Saturday 25 August 2007

Happy Birthday to Me!

Last night I had a 40th Birthday Party - I know 40, I can hardly believe it! But not as scary as the day I realised Paul was older than my dad was the day we got married... now that was really scary. I had great fun, did loads of dancing, perhaps had a little too much bicardi and blethered all night. There were a few surprise: Anne recited a poem all about me (it was pages long), and I got a stripper (but of the wall paper type, much to my disapppointment) and a cake that does rather reflect my life!

All the cadets, and some of the parents, were invited to the party and most were there. I have to say they were absolutely great. It was a good, old fashioned scottish dance band and the kids were up dancing to everything. I was so impressed and surprised. Perhaps we should think about having a Squadron Burns Supper. Maybe it could be done as a kind of Dining-In Night? Must look into that one, along with with other millions of things I plan to do!

Despite being told absolutely no presents, part way through the night I got presented with a beautiful bunch of flowers, a card and some wine from the cadets.







Saturday 18 August 2007

Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Paul, Stevie & myself took eighteen cadets to Edinburgh at the beginning of August. We stayed in cadet accommodation at HMS Caledonia in Rosyth which was great as lots of the participants from the Tattoo were staying too. We kind of got a little bit of a sneak preview of what we were to see, and it was exciting.

Paul at the Warrant Officer's Bar in the Royal Yacht!
We made a weekend of it and did lots of other things during our stay. The visit to the Royal Yacht Britannia was much more interesting than I anticpated. In fact, it was facinating and the way they have set up the tour is really good. You are given a device, kind of like a big mobile phone, when you board the ship. As you move around the ship there are numbered points which, when you press the appropriate buttons on the device, you get a chunk of information about. To cap it off, they had a fabulous sweetie shop on board. I had strawberries & cream fudge, rum & raisin fudge and pecan & maple syrup fudge!

The original plan was to spend the afternoon in Ocean Terminal, but the kids weren't all that keen on shopping so we took an open top bus tour which allowed us to get on and off the bus at different stops. We made for the Royal Mile where the cadets were able to enjoy the street performers and atmosphere of the Edinburgh Festival. This was the first time I had been in Edinburgh during the festival and it was great - kind of exciting and certainly entertaining. They all made it back to the meeting point at the designated time which was a relief (my biggest nightmare - losing a cadet!)

Then came the highlight of the trip - the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Driving the buses to the parking was interesting and the queues of people were unbelieveable. Talk about being worried about losing cadets. Scary!!! We all made it safely to the Castle and took our seats. The atmosphere was electric and everyone was really excited. Then the show began!

Fantastic is the only word I need to use. It was awesome from start to finish. I love pipe music anyway so the the Massed Pipes & Drums were great. The Taipei First Girls' Senior High School Honour Guard and Drum Corps were amazing. They were throwing rifles around like they had been doing it since they were in their cots. I have to say though, it was a man that designed their uniforms - short skirts and long White Boots!
The Mounted Band of the Royals & Blues were fab. The horses are amazing and so placid - nothing seemed to phase them. The Imps motorcycle display team were ... scary! Some of them were tiny and they were zooming around like mad things on wheels. They did jumps and cross overs which much have taken so much practise and I bet lots of crashes. There were highland dancers, the Trinidad and Tobago Limbo Dancers and the Middlesex County Volunteers who were in period costume. Of course, there was a lone piper on the castle. Very moving, I definately had a tear in my eye.

But the highlight of the show was the Band of The Moscow Military Conservatoire, whose combination of drill, music and humour was spectacular. They came on and I thought, oh this is going to just be a drill demo... oh how wrong can you be. Their timing was immaculate, they kept doing little quirky moves which made everyone laugh but in reality the training and dedication must have been huge. Fantastic, my absolute favourite of the show. This video doesn't really do it justice but at least it will give you the idea. You can view all of the BBC Edinburgh Tattoo Videos at on the BBC website.

