Brain dead too

The monthly hike should have been held over this past weekend, but the schools messed it up by changing activities at the last moment. Result, no Scouts available to go hiking. But the hike must be held and as I am fully booked up each weekend for the rest of the month and well into April, I decided that I and I alone would represent the Troop on their hike.

Not the most Ideal situation and indeed it really defeats the object of getting the Scouts out into the veldt on a hike, if there are no Scouts. Anyway, There will be a hike each month and so there was this month. I had chosen a most interesting route for this month's hike and I had even roped in an outsider to provide the extra vehicle so as to take us to the beginning of the hike. I was to leave Ingulungundu at the end point of the hike, which for a change was not to be at Gordon Park..

Schools and their organization abilities ... Bah! Instead of doing the designated route, I decided on a different idea. Why not make it a 'safari hike'. Now that's a new term for you. Do I get ten points for that one? Well, you have some time to think about it, because as it was a programmed Troop event, you will unfortunately have to wait for the next edition of Pioneer Trail to find out what a 'safari hike' is.

I arrived back at Gordon Park fairly late on Saturday afternoon, after diverting my return route through the National Park's Hazleside, Sub-office to collect a copy of our reissued lease. This time the Park's Official was in, it made a change from the last three visits. But, as Murphy would have it, the lease that I was handed, was in fact a draft copy of one which had been superseded by the edition that we had signed some three years previously. Back to the drawing-board as they would say in the classics.

A Basic Scout Woodbadge Course was in progress when I arrived, so my presence known and then disappeared to get on with a few small tasks before it got dark.

On Sunday I prepared the Chapel in readiness for the service at twelve noon and completed a few more mundane tasks. Before I knew it, people began to arrive for the service. Following lunch, I invited our visitors to join in with this month's special activity. As a reminder, after lunch on each service month, I arrange an activity for our visitors to take part in. This month, we played The Management Game. However, just before tea when the game was hotting up, it couldn't have been better planned, It started to rain. As we were seated outside behind The Leask and we had no shelter, our game had to be called off. Just as well, for I have come to the conclusion that adults, besides being Handicapped, read the account of last month's activity, they are also 'brain dead'.

Anyway, a good laugh was had by all and I think most of the participants enjoyed the game.

Cheers Norman

Bulawayo, Monday, March 9, 2009