Don’t Park the van in the mud! (by sarah)

Would anyone listern? No. So as a result the van is well and truelly stuck along the side of the drive.

It all started with the fact that we have been flooded so flood precuations are taking place in the normal parking area so we had parked in front of the greenhouse but then Barbara was having a tea party and her guestys needed to park so the van had to go otherwise the guests would have to park on the grass which obviously wasn't on so the van had to park on the grass. I said it wouold get stuck and was assured that parking along the gradient would mean it wouldn't get stuck.

We got stuck.

We where therefore late for cubs becuase even though we had left extra time for towing out etc... the towing rope snaped and after a bit of a hoohar we transfered our stuff to Barbaras car and headed off. All was then fine until my scouts arrived - we were supposed to go to the village pound to float new year lanterns but alas I had left the reflective jackets in the van along with torches etc... on top of that lots of the kids failed to turn up in outdoor clothing and I was already concerned about the fact it had rained so much - I was waiting for Al to finish cubs properlly in order to send him out on a recky of the area when one of the perants told me it was so bad down there that she wouldnt be happy for her kid to go - it was at this point I realised I'd left the jackets and that behind anyway.

I was very annoyed with myself but I think the lanterns still worked well inside in bowls of water - fortunatly I'd planned for incase we had bad weather.

Still the van is stuck and we are now hoping that the builders are going to help us get it unstuck - SIGH. Still it turns out we have a Roman Urinal 🙂 but more on that later!

Fell in a whole (by sarah)

You are n9ot going to believe me :/

I fell in a whole - I got stuck in said whole and had to be puled out, I cut my hands on a digger bucket and felt very very stupid.

We are having flood defenses put in and the trench had grown abit since I last looked at it so at the weekend I managed to (in the dark) walk straight into it and slide down down, over the frozen earth and became wedged between the side of the whole and the digger bucket with my legs uselessley waggling and no way to bend my kness to get a perchase to climb out.

I'm afraid I screamed as I fell in and then finiding I was actually stuck begain to yell at which point Dad and Alaric came running closely followed by a little Jeany bow who got most upset seeing me stuck in the whole.

I for some stupid once out became so shaky you'd have thought that I had been doused in ice cold water (well in fact I was just above the ice cold water as my breasts wouldnt let me fall all the way through).

Ontop of that we missed the Grift Service with the scouts so I have no idea what happened to my scouts who went - weather they found their seats ok and stuff :/

I am quiet bruised and have an infected cut on my hand from it all, my pelvis also desided that the knock was enough to make it start clicking again - sigh.

Boat Race (by sarah)

I actually wrote this ages ago but what with the house being flooded I never got around to posting it!

This weekend as always we were busy busy busy, between Al working about 14 hrs on Saturday and visiting family, before Sunday which started with Alaric getting up at stupid o'clock to go and meet anyone who wanted to go on the Walk the District from our Cubs and Scouts - it was raining and early in the morning - no one turned up so a disheartened Al returned to the house were he work some more until it was time to go and start setting up the Paper Boat Race which was joint between the Scouts and the Village Feast comitee, both of which we abvoisly belong too.

We went down to the scout campsite in the village and set up tables and lit barbecues - this was an impressive affair with a home made sturdy stand, the actual bit of the barby being a modified oil drum! It arrived on the back of a tactor that was blasting music.

Also due to the rain we hastily assembled a tent thing over the tables with the paper for paper boat folding on. I ended up in charge of the prize table which the kids loved.

Quiet a few of the cubs turned up to this as did alot more of the village than we thought would have considering the weather!

We've been getting the kids to make their boats for weeks at our meetings so we had several different types which I've posted about on Salaric!

For the big race at the end there was a prize of a trip in a speed boat - I made dad enter as this used to be something we did when I was little but unfortunatly his Bad Luck Field as always was heightneded by my presance and his boat and Jeans were the only ones to get stranded a hands bredth from the starting line!

Jean loved paddling in the stream as she is obsessed with water at the moment - infact at this very moment she is attempting to mop the carpet with cries of torta!

It was quiet an exhusting weekend realy but as always fun!

The weekend as always was a busy one! (by sarah)

Last weekend as always was a busy one - but one that did happen to run a bit more smoothly than last weekend. We had yet another wedding to go to - Ella and Olivers from uni. I was a bit nervous as I thought we were having to go by trian and stuff and I had the wedding favours (the little presants of sugared almonds etc.. that the bride gives to the guests.) which I'd spent the last three days making after a load of hassel over losing the origonal stuff in the floods.

Fortunatly Charlee lent us her car which was a bit of a releif as we were going on to Gloucestershire after the wedding and didnt really fancy having to do that by public transport!

The wedding was lovely and there are already photos of it up on flicker so go and have a look 🙂 Apart from that we zoomed back to Gloucestershire for the village feast and to see Als Cousin and their family who were visiting Barabara.

Poor Al had decided that becuase we hadn't had the last Cub and Scouts of the year becuase of the flooding none of them would know to come in uniform so we decided not to go in uniform to the multi-denomial service held in the grave yard. And just becuase he was looking tired and scruffy he ended up carrying the village banner with its stags head emblazoned on it, at the head of the traditional procession up from the church, across the common and into the cricket club for teas and cakes.

We then organised the childrens sports (pickeled onion and spoon races - we didn't have any eggs ok) whilst the bell ringers held a minni cincert. Then the red barrows gave a sterling performance of formation wheel barrow sterring with coloured smoke and everything 🙂

This was actually lots and lots of fun 🙂 I will be posting photos soon I hope 🙂 We left the kids with a football and headed back to London exhusted.

Badge (by sarah)

I made a badge for Alaric at the centenary camp - I've finally got around to blogging about it over on Salaric!

He is now wearing this badge continuously on his coat of many pockets 🙂