Sap, Stew & Scouts

[stovie]

Its been a long winter, so was finally pleased to get out for the weekend with the scouts...I could feel a little cabin fever creeping up on us all...

On the friday the big boys took off up to the site to have some quality time around the campfire, and set up the main area...

The best ******* 4x4xfar

Tarps up and fire going, Ollie & The Good Dr. look on...

Range constructed and my new pot ready for action...

Its a hard life this camping lark...Ollie and Gwyn chew the fat...

Abandoned the hammock for the Therma Rest and terra firma...

Dinner's ready...Game stew, with home-brewed cider and veg...

The morning dawned fresh and bright (-4 in places overnight)...

The troops arrive, full of beans...

After breakfast...

Set the larder out for the evening meal...

And showed the scouts how to collect Birch sap...

Cross a river with a couple of ropes (Miss Stovie shows how its done)...

And not to be left out, yours truly plays too...

Overnight took advantage of that wonderful moonlight and played some serious wide games and invested a new scout who made her promise under the great cedar tree with the moonlight giving a strangely solemn feel to the whole ceremony...

As always the scouts set up their own tarps/shelters, cooked their own grub, froze overnight, and went home absolutely shattered...Just how it should be...

Juggling sharps...Miss Stovie and friend whittling spatulas...

All in all...a crackin' weekend...and couldn't do it without Ollie, Gwyn and The Good Dr...cheers boys...

 

[Mikey P]

Love the bacon rack - not seen that before!

Again, I was in the cubs/scouts/ventures and had a brilliant time - glad to see it's all still going.

 

[nunzionuk]

Wow shocked to see so many girls in your troop.. we have issues getting girls into ours Mind you we are beavers.

 

[stovie]

Wow shocked to see so many girls in your troop.. we have issues get girls in ours Mind you we are beavers.

What issues?...The girls often show the boys the way; very competitive...Scouting is mixed, and has been for many years...there's a slight bias to girls at the moment because when my youngster started at the local school there had been a surge in girls at that time, and we're seeing it in our numbers now. But that is not the whole troop...we have 80 kids throughout the sections, which is pretty good for a small village...

 

[nunzionuk]

Sorry.. typo, should say issues getting girls into ours.

I should never drink tea and type, it all goes wrong.

Yeah, we ask all the parents, and even at the at local schools, but we only ever seem to have boys showing up. My daughter is the only girl there, and she loves it, but is unable to talk her friends into coming.

 

[stovie]

Oh! Okay. Understand now...its getting the ball rolling is the hard bit; after that it just snowballs...I guess because my own kids have always been outdoors types, and dragged friends along, its just been a natural progression...not sure what the answer is, other than exciting their imaginations and getting them hooked...Good luck...

 

[Barn Owl]

Great pics.

Great to see youngsters enjoying being out.

 

[Mang]

I took some Birch sap down to Cubs last week and should have a couple of bushcrafty bits in the next Cub supplement.

 

[gsfgaz]

Great pics , it's great ti see the kids out enjoying the outdoors ... cheers for sharing '
did yous eat awe the rabbits

 

[British Red]

You are still my hero Stovie - fantastic stuff

 

[SimonM]

Good times had by all by the looks of things.

I'm introducing my lot to rabbit next weekend...should be fun to watch if nothing else!

Simon

 

[Man of Tanith]

Nicely done Stovie
got a way to go with mine before i can do this sort of tihng but we shall get there

 

[falcon]

Setting the best standards as ever Stovie..those kids always seem to turn out in numbers for what you give them. Great stuff..

 

[stovie]

Thanks for all the kind words everyone...team effort as always.

And yes, gfsgaz, all the rabbits were consumed, along with pheasant (taken before the season closed)...they all produced a stew over their fires with root veg, potatoes, and seasoning...they're surprisingly good cooks...

 

[GordonM]

Salute to you, the leaders and the Scouts!

The stew looks wonderful. I have got to ask, did anyone fall into the drink? Thanks for sharing Stovie, I always enjoy your Scouting threads.

YIS,
Gordy

 

[stovie]

Salute to you, the leaders and the Scouts!
..... I have got to ask, did anyone fall into the drink?...
YIS,
Gordy

All stayed dry...it was V cold.... Great to see some of the younger scouts out for the first time overcoming their fear across the bridge...they all did it, and back as its onto an island...

 

[cbkernow]

brilliant to see so many girls in your troop, especialy on bushy camp, really disproving the stereotypes and the "girls can't do that" naysayers. Currently in a troop of 16 we've got 6 girls, our highest ratio ever!

I really want to get out and do some more bushy stuff, having trouble finding a suitable site though.