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Jul. 18th, 2004 08:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hathycolMy internet explorer is being a pain in the ass. I can't open any more than one window. Being used to 3 or 4, this is making proceedings rather slow. I’m not enjoying using Word to write my LJ post…
So, I am back from Ranger camp. It was An Experience, to say the least. I was going to leave it there, but I’ve been put to shame by Hannah’s fabulous post about Barcelona. On Friday, I did actually get everything packed and ready on time, and apart from initial issues about my sister’s friends being in the car, it was nice to be so organised. We got Lara, who seemed to be sharing my organisation theme, and off we toddled to camp. Scarisbrick, to be precise; the place is a bit of a hole, and the only advantage is that to get there you have to drive down this really, really long road. Not much of an advantage, admittingly. However, a public school also uses the road, and I swear the place is Hogwarts. You even pass Hagrid’s hut in the field on the way down.
So, we turned up, and dragged our stuff down…
Day One, or, Flag Goes Up…
I had a lot of crap, though. I had a bag for clothes and whatnot, which was just a backpack. Then I had a bag for sleeping crap, which was fairly small. I also had a bloody five-man tent, which was more of an issue.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nepygill and playfullemming will know it – the big blue dome that takes about twenty people to put up and is only classed as lightweight if you’re a large ogre. I also had the flagpole.
Em greeted me, checked nervously that I had the flagpole, and told me to go and put it up. Three hours later, I had managed to sort out the snarled guy lines and out them through the hole, knock a hole into the pole and subsequently knock it out again, put the damn thing up, make it stand roughly straight andbullied nagged Sarah into doing the knots for me, because I hate knots with a deep and burning passion.
All this done, it was starting to go dark. Went and put the beds down like a good little a Girl Guide. I had Lara and no one else in my tent; Lara is blind, which resulted in me basically making sure everything was sorted in the night. Sigh.
Campfire crackling merrily, small amounts of soup was had (chucked mine discreetly into the bushes; mushroom soup is not meant to be crunchy) and I was amused to discover that no one actually knew I was particularly geeky. We had to do a strange little “getting to know you” type thing and I mentioned I had a website. When I described it, they were all horrified.
“Colleen! You big nerd!”
“How on earth did you not know?”
I feel very comfortable with this Ranger unit, which is odd considering they don’t know me at all. I have a rule in Guides; no one there knows I’m gay and that’s the way it’s staying. Not because I think people would freak out (they would, but that’s nothing new) but because… I’m not sure. Maybe it is the freaking out thing; I have to share a tent with girls, and I don’t like the idea of being moved. I won’t perv at them. They are my friends, but some people don’t take it that way.
With all this done, we went to bed.
Day Two: IN WHICH I EMULATE DEATH.
Woke up very early in the morning freezing to death. Unwilling to move, I tried to sleep. Just as I was dozing off, Lara kicked me. Again, just as I got warm and was dropping off, the cows across the way started up again. I gave up and got a jumper in the end.
I was supposed to be cooking, but ironically I slept in instead and ended up running up slightly late. Oh well. Still had to do the flag – although I did cheat and just make sure it stayed knotted all weekend. It was absolutely pissing it down with rain. I mean, it was ridiculous, and the porch in our tent was HUGE. Put on the bandana and tired to Deal With It…
We ended up playing benchball in the rain. This, I feel, was against us from the start. We had Lara, who, y’know can throw the ball quite well but can only stop it if it’s making a really loud noise or just directly hits her. We also had Sophie, who is special needs and just… can’t co-ordinate.
So we moved onto welly chucking. I managed to get a minus-number score as I let go too early and it flew onto the top of my tent.
It really was too wet by this point so in we all trooped. It started to cheer up quite soon after that, though, and by lunchtime the sun was making a brave attempt to come out.
There’s a thing in Ranger’s called Community Service. I think the name should be changed, as it’s voluntary. You wouldn’t have known it, as we all got lumped with this particular joy after lunch and me, Lara and the Sarahs (there were two) got the messy jobs. To be precise, we cleaned the ash bucket. We also got these delightful orange protective boiler suits, which were just as attractive as bright orange latex could be. We then got given scythes - scythes! and told to clear the brambles.
Clear we did. Lara sorted out the stuff in the front (she had a small hand sickle) and I got down in the ditch and started slashing the bastards. It was backbreaking, horrific work and after an hour we went for a tea break. All the others had already arrived by this point. Em gently suggested that we stopped, as the work is only to be done for as long as we can.
We looked at each other. “We’ve nearly finished our bush,” suggested Big Sarah.
“There’s a critter at the back at I really want to get rid of,” mused Little Sarah.
I stood up. “LET’S GET THE BASTARDS!”
An hour later, we’d cleared a huge lump of stuff and gave up because Em made up. We carted it off in a big, wide cart and antiseptic-ed ourselves. I have hundreds of tiny little slashes all across my forearms, as it was far too hot to wear all the protective gear. So did everyone else. So we had a shower, relaxed gently, and spent the evening burning the bastards. I’ve never felt so satisfied to see a fire, and we all took turns at wafting it and singing campfire songs.
