School camp

I have just survived three nights sleeping on the floor, but this time I haven't been thrown out by the missus! Dan, Hanna and I were at Samuel Pepys' school camp in the Girl Guide hut at Abbot's Ripton. What a week it turned out to be!

Dan was really excited about going and seemed to understand that he would be travelling with the others in the minibus by day and that we would be joining him at night; a big advance on previous occasions. He went off quite happily in his taxi on Tuesday morning and helped with the shopping at the big Tesco's before settling in at the camp.

By the time we got there, he had set up our mattresses on the floor and was ready to give us a guided tour. It was barbecue night so his teachers, Mark and Chris, were busy roasting a load of meat on a giant grill and cooking themselves too by the look of it. We all gathered outside while the food was being prepared and then filled up on rolls, coleslaw, burgers, sausages and even a few kebabs, all of which went on for some time.

For after dinner entertainment everyone was issued with Nerf Guns that fire foam darts, and a good old gunfight ensued. It was a great start to the holiday, but soon Dan fell over on a rough, concrete slab, which really scraped him up and shocked him too. Then, while we were tracking down first-aid boxes, one of the adults fell in the same place and cut her head so badly she had to go to the hospital for stitches. I began to wonder how many of us would be still standing by Friday!

Of course, things have to get worse before they can get even worser! First night in camp turned out to be the nightmare we all expected. Some staff had no sleep, others got about 2 hours. I asked them why they do it as it's not compulsory. "Because we love it," apparently.

But that was the low point and from there on the trip was a major success. We had a great day out at Sunny Honey (Hunstanton) by the sea with a fish and chip supper. Everyone seemed to have a good night after that.   They went to Cambridge on the next day for a session of bowling and  Chinese all-you-can-eat buffet. Some people can eat an awful lot. A rather cal;m evening (the last in camp) ensued and another night of decent sleep, apart from a couple of early risers.

Hanna and I found the trip really inspiring and actually more of a holiday than the one we had over half term. It was a big achievement for all the youngsters, including Dan and the staff were brilliant, as always.

Thank you so much for going that extra mile (or two).


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