The Dangerous School for Boys

I am presently watching TV in my hotel bedroom. The Dangerous school for boys. Its about a chap of 35 who runs a private Boys School in France and brings them up on Traditional values.

While I didnt go to Private School my parents bought us up to hold true values. Hold the door open for ladies, offer to others before you take for yourself and that sort of thing. But what it really reminded me of was our time away in the summer on Camps. We may have lived in a small village where not a lot happens but summers were fun. Six weeks of Summer included virtually every year from the age 11 upwards a week away camping with the local scout group and another week away with the Church youth group, Juco's and Covenenters. Scouts was fun and you learnt the sort of things that the boys on the show are learning. How to light a fire, put up a tent, camp songs and learning new skills. (I never could manage to roll the flag properly so it came out when we pulled on it to salute it). The other week away was something different all together and while I have fond memories of my times away with the Scouts, Church Camp was a class of its own. We all took the trip in a rented Mini Bus to a boys school in Winchester. Naturally it being the summer holidays the school was closed for the summer and so for a week we took up residence in what can only be discribed as an English version of Hogwarts. It was a huge old Stately home style place with Dormitorys and huge playing fields, a swimming pool and a massive dinning room with the names of all the winning heads of team from years gone past for over 100 years.

Every Morning we would be woken by the Elders to quickly dress and come down to breakfast. Naughty boys were woken by an ice cold bucket of water. Never nice. Especially when your bed is damp the following evening. After Breakfast in the grand hall we were broken into our four house teams (just like Hogwarts) where as teams we had to compete in different events. Swimming, Hockey, Arts & Crafts. Every evening meal time we would be awarded the points. Points were given for the winning team in each event of the day and further points for Teammanship and Comradery.

After the evening meal we all made our way to the Assembly hall where we would listen to speakers, watch movies, sing songs and perform sketches and plays before Lights out back in the dorms once more. One day during the week all of the officers would dress in fancy dress costumes, maybe a Sailor, a Tramp, a Pearly King and hide themselves somewhere in Winchester City Centre while all of the boys were kept at the School. 30 Minutes later we were given the password to ask them. "Is it True that Padre wears Tights?" "Do you hang your Teddy Bear from a Flag pole?" and other such nonesense. The object of the game was to find the officers and say the password. If you said it correct you won a ticket. The person with the most officers found and most tickets earned wins. Of course when you see someone and they are actually a member of public and you ask them "Do you have fluff in your bellybutton?" you get some strange looks.

It really was fun times but I guess like many things you dont appreciate them as much at the time.

And they were my summers away with Camp. Fablous eh? Night night.