home again

Sam and Annie are back from their travels. It appears to have been a great trip on many fronts and Iceland is the place to be. They look both look healthy and tanned - as you would after two weeks of outdoor activities and a Scout jamboree. Sam must have grown at least an inch and he lost a lot of weight. I am told that meals were not great and Sam as the fussier of the two didn't eat much. Annie mentioned overcooked pasta with a tin of plain tomatoes and raw onions... They both enjoyed the smoked puffin though. I guess my children are used to high standards spoilt when it comes to food. I just hope they didn't complain too loudly.

Sam loved the jamboree and the freedom the older scouts were allowed. Annie preferred the week prior the jamboree, when they were staying first in an AirB&B near the capital and then in a village hall on the Westman Islands. As a younger scout she had less freedom at the jamboree, which as a parent, I totally appreciated but Annie as a not quite 13 year old maybe less so.

They did some great stuff: they spent a day in Reykjavik, went to the Secret Lagoon (a quieter and much better value version of the world famous Blue Lagoon), they went white river rafting and jumped off some high cliffs, they went horse riding, helped with sheep herding,  climbed a volcano and cooked toasties using the heat of the volcano, admired geysers, visited a tomato farm (!), planted trees, had mud fights, went swimming and fishing, took part in water obstacle courses and more. Sam went on an unsupervised overnight hike with the older scouts. I am told that all the flies in the world convened on the lake where the jamboree was held, on photos, many young people are wearing mesh nets over their heads.

Both made friends from around the world and both say that hanging out with friends old and new was better than the some of the activities at the jamboree. Annie mentioned a particularly boring pencil carving session.

I am pleased to hear that all Scouts in their group got along with each other. Apparently the leaders were not as nice as they normally are,  both were shouty and were more partial towards some of the children than others. I can't comment on that, I wasn't there, just repeating what I am told but Sam and Annie agree, which is unusual, so there must be a some truth to it. I guess it is a huge responsibility to look after 12 teenagers!

I am particularly pleased to hear that Sam and Annie were talking to each other and being nice with each other. Scout leaders as well as Sam and Annie agree on that. Sam explained to me that he felt it was necessary to protect Annie from 'inappropriate' behaviour and talk during the jamboree! The age range in their own Scout group was from 12 to 17 and no doubt lots of flirting and courting went on at the jamboree. Imagine approximately several hundred teenagers each with hormone levels of that of broody cat...

All the stinking stuff has been washed. Funny that, everything was wet and smelly yet Sam and Annie were fresh and clean when they got back, at 2 am on Monday morning. They were amazingly tired! Both slept past lunch time the day after they got back. All those light nights I guess, socialising and having fun.

It is good to have my big ones back. I missed them rather a lot. It feels strange enough that I have children old enough to go on holiday without me.

Have a lovely day. Thanks for stopping by and reading my ramblings. x