GingerBreadMan Camp part2

By the beach, the boys got ready for their fishing workshop.


Observing little crabs

It started to pour but the kids continued with their crabbing while the men contemplated their fishing nets. they carried on with their plans to lay the nets in the rain.

DH commented that it was remarkable to see how grown men were transformed into boys again the moment the waves hit their bodies as they carried the nets out into the sea.
So if you need to be rejuvenated, go fishing!

Luckily the rain stopped within an hour.
The campers who had been waiting patiently in their cars, got to work immediately.
First, the ground sheets - helps in keeping the base of the tent clean and any ground moisture from seeping in from the bottom.

Tents in a row.

Words of advice from the campers:

1. 4-men tents are too small. 6-men sleeps 4 and a bit of luggage. 8-men is ideal for 2 camp beds and a double air mattress.


2. place paper pulp egg cartons at the entrance to clean sandy feet


3. get tents with 2 doors for better ventilation

Preparing the ditch for the barbecue

items required to get the fire going - matches, charcoal, twigs, bits of newspaper or firestarter.
Place twigs at the base of the pit, topped with the firestarter, arrange charcoal tippee-like.
Light the firestarter

Fanning the flames
DH throwing in more firestarters.

More fanning

If fanning doesn't work, blowing helps

More blowing

Trying the get the fire going

DH went from pit to pit to give firestarting tips

Fire, at last

Getting wood for the campfire

Emil who was back for our second camp by the beach, helped to stack the wood

and get the fire going

Food preparation

potatoes cut into chunks drizzled with oil, herbs and a dash of salt, then wrap in foil.
Sweet potato and pumpkin slices to be grilled

Chicken wings, lamb, garlic bread, sweet corn and sweet potatoes

one handy item to bring on a cookout.

Kids in the water

These girls feel the flag pole lacks foundation.

Bonding by the fire

More bonding.
Fai stayed up till 2am to be with his friends and got up at 9am to jump into the sea.
He still had energy after a small breakfast to hike up the lighthouse and down to Pulau Intan

Cold Camping in Malaysia

The surreal scenery that greeted us early in the morning

DH's first camping trip and he chose to go to a location with temperatures that dipped to 15C.

It was nightfall by the time we got to the campsite, so setting up our brand new 8 men tent was done with torches.

Dinner
The group we were with consisted of experienced campers. One had cycled the globe on his bicycle, the other just came back from Milan, another collected hunting knives and lastly, a fellow homeschooling family who had just taken up camping for a year but is now a veteran at it.

The kids had lots of fun, making new friends and enjoying the cool air.

The mist.
The wind howled throughout the night and at times I thought the tents would be blown off the mountain. The flaps were hitting wildly against the sides of the tent. And due to condensation, water droplets accumulated along the inner layer of the tent. It was a wet, cold, noisy night but the kids slept soundly, packed next to each other in a warm, cosy heap

In the morning, we discovered that the site was littered with pitcher plants,

some the length of our palms. Pitcher plants grew on the ground and among the bushes.

Ean loved the place, especially the hill slope and he spent the morning climbing up and down.

What's in there?

Cupcake Camp @ PD Part 3

The night was spent hunting for hermit crabs.

One mom managed to observe one run out of its shell and lay a row of eggs.
Roasting marshmallows over the campfire completed the night

Sand play continued after breakfast

Fishermen retrieving their catch

Part of the catch that day was a live bailer snail and a horseshoe crab

Releasing the bailer snail back into the sea.

Cupcake Camp @PD -part2

Before the event there were lots to prepare.

Sweet corn to wrap in foil for the barbecue later that evening

Ingredients for the fired beehoon

Tomyam beehoon being prepared

The mothers chipped in and lunch for the hungry kids was prepared in a jiffy. With such team work, the food prepared was nothing less than incredibly delicious!
Notable effort award goes to the mothers who chopped 3kg of onions and 3kg of tomatoes. Thank you!

Preparation began early in the morning.
The baking Dad decided to prebake the cupcakes and the cake decorator had help with her fondant

Making small little black beady eyes for the teddy bear.

Ready for the oven

Just out and smells heavenly

Attentive students

Ean checking on the icing

Taste test session

Another taste testing team

Cake decorating tools ready for action

The kids ready for instructions from the 13year old cake decorator

Assembling teddy

Session in progress

The outcome

Cookie session.
The dough was pre-prepared and the kids coated flattened balls of dough with oats

Ean enjoying his icing

The aftermath.