Busy again

I had intended to write something every week but time has rushed on with the start of the Guiding year as well being extremely busy at work - 6 days a week instead of the 4 I am paid for.
Anyway here are some of the things I have done this month:

1. Been at the opening of Guild Wood at Herons Wey
2. Climbed the playframe at Weyside together with several ladies in their 60s who are still yong enough to want to try.
3. Run a Japanese evening at Guides
4. Bought a new Guiding sweatshirt
5. Discussed with the Exec how to focus on volunteers next year. One Division suggested calling it "Year of the Leader"
6. Taken daughter to Manchester University
7. Picked sloes for sloe gin (for my husband you understand!)

More about Year of the Leader later.....

Welcome back!

I hope you did get a break over Summer. I did and it gave me some time to actually think about my unit and meeting plans. Now it is back to Guiding - a little refreshed.

Channel Swim - WELL DONE!!

After a weekend of waiting, Team Twenty Ten finally set off from Folkestone at 3am on Monday 2nd August. 15 hours 24 minutes later they arrived in France - not quite a national record but definitely a record for Surrey West!
Well done to the team of six and their very numerous band of supporters.

Now we really are closed for Summer!!

CLOSED FOR SUMMER

As we have all had a long and exhausting year I think we all need a complete break - or as complete as it can be allowing for the camps, swims etc due in the next six weeks. Today the office closed for Summer and I am closing down the County for six weeks as well. From today:

1. I will pick up emails but not reply except if it is an emergency
2. I will answer the phone but only deal with emergencies

So, if it can wait until September, it should do.

See you in September - although I can't pretend to leave this blog unaltered until then.

Beautiful Gardens

This weekend I spent Saturday and most of Sunday at Hampton Court Flower Show helping at the GirlguidingUK Centenary Garden. What a busy two days as people came through the garden in droves. They were very complimentary and many ladies had wonderful memories of Guiding. If you didn't know, the garden won silver gilt and also was the people's Choice. There were also the balconies - Hinchley Wood Guides' Icelandic Balcony was highly commended. We also had several entries in the container category although I haven't discovered whether we were successful there.
It was a splendid event and excellent publicity. Although it was exhausting it was also exhilarating.

Wise words

"A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble."- Mohandas Gandhi

Brave the Waves

At the end of July six intrepid ladies will set out from Dover Harbour and will swim in one hour slots to Cap Gris Nez in France. This is 22 miles on a good day but wind and tides might add to this. For two years they have been working hard training week in, week out while still having to go to work, support their families and do "normal" Guiding. What an enormous venture this has proved to be.
Now, dear readers, it is your turn to support them. Channel Swims do not happen without a great deal of cost attached for hiring boats, arranging insurance, covering training costs etc etc. The bill is substantial and fundraising is ongoing.
Before they set out we are holding a sweepstake which will give a £30 prize to the person who guesses how long it will take them to swim across. Please take part - it is £1 a guess and you can give Hours, minutes and seconds. If you want to take part please email me on Countycommissioner@girlguidingsurreywest.org.uk with your guess and then pop £1 a guess in the post to me at 4 Pineridge Close, Weybridge, KT16 9SP.
The sweepstake will end on August 1st so email me now.