Camping

I got back yesterday afternoon from a week's camping (yes, camping. In tents. In that weather...) with the Girl Guides. It was an International camp, hosted by IGG (that's the Irish Girl Guides, to the uninitiated) at Tattersalls in Ratoath, Co Meath. We had 25 Guides from Counties Kildare and Dublin and 2 from Singapore.

It was awful. It rained every day. Several times. Except for Friday, when it only rained once. It just didn't stop all day. I spent most of the week damp or wet, with rain running down the back of my neck.

We're currently planning on where to go next year. Iceland or San Francisco, maybe...

Going on hols

I cannot wait for this time Wednesday evening, because then it will be the longest possible time before I have to go back to work. That's right, I'm going on holidays. Yeay!!
I'm off to Adelboden (near Interlaken, near Bern) in Switzerland with a group of Girl Guides - 18 aged 11 to 15, 8 aged 16 to 21 and 7 of us golden oldies. (I'm so depressed that I get counted with the golden oldies. I'm too young for that!) We'll be staying in a chalet that's tucked into a side-valley, half-way up the Alps.
There's loads of stuff planned, like abseiling and whitewater rafting but due to the fact that I'm infanticipating, I'll be restricting myself to the hikes and (hopefully!) a daily swim. There's plenty of walking to be done, seeing as the coach can't actually get to the chalet (the road is too narrow and steep!), so I'll be trekking up and down the gorge on a daily basis - with full kit and rucksack on at least two occasions. Hence, I am packing more lightly than I have ever done in my entire life!
We'll be going to a Cheese Maker (blessed are!) and a Wood Carver and Our Chalet, (which is one of the Guiding World Centres for those of you who don't know and are interested). I'm hoping to bring home some decent cheese for Conor, some wood carvings for me and if I can find it in one of the tourist shops, a pair of mini-lederhosen, preferably complete with a little hat with a feather in it, for David. If I'm really lucky, there'll be a grown-up sized pair and I'll bring them home for Conor! Imagine that photo on the Internet. Cute, not creepy...
I may not get a chance to blog again before I go away (mad busy in work, will actually have to do stuff before I leave) and I'm not sure whether it will be possible to get on-line while I'm away. Anyway, I'll post pics and news when I get back.

Yodel-ay-he-hooo!

Famous Captains

Captain Nemo
Captain Scarlet
Captain Ahab
Captain Hook
Captain Bligh
Captain America
Captain Buck Rogers (biddy-biddy)
Captain Sensible
Captain of my Heart

Captain Sinéad?

Yes, I've been asked to take over as Captain of my Guide Company. Well, one of the other leaders, Emma, and I have been asked to decide between ourselves which one of us will take on the role in September when the current Captain retires. (She's only been doing the job since 1978, so no pressure!)

Anyway, Emma's been there longer than I have, so I reckon that if she wants it, she should get it. Emma reckons that I should take it. I'm not fully sure why.

Meanwhile, I'm just trying it on for size. Any other famous captains out there that I've overlooked?

Dib-dib-dib

While I was growing up I was a Girl Guide (and quite a good one too - good in the sense that I got loads of badges, knew first aid, was able to tie knots, had plenty of practice building outdoor fires and cooking on them and could build a bridge or an overnight shelter with a piece of 4x4, a couple of branches and a length of twine, that is; not good in the sense of being, well, good.) Anyway, between the jigs and the reels, I left Guiding far behind me when I went to University (because, even though I wasn't good per se, the two lifestyles are very different!)

Last year, I moved back to the town where I grew up. One Wednesday afternoon in September, I was out walking and I met up with my old Guide Captain, who lives very close to where I do now. We were chatting away and I asked her if Guides was still going.

The long and the short of it - from that day on, I have been a Guide Leader. I'm back at my old company, working with a great bunch of girls (most of whom weren't even born when I left Guides). I got my warrant a couple of weeks ago - a nice shiny badge! - and I've just been on my first camp away in almost 15 years! (It was indoors - it's still far too bloody cold to camp out.)