Littles Camp Report Summer 2018

This last week was the second littles camp of the year I attended and was likely to be a landmark one too for a number of reasons, some sad, some quite pleasant that were apparent from the very outset.
The first being this was the first such meeting since the death of close littles friend whose last contact was during February's being unable to attend herself and emotionally loaded because it was the place we spent so much time together at my first meet way back in February 2014.
The other without breaching confidences is the venue has been up for sale and a result was we needed to find another for early next year so unless it was to be bought for vacation lettings, it would be our last time at this idyllic building in the countryside.
So it was with an somewhat emotional heart, I commenced on my way to meet a longstanding friend to stop over before they drove down to East Anglia on a warm day waiting for a twenty minute delayed bus to the rail station to catch the London Northwestern train where I'd be picked up from.
Given the weekly weather forecast was for temperatures over 25 degrees c and next to no rain, this dictated what I took with me so it wasn't long before I changed into lightweight black school pinafore dress before colouring a little before we settled for a Pork Chop, mashed potatoes, runner beans with onion sauce and gravy and cakes.
We later watched the Tour de France - they cycle, I'm interested in cycling but lack balance never mind  muscles for it personally - following the competitors and admiring the countryside.
As ever I was up early, making sure I had everything ready and available for loading into the car because apart from our personal effects, we also had games equipment and food for everyone on board too that had to be carefully slotted into it.
We left around of Ten in the morning of Saturday going around Amblecote and across toward Hagley to avoid delays around Birmingham and Coventry going along Northampton and back up via St Neots toward the venue location.
On arrival at Ten to Two, we met Daisy, Suzy, Andi, Becky and Karla and Caroline the latter just stopping for a shorter period than the remainder of us before having warm pie while we settled in awaiting the others to arrive.
As usual, the majority elected to have an Indian takeaway so they ordered and fetched that while those of us who didn't including myself and Jennifer had a warmed up pie with mash and cakes we prepared and cooked ourselves.
We also went out toward the lake for a stroll where we remarked the water levels, a concern in period of high temperatures and lack of rainfall, were surprisingly high there.
The reminder of the evening was very much a free to socialize and relax so I started reading a book and the London Underground jigsaw with 1,000 pieces came out as various folk gathered around desperately trying to find the pieces that went together in sea of white.
The Sunday was the first day proper of camp and it was obvious with the heat the schedule I had prepared was going to have to be adjusted to take account of the impact of the heat.
One sign of this was I wore my blue check gingham dress as it was lighter and more cooler than just about anything else short of only having say a swimsuit on.
The first event event after the breakfasts all of which I set out doing battle with summer flies was the "Make it yoorself" event where we used cardboard boxes, paint and make-a-do connectors to make a long dragon with a tail and working teeth which was ably lead by Sammy.
After lunch Alice appropriately enough lead the Alice in Wonderland treasure hunt with clues all outside for people to find and objects related to the story around trees and bushes  to spot including a spot of croquet and charades. This lead to discovering who really stole the Queen of Hearts, tarts.
This beautifully lead into a Alice in Wonderland tea party with themed cups and 'Alice Cakes' - home made tarts that were enjoyed by all in the blazing sun.
We were joined by Amy and Netter on this day who contributed with events.
Miss Green came up with an enjoyable steak pie based tea with Apple and Sultana pie, the stake pies being carefully matched to peoples tastes having got preferences in.
Monday saw a switch on the schedule (it's with a K sound if your like me) as Miss Green miraculously was able to both organize the event and take part in one of the two coloured teams, naturally Green and Yellow all at once that included Archery, Target, Egg and Spoon (no hens were injured in that!) and the sack race where Sammy and I  decided to stand out that one as both of us for differing reasons wouldn't be able to do so for our differing teams. A sensible way through that situation.

