Alice Riding Club and BBQ!

We started our trip to Iruma River and Alice Riding Club hoping that the weather would hold. To our delight we had a perfect day, with some much needed cloud cover and only a few occasional showers. On the way to Aina Park we chatted, catching up on where we’ve been and what we’ve been up to since we had last adventured together. Clem shared some of his favorite songs with us as we neared the destination.

     After arriving, we decided to try for a barbecue as the weather was so nice. So, we headed out to a supermarket to pick up some sausages, chicken, and a small grill. After making our way back to the park, we had the challenge of trying to find an opening in the tall grass and shrubbery lining the river, so we could make our way to the water. We walked for 15 minutes or so, before finding an opening made by fishermen. Using our walking sticks as weed whackers, we opened the path and made our way to the river.

     Within a few minutes, we had gathered what we needed to start a fire, and the scouts got stuck into it. After only a few attempts, they were able to light the kindling, and we all settled down to eat our obentos with some roasted sausage and chicken on the side. Once we had finished, we tidied up made our way back to the park, starting on the walk to the riding club.

     On our way there, we came across multiple mulberry bushes, and excitedly collected as many as we could find. They were sweet and juicy. Everyone wanted to get some to bring home, and they did.

We continued on, finding some shade from the sun, and then starting on wrapping the handles of our walking sticks. We used some gauze to help hold the base, while also acting as kindling or bandages in the case of an emergency. The scouts wrapped their handles diligently, and we did a rudimentary tie off to end it, as it was already time to head out to the riding club.

     The scouts were very excited to ride the horses, but some had a wait time in between. The owner kindly brought her pet tortoise out for them to play with, which kept us all entertained until their turns came around.

Everyone rode very well, and followed the guidance given by the instructor. After we had finished and taken our final pictures, we made our way back to the river to have some fruit jelly and play some tag before getting in the car to head back to Tokyo.

Within a few moments of leaving, everyone had fallen fast asleep. We had a wonderful time all together, and we are looking forward to a great summer camp in August.