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.

Thank you

To all those who read this blog!
If you know anyone who helped at or came to the Herons Wey Fair or made a donation or contributed in any way at all, please will you pass on our warmest (!) thanks for their help in such a busy year. We ask a lot of our volunteers and in such a busy year I am sincerely grateful you could find a gap in your diary to help.
I would also like to thank the brave man who cooked the pig on a very hot day, the Brewery staff who sat quietly most of the day and our superb Announcer who made a great impression on everyone.
I would also like to thank Godalming Band who entertained us on a very warm evening with skill and good humour.

HW Fair

What a hot day! I am burnt to a frazzle.

We had a splendid day at the Fair yesterday with a wide variety of stalls and a great concert in the evening - what, you missed it? Well so did most people because we had very few people came. Whether we made any money we have yet to find out.
In case you missed it (which you probably did) The Cabin at Herons Wey has been renamed "Enid's Cabin" as an XXXth birthday present from Countyto Enid Brewer who has been an extremely able warden for many years. What better than to name a building after her. We thought she would rather have the Cabin named after her than the toilet block!

A notable day

Today is:

1. my 27th wedding anniversary (and they said it would never last)
2. my daughter's 21st birthday (it seems only yesterday she was a tiny baby crying if she wasn't carried around all the time)
3. the day she gets her degree grade (first class in Natural Sciences from Cambridge)

Thank you to Margaret Froome who asked after my Father after I reported he was unwell several months ago. For anyone interested, yes he is now fine and recovered from the stroke which was, fortunately, mild. Suggestions from my stepmother that this has caused dementia, untidiness and aggression are not apparent when we see him as he has always been forgetful, untidy and grumpy (at times). I asked him about it and he said he can't remember if he has dementia but the doctor hadn't told him he had it - but then he may just have forgotten. Same sense of humour, then!

Wales

I had a lovely week in Wales - mainly good weather; lots of visiting and walking; beautiful countryside; unusual cottage. Daughter (19) drove down with son (12) on the Saturday and my husband and I joined them on the Sunday at lunchtime to be greeted with all the reasons she was unhappy:

1. there was nothing to do
2. there was no mobile reception
3. she had to drive 5 miles for fish and chips
4. the pub was no good
5. It was cold
6. It took a tank of petrol to get there...and then you had to pay to get into Wales!
7. all you could see out of the windows were graves
8. She couldn't sleep because of the noise of the sheep...

Then she went home less than 24 hours after arriving with the parting shot "I should have known what sort of holiday you would go on".

Other daughter (20) joined us for a few days later in the week and we saw lots of things and went walking and had a fabulous time.

Can I recommend the area south of Monmouth? It doesn't take long to get to and is very beautiful. We were particularly impressed with Caerwent which we had never heard of but has the best preserved Roman City walls in the UK - practically complete and several metres tall. They now surround a village with areas of excavation such as a temple and a bit of the forum. More impressive in many ways than the better known (and signposted) Caerleon.

Herons Wey Fair and Holiday and things

Just before I head off for a week's holiday in Wales and then three days in Frankfurt I thought I would bring you up to date;

• Herons Wey Fair - beginning to worry that no-one will come so please, please come yourself AND make sure your girls know they can come even if you can't.
• Also worried about raffle prizes - I have generated nine but, apart from one very generous gift, had none from anyone else
• We hope to get builders quotes before the Fair...
• Census is nearly paid - just NINE units still holding out.
• We invited a few selected VIPs to the Gala Dinner and am looking for Divisions willing to host - they don't have to pay we just need spaces.
• Then there is the office move which Alison Watson is managing with Margaret because I am away. If you don't know the office is moving then you need to know we will be based in Guildford after half term c/o the YMCA near Dapdune Wharf.