I felt gratified to learn that no one else had heard Nobby All before.
“Oh there was a man who’s name was Nobby All…Nobby All!
“Oh there was a man who’s name was Nobby All…Nobby All!
“Oh they called him Nobby All cos he only had one LEEEEEEGGGGGG!”
I like making people laugh.
Day Three: Flag Goes Down…
The night before, Em basically made me take the flag down so I could knot it myself so I could claim I had done something for my Queen’s Guide. I say with some pride that I did so in the morning, admittingly with Sarah over my shoulder kissing “DOWN the rabbit hole, AROUND the tree…”
Well, it makes you remember the knots!
The day was a contrast to Saturday, boiling to death and if possible slightly more uncomfortable. We didn’t seem to do a lot in the morning, just lazing around and doing what needed to be done. This was, of course, until the frantic packing up, which was dull and needs no description.
Somewhere between it all, I lost my phone. It’s either in Lara’s bag, it’s completely missing or it’s still in the tent and been rolled up. I shall have to ask Em and beg for it back; I feel quite lost without it.
Anyway.
Got a lift home with Lara’s dad, due to lack of El Parento, dumped my stuff and very quickly changed before running like hell to Dan’s house. Made it, in the end, and got about an hour’s training in. Was ever so surprised to see Nick from college there! Especially since I quite violently kicked his ass. Fighting does seem to be getting better, actually; although a lot of the time I just end up hiding behind my shield I surprise myself and get a bit creative. I still need aggression. My favourite new phrase in the world is what Dan kept on shouting at me: “Start being a wolf and stop being a hamster!”
In compromise, I am now a Wolfster looking for promotion and more rage. I think I’m too polite. As mentioned, I violently kicked Nick’s ass. I then apologised.
I did, however, ‘kill’ Dan. Okay, at the same time he killed me, but it was a good, good feeling. I think it might have been better if he hadn’t completely disposed of his shield by this point… never mind. I still feel well chuffed.
… got my usual battering, though, especially fromrhaeselon who is disgustingly good and responsible for a fantastic bruise on my knee. I haven’t had a chance to sort out my muscles since Thursday, having slept on what was probably an active molehill all weekend, brandishing a scythe all day Saturday and then going training again today…
… I have all week to do nothing. Hurrah!
The parents are home from the Christening, as in my sister. She seems to have grown a pair of baggy jeans. ?!
And El Parento say she's not copying me.
~Hathy_Col~
So, I am back from Ranger camp. It was An Experience, to say the least. I was going to leave it there, but I’ve been put to shame by Hannah’s fabulous post about Barcelona. On Friday, I did actually get everything packed and ready on time, and apart from initial issues about my sister’s friends being in the car, it was nice to be so organised. We got Lara, who seemed to be sharing my organisation theme, and off we toddled to camp. Scarisbrick, to be precise; the place is a bit of a hole, and the only advantage is that to get there you have to drive down this really, really long road. Not much of an advantage, admittingly. However, a public school also uses the road, and I swear the place is Hogwarts. You even pass Hagrid’s hut in the field on the way down.
So, we turned up, and dragged our stuff down…
Day One, or, Flag Goes Up…
I had a lot of crap, though. I had a bag for clothes and whatnot, which was just a backpack. Then I had a bag for sleeping crap, which was fairly small. I also had a bloody five-man tent, which was more of an issue.
nepygill and playfullemming will know it – the big blue dome that takes about twenty people to put up and is only classed as lightweight if you’re a large ogre. I also had the flagpole. Em greeted me, checked nervously that I had the flagpole, and told me to go and put it up. Three hours later, I had managed to sort out the snarled guy lines and out them through the hole, knock a hole into the pole and subsequently knock it out again, put the damn thing up, make it stand roughly straight and
All this done, it was starting to go dark. Went and put the beds down like a good little a Girl Guide. I had Lara and no one else in my tent; Lara is blind, which resulted in me basically making sure everything was sorted in the night. Sigh.
Campfire crackling merrily, small amounts of soup was had (chucked mine discreetly into the bushes; mushroom soup is not meant to be crunchy) and I was amused to discover that no one actually knew I was particularly geeky. We had to do a strange little “getting to know you” type thing and I mentioned I had a website. When I described it, they were all horrified.
“Colleen! You big nerd!”
“How on earth did you not know?”
I feel very comfortable with this Ranger unit, which is odd considering they don’t know me at all. I have a rule in Guides; no one there knows I’m gay and that’s the way it’s staying. Not because I think people would freak out (they would, but that’s nothing new) but because… I’m not sure. Maybe it is the freaking out thing; I have to share a tent with girls, and I don’t like the idea of being moved. I won’t perv at them. They are my friends, but some people don’t take it that way.
