Tuesday 1st August 2017

I knew that it was tempting fate to comment on the weather! Since my last update the weather has been rather more changeable flitting between thundery showers, rolling overcast skies and beautiful sunshine. As I sit writing now, I am pleased to report that the sun is once again making a come back.

On Friday, the PLs relinquished their patrols for a few days to participate in their PLs hikes whilst eager Third Years took up the reigns. So Benedict Harrison (next year’s TL) Joseph Reuss (the very recently announced new ATL) and Co bounded along with enthusiasm, keen to prove their leadership credibility.

On Saturday morning, the PLs embarked on a their long hike under gloomy skies whilst the younger years took part in more conservative local hikes starting at Garway Hill and finishing at Grosmont Castle. I was quite looking forward to getting all the hikes off and then slipping away for a nice ham, egg and chips. Alas, the best laid plans never seem to come to fruition. After running around in the minibus, sorting out some washing, tidying the site we then realised that the Tesco delivery would be coming in less than an hour and we therefore couldn’t leave site. We had to make do with some roast beef, rocket and horseradish sandwiches. It’s a tough life…..

On their return the boys were keen for a dip in the river which enabled them to have a clean after their hikes and before stores. After evening inspection, we had the first round of ‘Universilly Challanged’ (spelling errors intended). This is a quiz that will run each evening on camp with scouts forming teams of up to four to compete against each other. Though we have had to suspended some rounds it has been very well received and despite the slightly disparaging title the boys have demonstrated no small intellectual ability and agility! 

On Saturday Fr Peter Gallagher once again joined us to say Mass. Masses on camp are generally very quiet and moving affairs and this was no different. The boys were beautifully observant and our marquee once again became our little chapel for an hour or so as we prayed and thanked God for all the good things we have in our lives. We are hugely indebted to Fr Peter who has given his time so freely and willingly as our Group Chaplain but who is now moving to the other side of London. He goes with our very best wishes and our prayers but I suspect we will see him supporting the 9th in the years ahead. 

Sunday is always designated as a ‘quiet day’. After a week on camp everyone is tired and in need of a rest. As temporary Scout Leader for a few days I set reveille at the leisurely time of 09.00. It was made quite clear to everyone that no noise should be heard before this time. The evening before we had enjoyed a fabulous mid-camp party co-ordinated by the peerless Mr Connor and involving a number of sketches that seemed heavily influenced by ‘The Two Ronnies’. There was singing and treats and we all went to bed happy but ready for a rest. 

On Sunday we took the opportunity to thank the HQ for all they do on camp and had our traditional HQ breakfast. Mr BB gets some ribbing on camp but he cooks a mean scrambled eggs! The next round of the Horner Shield followed after lunch and suddenly we were thinking about the second week and two days of off site activities. 

Yesterday and today we have been partaking in kayaking, mountain biking, raft building, climbing, abseiling and paddle-boarding. The activities have been superbly run by Exmoor Adventures who we first used when camping in Somerset a few years ago. I recommend them without reservation. The important feedback is always from the boys and judging by their smiles and enthusiastic exchanging of stories, they have had a great time. 

So, as we approach the final run in, the sun is shining but we have some tired boys. However, tomorrow allows us the opportunity to take stock and prepare for the last few days. The weather forecast for tomorrow is a little grim so river activities will probably have to be put on the back burner.

Right, I’m off to write a few more rounds of ‘Universilly Challanged’! 

Thursday week1

Thursday 27th July

The weather has certainly been more consistently inconsistent over the last two days and more similar to what one might expect in South Wales - wind, rain, sun, overcast, scorching and cold - all in the same day. Baden Powell said, ‘Any fool can camp in the sunshine.’ This might be apocryphal but it is nevertheless quite true. Mixing it up a bit means that we are all tested a little bit more and it stops complacency drifting in.  

Despite the changeable weather, everyone remains in very good spirits and yesterday’s army day was an energy sapping and enthralling mixture of tough love and high jinks. Some fool had persuaded the HQ that it would be a good idea to meet in the marquee at 07.00 to wake up the Troop to make sure that they were truly surprised! Dutifully, they responded but the weather wasn’t playing ball. So despite a very early reveille we didn’t think it was a good idea to wake the lads whilst the heavens were open. Thus we waited, yawning and drinking coffee, smothered in camouflage paint and dressed in khaki whilst the rain rescinded. However, at 07.45 we deemed the rain sufficiently light to go for it. So, on Mr Causton’s command, all hell broke loose! Screaming and shouting, bangs and smoke, boys doing press-ups, HQ running around like headless chickens! All this before going off on a morning run to get the blood pumping! 

The tone for the day was set. What followed was our attempt at army training which is probably similar to Year 11s teaching Year 7s the school rules i.e. as an HQ we are hopelessly deficient in knowledge about how the army works, where the ranks fit in and what their training looks like. However, we are quite creative and can put on a good show.

