My first beaver patrol

Jof has found me a new activity to help fill up my week - Beaver Scouts! Jof says I can learn all sorts of things from beavers, I can't wait to have a crack at it and get stuck in. This is just a taster session so I shall taste my first beaver this evening, in the same church where I was assistant percussionist #12 at the school nativity play.

We scooted through the park in pitch blackness at zero celsius, lucky I have lights on my scooter. We got there early and I played football with more and more of them as they arrived. There are 4 people I know from school, the park, or swimming and one is in my class.

We saluted a flag and said a liturgical poem, then did the running around statues game. Then we split into groups and did colouring in, solving worthy mazes (Help Johnny get all the litter into the recycling bin) and learning what things can be recycled.

The poems, promises and official sacraments mention god quite a lot but I know that all the various gods are fictional characters made up by priests to get money out of other people so I don't mind.

During proceedings we all had to stand to attention and say an oath of allegiance while one of the beavers was summoned by the high commissioners and was inducted into full beaverdom in a touching rite of passage. He got his full initiate's badges and woggle.

Then another one was old enough or had enough points to be promoted to cubdom in a quite intense symbolic transmogrification ritual in front of the council of elders in regalia. The 2 leading cubs jumped over a strip of blue plastic (representing a river), marched up to the ex-beaver and jumped him back over the river, making him a neo-cub.

Well, I'm bang into beaver. I just can't get enough beaver. Just you wait, I'll end up as grandmaster.

Grandad phoned to say that Grandma has moved to the local hospital and will now get therapy, and he had to sign a thing called a DNR.