Bedtime in the Oak Lodge and there are plenty of tired children after a very busy day. The weather has been very kind to us again with plenty of sun and just a bit of mist to contend with on our walk to breakfast. The day started early, very early for some. Room inspections at 7.30 were very good, the larger boys bedrooms being the most surprisingly tidy. We then had a walk down to the Nene river to see where we would be canoeing later in the day. Breakfast disappeared very quickly, learning a bit more Portuguese from our Brazilian catering team.
Group one then tried to walk the plank, with some ending up in the mud. Group two completed the above and beyond assault course while learning about the MAF aircraft that are used to deliver aid to some of the poorest and most remote parts of the world.
We then all met up to take on the canoeing as a team. George M summed it up perfectly, “we are really lucky to have such brilliant instructors”. They explained exactly what to do and helped when the canoes didn’t quite go in the direction we wanted. Ask the children about ice cream and brussel sprouts! Nobody fell in, even when we played fruit salad and stood up in the canoes and we played some really fun games.
Lunchtime arrived with plenty of hungry children, and even hungrier adults. Pasta, pizza and salad was just what we needed and the flapjack for pudding promoted many requests for seconds. We attempted to walk to Stanwick Lakes to try out the adventure playground but despite overcoming some pretty big puddles, we had to return home as the paths were too wet.
The afternoon brought abseiling for one group and circus skills for the other. Plenty of courage and skill on display all of which meant a trip to the tuck shop was fully deserved. After dinner came and went before we knew it, the second group to try fencing had a great time learning all the techniques while the other group completed a quiz.
A very tired but happy group of children have now retired for the night and there is not a sound down the corridor (unlike the rather unsubtle ‘whispering’ of the last night). We look forward to another busy morning tomorrow before returning to Church Langton tomorrow to share all of our adventures.