Summer Camp 2024

 Yes I did indeed manage to get away last week to something that is very much like a summer camp but for adults (in law) doing things that you loved back then as if by magic you'd gone back in time and where there's nothing remotely "adult" going on.

I past years I've written more chronological journal entries but I think it may work better to look more at  themes to which the start point was Jennifer and Katie took a minor detour to drop by picking me up in person before setting out to the Lakes stopping at some photogenic points such as by the grounds of Stonyhurst College (and St Mary's Pre-Prep and Prep school), near the Ribble Valley overhead viaduct along the Settle-Carlisle Line and Whalley Abbey for a spot of lunch.

That proved interesting as it didn't accept Money as in traditional notes and coins of the realm so one of two available credit cards stepped in.

Bring back money, I say!

I did get out, seeing our postman and in the shoppe very much as me (or at least another presentation of me as I can and do Tom Boy as well as not a few girls actually are like) and having partaken of a chicken with salad and tasty vegetable rice, Katie generously shared.
 

We did two Jigsaws or more accurately completed one and were about three quarters through another between us plus a number completed a lego set.

We played rounders one afternoon in teams batting and fielding which was rather fun and a tradition mixed events sports day with bean bag target, egg & spoon race and water relay race amongst other things set in two teams Blue and Red.

I had a green top and white skort on which works for me.

There were a few "makes" such as baking cakes of various sorts such as Carrot, Cheesy Scones, Cup Cakes and chocolate chip cookies which Alice and I made which were shared after extra decorating.

We also made houses out of cardboard tape or gluing precut sections before fitting such things as doors and windows, a patio and in one instance even its very own helipad.

They came out quite well really.

There was a story time but with a difference which was we were given three (I think) introductory paragraphs giving us the people, the situation and an outcome but we had to write and say it out in turns in real time!

Jillian run a general knowledge and name the famous actress quiz which our team The, Staffordshire Three, came second. 

We did have a Charades session on Thursday before getting back for the next day.

Food was interesting in that we had hand made Devon Pasties a 5kg Gammon that provided two and  bit days of ham after a good boiling with salad and a variety of baps/buns and slice breads.

For one evening we held a diy b-bq with farm beef burgers,  sausages and some cheesy thing that can be heated but as a non cheese person I can't say much about how that turned out and on another we submitted and two persons kindly collected a fish and chips order (with the odd variation) which I can as the cod I had was delicious.

Getting back proved something of an ordeal as after relatively minor traffic issues, all hell broke loose between junctions 24 and 21a around South west Lancs when things stalled for what seemed like ages and the attempt to get off to drop me of had a bizarre series of roadworks that near enough two essential towns off  and further along yet more issues with accidents and lord knows what.

You know you're but a few miles off and yet you just can't get there.

Thanks to Iris and Mary for organizing things and everyone who held an event or did things to make this fun, safe event highly enjoyable.

The away little

The likelihood of there being any kind of journal with a promotional link to this weeks entry is very slight as I should be away until the end of the week and time will be a bit short especially given the legendary Grump will be up and out before I'm gone, double checking he does in fact get going.

As I'm typing this the only thing I know for sure is underwear, tops and sleeping attire which given it should be warmish need not have arctic thickness and be a bit more girlish to boot although anything like that is really on MY terms rather than some sub-culture pushing their own on anyone else as we all are ourselves as girls and that is reflected in our own styles.

Things with me do take into account practicality as in actually getting dressed by yourself and what is more appropriate to the activity, shorts for hiking, something light, modest and feminine for sports, a nice skirt or dress cool and attractive for day to day activities for instance.

 If I appear to switch off and go into pause mode, don't be alarmed I can just go like that.

By all means move me gently if I'm in danger and please ensure upon waking up suddenly I know where I am and more critically where the rest of you are.

If you think I need sleep, don't be afraid to help ensure I take it as I sometimes I don't realize it until it's a bit late as that's what happens when you have cheese hole size  gaps in your brain functioning at times.

I am quite little even as I do try to help everyone out getting things to happen.

Normality or what passes for it resumes Monday.

Rainy thoughts miles away

 

It's a pretty wet day here having been out during one of the all too brief dryish spells for some fresh air and some space to think away from screens, sites and other stuff.

Sometimes I think we get this thing the wrong way around like we spend more time following the online life than having the real life we can then share when we're not following notifications on facebook, tumblr and that and the various groups that have spaces on those platforms.

I can't remember what it was some people I know were going to be doing today, one friend had produced this most amazingly colourful schedule illustration for where they were going but I'm pretty sure it was for things that could be done indoors which if their weather is like mine would really help and mean they can have fun as planned.

Obviously as I wrote before it's unfortunate that my being able to be there just is not possible even if plans including surprise activities had been put together but that's how this goes.

I don't get to choose this part of me. One moment you're feeling fine, the next minute you get that Aura and you know days will be lost to it if not over a week per month having lost jobs to it before now.

Still I've probably made the right call, the right way so it shouldn't be an issue going forward with everybody.

I'll see how things went later on in the week.

Time Together

Because this month I may not be away with friends due to you know what doesn't mean I cannot look back at those moments and some of the views I saw such as walking around this lake in East Anglia enjoying the tranquility of it all.

 Nor does it mean I forget the joy of being able to stroll around the grounds of where we usually stay enjoying the trees and watching the insect life on a warm Winter's day.

 It's the memories we make that help us get through difficult times such as those we are all facing presently.

