Dinosaurs and Silly Games

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I have updated the merit badge section on my Rebel Camp Blanket, and am now dithering about the layout of the challenge badges - I may keep dithering for a while!

I finished January's Exercise Every Day challenge, and am now having a go at February's Love Challenge; I am not keen on February - it is my least favourite month - so this is particularly challenging, but I got the badge in the subscription so now I have to earn it! I made some heart-shaped shortbread biscuits for work, which went down well, and knitted a very dark rose. I made a Galentine's card for a chum, and wrote myself a love letter - hard to do! I also sat and researched the origins of the heart symbol and the history of St Valentine, both interesting tasks. I just have to continue treating myself and then I am finished!

I have been working through 'Coding for Beginners' for my Maverick Challenge and boy was it a challenge! It has been a bit of a slog in all honesty, but I have finally finished! I will keep going with coding as I think it could be good fun, but will hopefully find a more inspiring way of learning it. I feel the Coding badge coming on.

A lovely hour or so was spent at Dinsosaur Isle in Sandown learning about the geological history of the Isle of Wight and the many dinosaurs that once lived here, as well as which species were first discovered here. There were also a couple of stunning models made by one of my neighbours, a very talented chap. There were also non-dino fossils on display as well as an animatronic velociraptor (I may be wrong about the type). Afterwards I browsed the gift shop and came away with a model dinosaur kit which I had a happy half hour building when I got home. I then headed to Yaverland beach, which is noted for its fossil discoveries and spent a pleasant hour mooching along the bottom of the cliffs looking for fossils. I found a couple of sponges I think, but don't really know what I am looking for so probably missed the remains of several new to science specimens! I met a nice dog though and it was nice to be walking on the beach. Two days later I hiked to the beach at Rocken End with a knowledgeable chum and found an ammonite as soon as I arrived. Exciting! I am thoroughly enjoying the Paleontologist Badge.








Advanced Reader is coming on nicely; my challenge is to read through my dusty 'to be read' piles and I am doing this although have been sidetracked by novels in the school library and a couple of audiobooks. I did enjoy reading 'Ants' by Julian Huxley, written in the 1920s  about the social structures and behaviours of ant species around the globe. Far more interesting than it perhaps sounds, and one I have been meaning to read for about twenty years.

Rebel Cup - not much happening as I haven't managed to pluck up the courage to ask a postie for a selfie, or read a nursery story in the shower. I did help organise a Rebel Meet Up and two of us had a very silly evening at the local board games cafe. There were meant to be more of us but the others caught one of the bugs that is doing the rounds at the moment. I highly recommend playing 'How Weird am I?', 'Kluster', and 'Cobra Paw'.


Brighstoneus simmondsi
Stegosaurus model
Dinosaur Isle
Shortbread biscuits




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