The view from above

Landing

Flame on

More photos: Cub Hot Air Ballooning

Hot air balloons are hard work. I helped out tonight doing a dozen or so tethered flights for the scouts, and bumped into someone I’ve not seen since school, it proved to be hard work holding the balloon down for every changeover, so I suspect my shoulders will ache a bit tomorrow.

Photos tomorrow, probably.

After heading into work this morning to poke a broken server, I headed out to take a few photographs at the District Patrol Camping Competition for an hour or so. Due to a lack of leaders I ended up helping out with the Archery for one session, and then had a go on the rifle shooting for a bit while consoling myself over the rugby results.

More photos: District Patrol Camping Competition.

Standing up for too long at the St George’s Day activities on Saturday wrecked my back again, at one point on Sunday I had to resort to crawling across the room as I couldn’t get up. However two days of painkillers and rest and it’s pretty much back to normal again, and after an hour at the Doctors this morning my painkillers have been restocked for the next few months.

Today was the District Scout outing to Woodlands Park in Devon (I’d link to their website if it wasn’t so obnoxious). First Group laid on a private train to Totnes for us, then coaches to the park, and the same in reverse coming home again. Thanks to the seating plan we had to endure the hardship of sitting in the first class carriage each way.

After the fog had cleared the sun shone and it was a nice hot sunny day. The Beavers, Cubs, and Scouts were mostly well behaved, and I don’t think we managed to leave any behind. The only downside is that it’s wrecked my back again.

Photos to follow at some point, probably.

Tonight I took three of the scouts out to do the ride for their Cyclist badge. We headed along the canal to Dundas, and then onto Avoncliff. We’d had a couple of light showers along the way, and plenty of thunder and lightning, but nothing too wet. However soon after turning back at Avoncliff the towpath started to look very wet, but obviously we’d missed the rain. Or so we thought.

About a mile before we were due to leave the canal, the heavens opened and we were deluged with torrential rain. Within a few hundred yards I was soaked to the skin despite wearing my Raceface AquaMax jacket. We eventually made it back to the scout hut absolutely drenched, and I then had to ride home.

The last four miles home were in the same torrential rain, and it had rained so hard that all the roads were at least an inch deep in water all the way back. I don’t think I’ve ever been so wet in my life.

Casualties of the night so far include my HID lamp which appears to have died completely. I suspect all the bearings in the cross bike will be a bit waterlogged as well.

It lasted three hours tonight. Time that could have been better spent playing GTA4, or contemplating my navel.

Due to my dodgy back I’m not actually camping at the Scout Skills Camp, choosing instead to sleep in a proper comfortable bed. Helpfully they also thought I was on holiday this weekend and not able to attend, so I’m not really needed.

I popped out this afternoon to give the Canon G9 a proper work out, and ended up leaving the 30D in the boot of the car untouched.

Whilst the 30D can take far superior photographs, in these conditions the G9 was the better camera to use. It fits in a pocket, and the resulting photographs are more than adequate for what I need.

Very wet, very cold, very very muddy, very delayed, very chaotic.

I left the house at 8, and got home a bit before 7, my back is ruined and I need refueling with pizza and beer. I didn’t even get to take many photographs.