How do you add a website to a blog?

That was my question of the day and the answer was easy once I worked out how to do it. So as this blog is about my Trefoil Guild and Guiding experience I thought I'd start with them. I've also played around with the colour of the text. Let's just say it's a work in progress. I had a sense of achievement today - I thought I would google Voyage Award to see what is out there and lo and behold what did I find......my blog comes up on page 3. At first when I saw it I thought how strange that's the same as mine then realised it was mine! I know there is a way to get it bumped up higher in searches so maybe that should go on my to do list.

Time to do something for myself

The Voyage Award is split into 5 sections and the hours you are required to do on each section varies but overall it is expected to take at least 12 months. : The sections and hours for the Bronze award are:
Service - 40 hours
Myself - 40 hours
Teamwork - 10 hours
Skills - 20 hours
Explore my World - 20 hours

It sounds scary when its written like that but the hours are stacking up apart from one category - Myself. I seen to have a problem doing things for myself. The section is divided into three categories Mind, Body and Heritage.

This is a long post as I'm looking back to 22nd February when I started the award to see what I've actually done for myself.

On 22nd February, with Forest Hall Trefoil Guild, i did a Treasure Trail around Tynemouth . We wandered around Tynemouth searching for answers to clues which helped us to find out the murder of a local dentist. I like knowing about our local heritage and found out new facts about  Tynemouth. There was a building I've passed hundreds of times which was actually Tynemouths first train station.

This day was special as we also made our Trefoil Guild promise in front of the Priory.

In June I joined some members of another Trefoil Guild to do a city walk in Newcastle. we started outside the Central Station and meandered through the streets of an area that was once a very select place to live. How often when you walk up Westgate Road do you look above the streets and shops to see the buildings above? At one time all the best families in Newcastle lived in these houses. In a graveyard beside the Evening Chronicle offices I found out that before the 1st World War one of the crypts was opened the body removed and a printing press hidden in it. It was put there so if Britain was invaded there would still be  a way of promoting the free press. The same happened in the 2nd World War. Nobody knows what happened to the body! We ended up at St Nicholas' Cathedral and had tea and scones. a lovely morning in good company.

I'm trying something new by writing this blog though I need to develop my skills with this, I want to add links to websites and learn to read the data it produces. I think a few people have read it - even in America. I have also learnt if you press a key and the whole post disappears that I should not panic it is still there in draft form (a heart-stopping lesson learnt today)

I've also tried something new by learning to paint a room. My mum always said she never learnt to paint because if she could do it my dad wouldn't. Well I like that approach so followed that philosophy for years but now I've decided its time to learn to paint. I started with my son's room. He wasn't impressed that he was my first attempt but I had to start somewhere.

What did I learn?
No matter how hard you try, paint will always find the bit of carpet that you don't cover.
A white ceiling has a magnet  that attracts your paintbrush even though you actually want to paint the wall
There is no point in finding the roll of masking tape after you have finished
You never have enough paint to finish and have to go out for more.
Will I try it again? Of course but as I'm sure as everyone knows preparation is the key to it all so I will try to be more organised next time.

One of the suggestions for this category is to achieve a dream. When I was a child I went to London with my family and I can remember camping in Slough and I think we went to London Zoo. It might be a false memory but I do know that I have wanted to go for a few years but never got there. This year in April I went to London. I  googled London Zoo before I went but decided it was too expensive but on the train down I picked up a leaflet with offers on and one of them was 2 for 1 admission to London Zoo so I decided that was a sign that I had to go. We walked through Regents Park to the Zoo and spent many hours there. I loved it and my favourite animals were the giraffes.

Whilst in London - another sign - the Olympic Park was opened to the public for the first time on the weekend we were there so I had to go. When the 2012 Olympics were on I hoped that one day I would be able to visit the park so with the bribe to my daughter of visiting the Westfield Shopping Centre and to my son of going to a football match at Leyton Orient I got to achieve my dream. The actual arena was still closed but we had a wander round and I took many photos of the ArcelorMittal Orbit but couldn't persuade anyone to go up it. I'll just have to go back sometime (maybe another dream for the Silver award.)

Well if you've stuck with me through that well done, looks like I'm not doing too bad for that section - need to check it all is acceptable but it even if it doesn't its a record of some good times and as a learning point for writing blogs, do posts more often so that they are not too long.

North Tyneside Big Brownie Birthday

6th July 2014 was the day of our Celebration for the Brownies 100th birthday. Beaconsfield at Tynemouth was taken over by the Girlguiding North Tyneside County team who had worked so hard to prepare for the day. Bouncy castles, Puppet shows, fun races, a fashion show of Brownie uniforms, an archive display of photographs, the North Tyneside Steel Band and plenty of sideshows to test your skills. I was in the craft tent helping children make Rosebuds. It was a bit fiddly but the children all did so well making them and patiently waiting in line for their turn. I made sure they knew that when Brownies started they were called Rosebuds. It was a great day and even the sun decided to join in the fun. Another 4.5 hours of volunteering for the Voyage Award.

A Very Pink Weekend

For the Bronze level of The Voyage Award the time requirement is 40 hours of Service. Now I could do this no bother over 12 months with my existing guiding commitments but that wouldn't be a challenge. So far I have helped  at 4th Killingworth Brownies at their meeting and with 1st Forest Hall Guides doing their Onesie Walk which was a sponsored walk from the Rising Sun Country Park to their meeting place in Forest Hall. I can also count the time I spend in my role as Trefoil Guild Chairperson. However this is also covered by volunteering with a charity so I decided to help at the at the Cancer Research events at Gosforth Park Racecourse, Newcastle on the weekend of 19th and 20th July.  On Saturday  I was up early to report for duty at 8:15 for the Newcastle Pretty Muddy Race for Life. I was an obstacle marshal and was armed with a fluorescent jacket and a radio. My job on the day to make sure the ladies got over the obstacles and encourage those who needed it. I was on the first obstacle so most were still excited at the run ahead and not at all muddy. There were all shapes and sizes of ladies and all ages but all of them were up for the challenge.Those tubes were bigger and firmer than they appear but there was lots of laughter going over them.

Sunday meant another early morning and  back there again for the Race for Life. I was a race marshal this time and was at a point where the race splits - I lost my direction sheet to start with which made me doubt my ability to send people the right way but never mind, I manned my spot and no one got lost.  

Before the race I had time to practice a new skill - a selfie on my new phone just to prove I was there.

Towards the end of the run people are more tired and need a bit more encouragement but most managed a smile when I said there wasn't much further to go. At one point I felt quite emotional seeing people running with names of loved ones on their back. I didn't think it would be very encouraging to be standing their crying so fortunately the sun was out so out came the sunglasses. I was so proud of all these people for making the effort  and felt my part was just a little to help them on their way yet even though some had hardly any energy left they still smiled and said thank you for marshaling. There was a great uplifiting spirit which kept them going until the end. A very important job was to make sure everyone knew when the last person passed your point. This was so when the end was reached there were plenty of people at the finishing line to cheer them in. It doesn't matter how fast or how slow you do the race the fact that you've attempted it is important. a great weekend - see you all next year Ladies. 

It all added up to 13 1/2 hours of volunteering  and a very tired Joanna