Saturday 22 June 2013

Mermaid with Fish and Chips




Another week of Freeman College in Sheffield started with a desire to catch a mermaid and eat it with chips. There were quite a few attempts of fishing one but none were successful. 

Although we had cold showers, we had lots of laughs and giggles going kayaking, abseiling, camping (or rather glamping?) and on Iona. One night we even had a wild dinner in Ardanalish – a beautiful sandy beach close to an organic weaving farm. 

After everyone got ready for camping on Wednesday morning, the group set off. Once at Market Bay the students started fishing, swimming, playing cricket (?), discovering the surroundings or transforming into a mermaid with a sand-fishtail. When the boat arrived, we hitched up the tents (even students who were keen on “sleeping underneath the stars”) and started cooking.

After a game of French cricket and a round of rounder’s, we watched the sun set and set and set... Well when it was dark enough we got back and let one of the Freeman leaders entertain us. Even now I sometimes hear one of the vollies singing “Bum bum, do you want to be crazy? Bum bum, do you want to be nuts, like us?” another favourite was “boom chick-a rock-a chick-a boom”.

After an amazing Camas challenge meal, one of the Freeman staff dressed up as an old Captain who lost his treasure. He suspected that the wild Camas Pirates had hidden it. But as there were some clues left, everyone helped by collecting the pieces of a big map, which explained the way to the treasure. The treasured Haribos and chocolate were eaten during more songs and poems.