It’s been a good week for ... camping out
A Borders schoolboy has completed a challenge to spend a whole year sleeping in a tent. Braden Collins, 10, wanted to raise money for the charity Diabetes UK.
After spending the night in his back garden last May, he vowed to keep it up for 365 days. Despite some rubbish Scottish weather, he reached his goal last night (Saturday) and marked his "One Year Campaversary" with a family party.
I admire Braden’s resilience. The very thought of tenting brings me out in a cold sweat after our one and only attempt at a family camping trip on Mull. It was the Easter holidays, and we'd been over-optimistic about the weather. When we (mum, dad, boy and dog) arrived at the – extremely coastal – campsite at Craignure, our expedition got off to a bad start. No mallet. Well, Dad thought Mum had packed it and Mum thought Dad had packed it. Dog and boy looked on in wonder at our ineptitude.
A kind camper lent us one and soon we had our brand new tent erected. Then we played cards. And dominoes. And chess. And cards again. Jings, time passes slowly under canvas. Meanwhile, the weather was getting angry. By bedtime, it was blowing a gale.
As the wind and rain raged, Mum and son managed to sleep blissfully through the nocturnal drama as tent pegs pinged out in rapid succession. Just as well we had a mallet with us. Hmmm. A big stone proved a poor substitute. A particular high point was when the anxious dog’s bladder got the better of him ... all over Dad’s sleeping bag.
When day finally broke, we packed up before we were blown into the Sound of Mull. We haven’t camped since.
So, well done, Braden. You are made of stern stuff. And if you ever need a spare tent ...
It’s been a bad week for ... received pronunciation
German authorities are changing a school English exam which many students and teachers deemed too difficult – partly because it included a poor recording of Prince Harry "mumbling" in a speech he gave on Aids at a children's centre in Lesotho in 2015.
If only his parents had taught him to talk proper.
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