June 27, 2004
The Answer is Fire
I spent most of the day yesterday with Nathan on a cu day our to Phasels Wood near Kings Langley. These are great fun, unless it rains hard for protracted lengths which it forutnately didn't, quite hard work for soft as shite people like me. Karen found my much missed pedometer and it told me I walked 5 miles yesterday. That's not a great deal but it was very tiring nonetheless.
The day starts with Akela, or Arkela or AhrrKayla (if you're Cilla) talking to the cubs.
Then we built fires, shelters, went on a hike, and went on sleds. It's only imple thing but we drank the tea that we made from the heating the water on the fire and ate the potatoes (with egg), bananas, dough twists that we cooked. Additionally, when the rain did come down a little harder actually used the shelters we had made and they worked.
Of course the real point of going on these days is not to spend quality time with your offspring whilst selflessly helping the admirable efforts of the cubs and scout organisers but in fact to what we Dads love to do - light fires. When I was a kid we had regular bonfires which makes me wonder what we found to burn so regularly. We used parrafin to help things along and our eyes streamed from the smoke. The real challenge is to light the thing in the first place of course without resorting to artificial fuel, running boy scouts together instead of sticks or, as I did, pinching a nicely burning log from someone else's fire. When you are tending a fire you forget the whole world. Everything. Even common sense like don't pick up things with your bare hands if they are in the fire.
I think we should have a fire everyweek, outdoors real fires not homey ones in the fireplace. When you look into the flames you will find answers. Like Ronald Regan and Mikhail Gorbachev did on that Spitting Image sketch when it's just the two of them with large brandies sitting in front of a huge fire. Mikhail: "You know, Ronnie? When I look into the flames I see the dawn of a new era. A time of great lasting peace between our two nations. A time of co-operation and safety for out contrymen and their children. What do you see?" Ronnie replies: "Well, I see a little doggie, running across a field..."
Whatever you see, enjoy.
