Prompted by a comment by chris 5th, I thought I'd give a run down of
our last activity.

This was a bivouac evening at our district campsite. Only 14 Scouts
turned up (out of 26), which in the event was quite handy.  

I brought along a selection of bivy bags (or baked beans as some
called them), misc tarps and a hammock or two. And 3 rabbits, dead,
skinned, gutted.

Andy, my co-conspirator, arrived with flour, jam, trout. And a face
swollen up like a football. He has an abcess on his gum. It didn't
make his heart grow fonder. There was no way he was going to kip the
night in a ditch, but fortunately I brought my son in a YL role.(1)

So, a fire was lit, shelters were built. One lad had brought a pillow,
bless. Dampers and twists were made. Trout was stuck on sticks and
cooked/burnt. I had a billy or two, so we stewed the rabbit. Lovely it
was too. Eaten with fingers. 

And it rained a bit, but it didn't matter. The Scouts turned in by
midnight, some by 2300. They were knackered.  I sat up and poked the
fire till about 0100, then crawled into my hammock. Comfy. Couldn't
find hip flask with warming nip,so went to sleep. Woke a couple of
times in the night, finally getting up at 0600.

Strike camp, then upto hut at the campsite for bacon'n'eggs. 

All collected by 1000.

Magical. 


(1) So with only me and a YL there I was probably a bit light. I
certainly planned for 2 adult leaders to be there, but, as noted
above,  1 went sick. If there had been more, or different Scouts
there, we would have probably binned the idea, but 14 mostly sensible
ones present no major problems.
-- 

Tim

I understand very little of what's being discussed
but for some reason it's fascinating.

(Jon Thompson, urs)

"Tim Hall"  wrote in message 
news:m3jr74t58g8ruj75mofj7k9negt65s2b55@4ax.com...
> Prompted by a comment by chris 5th, I thought I'd give a run down of
> our last activity.
>
> This was a bivouac evening at our district campsite. Only 14 Scouts
> turned up (out of 26), which in the event was quite handy.
>
> I brought along a selection of bivy bags (or baked beans as some
> called them), misc tarps and a hammock or two. And 3 rabbits, dead,
> skinned, gutted.
>
> Andy, my co-conspirator, arrived with flour, jam, trout. And a face
> swollen up like a football. He has an abcess on his gum. It didn't
> make his heart grow fonder. There was no way he was going to kip the
> night in a ditch, but fortunately I brought my son in a YL role.(1)
>
> So, a fire was lit, shelters were built. One lad had brought a pillow,
> bless. Dampers and twists were made. Trout was stuck on sticks and
> cooked/burnt. I had a billy or two, so we stewed the rabbit. Lovely it
> was too. Eaten with fingers.
>
> And it rained a bit, but it didn't matter. The Scouts turned in by
> midnight, some by 2300. They were knackered.  I sat up and poked the
> fire till about 0100, then crawled into my hammock. Comfy. Couldn't
> find hip flask with warming nip,so went to sleep. Woke a couple of
> times in the night, finally getting up at 0600.
>
> Strike camp, then upto hut at the campsite for bacon'n'eggs.
>
> All collected by 1000.
>
> Magical.
>
>
> (1) So with only me and a YL there I was probably a bit light. I
> certainly planned for 2 adult leaders to be there, but, as noted
> above,  1 went sick. If there had been more, or different Scouts
> there, we would have probably binned the idea, but 14 mostly sensible
> ones present no major problems.
> -- 
>
> Tim
>
> I understand very little of what's being discussed
> but for some reason it's fascinating.
>
> (Jon Thompson, urs)

Yep, felt I was there. Lovely.
Unless it was huge wood, 26 scouts would have been over-kill..... 14 was 
better.
But 16 people tucking into 3 rabbits?
How long did you cook them, ours turned-out rubbery? ( and very little meat) 
and with chicken stock cubes or what?

