There's only me and the cat at home this weekend. Nik and laura have gone on a Brownie Pack Holiday and it's a "first" for both of them. Nik's been a Brown Owl for 6 years and had been involved with Brownies, first as a young leader then as an Owl, since she was 16 but she got warranted to take girls on holiday just 18 months ago. She had been to a Pack Holiday weekend, at a place in Great Harwood, when Laura was only 3 but she only went for the day and only as a helper.
The place they've gone to is in Sandiway, near Northwich, only 15 miles from here. It's called the Pettypool Centre and it's about 20 acres of woodland and a lake with the most amazing activities there. There is a college for people with learning difficulties, all kinds of recreational areas and a part that's leased to the Girl Guide Association.
Nik went at 9 this morning but I took Laura this afternoon, to arrive at 3 when the other girls were due. Nik is not Mummy, for the weekend, she's Brown Owl so no special favours etc.
The Brownie "camp" is a long wooden chalet. From the porch, where wellies were deposited (obligatory to bring them), a left turn took you down a corridor off which was a shower room with 3 shower cubicles and 6 wash basins, a toilet room with cubicles, 3 small rooms with beds and tables (for the Owls) then a dormitory with metal bunk beds. The Owls had already assigned beds and names were on them - to save arguments. There were large plastic boxes for posessions, to be put under bottom bunks with suitcases, and the girls (and their mums, dads, whatever) made their beds as they arrived - they had to bring sleeping bags or duvets.
Laura had been assigned a top bunk right next to Rachel, one of the 2 Young Leaders who help out as part of their Duke of Edinburgh's Award. She took a double duvet and fitted sheet and her own pillow and Brown Owl slipped into Mum mode to get up there and help her make the bunk.
They're going to have room inspection every morning so the girls will have to be tidy. They also have to clean the showers and toilets. That should be fun!
To the right of the porch another corridor led to the kitchen on the left, not enormous but full of equipment that looked like it means business, and the Owls' sitting room on the right; a few arm chairs and a couple of coffee tables but no telly. At the end of the corridor was a long room with tables and chairs at one end, where the girls will eat their meals, and a large space at the other with a small stage. They can socialise there and tomorrow night they will wear the fancy dress they've taken with them - the theme is Space and Laura's costume is a star (my carpets are still full of glitter). Nik is a NASA rocket, complete with crepe paper afterburn.
Of course, there has to be one that isn't quite on cue and, no surprise, it was Laura's friend Savannah. I like the child, she's "old for her years" but she's sweet. Her mother's sweet too but.......scatty. Savannah was on the phone to Laura 5 times this morning as, apparently, she had lost all the instructions/details about the weekend. She did not have a fancy dress costume, didn't know she was to wear Brownie uniform and, worse, she thought she was going to Wales.
I stayed at Pettypool until 3.30. The girls were due to be there at 3 o clock and most of them had arrived when I was leaving. There was, however, no sign of Savannah. I pray she wasn't on her way to Pontypool in South Wales. I had told Nik she had no costume but the Owls had, apparently, some spare cardboard and crepe paper so they'd knock up something for her.
Let's hope a good time is had by all.
The place they've gone to is in Sandiway, near Northwich, only 15 miles from here. It's called the Pettypool Centre and it's about 20 acres of woodland and a lake with the most amazing activities there. There is a college for people with learning difficulties, all kinds of recreational areas and a part that's leased to the Girl Guide Association.
Nik went at 9 this morning but I took Laura this afternoon, to arrive at 3 when the other girls were due. Nik is not Mummy, for the weekend, she's Brown Owl so no special favours etc.
The Brownie "camp" is a long wooden chalet. From the porch, where wellies were deposited (obligatory to bring them), a left turn took you down a corridor off which was a shower room with 3 shower cubicles and 6 wash basins, a toilet room with cubicles, 3 small rooms with beds and tables (for the Owls) then a dormitory with metal bunk beds. The Owls had already assigned beds and names were on them - to save arguments. There were large plastic boxes for posessions, to be put under bottom bunks with suitcases, and the girls (and their mums, dads, whatever) made their beds as they arrived - they had to bring sleeping bags or duvets.
Laura had been assigned a top bunk right next to Rachel, one of the 2 Young Leaders who help out as part of their Duke of Edinburgh's Award. She took a double duvet and fitted sheet and her own pillow and Brown Owl slipped into Mum mode to get up there and help her make the bunk.
They're going to have room inspection every morning so the girls will have to be tidy. They also have to clean the showers and toilets. That should be fun!
To the right of the porch another corridor led to the kitchen on the left, not enormous but full of equipment that looked like it means business, and the Owls' sitting room on the right; a few arm chairs and a couple of coffee tables but no telly. At the end of the corridor was a long room with tables and chairs at one end, where the girls will eat their meals, and a large space at the other with a small stage. They can socialise there and tomorrow night they will wear the fancy dress they've taken with them - the theme is Space and Laura's costume is a star (my carpets are still full of glitter). Nik is a NASA rocket, complete with crepe paper afterburn.
Of course, there has to be one that isn't quite on cue and, no surprise, it was Laura's friend Savannah. I like the child, she's "old for her years" but she's sweet. Her mother's sweet too but.......scatty. Savannah was on the phone to Laura 5 times this morning as, apparently, she had lost all the instructions/details about the weekend. She did not have a fancy dress costume, didn't know she was to wear Brownie uniform and, worse, she thought she was going to Wales.
I stayed at Pettypool until 3.30. The girls were due to be there at 3 o clock and most of them had arrived when I was leaving. There was, however, no sign of Savannah. I pray she wasn't on her way to Pontypool in South Wales. I had told Nik she had no costume but the Owls had, apparently, some spare cardboard and crepe paper so they'd knock up something for her.
Let's hope a good time is had by all.
