Journal Your Christmas: 9th December

I cannot make a Journal Your Christmas album without mention of snow.  So I have written a letter to that staple of the season: the British Weather.

Dear British Weather,

I wrote last year and asked for snow.  It was not forthcoming.  Now I don't want you to think this is a complaint, but I am rather expecting you to come through this year.  And the sprinkling that fell on the 5th does not count.  You know better than that. 

I think perhaps I need to be clear in my expectations.  The snow should be white and fluffy and it should stick together properly to make snowmen and snow houses.  I understand that this also means it will stick together to make snowballs and that this will be a problem at school, but I am prepared to deal with the consequences (and any children) in a firm manner.

The snow should be of a sufficient quantity to ensure the closure of school for at least 2 days.  And bear in mind, my school is the one that never closes.  There was that time in the Blitz when a bomb fell on it and everyone just carried on with their lessons.  So don't pull your punches: if the school is going to close, there is going to have to be depth.  And drifts.  You may even need to take out the central heating.  It's been a very long term.  We all need this.  And you owe us for last year.

It should also look magical and sparkly.  So why not toss in a little winter sunshine?  Everyone will appreciate the effort more then.

ON NO ACCOUNT SHOULD THE SNOW BE SLUSHY.

And it must be the right kind of snow.  If it's the wrong kind, the trains get upset and stop working and I do not have time to sort out temperamental locomotives.  I'm still busy sorting out the kids with the snowballs.

Finally, and most importantly, it's the only thing my Dad asks for every year and I can't get it on Amazon.  

So here's to that white Christmas I'm dreaming of.  

All the best for the new year,

Kirsty xxx

P.S. Maybe work in a few icicles for the look of the thing.  I mean, if I'm going to get 2 days off work, I want to get out with my camera, and some picturesque icicles would be just the ticket.

P.P.S. I love what you did with the frost this morning.  The frosted trees leaned over the road like a cocoon of spun sugar and the blushing pink sunrise over the horizon was magical.  

P.P.P.S. This, however, does not excuse you from the snow.

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If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you may remember I spent 3 weeks in the summer volunteering in Armenia, training women to lead units of Girl Guides and provide opportunities for girls and women in their local communities.  I went as part of a team on a project called GOLD: Guiding Overseas Linked with Development.  Each year GOLD sends teams of leaders from Girlguiding UK to run a variety of projects abroad to help develop the communities, skills, opportunities and lives of girls and women through Guiding.  Each project lasts for three to five years, with a new team visiting each year, and each project is designed to be sustainable; the aim is to give those involved in Guiding the ideas and resources to take control and facilitate their own development.

As a participant last year, I was eligible to be a leader in GOLD 2013 and I’m absolutely over the moon to have been invited to lead the Cambodia project next year.  I’ll be leading a team of 5 women and we will be travelling to different communities and teaching English.  Having some basic language skills means that the girls in these communities are more likely to be able to find work and develop some independence.  In the summer, the Cambodia 2012 team were anticipating having classes of around 30 and ended up leading sessions with over a hundred participants.  People were prepared to travel to take advantage of the English lessons and the team were overwhelmed by the response.  Obviously, being in Guiding meant that the GOLD team thought on their feet and made everyone welcome, but the sheer volume of those interested really illustrates the need for schemes like this in local communities in Cambodia.

Each person involved in GOLD project has to raise the funds to go, and projects are running this year in Tanzania, Armenia, The Gambia, Sri Lanka, Latvia and Malawi.  Having experienced the huge impact we were able to have in just a few short weeks on young women in Armenia, I’m really excited to get to grips with a new country, helping them work towards a better future through Guiding.

You can read more about our team’s Armenian adventure over the summer here, and I feel like I’ve been scrapbooking the photos ever since!  Last year I ran a scrapbooking class called Just One Sketch to raise funds.  That class is still available here in a self-paced format, and if you stop back tomorrow, I’ll be sharing an exciting new project!

Kisses xxx

P.S. And now to the kitchen to bake up a storm!  If only it were that simple...