I was in my lightweight airy t shirt and  green pleated games skirt as that was pretty cool to wear dashing about.
There was some ahem confusion with the Sponge The Staff event where when the yellow team were ask to start everyone regardless of team  just fired on the target as one! I'm sure that wasn't supposed to happen.
The Greens (Miss Green, Jillian, Daisy and myself) won by 36 to 33 against Yellow (Sammy, Becky,Alice and Debbie).
The afternoon was taken up by Sammy's Class that this time was about the Solar System where we learned some interesting facts about our near neighbours and everyone cut and drawed some image connected with it. The result was more like a collage.
I made a image of a boy shaped rocket landing on mars with a sign pointing to Sirius  next to the Mars Life Centre with a trash can with a Rat shaped satellite nearby.
An aside to the event, space junk does concern me actually.
We had a mainly Fish and Chips tea, I say mainly cos I spotted a few fried sausage and a chicken in the order that had been phoned in and collected while it was being served.
In the evening, Becky held a Quiz based upon Disney and UK Facts and figures which was win by the Three Musketeers (Alice, Jillian and Myself).
Tuesday was a bit different because Victoria for personal reasons wasn't able to be with us all the time, joined us for the day, which was the last full day of littles camp.
In the morning, a water pistol challenge was held naturally out doors to avoid damaging anything like the ceiling where Victoria, Miss Green, Alice, Debbie and I chased around firing at each other and sometimes as one against the other as we got soaked having fun which yes is kinda like kids but that's the point: we were just letting that side out as is.
In the afternoon, the resplendent in black with ears nekimimi was purring her way through the All Purrpuss Nekomimi Music Quiz that she'd prepared earlier between things like talking to her BFF.
The quiz was divided into two sections, a short classical one and a section of 60's to 90's popular music with three teams competing with the Cycle Paths and another scoring 16 points each and thus winning two magnificent colouring books (they were really good actually) and the last team scoring 12 from a maximum of 25.
I believe it was much enjoyed for the broad selection of questions to appeal to all present.
Given the extreme heat we decided to have an early meal later but in form of a very tasty b-bq by Andi with kebabs and chicken part cooked in the oven first to make sure it was properly cooked which really is a must with just the burgers and sausages done exclusively on the griddle.
 This was served with salad with fried onions, bread rolls and so on as needed  turning out quite a memorable meal for all the right reasons.
Somehow a camp fire or a bb-q type event evokes the right kind of 'feel' to being together especially on the penultimate day, something I remember from school organized holidays we went on.
Wednesday was leaving apart from finishing apart from two pieces that seemed to be missing another jigsaw time was taken up more with taking down and apart things we'd made, tidying up and getting our things ready to leave.
A few of us went for a half hour walk to look at the nearby lake and countryside so sorry for missing you leaving, Jillian.
I'd pre-packed some of my case across the days to make things a bit easier for my friend reloading the car with a good portion of what we took with us in order.
Setting out a bit earlier than originally planned at eleven because I was (and had been for a few days) rather unwell with the start of a migraine coming on rapidly that morning  we arrived back for around half three or near enough I was struggling to focus so recollection for much of that is a bit hazy.
The main catering  for lunchtimes  took the form of a salad spread with meats, egg and so on done extremely well by Suzy and Daisy.
I think the general consensus was that people had gotten the sense of being 'little' for several days interacting together, being in "little space" able to come out from the child within, expressing it through what we did even if we did need to 'big up' to take care of some aspects or run an activity.
The only negative which certainly is no reflection on anyone was the problem of tics and horseflies  as a number of us were bitten which did include me making coping with being unwell less comfortable, running up a temperature as my body was fighting the bites.
Events went smoothly, our self catering arrangements worked out fine as having a professional caterer on certainly would add to the catering cost per person and within the group we have the skills set to cater well.
What had been a great venue for several years will be warmly remembered as we look forward to new one here in The Midlands so with that I'd like to thank everyone who ran an event, helped with catering, picked up or washed things up or otherwise added something to what was a lovely time. Personally I'd like thank Miss Green for her hospitality  not least her own catering and other things tm that made the time memorable.

Problem solving

Sometimes it can seem as if everyone who seems to achieve seems to be following some guru's guide or other that focuses more on having carefully thought out strategies for dealing with those life skill issues some of struggle with.

