Well dear reader,
As you can tell from the entry dates of this blog i have not been very good at keeping things up to date.
Anyroadup........Just returned from a four day stay at Chavasse House with six other like minded chaps. Left home at around midnight on Monday 17th and had a nice quiet mini bus (Ford Toureno) ride down to the Chunnel.
As you can imagine we arrived nice and early so instead of the 08:20 crossing we got onto a much earlier departure, thus giving us even more time in Franc
Well dear reader, on Saturday I enjoyed my very first Spa day experience.
A friend had retired from the workhouse and as a gift his goodly lady wife had purchased four day tickets at Hoars Cross, Eden Spa in Staffs.
As a complete newby to this sort of thing I have to say i was a bit unsure as to what to expect. I couldnt call on the other three blokes cos they were Spa virgins too.
Well what a day it was. I can highly recommend a day at this venue. Started off at 0830 with a nice breakfa
Well I know that the South Staffs pals have done something similar with Roy Evans (published author of Wolverhampton Warriors) Sadly I was unable to make that trip because I was a working man then.
Well a few weeks ago I thought its time I did a bit of mooching about to see what actualy went on across Cannock Chase back in the day.
First stop was the re-constructed soldiers hut at the visitors centre. You have to go here first to get a scale of the huts used. (Go on a Sunday between 12-2 an
Well dear reader, I am back from 2007, which seems to be my last mussings on this blog thingy..
A quick update then....I have retired from work and as a retirement prezzy, wifey sorted me a trip to Auschwitz/Burkenau and a trip to see my fav musician Jools Holland darn sarf in Brighton. What a girl
She also allowed me to go off cycle touring/camping the entire length of the D-day landing beaches with a few mates for ten days. You can read about that trip here:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.co
Dear reader if you know of the character Mr Victor Meldew let me quote his most famous line
" I don't believe it "
On Thursday, son, who is going off for a weekend in Benidorm Espania! says that he needs to go to our local Sainsburys store where they have a bureau de change. No problem dear boy, lets go get some €'s
Mission accomplished out we go into the snow and mount up in beloved Renault. I reverse out of my car parking space and stop to put on my seatbelt (Horrible bleeps and buzzers
Dear reader.......
Today daughter had notification that she had 'failed' in her attempt to join the local PGCE course at Wolves Uni.
Many tears flowed as she had built all her hopes around taking one of the 16 places available.
We now wait on Keele Uni as her application is forwarded on automaticaly by the 'system'
No wonder then that there is a shortage of teachers if a city uni only offers 16 places on the required course.
I am a great believer in fate and judging by the total lack
My goodness I have just witnessed the come back game of Mr Jonny Wilkinson
Is the man made of some super fibres that us plain ordinary mortals do not know about?
He has just come off the field of play after 73 minutes during which he did just about everything except turn the 'magic sponge' into a gold bar
Dear reader I have got to rush off and pen a begging letter to Mr JW and ask him where he finds his dedication, skill and professional outlook. Who would ever believe that this was his
Dear reader today I removed the cobwebs off the pedal cycle that has hung from the garage roof (inside the garage that is) for the past few months. I then clambered into my cycling attire and headed off into the glumness.
Twenty miles in and all was going so well, untill, the puncture fairy arrived and sprinkled her magic dust under my front tyre.
Pssssssssssssssssssttttttttt rumble rumble rumble. Oh f****** ****, I was heard to say
Never mind, got a spare tube and a self infalter can
Dear reader,
If you listen very hard you may be able to hear the sound of the big key in my back slowly unwinding...
What's the fool on about?
I'm on annual leave........Oh Yes indeed.....Not back at the workhouse till Feb 12th....I can feel the 'stress' oooozing out of me, as I unwind.
SITREP on the workhouse........The madness continues......Do this, do that, don't do this, don't do that, change of mind do it again.......Lets move the bl**dy goalposts, lets re-invent the wheel, lets c
Dear reader,
Sorry I have been away on a secret mission that has prevented me practicing my two digit typing method (Mrs Beeton eat yer heart out)
It's all very fraught here in the Black country, as this Sunday is FA cup round four: Wolves v Sandwell united.
Lets hope it all passes off peacefully.
As for me dear reader I shall be having a Duvet day at kick off time (1pm) as I'm once again about to start nights.
For those who care about my welfare, 'we' do a set (two sometimes three) ni
Dear reader,
You may have seen Mr David Beckham on the tv news this evening.
If reports are to be believed......................
It seems he is due to leave the Spanish football giants Real Madrid and seek a new life playing footy in the United States of America.
Why the heck would he want to do that ? (any self respecting footy fan was heard to say, no, shout!! )
A reported $1 million per WEEK!!!!!!!!!! Or £128 Million over his 5 year contract!!
Good God almighty!!!!
Just don
Well dear reader,
At last something to look forward too
My little group of happy warriors are off to Chavasse Farm in June.
We will be using the 'farm' as a base for visits around the Somme area.
We have also booked the superb services of Iain McHenry (trenchmaptoursdotcom) as our guide.
Having made use of Iains srvices on a previous visit to Ypres there was no chance of 'us' using anyone else.
Just a case of sitting here counting the days off the calender
I'm more excited than
Sadly dear reader we are dealing with our first fatal crash of 2007.
