Polly's At It Again - Rope Ladders and Blog Waltzes...?

Yes folks, it's fast approaching that time again! Claire from Waltzing Mouse Stamps is running her monthly blog hop again, only in her case it's more of a waltz...

I missed last month due to my committments with Scouting Ireland. I spent the weekend camping in gorgeous weather conditions out on the lovely Charleville Estate near Tullamore, Co Offaly.

Setting off from the den with great intentions and no firm venue for our camp, we started off with just five scouts and two leaders. Having arrived up at the castle and been given an impromptu tour of the place we still had nowhere to camp, because our kindly hosts already had an event on that night. Seems that the spirits aren't too keen on the company of young people during a paranormal investigation!

Eventually we struck gold! The land owner of the estate allowed us to use what is affectionately known as The Shinfield. So called because my partner in crime somehow managed to rip his shin open in this very spot this time last year, resulting in a scar that took well over three months to heal...

Thankfully this years camp took place without any great drama's, and my partner in crime's shin remained intact. The scouts and leaders spent many happy hours setting up camp and gathering wood of all shapes and sizes, stacking most of it in preparation for this years County Challenge in an adjacent field. They even brought some of the smaller stuff back to our camp so that we could use our alter fires to cook on and practice making rope ladders...

Funny thing is that this all started off quite innocently. Within a couple of days it transpired that for the County Challenge I was to take charge of the rope ladder base, whereby I taught the scouts how to prepare and make one. This entailed engraving their names onto the logs that they prepared and it was very much a challenge! Over the course of the following weekend I taught 85 scouts how to do the honours...

I should have some nice pics later on, if I can locate the disc and figure out how to upload them. As some of you already know, it seems that I blew my mother board up so am having to reinstal all my lovely programmes onto my son's pc and the laptop. Of course that wouldn't be much of a problem, only I seem to have mislaid some of the discs in amongst the chaos that I like to refer to as my filing system. (Cough, splutter, blush...)

Early One Morning, Just As Polly Was Rising...

Early One Morning...

OMG, while writing up my last post I visited my photo files and took a brief look at some of the snaps taken in 2007. There's one file in particular which just so happens to be one of my favourites and that's the one taken in August of that year while camping out in The New Forest over in the UK.

The New Forest has been one of my favourite places since early 1984, which at this late date is a long time ago! Over the four or so years that I lived on its outskirts, in the city of Southampton I criss-crossed 'the forest', as it is known so many times. I used to ride through it, walk through it and even journeyed through it by train.

Stories of its history filled my imagination with images that are too hard to explain. Stories of its inhabitants, human and otherwise regailed my young ears resulting in a fascination which lasts to this day. Like the Yorkshire Moors, another national monument, this place breathes its presence deep into the soul of its inhabitants and leaves behind a fondness that can't be shaken off.

While planning our forthcoming annual Scout Camp for 2009, the New Forest is one of the many venues investigated. There are so many things to see and do while staying there and if it weren't for the difference in currency it would have been an ideal place for us to visit. As it stands, I think it's going to be a case of re-visiting Croagh Patrick and one of my other favourite places: Co Mayo...

In light of the recent changes in the economy, The New Forest is just the place for anyone considering staying nearer to home this year. With plentiful campsites, b&b's, hotels, etc and a huge variety of places to visit/things to do I would recommend it to anyone. Check out the website and find out about the hunting ground of royalty for yourself. It's well worth a visit, and don't forget to take your camera/binoculars with you...

Now that I've done a wee bit of surfing for the day, I can go about my daily business with a clear heart! I feel so much better now, assisted by a cup of tea and an easter egg!

Polly Pierce