We all went to the Edinburgh Dungeons on Sunday morning. It was quite good, and their was a fair bit of history in it. Jamie, who had been the year before and should have known what to expect, just kept screaming but he kept everyone else amused. We went back to Caledonia for lunch then headed for the Fordel Firs activity centre where the cadets had a go at climbing, archery and a challenge course. The weather was really wet which made the challenge course interesting (and the bus journey back to Barracks).

Sunday evening we opted to go Ten Pin Bowling which was fun. The Warrant Officer couldn't get a ball big enough for his fat fingers, or at least that was his excuse! When we got back to the billet, the Cadet's invited us to a 'party' which we decided we would go to but we were all so shattered we just sat around chatting and then it was to late.

Monday morning we packed up and headed north again. We stopped at Killicrankie and walked down to view the soldier's leap. Pretty awsome that a human could have made that jump, but I am often amazed at what people can do when under pressure. The scenery was spectacular and I have promised myself to stop there again when I have more time to have a proper look around.

It was a long journey home but it was worth it for a great weekend.

Friday 10 August 2007

You know you've been an Air Cadet too long when ...

Found these on the net. Scary thing is some of them are so true!

01. You walk in step with people infront of you.
02. You walk 120 steps in a minute.
03. You judge how shiny people's shoes/sharp people's creases are.
04. You refer to normal people as "Civvies".
05. You answer only to your Last Name and/or rank.
06. You're really good at getting changed in vehicles.
07. You start using phrases like "[edited] hot", "gash", "gucci" and "good drills".
08. You no longer think flying aerobatics is impressive.
09. You think making up drill moves is 'fun'.
10. You say "Sir" and "Ma'am" to most adults.
11. Especially if they're doing a register of some kind.
12. You ALWAYS start off on your left foot.
13. You know how to spell 'epaulette'.
14. ..and get pissed off when people refer to them as 'flaps' or something.
15. You find polishing shoes relaxing.
16. You lock your arms in when going upstairs.
17. You get annoyed if you see civvy jackets with chevrons on (particularly if they're a higher rank than you)
18. You put tent pegs in at 45 degrees without being told.
19. You know what a 'Cuban 8' is.
20. You sometimes think "5th Feb 1941" when asked your birthday.
21. You correct people on the pronounciation of 'Corps'.
22. You wish you played an instrument/different instrument just so you could get the silver badge.
23. You've considered forming a one man sqn band to get the badge.
24. You KNOW classification means everything to cadets - and it's funny.
25. You've started opening stories by saying "Well, back when I was a Cpl .."
26. You thought at least once "ooh shiney"
27. When you start thinking "left, right, left, right" as you walk.
28. You think ANYTHING is worth doing if you get a badge.
29. You see Second Class cadets as second rate people (but don't get what's wrong).
30. You're shocked when someone doesn't know what 'NCO' stands for.
31. You've started using the phrase "how the [edited] did he/she get cpl?!" too much.
32. You're satisfied if hotels have real beds.
33. You automatically look up to the sky if you hear a plane.. and go apeshit if it's an RAF one. 34. Everyone thinks you're a plane geek (even though you insist you're rubbish at air rec).
35. You know places in Scotland because of their RAF stations.
36. You no longer say "One hundred and something", every digit is it's own - "174" - unless it's four digits but below 2000 then it's like "1940"!
37. You just plain DON'T LIKE Wilmslow.
38. You'd rather iron your uniform than do that homework.
39. You know 'webbing' has nothing to do with Spiderman.
40. The standard of Officer's drill pisses you off.
41. You associate places with Squadron numbers.
42. You think First Class Corporals are a joke.
43. You've had at least one bf/gf stand to attention for you. (in more ways than one)
44. People realise why you're a CWO and you lose some friends.
45. You have at least 2 officer's numbers on your mobile.
46. You refer to knives, forks and spoons as 'KFS'.
47. You hate it when people flout the Countryside Code on school/educational trips.
48. You question the leadership abilities of your managers.
49. You know the 'dirty' version of the 6 Ps.