It was a great day full of fun and nonsense but there were some tired boys in the evening! Unfortunately for the PLs, we had the first round of the HQ vs PLs football still to come. Though both teams approached the match with a slight sense of weariness and apprehension, it was a fantastic game of football with the HQ coming out as very narrow winners and the PLs having a penalty saved in the very last minute. All very dramatic and played in very good spirit. 

This morning we were greeted by friendly skies and then everything moved along briskly towards our departure for Hereford for our ‘free day’. The younger boys have been assigned HQ ‘minders’ to look after them during the day whilst the third and fourth year are trusted to go around in groups of three or more. The lads take the opportunity to eat junk food, buy sweets and go for a swim (and a shower) in the local pool. The senior HQ retire to the Castle House Hotel for a spot of lunch. I heartily recommend it if you are in the region. 

Tonight we look forward to the APLs taking over for a few days, the PLs setting up for their hikes and the first round of ‘Universally Challenged’ our new quiz event that will run for the rest of camp. Right, I had better write some questions. 

Tuesday week1

I have cautiously renamed our camp site Costa del a Grossmont. The sun has been beating down on us for three days in a most un-Welsh fashion. If it wasn’t for the accent of our postman and the check out lady at Waitrose I wouldn’t believe that we were actually in Wales. That said, the forecast suggests that the mini-heatwave is due to end tomorrow and a more ‘Welshlike’ climate resume. 

Yesterday’s day hikes were a fantastic success allowing the Troop to witness some of the beautiful views and scenes first hand whilst also getting a sense of the topography and local community in which they would be living for the next two weeks. While they embarked on their hikes a few hardy souls intrepidly ventured into the Hereford Bookers. To say it is situated in a less than salubrious part of town would be an understatement. We bought enough pop, sweets and tuck to sink the Titanic and returned to camp to see weary boys on weary legs returning from their hikes. A quick health and safety briefing about going in the river and off they went to cool their sweat drenched faces (supervised by ASLs of course). 

On Monday evening, Mr Causton ventured out to get a phone signal leaving me in charge of pop and crisps with the PLs once the other lads were tucked up in bed. Being a big softy and taking pity after witnessing their yawns and exclamations of tiredness, I abused my temporary power and set reveille at 08.30. Giving us all a precious extra 30 minutes in bed this morning!

So we awoke to another blue sky and I sat outside my tent to the smell of cooking ‘eggy bread’ (not one of my favourites) whilst sipping fresh coffee and refining the morning activity which I was running. This involved patrols going up against each other in a series of challenges of strength, speed, resilience, etc…. all with a little twist I had dreamed up to make the job a little bit harder! It seemed to go down ok with the boys and we moved gracefully into lunch which consisted of beautiful beef burgers (we use a fantastic local butcher for all our meat) cooked over an open fire. Wonderful! 

The afternoon consisted of the second round of the Horner shield. I was due to go into Waitrose again to pick up supplies but, alas, on trying to start my car it was plainly obvious that the battery was flat. There are only so many electric devices the vehicle will take before saying enough is enough! 

Rather than muck around with jump leads I called the AA. I do, after all, pay for the service and a lovely chap came and had everything working fantastically in 5 minutes. He confirmed nothing was wrong but that I should be more careful with charging my various electronic devices! There’s no fool like an old fool! 

As I sit writing this, the boys are standing in silence as evening inspection takes place. All is calm so I assume that Mr Causton is happy. We have a sing song planned around the fire for later and so we move effortlessly and extremely quickly into the middle of week one. 

Sunday 23rd July 2017

Despite a rather inclement forecast we have generally been quite lucky with the weather since the Scouts arrived. The advance party, in rather more adverse conditions, did a fantastic job and the site was in good order when the Troop arrived: marquees up; store tens erected; equipment ready for the Troops. It is a herculean task, especially in bad weather, but the ‘team done good’.

When I arrived some two hours or so after the Troop their tents and kitchen shelters were up and camp already seemed to be in full swing. The drive down was foreboding. Lots of fearsome black clouds and patches of aggressive rain storms made me worry what I might encounter when we arrived on site but Grossmont seems to sit in its own little microclimate. Apart form the odd drizzle the weather really has been remarkably clam and sunny. Indeed, I think we might have more concerns with sunburn than trench-foot at the moment. Long may it last!

Tonight I was entertained by Dominic Jones’s Lions. A fabulous dinner of Chicken Korma, rice, popadoms and mango chutney but you can keep bananas and custard. One of the delights about sharing dinner with a group of young people is that it is an opportunity to hear about the world and life generally from their point of view. I am sure that I was neither as informed or as interesting at their age. Though I did learn more about games consoles than I had bargained for!  

As I sit writing in the evening sun, listening to the magnificent Missa Euge bone by Christopher Tye and sampling a half decent bottle of Cotes du Rhone whilst looking out over the beautiful rolling hills of South Wales, all seems right with the world. Indeed, for all of us down here in this little corner of a foreign field I would suggest it probably is!

At our prayer service tonight, put together in the absence of Mass, we reflected on the benefits of living a life that is worthwhile. I think that what we are all doing down here is very much in keeping with that idea.

Goodnight for now. I will try to keep you posted on our progress every two days or so. 

SRM