Look out Cornwall, here we come

Next week, Big Mac, AbuDhabi, Mr Fink, Little Fink, LMI, Pisky and Mr Pisky will be in Cornwall for our annual week of fun in the sun. Did I say sun? Silly me, last year we had 70mph winds, bent tent poles and abandoned tents all around us.

I've checked the weather report and it says there will be rain and showers with the possibility of GALES.

OH COME ON, GIVE ME A BREAK!

Also, I was checking the local news. See the picture, do you know what it is? It's a Portuguese Man Of War. A stinging jellyfish type thing. Some were found 20 miles from where we will be staying, on Monday. Luckily, next week when we are there, it will be so flipping cold, none of will be going any where NEAR the sea!!!

What's the weather going to be like?

I've been checking the weather carefully for the last couple of days. The Fink family and Mrs Cub-share's son, J1 are off to Cub camp at Thriftwood in Essex this weekend and, if you are a regular reader, you will know how much fun camp is in the rain.

Last night on the TV weather I heard the vaguest most sit-on-the-fence report I have ever heard..

"This weekend half the people in the south-East have a 50% chance of getting wet."

Well that just about covers everything and I'm none the wiser!

Sad/Glad to be home

Well I'm home and recovering. the short time I spent at camp was so much fun that I wish I were still there, but know I wouldn't have been comfortable.
SATURDAY - Set off for camp - I had my bus swapped at the last moment as one of the mini buses didn't have an 'adult' in the back. (The driver and co-driver concentrate solely on the road). It was brilliant, I was in with Johnny, Ollie, Fowler and assorted other Cubs and Scouts. Top fun, they have such a good sense of humour, observation and knowledge. They can also sing, they know the words to most modern pop songs and make up for what they don't know with tumultuous volume! For instance, they managed to take a beautiful song, "Chasing Pavements" and turn it into something akin to a 200 decibel football chant! So funny.

What goes on at camp, stays at camp.

Apart from.....
A little cub throwing bits of bread at Little Fink and her friend, I shout at him to stop. A little later, Little Fink comes up to me and says, "Please don't tell C****** you are my mum."

Mrs Biscuit and Mr Coultard were both on site, in fine form. Along with The Charioteer and his faithful driver Jeeves who never fail to make us smile. (Jeeves had requested that his breakfast bacon roll be delivered to his tent by the kitchen staff - to which he received a suitable reply!)

SUNDAY - Rain, rain and more rain, some of the kids tents are in danger of becoming waterlogged so all start digging trenches around them to divert the water. The children are filthy and loving it. On site activities including, Backwoods Cooking - "Eugh look at the blood on that fish...yuck...can i touch it?" Cyclo-cross - rerouted as the mud and water made the original route dangerous. Woodworking - Little Fink made Harry the Hedgehog. At elevenses i looked at Little Fink (you only really get to see the children at meal times, the rest of the time, they are spread out all over the site, impossible to find) bearing in mind it is walloping down with rain and she is wet through, I ask, "How hard does it have to rain before you feel waterproofs are necessary?".

Two of the cooking team and I spent the night in the local TravelInn as my back was so sore and they don't camp. I watched the morning (5am) weather report on Monday - Hike Day - to find a severe weather warning had been issued, 60mph winds and torrential rain forecast. By 7am I had decided my back was too painful to stay on site so I phoned Mr Fink and he sleepily agreed to come 160 miles and get me. We cooked breakfast for the hikers, we were worried as the weather was so fierce and the children were due to be hiking across Exmoor - I was sure the troop would be on the evening news having been rescued by the Mountain Rescue people. I found Little Fink - bacon buttie in hand - told her I was going home and asked her what did she want to do (I really wanted her to come home as her eye was going pink again) she declined my offer and said she was going hiking. What can I say?

As the hike parties were leaving we had to create a trench through the kitchen to divert the water through. Mr Fink arrived at about noon and i was very relieved to see him. I said my goodbyes and asked the girls to keep me updated on Little Fink's progress eye=wise and headed off home. Sad to leave but in enough discomfort to be glad to be going too.

Apparently some of the hikes were rerouted from across the top of Exmoor to the beach for safety reasons. I'll know more, hopefully, when I see Little Fink on Friday.

I'd like to offer a big thank you to all the Finkers that have left messages of support on the camp website, you know who you are.

We're all Going on a Summer Hoilday

OK, the lorries are packed, 120 cubs, scouts and adults are gearing up for one more sleep till 'lift off'!