I'm a great fan of The Latest Kate's inspirational art and in this she addresses a fundamental truth which is you don't actually need that approach to having it right at the outset.
Many of us find we're programmed more to pick at it a bit at time as we go along and that often gets us to where we want to be.
It all doesn't have all appear before our eyes in one flash of inspiration.

Classical sacd round up part nine - English Classics

After a months break from this mini series of entries within the blog I return with a couple of discs that fall under the heading of British classical music although they have their differences.
Gustav Holst is a composer whose work reflected his interest in the spiritual and mystical to whom one work alone his Planet Suite was started in 1913 and premiered in September 1918 in the last days of World War One. This work was played in this years First Night of The Proms on Friday, July 13th together with Ralph Vaughan Williams's The Lark Ascending on a WW1 themed concert. 

It is a matter of some regret however the popularity of this suite has caused many to overlook his may other works such as Beni Mora and on this arresting performance by Sir Andrew Davis  and the BBC Philharmonic orchestra it is coupled by the Japanese Suite.
Classical music has a great variety of genres within it such as Orchestral, Choral, Baroque but one  that has become established in the twentieth century is the orchestral movie soundtrack.

One favourite of mine is the soundtrack of Watership Down the 1978 animated movie based upon the Douglas Adams novel that I recall seeing on vacation that year which was originally issued on record and tape by CBS/Columbia.
It has a spoken word prologue and the whole of Angela Morley's score for it with the jazz syncopation in parts well performed  
This recording was remastered for Super Audio cd (playable on regular cd too) by Vocalion records here in Great Britain to a demonstration worthy style.

Peter Fermin: A tribute

(Picture credits: Kent Press)
It was announced on Monday, Peter Fermin, artist, puppet maker and the creator of Bagpuss and Basil Brush who worked with the late Oliver Postgate of Small Films had died aged  89.
Peter believed passionately in the appeal, the soul of traditional animated films and their puppets  feeling they had soul that appeal more greatly than computer generated icons (CGI) to viewers being more relateable.
There are many series he had a hand in of one one I feel on balance is the one most of us hold the greater affection for and that is Bagpuss, "a saggy, old cloth cat, baggy, and a bit loose at the seams" for whom Emily the owner of a shop that repaired and sold old things so loved.
Her affection for him remains a most poignant moving thing for me and many others who have seen the original series from 1974 with it's sepia toned introduction.
It would be a mistake to ignore his involvement in other series Small Films made  and that are fondly remembered such as the railway series set in Wales, Ivor The Engine, which no doubt was popular with boys or the Viking adventures of the Saga of Noggin the Nog.

 One which I loved to pieces was The Clangers from the early nineteen-seventies but with new series too  set on a small planet inhabited by family of small creatures called Clangers who share their life with people like the Soup Dragon whose Blue String Pudding and Green Soup underground.

The Clangers communicate in Clanger, a language using whistling something to which much to the annoyance of ones parents and teachers many of us used too and the series had a narrator who would explain what was going on while allowing the characters to communicate directly to us in Clanger. 
It was a peaceful co-operative space world so many of us loved in the era where man's space exploration was at its peak, eagerly followed by schoolboys and girls and also featured a musical tree that played music and an Iron Chicken.
These cartoons, in part Peter's life work were and are core parts of our childhoods I cannot say to hear of his demise doesn't make me sad, it does but thanks to digital media they live on able to offer something that more glossy more, commercially savvy series lack.
R.I.P Peter.

New and improved colouring

As you may be aware I do colour quite a bit and I did mention not so long ago I really did need to get a new colouring book  having finished off my "Coloring book for girls" one I had since last year.

It also is the case I do love Jacqueline Wilson's stories  so when I found out there was a colouring book based on the characters from them, that to me seemed just perfect as that just married up two likes in one.
I bought it because I was looking for something a little more of a challenge when it comes to neatness and having smaller areas to colour compared to my other ones so it would hold my interest being more for Tweens which as far as my regression goes is more where it is at.
I'm enjoying this one heaps.