My First Overseas Posting

January 1954.

I had requested an overseas posting, stating a preference for Hong Kong or other far-flung areas.

The request was granted: GERMANY.

A tad disappointing - but at least it was to a foreign shore.

The "cold war" with Russia was still on. I would be 'on active service' as the RAF mentioned in my travel instructions, sailing on a noisy and very cramped troopship, sailing from Harwich to the Hook of Holland.  I was quite excited.

After the North Sea crossing, I travelled by train, through Holland and into a place in Germany, the name of which is long forgotten.  A transit camp, in an old castle, a Schloss, where I stayed overnight.

Next morning I received my travel papers to RAF Hospital Wegberg.  A brand spanking new building opened a few months earlier, not far from the town of Moenchengladbach. 

Here's my new home for a year or more.

A Look Back in Pleasure and Friendship

I spend time thinking of all those I've known and loved, many of whom are long departed from this increasingly hazardous world of ours.

Sometimes I look back at some of my earlier posts and it's good to be able to remind myself of a few things about 'old friends'.

A chap called Alan Parkes was a man I read about in "The Times" Diary column some years ago. He and I met after I wrote to him via the article in the newspaper above.

Here's the link to the post in question:

http://bit.ly/1MkZmqx

Hope it works OK.

Lara Fabian - Singer Most Wonderful

This lady is one of my absolute favourites. She's stunning.

Talented is not quite strong enough to describe her. She speaks quite a few languages, performs with such deep emotion it makes me well up as I watch and listen to her.

This song, Je suis Malade, needs no sub-titles to understand how bad she feels about what she's going through.  I think it's truly fantastic the way she puts everything, every ounce of feeling, into her rendition.

Thieving Scumbags of Grimsby

Above snapshot is of our tiny front garden, after I had spent nigh on a grand having all the grotty weedy grass dug out and replaced by plastic stuff.

At my age I was fed up with trying to make the REAL grass look like grass, so I decided to make my gardening less strenuous.

We were pleased with the result. The two chaps who did the job were excellent. Well pleased and grateful for their good workmanship.

A couple of nights ago we discovered that some junkie bastards had paid us a visit during the night and stolen the right-hand piece of astro turf. They seem to have made a start on the other side but were either disturbed or too weak to lift it. It was ripped up at one corner and they gave up.

When notifying our brave boys in blue on the 101 phone line (999 being for emergency only) the person taking my call said something to the effect that "Oh, never heard of anything like this before! Yes, hanging baskets and plant pots, but a lawn ... never!"

Seemed like a bit of a joke to the police but they made a note, said to hang on a mo while I get you a crime reference (AC2256552/2017) and that was it.
Didn't expect any more. Just another statistic for their growing list of minor crimes in Grimsby.

Oh well, not to worry. Worse things happen at sea, etcetera ... 

Wonder if the low-life scum will try to finish their nefarious night-time job some time soon? I am getting CCTV installed and hope I can get these bastards on camera. Not that the law will do much other than slap them on the wrist ... ooh no! They mustn't touch them or the do-gooders will be up in arms.

Happy Days. Below, grass-less part.