With all this done, we went to bed.
Day Two: IN WHICH I EMULATE DEATH.
Woke up very early in the morning freezing to death. Unwilling to move, I tried to sleep. Just as I was dozing off, Lara kicked me. Again, just as I got warm and was dropping off, the cows across the way started up again. I gave up and got a jumper in the end.
I was supposed to be cooking, but ironically I slept in instead and ended up running up slightly late. Oh well. Still had to do the flag – although I did cheat and just make sure it stayed knotted all weekend. It was absolutely pissing it down with rain. I mean, it was ridiculous, and the porch in our tent was HUGE. Put on the bandana and tired to Deal With It…
We ended up playing benchball in the rain. This, I feel, was against us from the start. We had Lara, who, y’know can throw the ball quite well but can only stop it if it’s making a really loud noise or just directly hits her. We also had Sophie, who is special needs and just… can’t co-ordinate.
So we moved onto welly chucking. I managed to get a minus-number score as I let go too early and it flew onto the top of my tent.
It really was too wet by this point so in we all trooped. It started to cheer up quite soon after that, though, and by lunchtime the sun was making a brave attempt to come out.
There’s a thing in Ranger’s called Community Service. I think the name should be changed, as it’s voluntary. You wouldn’t have known it, as we all got lumped with this particular joy after lunch and me, Lara and the Sarahs (there were two) got the messy jobs. To be precise, we cleaned the ash bucket. We also got these delightful orange protective boiler suits, which were just as attractive as bright orange latex could be. We then got given scythes - scythes! and told to clear the brambles.
Clear we did. Lara sorted out the stuff in the front (she had a small hand sickle) and I got down in the ditch and started slashing the bastards. It was backbreaking, horrific work and after an hour we went for a tea break. All the others had already arrived by this point. Em gently suggested that we stopped, as the work is only to be done for as long as we can.
We looked at each other. “We’ve nearly finished our bush,” suggested Big Sarah.
“There’s a critter at the back at I really want to get rid of,” mused Little Sarah.
I stood up. “LET’S GET THE BASTARDS!”
An hour later, we’d cleared a huge lump of stuff and gave up because Em made up. We carted it off in a big, wide cart and antiseptic-ed ourselves. I have hundreds of tiny little slashes all across my forearms, as it was far too hot to wear all the protective gear. So did everyone else. So we had a shower, relaxed gently, and spent the evening burning the bastards. I’ve never felt so satisfied to see a fire, and we all took turns at wafting it and singing campfire songs.
I felt gratified to learn that no one else had heard Nobby All before.
“Oh there was a man who’s name was Nobby All…Nobby All!
“Oh there was a man who’s name was Nobby All…Nobby All!
“Oh they called him Nobby All cos he only had one LEEEEEEGGGGGG!”
I like making people laugh.
Day Three: Flag Goes Down…
The night before, Em basically made me take the flag down so I could knot it myself so I could claim I had done something for my Queen’s Guide. I say with some pride that I did so in the morning, admittingly with Sarah over my shoulder kissing “DOWN the rabbit hole, AROUND the tree…”
Well, it makes you remember the knots!
The day was a contrast to Saturday, boiling to death and if possible slightly more uncomfortable. We didn’t seem to do a lot in the morning, just lazing around and doing what needed to be done. This was, of course, until the frantic packing up, which was dull and needs no description.
Somewhere between it all, I lost my phone. It’s either in Lara’s bag, it’s completely missing or it’s still in the tent and been rolled up. I shall have to ask Em and beg for it back; I feel quite lost without it.
Anyway.
Got a lift home with Lara’s dad, due to lack of El Parento, dumped my stuff and very quickly changed before running like hell to Dan’s house. Made it, in the end, and got about an hour’s training in. Was ever so surprised to see Nick from college there! Especially since I quite violently kicked his ass. Fighting does seem to be getting better, actually; although a lot of the time I just end up hiding behind my shield I surprise myself and get a bit creative. I still need aggression. My favourite new phrase in the world is what Dan kept on shouting at me: “Start being a wolf and stop being a hamster!”
In compromise, I am now a Wolfster looking for promotion and more rage. I think I’m too polite. As mentioned, I violently kicked Nick’s ass. I then apologised.
I did, however, ‘kill’ Dan. Okay, at the same time he killed me, but it was a good, good feeling. I think it might have been better if he hadn’t completely disposed of his shield by this point… never mind. I still feel well chuffed.
… got my usual battering, though, especially from
rhaeselon who is disgustingly good and responsible for a fantastic bruise on my knee. I haven’t had a chance to sort out my muscles since Thursday, having slept on what was probably an active molehill all weekend, brandishing a scythe all day Saturday and then going training again today…… I have all week to do nothing. Hurrah!
The parents are home from the Christening, as in my sister. She seems to have grown a pair of baggy jeans. ?!
And El Parento say she's not copying me.
~Hathy_Col~
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