Design Recollections

Rain,  Rain,  Go Away, Come back another day! Why is my 3 year old has learned to sing this in JUNE. It is pouring here, heavily too, Summer is here for sure

Class 21 - Paint backgrounds with unusual objects.I am still plodding on with my BPS technique classes which I do enjoy but not doing much else crafty right now. Its such a busy time of year with the children needing taken here and there, their social life is way better than mine.

Chelsea camped with the Guides all weekend and it rained for most of  Friday and stopped finally at lunchtime on Saturday. I took Whitney up there on Saturday afternoon for a few hours as the incoming girls next term were invited to come meet and play. I ended up bringing home jackets and pillows badly needing a visit to the tumble dryer. Poor girls, not the ideal camping weather at all.

Class 22 - Making your own masks

Monday night was my last night as Brown Owl and although I knew they were all up to something I did not know what. I was outside with the Rainbows when the leaders and girls started to arrive. We were sausage sizzling, which was a great success as the sun came out for us, and I was kept outside while they got ready. It was when the parents started to arrive that I really wondered what on earth was going on. I was eventually allowed to go inside the school hall. I found parents all sitting in rows facing the stage and the rest of my family seated in the front row with a chair beside them for me which I was asked to sit in.  I did not get to stay there for long as the introduction started I was asked to take a seat on the stage which was covered in a red cloth. I was about to be treated to a performance from the Brownies.

They said the would have liked to have put together a scrapbook for me but did not know how and could not have made one like mine so they had put together a ‘ Living Scrapbook‘ taking a look back over my years as Brown Owl. I was deeply touched.

Class 23 - Tissue paper backgrounds

So out the girls came, two by two, and we all took a trip down memory lane. They reminded us all of the many activities we have taken together and some of the places we have been, it was wonderful and all beautifully narrated by a girl I have know since she was 3. I recently had cause to look back at some photographs of Whitney at nursery and had seen and noticed how small Gwen was then and how much she had grown, a really lovely girl who has remained a good friend to Whitney through the years despite having a different circle of friends that she is close too day to day, a perfect choice to narrate this lovely  trip own memory lane.

Module 6 - 1I was then presented with some beautiful gifts from the girls and their families. Flowers, chocolates, a beautiful photo album, vouchers for a local caft shop and a very special ‘Brownie’ Rose bush for the garden. I was really fighting back the tears now.

After all this I had then to compose myself and address everyone. I had prepared little gifts of something sweet for all the girls which Chelsea helped me deliver as I told them how wonderful their performance had been and how much I had enjoyed it. Then I spoke of the ladies who had been such a great support over these last few years since Nicholas had arrived and made running the Brownies a more challenging task. I would not have lasted so long without their help. I had bought silver Guiding brooch pins for two of them and an large soft squishy bear for Diane, the lovely young lady who would from this day on be known as "Brown Owl’ . I would be now called ‘Rainbow Owl’.

Girlguiding Brownie BearI have known Diane since she was a young Guide herself. She recently Graduated from St Andrews University in Glasgow as a Teacher and will be a fantastic Brown Owl to take on my pack. I wish her all the luck in the world, she is a star and I love her to bits. She did a wonderful job putting Monday nights tributes together and I won’t ever forget that.

The last 3 years has been the toughest trying to juggle my life and all my commitments. Losing my best friend and fellow Guider 2 years ago just made it impossible at times. But  I managed to struggle on for two more years but now the time has come to take a little of the stress off and Diane’s graduation made the timing perfect to make the move now.

Module 6 - 2

I am continuing next term with the Rainbow Guides, that I can manage with everything else so I have not severed all ties, I am looking forward to an easier time, of that there is no doubt but I shall miss them.

This week I have enjoyed the Photography course "Painting with Light’ from Cheryl. This module was ‘People’, my favourite subject. I have taken 100’s of shots this last week and really enjoyed the module. A few weeks ago I made it into the top five images of the week which was pleasing and then last week one of my images made it onto the short list once again. 

Module 6 - 3 - Nic & his BlankieThe most pleasing thing about this week though is the many shots I now have that will make it onto scrapbook pages, I got some shots that I really wanted to journal events with. I really wanted a good shot of Nicholas and his beloveded ‘Blankie’, I got it at last, So its all good!

Its been an emotional week this last one and as these last two weeks of school pass its going to get worse as we prepare to move Chelsea onto High School but I shall save that story for another day.

Rainbow Owl signing off,

Until later xx…