Enough of this cloak and dagger shite. I'm going live on Facebook. See you there.
S
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Monday, 21 February 2011
Happy Hippy Days
I'm back! Life went a bit crazy there for a while, sorry about that. But the world has calmed down somewhat, and I've finally got the time and the head space to continue this ol' thing.
So now, where were we? I'd rocked primary school, and survived secondary. How's that for a summary? So we're now in the full throes of my teenage life, where things start to heat up. And when I say 'heat up', I mean nothing of the sort. Far too middle class for that.
You'll remember I went to a boys' school, which in turn meant I either went crazy, or I had to have other contact, especially of the female type, elsewhere. I'd joined Beavers (the younger version of scouts. And yes, I'm aware of the poor naming of it) at a young age. We had fun, but after some time, the woman who ran it had to give it up. Apparently we were somewhat of a challenge; I like to think that we were a group of boys with strong characters and independent streaks. Whichever, we nearly killed her, and strangely no one wanted to take us on, so our Beaver clan was disbanded. I wasn't hugely bothered, with a deep gladness not to have to wear the ridiculous scarf and toggle combo. My sister meanwhile had been in Brownies (seriously, 'Brownies'?). She wasn't so much thrown out, but it was suggested that perhaps it wasn't quite the right thing for her. That and the other girls' nerves could take no more. Wimps. So my parents were faced with two children at a loose end around the house, putting their sanity, if not their very being at serious risk. This is where Woodcraft Folk came in.
Woodcraft seems to be something which, unless you've been a part of it, you probably haven't heard of it. It's Awesome. It's essentially a version of Scouts/Guides, but the hippy, socialist, earth-loving, incense burning, campfire cooking version. And it's co-ed. We joined as Elfins, and progressed up through Pioneers to Venturers. The names already make it sound much more interesting. We met every week, and got up to all sorts of things. Games, dramas, learning about growing stuff, talking about world issues, raising money for things, wearing cotton tops with ink that never stops running. One of the highlights of Woodcraft was the camping element. There were regular camps organised, and all the age groups would troop off into the forest and the countryside, set up tents, chemical toilets, bonfires and kitchens, and spend days enjoying the freedom, the open air, and the local wildlife. One year there was an International Camp in the New Forest. Literally thousands of Woodcrafters camping over acres of field and woodland. I'm not sure if you're used to wide-games, but Woodcraft took it to the extreme. We spent a day playing the Refugee game, where we were issued with little passports and had to leave our home camps. We had to trek around trying to find a camp which would take us in for the night, all the time avoiding the Militia, who could stop you and make you do forfeits. They could also choose to send you to hospital or something, therefore delaying your journey. Carrying food was prohibited. I had a Kendal's Mintcake and an apple hidden in the bottom of my rolled-up sleeping bag, and had to convince the militia I had diabetes so that they didn't confiscate it. We eventually found a great camp, who took us in, fed and watered us, and let us sing songs with them well into the night.
Anyway, I digress. Woodcraft gave me the world I needed. It gave me a place where I was OK. A place where I felt relaxed, where I could be myself. Or at least, something closer to myself. I had a group of friends I loved being around. I can't even come close to expressing how much this all meant to me. Woodcraft taught me how to be accepted, and how to accept. We were a bunch of hippy-saving-the-world types as an added bonus, giving me an amazing sense of the world around me, teaching me about generosity, about the wider world, the need to share this life with the rest of the world, and about how my simply being here affects countless others the world over. I guess it gave me a sense of responsibility. I feel that developing this attitude at such a crucial stage of my life has shaped how I am today, and has shaped how I see the world, how I see my life, and my attitude towards, well, everything. My family were fully into social action and awareness, I spent much of my childhood and adolescence at Traidcraft events, on Christian Aid collections and at general fund raising shennanigans. For the impact this has had on my lifestyle and mindset it has given me I am forever grateful.
Incidentally, Woodcraft was also the environment in which I got together with my first ever girlfriend. Hannah Roscoe. (Hannah, if you ever read this and don't feel comfortable being named, let me know, and I'll change your name to Joyce or something.) Ah, Hannah. She changed my life all over again. For the better. I think I'll talk about the relationship in the next post.
I'm also aware that I haven't even got on to talking about my faith, and the related journeys I went through, and continue to go through. Considering these writings are subtitled 'Confessions of a Christian' I really should get on to it soonish. Right, so next time I'll talk about the introduction of relationships into my life, and how that went for me, then I'll get on to faith. Oh oh, then I'll talk about Church youth group, and also my family. Good.
