Scout and Proud

Let me start off by setting this stereotyped image straight. What do you think of when I say 'Scouting'? Small, nerdy, spotty boys with glasses, a map and compass and binoculars huddled around a fire, tying knots and singing campfire songs? Ok, so perhaps there is some truth in the latter; however I am often met with surprised expressions and scornful laughs when I tell people I am a Scout and I believe it's because we are frequently thought of in this way and as all very similar, boring or weird. The reality is startlingly different.

 

Scouting is a worldwide organisation, with over 28 million members in 216 countries and the diversity I've discovered over the last 3 years is difficult to put into words. Unlike many of the people I've met through my unit or at camps, I didn't work my way up through Cubs, Beavers and Scouts and decided to join Explorers on a whim. Which was, probably one of the best decisions I've made, primarily due to all the brilliant people I've met along the way. From those who speak, live and breathe Scouting to those who like to think of themselves as being 'way too cool' to be there - but are actually having a ball of a time - to meeting some of my closest friends (YOOHOO Isla Baxter ❤ ❤ - yes this is your shout-out) my time as a Scout wouldn't have been the same without such wonderful company.

 

 It's not a lie when I say I love wearing full uniform

 

It may sound cliché, but I've also had the opportunity to try a whole range of things I wouldn't have had the chance to otherwise. To name a few: attending a 12 day International Jamborette with Scouts from 20 different countries; sailing a boat up Loch Ness; learning to use ice-axes and crampons in the snow; taking part in mountain-boarding, clay-pigeon shooting, a big 'how muddy can you get' obstacle course and themed discos - no drinking allowed but not as awkward as it sounds! I've attended 9 camps and truly believe that if you don't return home from camp sunburnt or soaked to the bone, stinking of wood smoke and absolutely exhausted, you're not trying had enough!

 

Last weekend was my last camp as an Explorer, which is a shame as I don't turn 18 for months and months, but since I am going to Honduras for a year from August I won't be around for any more camps. The annual Easter camp attended by nearly 300 Explorers each year was also my first camp 3 years ago which I remember as plain as day and made the whole thing slightly emotional. I will also always remember my last camp as my first trip to A + E and being known as 'the one who cracked her head open whilst Sumo Wrestling' for the rest of the camp, don't ask.

Being part of Scouting is like being part of a huge extended family and it's difficult to explain quite what it's like if you aren't part of the organisation. Aside from learning all the words and actions to a variety of ridiculous campfire songs, how to lash a dining shelter (below) together, put up patrol tents and prepare camp for inspection I feel as if I've learnt a number of other invaluable skills. I've had an absolute blast being part of it all and will hopefully be able to get my leader qualifications in the future to return and put back into Scouting what I have been able to get out of it!

Also if you're reading this and you're 14/15/16 years old I suggest you join because it's simply fabulous and you are currently missing out.

 

 

Scout and Proud

A week in the Lake District

At 17, I thought I'd had fully outgrown family holidays, so was quite pleasantly surprised by the lovely week I spent in the Lake District with my family over Easter. We stayed in a quaint wee cottage in a picturesque village called Braithwaite, only a short distance from Keswick.
With the exception of 1 or 2 days the weather was stunning, making the hills behind the house very inviting to explore!


View over Keswick and Derwent Water

Over the week I ventured into Keswick, -  which was extremely busy due to it being Easter Weekend - finding some really nice shops and even a large market! I visited my grandparents in Ambleside and was able to get out mountain biking 4 of the 6 days at Whinlatter, the local trails centre, a mere 5 minute car journey from where we were staying! The trails were great and it was particularly handy to be located so close as I rarely have time at home to get out on my bike.

One highlight of the week was...paddleboarding!

This was quite unexpected, as after returning from Whinlatter one afternoon, we had gone to visit some friends of my parents. If I'm honest I wasn't particularly looking forward to this as these types of outings normally involve listening to a lot of chat about the 'good old days' and answering 500 questions about what I planned to do when I leave school. These friends live/work at a marina on Derwentwater lake, and after admiring some people who were splashing about on paddleboards on the lake from the balcony - which has the most amazing view - my brother and I were offered a shot!

Maybe it's not such a bad thing when your parents seem to have 102 contacts in the Lakes...

We were quickly kitted out in wetsuits and buoyancy aids and ready to get on the water. Now, although no stranger to watersports -I've done my fair share of kayaking, canoeing and even tried sailing - paddleboarding was something I had never done before, yet always wanted to do! As it happened, the day we went was one of the warmest of the week and out on the lake it was nothing short of glorious! We paddled out quite far and even went around a small island, before returning nearly 2 hours later. If I could offer one piece of advice, it would be to keep concentrating on what you're doing! Apparently watching and chanting 'fall, fall, fall!' at your brother only ends up in you losing your own balance and flailing helplessly before falling off backwards and being fully submerged in the water...much to his hilarity may I add! Thankfully the water was -surprisingly- not cold! Overall it was a brilliant afternoon and I'd love to do it again!

