Why do Guiders look like Guiders?

A group of us booked to go to Centre Parcs through Girlguiding Midlands. For varying reasons, lots dropped out and I decided to take the chalet and go with HWMBO and COG. I knew there would be lots of other Guiders there but I was the only one from my County. 

On the first evening, sat alone in the jacuzzi I introduced myself to 2 Guiders also in there. They weren't talking, I didn't know them but I just knew they were Guiders. This carried on all weekend: a couple of women here, a group there. It's fair to say I knew there were Guiders there so I was looking out for them, but what is it that makes us so easy to spot?

Contrary to popular belief we don't all have big bottoms and horn rimmed glasses. It's not necessarily physical thing.  There is something in the way the ladies look though. There is rarely a false tan or tattoo. Not unheard of, but uncommon.

Camp hands are common. No I don't mean the Graham Norton kind, I mean broken nails and burn marks!  But I wasn't looking at anyone's hands. 

The age range is wide but the more natural look seem more common. I need to meet a few leaders from Essex to see if this theory still holds true in fake it, bling it and enhance it land. But the Guider aura is bigger than the physical presence.

Interestingly, there was a group of 6 ladies sat round the pool side, they were all buxom, they all looked nice but I turned to HWMBO and said 'they aren't Guiders'.  He agreed.  How did we know?  It's frustratingly intangible but we were right.

Perhaps it's in the way Guiders interact with each other. There is a a quiet confidence. Laughing. Smiles. Politeness. But many groups of friends are like that.

Maybe it's in my smile game. I love playing eye contact smile anywhere. It's so interesting to see who will allow you to catch their eye or smile back. The Guiders I guessed at Centre Parcs all smiled big smiles and 3 responded with a hello. I didn't look like I was on a Guiding weekend,  I was with  HWMBO and COG so they were saying hello to a stranger. Perhaps it's that caring attitude.

I'm sure that the group of non-guiding ladies were also caring but they just didn't fit that Guiding mold. 

But do all of these?  At least 50% of them are the cream of the crop, others just snuck in there for the ride!

Well yes, this is a fairly Guiderish look granted but it's never without a perfectly justifiable explanation!

















Maybe we are just happy to be us, no pretence, no fakeness, just us in our mainly blue (and that's not just my skin on camp) glory.

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It worries me

Sarcasm and irony never travel well when departing my lips. Especially on twitter. I rarely say something without a grain of sarcasm - sometimes yes - but rarely. It often gets me into deep water, misunderstandings and generally ranty tweets that leaving me wondering yet again how the heck I got myself into it. But this, more than most of late, has worried me deeply.

I thought I was being funny, clearly not.

And my slightly ranty gene kicked in to absolutely no avail.  I gave up.

It reminded me of one of the funniest email happenings I have ever read.  Please go see it and lots others at source and buy his book so I don't get kicked for copyright.

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Why are parents so damned embarrassing?

So daughter and friend were booked into a Centre Parcs 90 minute cupcake decorating class.

If, as a parent of a toddler you think you get precious little time alone, wait until you have a teen and find out you get none unless you let them lie I'm bed all day and even then they will popup at precisely the wrong time. Sooooo 90 mins was ours, all ours.....or so we thought.

'Come back after an hour' said the master decorator who looked no older than many of my Rangers 'it's a small class, we may finish early'.  I gave her the full force of my 'for God's sake relieve me of these teens for the full time look' to no avail. But heyho we don't do tantric so we cycled back to the chalet to find the maid in the process of changing the sofa covers and not looking like she was going anywhere else fast.

Giving up on the idea of sex what else is there to do but loaf around and cause a nuisance.  I relate very well to teen culture.

It was (un)fortunate that the cupcake class was in a room with 2 glass walls. It was even more (un)fortunate that the master decorator had her back to the glass wall whilst COG and friend faced it.

It started with the simple wave and thumbs up but once you've had that first hit high you need more for the thrill.  A few 'face pressed against the glass gurns' weren't enough.  A shuffle past the class room.  A fully fledged running race back and we were ready to sand dance. HWMBO and I were a coordinated dream....

....at which point I realised Starbucks also has an open wall and we were being watched from both sides.

COG was mortified.

This is her best  'why can't you just behave or be like normal parents' look.  Perfect for this week's Gallery 'expressions'.

 

Well firstly I don't do normal, never have. Normal makes me feel caged. But my desire to be spotty car'd, all dancing in the supermarket, singing at the bus stop, talking on the tube blimey rebellious or what mortifies COG more and more every year. I've explained over and over that all parents are embarrassing and at least I give her good reason instead of just bog standard teen self consciousness but its still not cutting the mustard.

 

She really should have had me adopted.

