What we cleaned up:

Charcoal footprints across the hall,
a burnt sausage that somehow welded itself to the BBQ grill,
and half a broken tent pole that just appeared on the floor.

We are not asking questions.

---

Best excuse of the night:

“I didn’t break the tent… it broke itself when I was helping.”

Was he “helping”?
Unclear.
Was the tent broken?
Absolutely yes.

---

Best moment:

The Cubs cheering when they found out we’re planning summer camp followed closely by,
“WE’RE COOKING SAUSAGES? TONIGHT??”

Priorities firmly established.

---

Summer Camp Planning Begins!

Tonight we kicked off preparations for our first big summer camp,
and the excitement levels were somewhere between “theme park trip” and “Christmas morning at full sugar strength.”

We talked about:

• what to pack
• what not to pack (we’re looking at you, Cub who suggested bringing a hamster)
• how tents work
• what food we’ll cook
• how loud snoring is considered acceptable

One Cub asked,
“Can we camp somewhere with wolves?”
The answer is and will forever be no.

---

Tent Practice AKA: Hilarious Chaos

We took a tent out of the quartermaster’s newly organised kit store (he was watching us closely… very closely) and gave the Cubs one mission:

Put up the tent.

What followed was:

• guy lines everywhere
• pegs being hammered into concrete
• two Cubs inside the tent before it even had poles
• one Cub claiming to be “the foreman” despite providing zero useful input
• generally the most chaotic building project since someone tried to put a gazebo up in a hurricane

And yet…

THE TENT WENT UP.
Crooked.
Proud.
Standing.
Beautiful in its own strange way.

The Quartermaster needed to sit down afterward, but we consider it a success.

---

BBQ Sausage Night Because Why Not?

The weather was good (for once), the Cubs were buzzing, and the leaders thought:

“Let’s cook sausages outside. What could possibly go wrong?”

Well.

There was smoke.
There was charcoal.
There was at least one sausage that looked like it had been through a war.
One Cub tried to cook theirs “extra crispy” and created a small pyrotechnics display.
Another announced,
“I’m basically a chef now.”

We also learned important lessons:

• Some Cubs think tongs are swords.
• Some Cubs think sausages need to be flipped 47 times.
• Some Cubs believe the smoke “is following me on purpose.”

But at the end of the day:
everyone ate,
everyone was happy,
and everyone smelled like BBQ.

Success.

---

And Then… The Big News: Our Scout Troop Launches!

YES.
It’s happening.
We now officially have a Scout Troop.

Do I fully understand Scouts?
No.
Do I have any intention of leading Scouts?
Also no.

But the District team running it?
Utterly mad.
Perfect for our estate.
The energy of people who have either slept too little or too much.
Exactly the sort of chaos our older Cubs will fit into beautifully.

Because come September…
we’re going to have Cubs moving up.
We NEED a Scout Troop,
and now we have one.

One giant step toward our estate having a full Scout Group,
from Squirrels to Scouts
(and maybe Explorers one day, if the stars align and someone brave enough appears).

What a milestone.

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Week Thirteen Verdict

• Summer camp hype: Activated.
• Tent-building: Chaotic, but glorious.
• Sausage BBQ: Smoky triumph.
• Scout Troop: Launched!
• Leaders: Tired but buzzing.
• Cubs: Proud, loud, and ready for more.

Thirteen weeks in, and this Pack is becoming something bigger than any of us imagined.

We’ve built a Cub Pack.
Now we’re building a Scout Group.
And the estate is starting to feel it in the laughter, in the pride, in the kids who can’t wait for Monday night.

Bring on Week Fourteen.