I'm out.
Stephen
So now, where were we? I'd rocked primary school, and survived secondary. How's that for a summary? So we're now in the full throes of my teenage life, where things start to heat up. And when I say 'heat up', I mean nothing of the sort. Far too middle class for that.
You'll remember I went to a boys' school, which in turn meant I either went crazy, or I had to have other contact, especially of the female type, elsewhere. I'd joined Beavers (the younger version of scouts. And yes, I'm aware of the poor naming of it) at a young age. We had fun, but after some time, the woman who ran it had to give it up. Apparently we were somewhat of a challenge; I like to think that we were a group of boys with strong characters and independent streaks. Whichever, we nearly killed her, and strangely no one wanted to take us on, so our Beaver clan was disbanded. I wasn't hugely bothered, with a deep gladness not to have to wear the ridiculous scarf and toggle combo. My sister meanwhile had been in Brownies (seriously, 'Brownies'?). She wasn't so much thrown out, but it was suggested that perhaps it wasn't quite the right thing for her. That and the other girls' nerves could take no more. Wimps. So my parents were faced with two children at a loose end around the house, putting their sanity, if not their very being at serious risk. This is where Woodcraft Folk came in.
Woodcraft seems to be something which, unless you've been a part of it, you probably haven't heard of it. It's Awesome. It's essentially a version of Scouts/Guides, but the hippy, socialist, earth-loving, incense burning, campfire cooking version. And it's co-ed. We joined as Elfins, and progressed up through Pioneers to Venturers. The names already make it sound much more interesting. We met every week, and got up to all sorts of things. Games, dramas, learning about growing stuff, talking about world issues, raising money for things, wearing cotton tops with ink that never stops running. One of the highlights of Woodcraft was the camping element. There were regular camps organised, and all the age groups would troop off into the forest and the countryside, set up tents, chemical toilets, bonfires and kitchens, and spend days enjoying the freedom, the open air, and the local wildlife. One year there was an International Camp in the New Forest. Literally thousands of Woodcrafters camping over acres of field and woodland. I'm not sure if you're used to wide-games, but Woodcraft took it to the extreme. We spent a day playing the Refugee game, where we were issued with little passports and had to leave our home camps. We had to trek around trying to find a camp which would take us in for the night, all the time avoiding the Militia, who could stop you and make you do forfeits. They could also choose to send you to hospital or something, therefore delaying your journey. Carrying food was prohibited. I had a Kendal's Mintcake and an apple hidden in the bottom of my rolled-up sleeping bag, and had to convince the militia I had diabetes so that they didn't confiscate it. We eventually found a great camp, who took us in, fed and watered us, and let us sing songs with them well into the night.
Anyway, I digress. Woodcraft gave me the world I needed. It gave me a place where I was OK. A place where I felt relaxed, where I could be myself. Or at least, something closer to myself. I had a group of friends I loved being around. I can't even come close to expressing how much this all meant to me. Woodcraft taught me how to be accepted, and how to accept. We were a bunch of hippy-saving-the-world types as an added bonus, giving me an amazing sense of the world around me, teaching me about generosity, about the wider world, the need to share this life with the rest of the world, and about how my simply being here affects countless others the world over. I guess it gave me a sense of responsibility. I feel that developing this attitude at such a crucial stage of my life has shaped how I am today, and has shaped how I see the world, how I see my life, and my attitude towards, well, everything. My family were fully into social action and awareness, I spent much of my childhood and adolescence at Traidcraft events, on Christian Aid collections and at general fund raising shennanigans. For the impact this has had on my lifestyle and mindset it has given me I am forever grateful.
Incidentally, Woodcraft was also the environment in which I got together with my first ever girlfriend. Hannah Roscoe. (Hannah, if you ever read this and don't feel comfortable being named, let me know, and I'll change your name to Joyce or something.) Ah, Hannah. She changed my life all over again. For the better. I think I'll talk about the relationship in the next post.
I'm also aware that I haven't even got on to talking about my faith, and the related journeys I went through, and continue to go through. Considering these writings are subtitled 'Confessions of a Christian' I really should get on to it soonish. Right, so next time I'll talk about the introduction of relationships into my life, and how that went for me, then I'll get on to faith. Oh oh, then I'll talk about Church youth group, and also my family. Good.
I'm out.
Stephen
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