If you subscribe to the Express & Star newspaper you will read all about it today.
The tragic waste of a life......A 16 year old girl. What her parents must be going through.
Too p*ssed off to write any more.
Well dear reader last night marked the return to pals meetings for me. I have been AWOL for some time after a family crisis (now sorted I hope )
The South Staffs pals group seems to be growing in number and 'we' are indeed very, very lucky to have people in the group with such fantastic knowledge.
Some of the work people pull out of briefcases and holdalls is staggering.
I only started researching my GF's history within the S/Staffs 1/6 regiment but I have already been to Ypres and Hil
Dear reader,
Happy new year to you, I hope that you managed to party hard and emerged safe and well at the end.
I saw in the new year at work, in a small house in Heath Town, a rather run down part of Wolves (not that much of it is well to do )
We were called to a rather drunken bloke who had smashed a whisky bottle (well it was empty) and proceeded to slash his wrists. All this in front of his three young kids, who were in what might be called 'a rather upset' state.
So as the clock
Dear reader,
It seemed that even the local ner-do-wells have had a day off today. They must have all gone to church (to case the joint)
Got back home on time and opened prezzies with the 'kids' who had waited for me to turn up before delving into their own goodies
Got fed and am now sitting about with a rather full tum, with a book titled 'The Pegasus Diaries' written from the diary of Maj John Howard about his Coup de main raid on the Caen canal bridge on D-day.
Just staying outta the
Dear reader,
I woke at 8:30 a.m. and anticipated a relaxing Xmas eve. How wrong was I!!!!!!!!!!!
It started off quite well, you know the sort of thing, cup of coffee in one hand, round of toast in the t'other.
Sort of went down hill from there really.
Dropped daughter into Wolves for work. Visit to moms to drop/collect xmas gifts. Should be picking son up from Wolves railway station at 1:10..........all planned with military precision.
Oh dear, two hundred yards (metres) from moms off
Dear reader,
Funny, but when I started this odds and ends blog it wasn't going to include stuff about my role with the Plod
Having read through my efforts to date, it seems to be taking over
Well just to go with the flow then.......Last night the mayhem continued.....
Some clown, (later found to be 3 times the drink drive limit) drove his car into the back of a stationary unattended pick up truck that was loaded with sand and slabs.
The car was smashed to bits, none of the occupants
Dear reader,
Sorry for no show for a couple of days but I have been a very busy teddy.
Just to update you regarding the drunken Staff Nurse....Well he was locked up on the 12th went to court on the 14th and got an 18 month ban there and then.......Message is....don't take the chance.
Very nasty crash has taken place and sadly a mother of three has been killed. Worst part is, the crash involved a police car en-route to a job. Can't say anything about it.
It's just so sad for everyone in
Work report:
Bit Q today, just one idiot left in the dungeon from 0400 (crashed his car into a lampost) Drunk as a skunk,
Doctor called and said he wouldn't be fit for interview/charge until after 1330. That dear reader is one damn shed load of alcohol.
Why do they think that you can drive a car back home when they can't even walk in a straight line?
Short entry today it is after all the day of rest (So no comments about the Ashes)
Graham.
Well dear reader, here I am back home after another day at the workhouse.
Very, very crap day today.......I heard that a bloke I worked with and know very well has passed away after a short battle with Cancer. Why do the nice people get taken? He leaves a wife and son.
So after yesterdays post slagging off sports peeps why the hell am I sat here, at operations control typing this and having one ear twitching at sky sports soccer.
Why do I scan the tables to see if the Wolfers are winni
Bloody Cricket.........Damn Rugby.......Footy.....
What the heck are 'our' national sports people any good at?
What makes things even worse is I support the Wolves Looks like my Championship season is slowly sliding down the drain again........
So they (any of them) get paid a shed load of dosh and under perform....How the heck can they hold their heads high.
Oh well, at least I gave up my Wolves season ticket....Well they don't come and see me when I'm bad, do they?
Today has been
The SAS, the Parachute Regiment and the Police decide to go on a
survival weekend together to see who comes out on top.
After some basic exercises the trainer tells them that their next
objective is to go down into the woods and catch a rabbit for their
supper, returning with it ready to skin and cook.
Night falls.
First up - the SAS.
They don infrared goggles, drop to the ground and crawl into the woods in formation. Absolute silence for 5 minutes, followed by the unmistakable
Dear reader,
Well last night was oddly quiet on planet cop.
Did have to make one stunning arrest though with some clown who thought he could drive home whilst utterly bladdered.........All was going well for him, until he parked his own 4x4 in the front of a stationary unattended Saab. The great British public then leapt into action and pulled the drunk from his car and 'restrained' him until we turned up.
What does the drunk do for a living?..............He's a staff nurse
Now got th
Well dear readers you will be relieved to hear that the big crash yesterday did not result in any FLO role.
It did however send someones very expensive (£190K) Lamborghini Murcielago to the great scrap heap in the sky.
While were on expensive scrap cars.... during the early hours of this morning I went to a crash involving a very nice 06 plate BMW coupe.....Now worth about £20 after the uninsured driver drove it into the rear of a stationary HGV
One more night to go then three days off