Thanks,
Eddie

"Tim Hall"  wrote in message 
news:m3jr74t58g8ruj75mofj7k9negt65s2b55@4ax.com...
> Prompted by a comment by chris 5th, I thought I'd give a run down of
> our last activity.
>
> This was a bivouac evening at our district campsite. Only 14 Scouts
> turned up (out of 26), which in the event was quite handy.
>
> I brought along a selection of bivy bags (or baked beans as some
> called them), misc tarps and a hammock or two. And 3 rabbits, dead,
> skinned, gutted.
>
> Andy, my co-conspirator, arrived with flour, jam, trout. And a face
> swollen up like a football. He has an abcess on his gum. It didn't
> make his heart grow fonder. There was no way he was going to kip the
> night in a ditch, but fortunately I brought my son in a YL role.(1)
>
> So, a fire was lit, shelters were built. One lad had brought a pillow,
> bless. Dampers and twists were made. Trout was stuck on sticks and
> cooked/burnt. I had a billy or two, so we stewed the rabbit. Lovely it
> was too. Eaten with fingers.
>
> And it rained a bit, but it didn't matter. The Scouts turned in by
> midnight, some by 2300. They were knackered.  I sat up and poked the
> fire till about 0100, then crawled into my hammock. Comfy. Couldn't
> find hip flask with warming nip,so went to sleep. Woke a couple of
> times in the night, finally getting up at 0600.
>
> Strike camp, then upto hut at the campsite for bacon'n'eggs.
>
> All collected by 1000.
>
> Magical.
>

SNIP

Two of ours went at the weekend to the County Backwoods weekend along with 
126 Scouts and Guides - the weather on Friday was appalling.

They got to put their gear in a marquee whilst they built their shelters and 
as the weather was bad they were given extra polythene and provided with 
bales of hay to help with the ground.

They go their fires going by all accounts.

I have heard that one of ours got really stuck in with the rabbit (comes 
dead but otherwise complete - so they have to skin and gut it and remove 
head etc), the other was a bit squeemish.

I don't know what else they did this year but fill find out when I talk to 
them and the 3 leaders that help the team run it.

Previously though they have done chicken (dead but with feathers etc), 
trout - live put in a paddling pool and they have to catch it by hand first, 
maggot popcorn, woodlice etc.

I'm sure they will have had a good new experience anyway..

DaveB
West Yorks

On Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:11:39 +0100, "Eddie Langdown"
 wrote:

>

>Yep, felt I was there. Lovely.
>Unless it was huge wood, 26 scouts would have been over-kill..... 14 was 
>better.

Bigg-ish wood. Certainly space enough to lose them.

Come and camp there. 

<http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/cgi-bin/camping/db.cgi?db=camping&uid=default&sb=1&so=ascend&Check=Yes&SiteCounty=West+Sussex&view_records=View+Sites&nh=8&mh=1>


Hmm, I thinkthe DC's email is out of date. Ho hum.

>But 16 people tucking into 3 rabbits?

Not every one ate rabbit. They'd all had dinner before they arrived.
It was more in the way of "try this".

>How long did you cook them, ours turned-out rubbery? ( and very little meat) 
>and with chicken stock cubes or what?

The Plan was to bung in some wild garlic from the garden, but Mrs.
Hall failed to find any. So I put a couple of onions and a cabbage in
a carrier bag. And left it at home.


So, just in water, for, ooh, ages. Hour and half perhaps. Tasty,
tender, not a bit like chicken.

I also cooked the liver on the end of a pointy stick.


-- 

Tim

I understand very little of what's being discussed
but for some reason it's fascinating.

(Jon Thompson, urs)

On Jul 16, 1:50 pm, Tim Hall  wrote:
> >How long did you cook them, ours turned-out rubbery?

Spit roasted over embers is a great way to eat rabbit; really brings
out the flavour. Somewhere I've got a photo of some Beaver Scouts
knawing on a rabbit's spinal column :-) Guess there might be a problem
if undercooked - do rabbits carry salmonella?

> The Plan was to bung in some wild garlic from the garden, but Mrs. Hall failed to find any.

Wrong time of year for wild garlic (properly called "ransoms");
sprouts in March - April, flowers in May and all the leaves (the bit
you cook with) have wilted and turned to mush by the middle of June.
Incidently an "ancient woodland indicator" species. Tolmers is wild
garlic city in the spring. It has been claimed that rabbits which
graze on ransoms are garlic flavoured. This may be a rural myth.
Splodge.

>
> Magical.
>
> (1) So with only me and a YL there I was probably a bit light. I
> certainly planned for 2 adult leaders to be there, but, as noted
> above,  1 went sick. If there had been more, or different Scouts
> there, we would have probably binned the idea, but 14 mostly sensible
> ones present no major problems.
> --
>
> Tim
>
> I understand very little of what's being discussed
> but for some reason it's fascinating.
>
> (Jon Thompson, urs)

Scouting at its very best I would say!

Very well done!

Remind me to buy you a pint next time we meet.