 

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The Original Guide Law

I have recently done an evening with our Ranger unit about our promise and it inevitably led to discussions about the Guide Law.  I read out to them the original Guide Laws or at least the 1926 version from a picture hanging in Foxlease written by Baden-Powell:

A Guide’s honour is to be trusted
A Guide is loyal to the King and her
Guiders, and to her parents, her country and her employers or employees.
A Guide’s duty is to be useful and to help others.
A Guide is a friend to all,
and a sister to every other Guide, no matter what social
class the other belongs.
A Guide is courteous.
A Guide is a friend to animals.
A Guide obeys orders of her parents, patrol leader or
Captain, without question.
A Guide smiles and sings under all difficulties.
A Guide is thrifty.
A Guide is pure in thought, word and deed.
 "......[This law is unwritten, but it is understood]"

"A Guide is not a fool"

I'm not sure I understand the unwritten law.   There is a mention of the unwritten but understood laws in the First Edition of the Boy Scouts Handbook in 1911:

"There have always been certain written and unwritten laws regulating the conduct and directing the activities of men.  We have such unwritten laws coming down from past ages. In Japan, the Japanese have their Bushido or laws of the old Samurai warriors. During the Middle Ages, the chivalry and rules of the Knights of King Arthur, the Knights Templar and the Crusaders were in force. In aboriginal America, the Red Indians had their laws of honor: likewise the Zulus, Hindus, and the later European nations have their ancient codes. " 

I have been pondering what the unwritten law for Guides is for many years.  For sometime I wondered if it was an addition about purity but surely not something that had to be said out loud in 1926.  Or maybe it is about the common sense that we must apply in order to live successfully and in peace.  Or perhaps it is about the bond that we all share.  I think I am that Fool for not clearly understanding.

The Guide Law now is :

A Guide is honest, reliable and can be trusted.

A Guide is helpful and uses her time and abilities wisely.

A Guide faces challenges and learns from her experience.

A Guide is a good friend and a sister to all Guides.

A Guide is polite and considerate.

A Guide respects all living things and takes care of the world
around her.

The Rangers were happy with the current laws but their laughter at the original "A Guide obeys orders of her parents, patrol leader or Captain, without question." shows how much the world we live in has changed.

A change for the better I think, a Guide meeting 'without question' would be a very sad place indeed. The Rangers need to question, they need to discuss and they must have the space to speak their minds without fear of derision or chastisement.  I can't imagine the meetings would be half so much fun without it.

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Circular tube map

Both HWMBO and I love transport systems. I am always happy to pick him up from the airport just to hang out there for a while.  We will spend an entire day riding the trams at Critch but more than anything I love trains.  The tube is a natural hop from a train.



HWMBO gave me this for Christmas.  A tube map of our area.  I love it.

I was intrigued by the new tube map design: circles within circles by Jonathon Fisher.  I think it looks beautiful even if it in practical terms it has some major flaws.

Whilst having a poke around I stumbled on this body map, I like it too.


My all time geeket for the trains is still this, I just love watching those pins move :
http://traintimes.org.uk/map/#stp














But this Oyster card touch in and out 24 hour display is pretty cool too:

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Youths being Youths

This week's Gallery is 'Youth'.

The word youth has bad connotations when used to describe our young adults.  It drives me nuts how many people look at the teenagers today like they are all about to rob their houses. Yes, they may be a bit brash, sulky, hang aroundy but so many of them are great kids and they deserve to be treated with respect before you judge them just because of their age.

These thoughts reminded me of a set of pictures I posted many years ago. I'm going to share them again, I know most of you are old enough to have poor memories or polite enough not to moan about repetition!



Robbin' the fish

Playing on roof tops

Walking the streets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fighting the locals

Breaking













Hanging around.



One of my friends fostered 'youths' for many years. COG was so lucky to have the opportunity to go on a holiday with her family, friends and numerous foster family members.

She brought a lot away from that stay and none of it bad.  Great kids.

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Past but not forgotten

Let us never forget it was a dreadful time, dreadful.

 

I have no other words to add.

 

Maybe I do : avarice, greed, break down of society, champagne charlie, bonuses, north south divide, broken men, broken familes, broken dreams.

She may be laid to rest tomorrow but my scars from the Thatcher years seem permanently ingrained.  Regardless of any good, the bad is a black cloud that never had lifted.

May God forgive her, I wish I could.

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Will you let your child get ill?

In June 2011 I wrote this post about the measles rates increasing in Europe, how the link to Autism and Crohn's disease had been discredited and that it was time to get children vaccinated.

I'm a bit bemused that all the people of Swansea did not immediately heed my wise words and now the epidemic has moved into the UK.

There is now blame being pointed all over: the report writer, the supporters, the parents, the dog.   The mail are printing idiot statements like 'it's poor nutrition and housing that caused children to die from it, now they will be nursed and they will be fine, stop panicking.'  By that logic we may as well stop our children having any vaccines at all - hey, let them suffer, they'll get over it.  Bloody idiots.

Each of these virus reduces the immune system and increases the risk of contracting viral meningitis - but again hey, people get better these days.

I've even read comments and quotes from people saying "I had measles in the 1950s and it did us no harm".  Hmmmmm, not sure it enhanced their cognitive intelligence gene.