Saturday we are all off to Scout Camp. Little Fink and I will be there but Mr fink is remailing behind on his own to feed animals, work through the list of jobs I've prepared for him. Not to drink cider, play golf and watch zombie films, oh no.

He is dropping us off at 9am on Saturday at the Scout hut.

"Will you miss me?" I asked.

"Not on Saturday, I'm playing golf in the afternoon." Typical.

We almost cancelled the trip, I picked Little Fink up from school and she had two bloodshot eyes with green goo coming out of them. I took her to the chemist, who prescribed hayfever eye drops. Over the early evening her eyes got worse and worse, almost becoming swollen shut. We took her to another chemist who prescribed anti-biotic eye drops. By the time Mr Fink and I went to bed, she was asleep, eyes swollen horribly with hardened green goo trailed across her face. My heart was breaking, I woke her up a bit and cleaned her up.

Mr Fink and I considered A&E but thought we would leave it til morning. When she got up she cleaned her now stuck together lids and as the day progressed, her eyes have got better and better. She has one slightly swollen, totally bloodshot eye (horrid to see) and one that is almost back to normal. Yay we can go to camp.

I shall be off line and incommunicado for the next week - don't think they have tinternet and phone signals in deepest Taunton!

Pray for sun - unwashed damp cubs don't half pong by the third day!

Can't Recomend it Highly Enough

The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre. Brilliant. Little Fink and her pal Little Miss Intellectual (elle-em-I) had a marvelous time in a small, well presented, big-themed space. There are 3 main rooms, but we managed to stay entertained and busy for 2 hours, we only left then as we wanted to have a glass fo 'Fizzy Lifting Drink' and a 'Snozzcumber Sandwich' before we left. And there lies my only critisism, why were the 'Twits Cafe' prices so high? Everything else was fantastic, even the staff were a little wacky and enthusiastic. I didn't know much about Roald Dahl before we went there but his life was amazing, from the children he had and lost, to his career as a fighter pilot, at school he was bottom in a class of 13, and one of his sandals was the model for the BFG's footwear! There were also so many interactive things to do to encourage the children to write. And books everywhere, his books, other books, places to sit and read. So well thought out - and wheelchair friendly too. The thing that really touched me was something that Roald (pronounced Roo-ald) wrote at the end of one of his book, which sums up how I try to be with Little Fink and all her little mates....

A Message To Children Who Have Read This Book.

When you grow up and have children of your own, do please remember something important :
A parent should be sparky.
It does not matter one bit whether you live in a caravan or a castle. What does matter is that you become a father or a mother who makes exciting things happen around your children, and who do exciting things with them, and who lead them into splendid adventures.

Roald Dahl

The odd thing was (and you knew it was coming) as we walked back to the car, the girls skipping along in the drizzle, we passed by a house where the front door was open. In the doorway, I kid you not, was an elderly man holding a puppet chimpanzee, pretending it was chatting to him - all in complete silence. Mr Fink said to the gilr's, "I wonder what the monkey's name is, shall I ask him?" then thought better of it and ushered us all swiftly round to the car!! Weird.

RabbitFink Pie for Tea

Ah the poor bunny, after the torrential rain (and snow) we had at the weekend, I was feeling sorry for RabbitFink, he was absolutely soaking this morning when I went out to feed him. I resolved to make some dry places in the garden to make life a bit more comfortable for him.
RabbitFink came to us a year ago from Freecycle (the recycling website) and has caused grief pain and amusement ever since.
He is very territorial, chases the cats out of the garden, bites your trousers and has even started 'spraying' Little Fink when she goes outside.
Tonight I set to, took the old damaged tarp off the hutch/run and rummaged about in the shed for something more suitable. I found a gazebo with I inherited from KT Wong when she emigrated. (There seems to be some corner fittings missing and the cover was still sealed in its bag, so I'm not sure what KT Wong used the bits for?) So I covered the hutch, tied it all down and made it cosy. It is bombing down with rain by this time, I'm totally wet through. The rabbit is driving me nuts running in and out of my feet, chewing the string and the gazebo cover.
I decide to use the old tarp to cover the bench to provide some more shelter for BunnyFink, tied that all off. Perfect.
I come inside to get some greens, when I return, BunnyFink is sitting under the bench - not in the dry..but right under a drip from the tarp. If it is possible, he is wetter than ever. I give up - rabbit pie anyone?