she is wearing a beret which was more common place.

While uniform matters Scouting in  all its forms needed to continue despite these challenges and people rose to them.

Things to do

 Another day in wetville not that gardens and fields here don't need it, they most certainly do but not weather for being out in.

There are things you could do such as research an area to explore on foot, noting route, prominent buildings and things you may need with you so at least you'd be ready when things are better.

You could read your books around scouting too which I have a fair number including some old annuals that have tests and quizzes.

Introducing Rangers

Rangers in Girlguiding are children aged 14 to 18 who meet to hang out, learn new skills, and take part in adventures as they move towards womanhood.

What Rangers Do.

Activities and Badges: Members work on interest badges, skills builders, and top awards like the Ranger Gold Award or the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. 

Leadership and Volunteering: Many Rangers act as Young Leaders, helping run units for younger sections like Rainbows, Brownies, or Guides. 

Travel and Adventure: The section offers local meetups, UK trips, international travel, and outdoor camps. 

Community Action: Girls make a difference by supporting local causes, speaking out on issues they care about, or joining advocacy panels. 

Apart from all of that you hang out together and have fun!

Girlguides core principles

 

As a Guide, members strive to follow these core values:

Respect yourself and others.

Be considerate, honest, and trustworthy.

Be friendly to others.

Make choices for a better world.

Use your time and abilities wisely.

Be thoughtful, optimistic, and live with courage and strength

Alternative uses

 

In former industrial areas, there are often legacies that can be spotted even if the buildings such as many of the former Salt Mines themselves were either demolished or sank beneath the ground.

Here we have the trackbead of the railway that served the salt mines along the Wheelock Rail Trail that would link up to the old North Staffordshire Railway line bringing the salt to the potteries, very much as it was with just the track taken up.

Today people walk it in relative peace and tranquility going around farmland.

The whole route to Ettiley Heath is link to salt.

Out!

 

Roses are a strong memory with me, Grandad was a keen amateur gardener and frequently grow them from cuttings and in this recent extreme weather these two have done well just around a modern housing development locally.

Resting

 

Not the best of starts to the week with a really bad migraine that hasn't completely shifted in three days which isn't new with me as I has this as a child affecting school attendence unless it started in school in which instance I'd be responsibility of the School Nurse and put in the Sick Bay.

It tended to cut into those organized activities too so no guess my mind has been more focused on those times and how I looked as that helps keeping the spirits up.