A select few met to discuss planning of Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh's Award expeditions. Martin gave us maps and compasses and we started to complete route plans.

This was the first of this term's tri-dimensional meetings. We split into three groups, the youngest going canal cruising with Alan, the middle group swimming at Leith Leisure Pool with Caroline and the oldest dry-slope skiing at Hillend with Martin. Nobody got wet who wasn't supposed to get wet and nobody broke a leg (or even dislocated a thumb).

The planned night hike did not go ahead because there were insufficient numbers. The event will be run instead in December, if the weather permits.

Our second annual review took much the same form as the first. Alan gave us a brief review of the year's activities and Martin presented the accounts, which seemed very healthy. May Burrows, the DC, the presented Chief Scouts Platinum Awards to Becky and Craig. Well done to both! There followed three two-minute presentations by the Explorers — a poem, one of Stewart's famous sketches and a dialogue. Instead of a presentation, we then divided all members and guests into teams for a North Face word search and then finished with refreshments and chat.

This evening we started by considering how we might divide the Unit into a number of groups for activities. We already do this for tri-dimesional meetings but it was suggested that we could formalise this in some way. Each group had to choose an explorer to name themselves after. The oldest became Vitus Bering, the middle group Marco Polo and the youngest Edmund Hillary. We decided that we did not want anything along the lines of a 'patrol competition', preferring edible prizes for challenges. The second part of the meeting was devoted to looking at first aid: Alan suggested what we might have in our first aid kit, Mop discussed emergency procedures and Martin led us through sprains, breaks and bleeding. We then planned where each group was going to meet for the following week's activities.

In the second of our tri-dimesnional meetings of this term, the oldest went on the canal cruise, the middle group went scuba diving and the youngest met to go swimming. The three canal cruisers found a useful contact in Jay for Duke of Edinburgh Award and Chief Scouts Award service.

[to be completed]

Tonight we met in the Braid Church Hall and started with an investiture of all the new Explorers from the 9th and 25th Troops — Alastair, Nick and Andrew; Sarah, Graeme, Rachelle, Holly, Dan and John. This was the largest investiture to date and increased numbers in the Unit by 50%! We divided into a number of groups for two more activities— a discussion of the Scout Law and the invention of an aide memoire to remember the seven parts, and a group disucssion on which of these twentieth century inventions we could best do without: the telephone, the television, the radio or the microwave oven.

The third tri-dimensional meeting of this term was slightly different. The youngsters were scuba diving and the middle group were canal cruising. Only one of the older group turned up for swimming.

We set off for Blackford Hill and divided into three groups, each being informed that it was a team of scientists trapped in a city during a time of insurgency. Each had to build a radio transmitter to connect them with a military helicopter, which would come to rescue them (the helicopter could only save the first group to make the transmission). We had to visit three base, each team was given a task to prove that they were scientists and not insurgents who had infiltrated the network. There were three parts to the transmitter that we had to build: the casing and connecting materials - the power source and special frequency modulator - the aerial and instructions. The tasks involved drawing a scientifically accurate sketch of the city, decoding a message and astronomical knowledge.

A group of seven of us met to go and see the Gang Show. Two of the North Face Unit's Explorers were in the preformance and we came along to add our encouragement. The death of Ronnie Sutherland earlier in the year had resulted in Morningside District deciding to give Units a pound for each Scout who attended the show. Our leaders decided that we would each get that one pound given to us during the interval to buy an ice cream — nice touch!

This year's bothy night, postponed from near the equinox, was to Auchope, close by the border of England. We met in St Andrew's Square and caught the bus to Town Yetholm. Here we were met by the leaders and were treated to chip suppers brought by Martin from Kelso. It was windy and pretty well dark when we set off up the Pennine Way. The track soon gave way to a rough track, which became rougher as the night got darker. At last, on the flank of a steep hill, it gave out altogether and the leaders needed to take over the navigation to get us back on course. We crossed a hillside and down through fields and across fences until we saw the shadowy form of the bothy looming out of the darkness.

Mop and Alan had already been there in the afternoon, so the food was there waiting for us and the leaders cooked us supper while we carved out the spave and made up our beds in one of the upstairs rooms. We chatted long into the morning before going up to those beds.

In the morning, we made breakfast and started tidying up while Alan, Mop and Martin went to fetch the transports. They were rather a long time and eventually Alan and Mop turned up on their own. Martin's car had been reluctant to start and for the second time on a bothy trip, he had called out the AA. The mechanic fixed the problem with astonishing ease and he soon joined us. The bothy was locked up and we set off down the track and then headed back to Edinburgh. The photograph below shows the five Explorers and three leaders in the morning sunshine before setting off home.

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Thursday 9th December: Scout Post and something else

This was the second Scout Post night and the other half of the Unit showed up while the rest went to the ice skating in Princes Street Gardens. The Scout Post effort also involved everyone lending a hand in sorting cards on other occasions during the week and in delivering cards on the final weekend. Thanks to all who helped to raise almost £550 which will be used towards expedition expenses next year.

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Monday 13th December: District Megabowl Evening

[to be completed]

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Thursday 16th December: Social event(s)

[to be completed]