The Longest Night

We are certainly living in exciting times and no, I am not going to give my views on the political situation, that subject is too hot an issue. The excitement I have in mind, is what is happening in the "Heart Of Scouting".

Following last week's episode of ice skating, this week was quite tame, in fact, down right ordinary. Owing to the cost of fuel, ZW$11 billion a litre this last week, I could not afford to go out to the Park on Saturday morning and then to come back into town to honour my monthly commitment on Saturday evening. I therefore, decided to, no, I was forced to, remain at home for the day.

To while away the time, I busied myself by manufacturing a sophisticated locking device for our hut that we have erected in our campsite, that is the 1st Bulawayo (Pioneer) Troop, campsite. It was hard work fashioning my patented idea out of 80 mm x 4 mm thick flat iron. Having hacksawed my way through about one and a half metres of the three metre long strip, I then set about welding all the pieces together. No you dodos, not back together again, but into three securing latches to bolt onto the hut in order to securely lock the door.

Chris was the only chap who did not have some forced school compulsory this week end, well he did, but as we only went out late it did not interfere with Park duties and so off to the Park we sped at about 7.30 pm, on Saturday night. At the Park we had our supper, kindly supplied by Chris, who believe it or not had the foresight to prepare supper at home so that we didn't have to spend hours making it at the Park. I had intended to do a casserole in the clay pot, which would have resulted in dinner being ready at about midnight. Oh, how these bright fellows of today take the excitement out of camping.

Now, just to contradict a statement I wrote earlier, it wasn't really an ordinary weekend, for if your geography is a point or two above zero, you will have known that June the 21st, just happens to be the winter solstice, for us southern hemisphere guys that is.

But a small correction, for this year the winter solstice fell at exactly 11.59 pm GMT on June the 20th. The reason for this, is that this year is a leap year and because the year 2000 was also a leap year, the winter solstice fell, but only by one minute, on the 20th. Apparently the last time this occurred was in 1896.

Now, if your history is up to scratch, Baden-Powell was in Matabeleland, in fact in Bulawayo on the night of 20 June 1896. I wonder if he realized that it was the shortest day/longest night of the year. If he did, he did not record the fact, certainly not in his book, The Matabele Campaign, 1896.

I am a little more switched on, for not only did I know it was the longest night of the year, but I have also recorded the fact to you. By the way, because of our Troop meeting being on Friday 20 June 2008, I too was in Matabeleland, in fact in Bulawayo. Perhaps I too will be famous one day. Saturday night was the longest Saturday night of the year, Just as well for I needed the extra sleep.

Sunday morning dawned bright and cheerful, OK, also a tad chilly. After having lit the cooking fire, Chris and I headed for the summit of Mount Shumba shaba. We went up the route we normally take to come down, after all it was a special day. As we reached the summit, so the sun broke the horizon. An epic moment in history. Never has it happened before on this Sunday. There we stood, in our honour of achievement. Looking around my Kingdom to the distant horizon in a clear sweep of three hundred and sixty degrees, I was relaxed, well pleased and at peace with the world. We did not stay long, for there was one other duty to see to back at the Park, so we scurried down to Inguluvane parked at the base of the mountain.

On our arrival at Gordon Park, we were just in time to witness the sun's rays creeping down "Plaque Rock", scribing the shadow of the Camp Commissioner's flagpole down to ground level. Where the shadow touched the ground it covered a pin marking the northern most position of the rising sun as it rose over the top of Mount Shumba shaba, the winter solstice.

This pin had been placed in position some twenty-five years ago and is checked each year. From now on, the shadow of the flagpole will move to the north at sunrise, as the sun creeps southward towards the Tropic of Capricorn, the summer solstice.

Our first activity of the day was to have breakfast and then we fired up the Headquarter pump followed by the pump on well number three. Chris then took a felling axe and continued with the removal of some non-indigenous trees at the campsites on the "Skipper" Knapman Training Ground and I went to fit the locking latches to our hut in our campsite.

After lunch, we busied our selves with a number of small tasks at HQ before locking up and returning home.

A sunny weekend and no need for a jersey even though it was mid winter.

Cheers Norman
Bulawayo, 25 June 2008