Day 12

Day 12 – 23 August - “Breakfast at Tiffany’s? ………”

Rose and shone a bit later this morning and had a delicious breakfast a la Group Scout Leader of plum tomatoes roasted in olive oil and eggy bread. Took absolutely ages to do for 29 people, but not to be missed (Gerry plans to open up a telephone breakfast service on return to the UK – see http://www.startthedaygerry for contact details). Packed a picnic lunch into the vans and took off to the town of Garda on lake of same name. Smashing place, but so many British accents! Someone spoke to us of Penycae being close to Rhos, though that wasn’t as strange as the American TV present we spoke to in Venice who told us he regularly finished off his correspondence by signing ‘Llangollen’ and had spent time in college with a friend who came from Wrexham!

Back to Garda – bit of walking to do, of course, along the lakeshore and shops which proved impossible for poor Catrin and her raging sciatica – but we’re Scouts! We will not be overcome by the exigencies of a rogue sciatic nerve! Catrin must be mobile – and so she was! From a few bits and bobs scavenged from the beach and a bit of sgtring, a wheelchair was produced to replace her useless limbs (well, it was rented from a farmacia, actually) and once again, Catrin was part of the whole.

We must here make mention of another casualty – Jamie (Chub) Richards – who did not escape scott-free from leaping 15m into a pool the size of a plug-hole during the previously mentioned canyoning event. His back has taken great comfort from the same bag of frozen and re-frozen peas used by Gerry (chronic back-pain sufferer) and Catrin (aforementioned sciatica patient). Bit by bit, the fighting-fit group which left Penycae is turning into a bunch of crocks, but we soldier on! At least no-one was bitten by the scorpion which Mr Heyward caught. This was an easy job for Mr H as, for the past couple of days he’s been a bit of a tasty item, walking around plastered in live yoghurt to ease the sunburn! (Beauty/health tip: this works very well).

Got home from Garda via a lovely supermarket (and we know all about supermarkets, remember!) for the Explorers to make the evening meal while some Leaders went out to eat for their ‘night off’. This night off started at 10 past 10, just managed to catch the restaurant before it closed so had a choice of lasagne or lasagne and left at just after 11.30 pm. Very enjoyable, all the same.

By the way, you remember that scorpion? It was about half an inch long. Tiny compared with the 18 million legged beastie which, sadly, was accidentally boiled to death by potato water in one of the sinks.

o O o