December 2003

This time of year can sometimes be a bit boring at Brownies – ‘cos by the time we arrive for our meetings it’s already dark, so we can’t do things outside, like playing chase or football in the Scout Hut garden. But there’s not much time for that really I suppose ‘cos we’ve got to practice for our Christmas concert – the one we do every year for the elderly people in Springbank Residential Home, just down the road. (And there are always plenty of craft-y things to do too, Christmas cards for Mum and Dad, mini Christmas cakes baked in baked bean tins, reindeer bookmarks, all that!) It just feels like doing things outside has gone forever – though it’s really only for a few months.

Anyway, on Monday when I came home from school there was bad news - Brown Owl had phoned to say the heating had gone wrong at the Scout Hut and it would be totally too cold to sit there and try to make things. I was going to say Mondays would be NO FUN without Brownies when Mum told me we were going on an evening hike instead. FAN-tastic!

Mum made some fresh mushroom soup for tea to “warm me up from inside” and then told me to dress in as many layers as I could fit under my anorak with the fake fur collar. Felt like I was going to the North Pole! Dad got home from work just in time to help me on with a pair of Mum’s sheepskin gloves. He said he’d had to scrape ice off the car before he could even drive home! He said “Rather you than me on an evening like this!”

Grown-us - such wimps sometimes, don’t you think? AND dogs! Wizard did his disappearing act when he saw me digging around in the bottom of my wardrobe for my wellies - thought I was planning to take him for a walk in the cold. Even Mum had said she had to cook Dad’s tea when BO asked if there was any chance of her helping out. Like he couldn’t wait an hour or cook it himself!!

The hike was fun though. BO had a plan (trust BO!!) - she took us away from the roads and onto the fields. It was dark but you could still see a little bit with the light from the moon. The grass was all silver and sparkly with frost too and it kind of crunched under our feet. We walked for about half an hour and then we came out of the fields just near to where the Scout Hut is. Clever BO!

We took it in turns to shine our torches on the hilly bit we had to get down to go back on to the pathway leading to the back of the Scout Hut. Genie and I were first, we had to dig our heels into the ground so we didn’t slip. It was hard ‘cos the ground was all frozen! By the time there was just the last Six attempting to join us at the bottom, it was really slippery! The ice on the slope had got all shiny and there weren’t any bits of earth left to help keep your balance.

Jessica, who’s Sixer of the Imps, found a carrier bag in her pocket and decided to use it to sit on and slide down the slope. One…
Laura decided to take a run at it, and was down at the bottom before she could stop herself! Two…
Grace is really tall so she counted one… two… three… and jumped – and luckily she landed on her feet. Three…
Then it was just Emily left (Amy and Katie both had colds and didn’t come.) BO began to stamp her feet to keep warm, but Ems thought she was trying to tell her to hurry up – so she just went for it!!!
We tried to catch her but none of us was fast enough. Poor Ems landed in a heap at our feet, with a big “OW-OUCH!!”

Then Olivia took over (she would!) “Don’t panic!” she said, pushing through all of us as we stood round Emily. “I’ve just done my Red Cross training.”
Before Emily could say anything, Olivia had her in the recovery position on the cold hard ground. It was AGES before anyone could get Olivia to LISTEN, she was so busy fussing around her patient, telling everyone to stand back and give her air.

Emily had to shout in the end to get Olivia to stop doing her ‘Casualty’ act. She went “I’ve only grazed my knee!” She pulled off her boot and rolled up her trouser leg to show us. ‘Head Nurse’ Olivia took one look and fell over in a faint!!!

It was at least ten minutes before Olivia felt well enough to finish the walk back. Even then we all had to help her! Her “patient” Emily just tied a clean hanky round her knee and got back OK – she was hardly even limping!

Wonder if I can find a website to help Olivia stop being scared of blood?

If you want to find out more about Brownies and Guides in your local area why not visit their excellent web site:

www.girlguiding.org.uk