Skip to main content

Rebel badge book introduction

It has been quite a while since I wrote anything for this blog. So long that the app I had used when I started it (blogo) no longer exists. I did have a look to see if I could find another app that would give me similar functionality - given that I’m using my iPad to do the writing, but the apps I saw either didn’t have very good reviews, didn’t look like they had been updated recently or….

And this is where things may get a bit controversial. It is March 16th 2022 - and the news and the media is full of the war in Ukraine, and which companies and brands have pulled out of Russia - and which countries have applied which sanctions. One app that I looked at simply said ‘Made in Russia’ - nothing  about the developer at all. I made a decision there and then - and so I’m now writing this blog using the website - so we’ll see how that goes. If I need / want to use an app to write it in the future, I’ll have a look for one at that time.

Now for an introduction. My name is Christine, and I live in North Devon with my husband - we are foster carers, and have previously been teachers. Some people will know this already but I’m giving a short introduction for those people who may be joining me for the first time, - perhaps as a result of joining the Rebel Badge Club. I was a Brownie, a Guide, a Young Leader and a Venture Scout, - more of that in a later post. I am mainly a crafter - predominantly a quilter, - with all that that entails (patchwork, appliqué, EPP, FPP, embroidery, quilting), but I enjoy dabbling in different crafts. I remember a particular phrase being used when I just started to learn how to play the flute, and I mused about learning the saxophone too: “Jack of all trades, master of none” - and when I think about this now it seems strange coming from a peripatetic teacher who taught at least 3 different instruments. Thinking about this phrase now I wonder if being a ‘Jack of all trades’ is necessarily a bad thing…I mean, how can we find our ‘thing’ if we don’t try different things, different tasks, different hobbies?



I’ve decided to use this blog to document my progress for badges in the Rebel Badge book. I saw this book advertised on Facebook, and when I looked at the website for it, I knew I was going to have to get the book. I play geolocation games, and I run - and the apps I use to document my progress in these have badges and challenges - and I can’t help myself signing up for new challenges. When thinking about this, I wondered if the desire to get the different badges was linked to my childhood experiences - that maybe I could have done more badges in Brownies, Guides, Scouts had I put more effort in, or thought about it a bit more. It took me a while to realise that I could choose to do the badges, rather than wait for it to be suggested, or to be told I should choose a badge to work towards; my recollection of Brownies was that we would work towards a badge together. Having said that, I seem to remember that being in the Gang Show was enough to get my Jester badge at Brownies, and that when my dad took me out cycling one day he was actually testing my for my Cycling Proficiency badge - well, he was a policeman and a Venture Scout Leader at the time!

There is a lot more to me than this brief introduction, and that will be seen in the coming months. I plan to use this blog for Accountability - and that is the title and subject of my next post!

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Critic badge - Review of an Exhibition

  Being a quilter I like to go to local quilt exhibitions, as they can provide great inspiration for future projects. In August 2024 Little Stitches held an exhibition at Littleham. The group Little Stitches have been going since 2011; they meet on a Saturday at Littleham Village Hall once a month, and they have had around 50 members. They hold an exhibition fairly regularly, every 2 or 3 years - and I have attended most of them.  I attended the exhibition with the young adult who lives with us, on a Sunday - the exhibition was on for just 2 days. We received a warm welcome as soon as we walked through the door - helped by knowing the member who greeted us! Coming from North Devon and being a part of the quilting community, it is becoming increasingly common to see people I recoggnise. On entering the room where the quilts were exhibited, we came across the raffle. I bought tickets - I wasn’t lucky on this occasion - but never mind, as the money raised went to North Devon Agai...
Post a Comment
Read more

World Book Day 2025

  The World Book Day badge has a lot of appeal (like all of the monthly badges), and it was a little difficult to try to decide which clauses to do. However, I had to be sensible, and think about what I could realistically manage - and as reading is one of my ‘winding down’ activities at night, I knew I would struggle to get through lots of books.  The first book I read was ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck - a book on the banned reading list. I chose it as it is quite a short book. The language used in it about black people is one of the reasons it is on the banned list. Another reason is the depiction of what George does at the end of the story - which could be argued to be an act of love for his friend - the end result was always going to be the same, but George’s actions were perhaps a kinder way of doing it.  Another clause asked us to read a book which was then made into a film, then watch the film and compare. I chose to read ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ by Joh...
Post a Comment
Read more

Critic Badge - Review of an album

The album I’ve chosen to review by George Ezra - Staying at Tamara’s. I’m a bit late to the party as far as George Ezra is concerned. I knew that I would enjoy at least one of his songs, as it is one that I heard several times whilst chaperoning our local youth theatre show, and is a song that always makes me feel good - reminding me of happy times and the camaraderie of the group - how it was then (it is just as good now, but different!). The album is in general a feel good album - I’d happily listen to it on car journeys. Certainly the first five songs are quite bouncy - and have what I would call the ‘George Ezra vibe’. The feature that comes through in the first song is that lovely deep round sounding voice - I suppose some people may call it a dark brown chocolate voice. It sounds so rich - and reminds me of Rick Astley’s sound. Although the first five songs sound bouncy, there are some darker undertones - talk of anxiety, certain words that prompt some deeper thinking. It surpris...
Post a Comment
Read more