Over the week little revision was done - no regrets, ok maybe a little - but it was a great opportunity to relax, spend some proper time with my family and explore somewhere new!

Let's go on an adventure

Get up, go to school, come home from school, do homework, have tea, do homework, go to bed.
    Urgh.
The mundane, boring every-day-the-same routine.
I may be in complete agreement with the 'live for the moment' and not wishing your life away attitude but there are very few words I can think of which describe the last week better than 'grey'. Very, very grey. And no-one like grey.

Watching the rain fall from my window, I can think of 100 places I'd rather be, doing something new, something different. There's so much out there to be explored and I feel stuck in this awful, repetitive ritual. 4 more weeks of school, 4 more weeks...

I want it to be summer, unlimited freedom, being able to go on spontaneous adventures, having cut every last tie with school. To go camping, climb a hill under the stars, explore new places by bike, and go paddling in the sea. I yearn to travel far from home and get lost in strange cities, meet new people from all over the globe, watch the world pass by from the windows of planes, trains and buses. Can we go right now to a music festival, watch fire-works explode over the sea and live the life of a music video? Explore remote places by foot with only a rucksack and a map, resting to watch the sun set and the moon rise. Take dramatic photos and mad selfies, swim in the dark, dance in the rain, leave footprints and write notes in the sand.

Let's pack a bag and leave without looking back, searching for a simpler, less materialistic way of life - no make-up, no WiFi, no unnecessary drama, no cares for the judgements of others or of what the future may hold.

All I need, is good company and a good view.

2015 Goals

(Okay yes I broke my New Year's Resolutions so here goes Round 2)

• Improve my cardio fitness and get physically stronger and more flexible by going out on my bike and hitting the gym more, stretching/doing core work every day.

• Work harder at learning languages - French and Spanish. They will be very useful for future travel and work, particularly in Africa and Latin/South America and it would be amazing to be fluent. 

• Use my time more productively, less time in front of a screen, more time spent outside, reading, baking etc.

• Take every good opportunity that comes my way.

• Decrease negative thoughts, it's all about the positive mind-set! But most of all to be happier with who I am not who I wish I could be.

Busy Busy

Half-term, a time to relax, phew... Or not.


In the last 10 days, I've worked twice, been to Glasgow for a concert and been to Norway for a week. So you'd think that I would be exhausted right? Surprisingly though I woke up this morning feeling fully refreshed and full of a new energy!
Here are some highlights:


- Being right at the front barrier for the You Me At Six and All Time Low co-headline tour concert in Glasgow. It doesn't get much better than seeing your favourite bands perform live only metres away, without trying to crane your neck around the only 6.5ft person in the crowd - who of course is standing right in front of you - getting someone else's hair in your mouth, not being able to breath properly and having a cripplingly sore back by the end of the concert. And who knew the security guards at the stage would be so much fun? Incredible music and a great night overall!

Instagram Bitter

 As an Instagram user who admittedly overuses the app and has been made to feel bitter about the way I and others use it, I thought I would share my thoughts...

On any social media account it is possible to create an image of yourself that is very different to real life, controlling only what you want others to see. Yet, on Facebook and Twitter we generally don't mind moaning about things that annoy or upset us, in essence showing that we have weaknesses and are not super-human.

Instagram is different because a picture is more powerful. A person's Instagram account - not solely but for the most part - shows only the good thing that happen to them: the good hair days, the holidays at the pool-side, the couple pictures and the happy surprises. We don't upload the pictures of the rainy days, tear-stained selfies, the text arguments or the things that have gone wrong. We upload at least the medioka but primarily the good and very good. It's too easy to become absorbed in the Instagram feed, niggling thoughts wishing you were 'that person' with 'their lifestyle', 'their fashion sense' and 'their social life' craving what looks to be an easier, happier and richer life. A life that isn't real. It's about show-casing your life in the best possible light, editing it right down to create the best possible image of yourself, an attempt to control how people see and think of you. It shouldn't be forgotten that the overall person portrayed by the app is only their life from one angle, fine-tuned, like a selfie with a filter. There's no denying that some people have it better and easier than others but no one's life is as flawless or as blemish-free as their account boasts.

Instagram to an extent is also competitive, why else would you post a photo (that you spent too much time perfectly arranging) of your Christmas presents other than to show off? It becomes a game of 'look I have it better than you' which is boring, annoying and thoroughly self-centred.

Don't get me wrong, I do still like the app. I love seeing what other people have been getting up to and getting inspiration from it but I think that spending too much time spent scrolling through fashion and travel accounts definitely gives you 'urgh' jealousy feels. Furthermore, it's as much of an unproductive use of time as the next social network and despite being the one admitting to using it too often, I think that it would be much better to be out truly making something of life (without wondering how it's going to look like on a screen later) than envying what everyone else is up to.

Carpe Diem.

Seize the day, live for the moment.