Being both a keen Guide and a keener traveller, you’d think I’d be an INTOPS regular- that is, Girlguiding’s shorthand for International Opportunities, or trips abroad. But no, I’ve only in the last two years really come across INTOPS and I’d never thought about going for it myself. But now I have and this intersection … More What happens at INTOPS (International Opportunities) adult selection?
This is usually either the first or the second post of the year but here we are in the last week of February because I had the bright idea to document our Christmas Adventure on film this year. I’m not very good at taking 36 film photos in a single day, so it took until … More Christmas Adventure 2024 at Hurst Spit
In my last post, in which I visited Bath Thermae Spa, I called it “bathing like a Roman”, on the grounds that the modern spa uses the same source as the 2000-year-old Roman bathhouse but other than that, there’s no similarity at all between my spa trip and Julia Ennia Caesianus’s visit to the baths. … More Bath Roman Baths: how to actually bathe like a Roman
I went to Bath Thermae Spa about ten years ago, having been sent up to Bath College on a couple of days’ notice to replace a colleague on a social media course. The course was terrible, the hotel I stayed in was so unmemorable that I don’t even remember it and I don’t think I … More Bathing like a Roman: how good is Bath Thermae Spa?
A sensory deprivation tank, or a flotation tank or even REST (restricted environment stimulant therapy) as they call it in this century, was something that had been on my to-do list for a while but going into the New Year, I decided to get it over with. It’s supposed to be pretty much a cure … More I tried a sensory deprivation tank
The “A Daycation in…” series is one I was planning to start in 2025, to showcase some of the best and most interesting places around Dorset and Hampshire, delving into what elevates something from a mere “day out” to a “daycation”. But I got started a bit earlier than planned, because Bournemouth hotel The Nici … More A Daycation at… The Nici, Bournemouth
Over the last ten or fifteen years, Girlguiding has cultivated four flagship events, held simultaneously at anywhere between two and four of its Training & Activity Centres. The really big one is Wellies & Wristbands, a festival camp for Guides & Rangers, the 10 to 18-year-olds. Then came Magic & Mayhem, a circus-themed fun day … More Sparkle & Ice 2024: the one in a shepherds hut
Perhaps this should be a post about all the cosy things you can do in autumn in London – kicking red-gold leaves, PSLs in old-fashioned pubs with open fires, where to buy brown and orange knitwear or hand-made candles… but that’s not what autumn in the UK looks like. Autumn in London is grey and … More 3 days in London in October
In part 1, I told you what the Rebel Badge Club is and what Rebel Summer Camp is all about so if you don’t know, you can go and read that. In the meantime, I’m jumping straight into part 2, Sunday and Monday. Greta 2’s first scheduled activity at 9.30am was board games. I’m not … More Rebel Summer Camp part 2: Sunday and Monday
Let’s talk about the other big exciting thing I did this summer: I went to Rebel Summer Camp 2024! I didn’t go last year; it was a lot of money and I had doubts about whether a single person can put on an event of that scale. For context, it’s about the same price as … More Rebel Summer Camp part 1: Friday and Saturday
I Am A Polar Bear 