It is to be hoped we'll be able to get together in February.

February Camp 2020

I was away last week so here's a account of my week away.

For me going to camp was a bit unusual this February in a number of ways of which one was that for all the years I had, the journey involved trains to met with someone who'd then take me with them to the actual venue.

That part was different because where we were going was in the north of Lancashire which is generally to the north of me so actually they'd be very close so they kindly agreed to pick me up enroute which was a matter of just diverting on motorway stop and rejoining.

Well it would of been but for a puncture that had started earlier and required the services of a AA man which meant they were later than expected in getting here on the Saturday but we arrived in time to unload and get our pie and veg tea going while everyone else was on Indian Food.

Sunday saw a group of us go out for a walk in what was the trademark of the week wet and windy weather in Eaves Wood which did result in some mud on my shoes as the ground was soaked to the skin!

It was therefore a good job we called in a local cafe for a drink and a warm.
I helped Miss Green preparing the veg for her Pie, Mash and veg evening meal and the Fruit Salad which was served with ice cream.

Monday saw a group go for another walk, a good four mile round trip one visiting  the Pepper Pot Victoria monument which I was able to photograph as my ten year old Canon Compact had packed up with its sensors having developed a terminal fault  so had to use a bigger less rugged camera instead.

The conditions were arduous, not really suited to me but I made it, flagging at the end and definitely in need tea with sugar.


That you see was really the problem as I was "running out of spoons" to the point I just about got in and had to get to bed immediately cos I didn't have the energy to eat.



I was supposed to have cleared away but when you're not able to eat, that just was not, could not even, happen so sorry if that upset anyone.

 It's a bit of a camp tradition to do a jigsaw or two but this one was hard going being finished near to when some needed to leave.

In the evening Jillian put on a General Knowledge quiz that was well received although I was in bed not really there. Evening meal was a cottage pie made by Mary.

Tuesday I did draw in the Art Class in the afternoon and put on the Cat Girl music quiz whose prize giving will live in Camp history I am assured!  We had a fish (Haddock) and chip evening meal with the odd exception like Cornish pasty.

The Society of Little Girl Engineers were out in force during camp, assembling a big Lego Technics model with a motor. What an achievement !

Later Wednesday morning I did go on short stroll and in afternoon saw some trains at Carnforth, having tea and cake.
By then I had recovered. Evening meal was Karla with Caroline's Steak and Ale hotpot which was delicious reminding me of Lobby, a famous North Staffordshire dish but that is served in bowls with bread.

On the Thursday we came close to not getting to our intended trip to the Lakeside and Haverthwaite railway in Cumbria where we had lunch having grabbed seats (I have uses, lol) and went on steam train due to severe overnight flooding. We stopped off at Arnside for a stroll.

Friday was very rough weatherwise so apart from Miss Green who bought a big supply of quality bacon for Bacon Butties we elected to watch Disney movies such as Toy Story 4 and the remake of The Parent Trap plus episodes of Last of the Summer Wine, a gentle Yorkshire based comedy.

We finished off the hotpot reheating using a Microwave oven something that isn't in Miss Green's home kitchen. 

A few people left that afternoon and we left after doing all the checks about nine o' clock arriving here by half past ten with very little traffic issues.

The Midday meals were prepared by Suzy and Daisy being a meat salad buffet all meals with assistance with serving, clearing away and the dishwasher by all who were able.

Thanks to everyone from those who found this new venue, those who booked it  and contributed meals, activities, assistance and the like that made it an enjoyable camp despite the weather.

365 days around The World of Joanne Chan 2018 style

This last years has had its up and downs, there appears little point in not acknowledging that and sometimes even mixed in each other.
For one thing it was a year I did spend  lot more time out of doors observing nature, going on walks interacting more with people face to face getting more physically and mentally resilent even if it was also the year I came close to leaving this world in wooden box being seriously ill thanks to an infection.
It is quite probably that increased resilience coupled with with my treatment made a big difference in its outcome.
Fun times were spent at littles camp in February and July just switching off from adult concerns to just enjoying playing, having games and quiz's  and actually going on walks outside together enjoying the countryside.
One thing I'd like to see more of is just going beyond our immediate surroundings visiting a nearby town or attraction together.There's a world beyond four walls.
It was a year I listened more to classical music with a high proportion of it being bought on better sounding Super Audio cds often newer recordings but also a few carefully mastered older ones.
Collecting classical music is nearly always a long term affair as you explore not just all the works in a variety of genres by any one composer but also interpretations by various conductors and orchestras.
I hugely enjoyed the recordings conducted by Sir Andrew Davis of Gustav Holst's music  that goes so much beyond his ever popular Planets Suite for the British label Chandos.
It was also the year I upped the quality of recorded visual content with the addition of a HD Blu Ray disc player and replaced a number of dvd's with their much sharper blu ray ones not least my Studio Ghibi full length animes.
It's hard for some to comprehend the distance we have travelled from our adequate VHS tapes that lack really fine detail we had since the popularization of owning home video content in the 1980's , the advent of the dvd in 1998 and more recently the Blu Ray that's the same size but being able to store more data uses it to give some the sharpest images we've ever seen at home.
The year ended with the annual GHS bonfire and Halloween weekend party which was fun as ever and for me a delightfully little christmas.
Thanks for everybody the people in cglre/liltot, the asb's of tumblr, the furries of f.a, the g.t site and associated littles, the i.k chat and finally my bff for your contributions for making 2018 a great year.