Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Camp for Delinquent Fiftysomethings

Today was a mammoth and very special day for a group of catholic schoolboys.



I know what you're thinking...school camp...vacation camp...perhaps one of those fitness camps...definitely not. Of course the heading may have given it away just a little. What I'm talking about is a fishing trip that my husband and his cronies have gone on.


Now I know a lot of planning went into the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, and of course some special thinking would have gone into the Olympics. You know they say that it takes a whole year of planning from one Sydney New Years fireworks until the next to get the mega production underway...none of these events have anything on the planning that went into this fishing trip.

As I helped my husband with his last minute packing this morning, I started to feel more like his Mum than his wife.
"I don't think I'll wear that." he said eyeing the outfit that had already been pulled out of the bag and changed over with a different outfit the night before.
"You're wearing it." I said. "We're not repacking again." Like any of our kids would have done when they heard that five o'clock in the morning tone in my voice, he didn't argue.


Back to the planning. The boys (sometimes cranky, old, past middle aged men) that are going on this trip...well gone on this trip now thank God...are a group of friends from catholic boy's school. This never fails to amaze and impress me, that this group of men have managed to remain firm friends for nearly fifty years. They've seen each other through everything life has thrown at them. Some serious stuff but a lot of happy fun stuff too.  Twenty first birthdays and the parties to celebrate them...Engagements and yes the parties, buck's nights...weddings and the wedding receptions, births of each others children and wet the babies heads, christenings and the barbecues...lots of barbecues...  We often do things as couples, but this trip is just for the boys. No wives and no kids.


More about the planning. It began with a list...a long list.  Now you can imagine what held the greatest priority on the list...there is a theme with their celebrating...it always involves beer. The thing that tickled me though were the additions that showed their age.


At one time a fishing trip list would have involved ...beer...a tent...a sleeping bag...meat, chips bread...of course fishing rods etc...the basics...No tent this time. They're staying in a large house with heat, a television and wi fi and their list was literally a mile long. It included things that at one time they wouldn't have bothered with.

Beer...always would have bothered with that
Toiletries....an improvement
Toothpicks...
Tissues
Toilet paper
Bedding... and a sleeping bag because they have to keep up the illusion that they're still young
Towels...lots cos now they actually do shower...a lot
Clothes...lots, after their shower they put on clean clothes



Then there was the food. The food part of the list ranged  from different types of cereal to anti pasta and
salads and steaks...Now this list was put into email form and  it danced between IPhones everyday. As each person had a chuckle, they'd add something else and pass it on. Several trips to the coordinator's house to finalise said list and inspect all items before crossing them off the list and they were ready... a week ago. Here I am thinking you just go to the supermarket and grab a trolley a throw what ever takes your fancy into it...I've been getting it wrong all these years...


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