i saw Batman standing by a tree

p - i - s - s - i - n - g

Batcamp 25 - 28 August 2006

Do you remember last year we'd planned to set up on the Thursday night, and all sorts of things cropped up to stop us ? This year we didn't even load the cars until mid Friday morning, and we were all set up by mid afternoon.
One of our number (a bit of a novice when it comes to camping) wasn't too sure about how to set up his tent and so was grateful to have his tent put up for him. However he was very keen to be given useful jobs around the camp site, not wanting to appear to being guilty of "fart arse-ing around™".

Little brother wasn't fooled for a minute.

Saturday's weather wasn't all that it might have been, and for that reason only our Webmaster was glad to be at work in the dry, but he'd rather have been in the pub for the traditional Saturday BatCamp pub lunch.

He was doubly miffed to miss seeing two friends who are soon off to foreign parts.
 

Batcamp isn't Batcamp without the scoff - here's the head chef's lowdown on what was going on in the kitchen tent
Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients

Diced chicken

Peppers

Onions

Fajita bread

White Wine

Mixed Italian Herbs

Cooking instructions

Slice the peppers and the onions.

Put a small amount of oil in the wok (I used a wok Mum) and heat it, add the diced chicken and start stirring like a mad thing. This is the point when you work out that the heat is too high so turn it down a bit and stir less madly.

At the same time stir fry the pepper and the onions, do them in separate pans as you don't want the flavours to mix (and I don't like peppers).

Go back to the chicken and see if it is looking anywhere near done, and add a generous measure of white wine. Allow to simmer.

Enlist some helpers because although you have two hand, you have three pots and can only concentrate on one of them because you have drunk too much of the wine you should have used for the chicken.

Back to the chicken add a bit more wine and let it reduce some more, then add some Italian mixed herbs. Let that simmer some more.

Warm the fajita bread.

Scream "Food Is Ready!!" put some chicken in the warmed bread add onions and peppers wrap and serve with a pre-made yogurt dressing.

Spiced mince meat pasta with potato Gratin.

(aka. Spag bog with cheesy chips)

Ingredients

Mince Meat (Beef I think)

Pasta

Potatoes

Pasta Sauce

Cheese

White Wine

Oxo Cube

And what I forgot to put in

Onions

Garlic

Cooking instructions

Before you start I recommend that you enlist some help. I tried to do it by myself and got all stressed out half way through so I had to hit the bottle then.

Grate some cheese this will be used later.

Peel and slice the potatoes in to 3.7mm thick discs. Throw the discs into a pot of water and set them cooking (How long you ask, well I haven't the foggiest the girlie types told me when they were ready.)

Next dump the mince into another pan with a little oil, heat it up and start to get the fat and water out of it. Drain the rubbish out and put in lots of white wine (well as mush that is left the you haven't already drunk due to your nervous breakdown.)

After it is been going for a while add the pasta sauce and stir in breaking up an oxo cube or two. (this where the garlic and onions should have gone in but I didn't have garlic and I forgot the onion's, hell by this time I had forgotten my own name.)

Boil up the pasta (Thanks Martin) while the girlies start to sauté the potatoes that were boiled.

When the pasta is ready bung it in with the mince and sauce add a bit more wine (if there is any left and some mixed herbs).

Nick the potatoes that have been sautéed by the girls (before they are nicked by the hungry campers) and arrange them on top of the mess so that they cover it completely. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top cover and allow to simmer for a few mins or until the cheese has melted.
Serve up with a nice merlot and wait for the ooo's and ahhh's from the starving campers who would have eaten anything by this point and said it tasted good.
Meanwhile there was still a lot of "fart arse-ing around™" to be done....
Our WebMaster was back just in time for dark. There's something to be said for the old adage about red skies at night - the clouds were incredible for about two minutes, then it all went dark.

Well, it would do - we were in a field !!
The bad, the worse and the ugly sat around the fire until the early hours drinking far too much....
.... whist others wrapped themselves against the chill night air, poised to leap into action should the need for"fart arse-ing around™" arise.
Sunday was a lazy day, spent making the most of the sunshine. Scoobies don't tie themselves, and fish don't catch themselves, you know.
Fishing is always popular at Batcamp, and for once the early morning fishing patrol was up earlier than the cows, who didn't start moo-ing until half an hour AFTER the first fish was caught.
It was good to have some friends join us for a spot of fishing on the Sunday afternoon.

Whilst El Presidente's father in law is an accomplished fisherman, his brother is something of a novice.
The Scores

Martin

1

A Dave

10

James

16

Richard

36

Another Dave

150-ish

2005
A striking family resemblance

2006
In the meantime the "fart arse-ing around™" was temporarily abandoned in favour of going to the loo....
..... or tidying up the tent .......
Oh - and we has a drink or two as well !