Vaccination isn't just about you and your healthy 'they'll no doubt get over a good bout of measles' child.  What about the child with cancer that can't have vaccine or the child with aids.  Vaccination is about herd immunisation.   Some children can't have the vaccine for medical reasons but the protection for these children comes from the herd control of the overwhelming majority of children having been vaccinated, preventing mass outbreak and lowering the likely hood that they will come into contact with the virus. 

I had measles as a child and despite being very young I have never forgotten how dreadful it was. 
Through out her life I  have made sure that COG has had her vaccinations.  I was always completely bemused by the mothers who proudly and loudly announced in the playground that Darling Dilis had not had her jabs because Mummy cared so much about her.  My attitude was the complete opposite, I just didn't want COG to suffer from the illnesses.

WHO says "Measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available."
 
Measles is a horrid disease and the infection rates are still rising in Europe and in the UK. We seem to have all forgotten how dreadful the disease is, the devastating affects it can have.

You are never too old to be vaccinated. This is from the NHS website:

The vaccine can also be given on the NHS to certain adults who may need it including:

• women planning pregnancy
• people born between 1970 and 1979 and between 1980 and 1990

If you are a woman thinking about getting pregnant you may need to be vaccinated if you have low levels of rubella antibodies or you haven't had a rubella or MMR vaccination before.

People born between 1970 and 1979 who may have only been vaccinated against measles also need the MMR vaccine, as well as those born between 1980 and 1990 who may not be protected against mumps.

Check with your GP if you're not sure whether you've had rubella or MMR.

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Natural Living History

I happened to be flicking through the local paper a year ago and a very small article said there were 2000 trees being given away in our county and if you wanted some then ring a number.  I did.

Where our Brownie unit meets we are really lucky to have a huge private outdoor space.  A lovely lady looks after the area, there are lots of conker trees on the land but we agreed that it would be good to have some trees that gave produce.

We went for an eating apple, a cooking apple and a sweet chestnut.

Hard digging requires a Guider's other half and they dug admirably whilst our lovely lady sat at the back of the car and told us some of the history of the land.  It had been part of a factory sports and social club back in the 1800s. The band who's hall we meet in had been part of that but for a while it had to stop playing after so many of it's members had been killed in the 1st World War.  She told us about how the land had been tennis courts, a bowling green and even a car park at one point. The house to the side was lived in by the foreman and one had been a keen bandsman who reformed the band. It's now 120 years old.

She told us about these trees which were planted in 1953 for the Coronation.  They were chopped right back a few years ago but were now looking good again.










So we added our trees to the community history.

The Brownies all had a go at filling in. Stomping down the ground.












At hammering and watering.

The chestnut will grow very big. I mentioned to the Brownies that in 25 years time it could be fully grown.  They couldn't imagine being that old and it seems a life time away to them.

*blink* and they will be there.

Out of Brownie earshot a few of us wondered if we would still be around to see it fully grown.

I hope we can look after all of them well enough to at least taste their wares.

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Living the dream in a field

I may not actually be jumping for joy but this weekend I was in my happy zone.


We are Girlguiding. We are the leading charity for girls and young women in the UK. We build girls’ confidence and raise their aspirations. We give them the chance to discover their full potential and encourage them to be a powerful force for good. We give them a space to have fun.

Actually, you can say a lot about Girlguiding in just a few words:

This week's Gallery theme is "Happy"

 

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Spring Camp

Finally I managed to take 'my back' on a camp.

HWMBO came to help carry my stuff and pitch tents. The Rangers and CGIC clever Guider in charge could/would/did do it too but he knows me well enough to know he needed to be there to say 'no, stop it' to me as I am no good at watching others do work.

Whilst it earned us our 'spring camp' badge, it was bloomin' cold.  Mostly I  wore underwear, a thermal vest, t-shirt, mountain hike jumper, hoodie 1 and larger hoodie 2 with leggings, craghoppers and 2 pairs of socks, hat, buff and gloves.  With that I was comfortable walking, never overly warm mind!

Once the girls got the fire going it stayed lit, even overnight, we may have burnt a forest in wood but it was lovely.

We went for an evening walk to to chip shop for tea.

It was a lovely sunset.

 We took a detour.

The birds flying in low over the water was beautiful to see and listen to.

But it meant the last mile or so was rather dark!

But the fire was soon roaring and marshmallows toasting to CGIC's singing

It was very cold overnight.  I slept in leggings, pyjama bottoms, thermal vest, t-shirt, mountain jumper, 2 pairs of socks, hat, gloves and buff.  Had 3 blankets in different places underbed, overbed and over me, an arctic sleeping bag, double duvet folded around sleeping bag, large blow up bed and a hot water bottle. I survived!  CGIC's blow up bed did not, I slumbered to the hiss of her air escaping.

Fire, fire...pour on ice, pour on ice!  The kettle was also full of ice in the morning.

Nothing like a lazy Ranger breakfast eaten Scout style.

Whilst watching the frost thaw back.

There was a big hare watching us, pheasants and a very loud woodpecker amongst a throng of woodland birds.

It was cold but good to be outside again.

I've got my back iced up tonight and it's struggling a bit but hopefully a good rest tonight will sort it.

Bring on Wellies and Wristbands.

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