It's Longbarn time again!

Ah Longbarn! What a great week- new friends, happy memories, and the smell of wood smoke on my clothes!

I've just arrived back to newcastle now and my head is full of Longbarn moments.

Cooking on a fire, laughing with really cool leaders, managing part of a concert, and throwing myself into some great games (sadly the leaders lost at handball- again).

So many great times- making lush pancakes on a fire near the woods, hilarious one liners from the campers and joking about random things till my cheeks ached!

True a shower will be nice, and eating in a quiet place instead of with 50 kids will be a good rest for my ears but it is sad to have left Longbarn again.

Maybe I'll keep a wood-smoked shirt around just to remind me of it all...

Adios.

Wet.

Back in the north now and it is very wet! After a week in the balmy south, especially in devon where it was so bright and hot i needed sun cream, this weather is particularly noticeable.

Let me tell you a bit about Longbarn: its a camp for 8 - 11 year olds in kent, set in the middle of a forest. As such there is not much electricity (there is some thanks to a couple of solar panels), no flushing loos, no internet, and no showers.

Surprisingly, speaking as someone who loves cities, mod cons, and a shower in the morning, going to longbarn is one of the highlights of my year!

I help run the camp, along with around 15 other leaders, ensuring the kids fufill one of the most important rules of the week: to have fun!

Its always strange re-entering society after a week there. One is struck by people using money, rushing to get places, and wearing suits! This is compared to longbarn-ers who emerge into the world needing a wash, engrossed in the idiosyncrasies of camp and looking blankly at a £10 note!

This year's highlights: winning astroblitz (longbarn's premier game), aceing survival (enter forest, cook lunch, try to make sure children don't get food poisoning), and having a bunch of kids really understand the bible stories we were teaching them and ask some excellent questions.

Check out scripture union (who run the camps) to be inspired yourself. :-)

Adios.

The big L

Hello from the train!

I have worked out how to write on this blog from my new phone. Woohoo!

I'm on the train to devon after a week at Longbarn camp. (The big L). This is the fifth year i have been and it was, once again, brilliant.

Now REALLY tired though so won't write more, hope to do so soon.

Longbarn life

Before I talk about Longbarn life, I'm listening to a programme on Radio 4 about MI6 - or the SIS (Secret Intelligence Service) as they are formally called - and its quite sobering.

It seems to be pretty different to Spooks and James Bond, some of it must be quite dull and office-like I think. The programme is talking about 'moles' in the service as well, which sounds awful (unless they were moles in the KGB...)

So anyway, Longbarn. What a great camp it was again.

What really struck me this time was seeing children changing as the week went on.

Every night we had 'S.T.E.P' (singing, thinking, exploring, praying) when these 50 children heard a Bible story, along with great songs (with me singing too which was fun).

Children who seemed very uninterested at the beginning of the week were singing and listening enthusiastically by the end of it. It really made me think about why I do it and encourage me that it makes such a difference.

This year was also great with the leaders! We had a lot of laughs, about everything from playing Top Trumps, to falling over in the mud, to losing at handball (6-2 on one day!).

It was so much fun.

But now I'm back in newCASTLE.

And I like it here. I'm getting to know places and enjoying exploring the area.

Work is good too, and I'm enjoying being paid a lot too!! (I'm enjoying it a lot, I'm not being paid a lot, well more than when I was at Essentials...)