Guiders' staff room - tea, wine, chat and optional dancing around the toadstool

[MadBadandDangerousToKnow]

Thought it might be nice to have a place to swap ideas and experiences. Shall we do introductions first?

My name's MadBad and I've been a Brownie guider for about 5 years.

Hi Maudant

We decided to take a few days rest this term and slinking back a week later than normal. 'Planning' meeting next week with team and .

Food My favourite thing in the whole world, how many hands do you have around? With my personal prejudices in mind, I always avoid biscuit or cake decoration - masses of mess every time. I find bread or similar always good.

Armpit fudge
Chocolate orange
Scones - plain, cheese and fruit
Flapjacks
Toasting star bursts
Rocky road
Flatbreads
Mug cooking

Tastings sessions: you line up several of the same item but in different price ranges and get them to pick their favourites. Good lesson that it's not always the branded one they like.

I would also ask them if there's something they want to learn to cook

You can also theme it:

Burn's Night - haggis, neeps, shortbread, iron bru

Traditions badge using a disposable bbq or the oven - dampers, smores, Proper popcorn, camp sandwiches: jam sandwiches dipped in batter and fried, pitta pizzas, baked bananas

Did I mention that I can go on about food for ages

Thank you. It's not that I'm especially keen to do food-related activities, just that we have the facilities to do them, whereas our facilities for active games (say) are rather restricted.

Does anyone have any experience of the online print shop? I have just made a new letterhead, which has been sent to me as a pdf, but when I save it and reopen it, it becomes a page of random graphics and certainly not a letterhead that I can use. What am I doing wrong?

I find the OLPS incredibly complicated - always takes me ages to work it out. I tend to save the logos as jpegs and then inserted.

Yes, I think that's how I constructed my old letterhead. This time, though, the OLPS has given me a PDF that I can't amend so, as something that I can use to create newsletters to email to our parents and carers, it's completely useless. Sigh.

Should have said that I solved the saving/reopening problem, but this problem of not being able to put text into the letterhead seems more intractable!

Bit daft way of doing things, but could you print out a load of pages with the letterhead on, then overprint them with your newsletter/whatever on top?

I've avoided the OLPC so far, and will be for as long as I can!

...and then you could scan it in and email it! Because that's a really simple way of doing things...

Did they tell you it was only an hour a week, too? :o

Yes, Rue, that option had already occurred to me, but I had discarded it as too much bl@@dy effort! As a tree-hugger, I try to avoid printing letters out and prefer to email them (especially as that's usually more reliable than expecting the girls to take them home).

Oh yes, an hour and a half a week. ::hollow laugh:: I've already spent much more than that faffing about with the letterhead, which I'm only doing as my conscience was pricking me as we were instructed about a year ago to switch over to the new letterhead and I hadn't got round to it. Sigh.

Do you have the latest all singing version of windows?

If so, you can use the snipe tool to create a jpeg.

If you don't have it send me a pm and I'll sort it out for you if that would be helpful via email.

You're very kind.

I don't have the snip tool at home, but after grumbling to my DC I have an offer to sort it out at our next district training. This has touched a nerve with me, as what I dislike most about being a leader is having all these "little" admin jobs dumped on us that turn out not to be little at all. I will now put on a false smiley face.

Have some Guiders' Ribena

Ah, yes. Ribena. Slurp.

I may need some myself by the end if the day.

Going to the bank to delete and then add a different signatory. After 4 months of forma and calls, I'm taking a book, snacks and not leaving till this is sorted.

Oh no. The unit bank accounts. We were buggered about for ages when we needed a new signatory because the bank couldn't get their head around the fact that an 18 year old didn't have the mortgage statement/utility bills in own name etc that they wanted as proof of identity. We opened an account with this bank because Girlguiding HQ said they had agreed a streamlined process for opening accounts, but as far as I could tell we had to jump through just as many hoops as anybody else opening a business account. So good luck!

Had our first week back, was nice to be back. Got someone coming in to do the Scottish Country Dance badge this week.

Hi Groovee sounds excellent.

Sadly the bank asked for a copy of the constitution etc. Happily I had the power of Google and called it up on the phone. This didn't go down well and they're asking for the signatories we can't find to approve. Despite District and County letters and contact details confirming that we need to access the money (CENSUS calls, I have the money but can't get at it ).

I've still got my blooming taxes to do too.

Oh dear, Becles. Sadly, that sounds exactly like the nit-picking, jobsworth attitude we encountered at our bank. It's all about preventing money laundering, apparently, although I'd be interested to know how many Colombian drug cartels are using middle-aged Brown Owls as a front for their nefarious activities.

Banks can be a real nuisance, can't they Becles.

Does anyone have any advice for this situation?
There are a few 13 year olds in my unit who would quite like to do their Baden Powell award, but who turn 14 in May. They seem to be under the impression that this means that they absolutely must move up to Rangers in September, but this won't leave them enough time to finish the award. It seems to be the other leader who has given them this impression.

I thought they could move up as long as they were 14 and when they felt ready? But I'm really new to the whole thing, so don't have any clout.

I have 2 14 yo Rainbow Helpers at my unit - they aren't SS yet because they haven't completed their BP. So afaik they can stay Guides for a while yet.

They have until they are 16 to stay in guides and do their BP.

My dd is 15 this weekend and only left guides in December.

Thanks rue and Groovee. That's what I thought, they'll be pleased.

I agree that they can stay with Guides for now. If there is a bit of strong arming going on, may be worth having a chat with the leader or DC.

Sorry for the random post, I want to volunteer at the girls' guide unit so thought I'd take a look at this thread but can't bookmark on the app so am posting so it's in TIO

Hello, Lucysmam. Have you looked at the volunteering information on the website? Nearly all units are short of volunteers, so I'm sure they'd be glad to find a role for you.

Hello Maud

Yes, I had a look last night, thank you.

I've wanted to volunteer for a while but dd2 has only just turned 5 so only just got the chance. The Rainbows leader is retiring next year & there's no-one to step up so I'm hoping I can take it on since both girls love going.

Looks like I'll need plenty of though