50. You're mates think you're a nympho because you talk about sex all the time (but that's all you ever seem to do in cadets anyway).
51. You wish you could have that fruit cordial that all the RAF stations have..
52. You've seen Top Gun.. more than three times.
53. You call your friends by their last name.
54. You pity those who can't spell "sergeant".
55. You don't get told off by anyone.. because they wouldn't dare..
56. You know what 'tick tocking' is.. and physically CAN'T do it.
57. You can remember drill sequences with 50+ maneouvres but that oral presentation still evades you..
58. You know JUST where to find a generic risk assessment for Gardening/Table tennis/something equally pathetic.
59. You know EXACTLY how to tie a windsor knot. and finally..
60. You can't leave and you don't know why.. - And a few more that Members have submitted or suggested -
61. You've been at your squadron longer than 90% of the staff.
62. You remember the good old days where breaking noses in fieldcraft wasn't uncommon (and no-one was sent to the hospital unless bone was protruding through their skin)
63. You've been to a social event for at least one of the staff (eg wedding / birthday)
64. You feel lost on the day you normally parade if Cadets is cancelled.
65. You know why Nijmegen was cancelled last year (and were ecstatic that you got a week in holland without all the effort of walking 100miles)
66. You get excited about seeing your sqn number (or anyone else's) even if it's on a packet of sandwiches... or a bus... or a door...
67. Your full title ends in "RAFVR(T)" or your rank slide now has a small anodised pin on it.
68. Your wardrobe consists mostly of Grey/Blue/DPM or OG clothing.
69. You seem to develop a homing device for McDonalds and no matter where you are in the world you can find one in 10 mins.
70. You criticise movies on how actors wear their berets. (not to mention their drill!)
71. You just DON'T DO facial hair.
72. You walk around town cursing under your breath about 'scruffy' people with long hair.
73. You want or have your sqn number and/or 'ATC' in your car's number plate.
74. You salute instead of waving.
75. You have a right to criticise your sqn officers drill because you taught them.
76. The predictive text on your phone favours words like "nco", "raf", "acp" and "cdts" over much more widely used words.
77. A Land Rover is no longer a Land Rover. It's a Landie!
78. You see normal people wandering around in half uniform/DPM and you hate them and want to tell them off!
79. You want to salute every time you walk out of an office, even at school/work etc.
80. You come to attention whenever you hear a whistle, just in case it's an ensign going up or down!
81. You don't know what your life would be like without it.
82. You have dog tags. With your name on them. You probably got them at an air show.
83. You wince everytime you here some prat say "over and out" (especially in films) and want to beat said prat into ground using the radio he/she defiled.
84. You simply CANNOT turn anti-clockwise when turning around..
85. You bring your 3822 everywhere. Including going shopping.
86. You know at least one popular song that you can march to (and it's probably by Michael Jackson) - And even more that Members have Suggested! -
87. Your natural position when standing is at ease.
88. At least one elderly member of your family thinks you are in the TA or similar.
89. You didn't do as well as you should have in your GCSE's and A-levels because ATC activities ALWAYS come first!
90. ..yet passed with flying colours on parts of physics and geography exams seemingly from nowhere.
91. You've explained how a plane flies to AT LEAST one civvy person.
92. You get asked if you've ever killed/shot anyone.
93. Cadet's parents are your age..
94. You've broken at least one L98A1
95. You know of, or have taken part in, waxing or shaving a guy's legs on camp..
96. You remember when there was no such things as 'Risk Assessments' and just did everything anyway!
97. You were actually scared of senior NCO because if you upset them they would beat the living [edited] out of you on the next night ex (love this one)
98. You judge the quality of a cadet's character, loyalty, descipline, service, etc... by the accuracy of that 6mm gap between his (or her) Identification Badge and the top of their brassard.
99. You know 'Identification Badges' have nothing to do with your name and everything to do with your reputation.
100. (waited for 100 to put this one, because it's so important) You know what T-NATO means - not to mention Tea Whoopi Goldberg and Tea Julie Andrews!
101. You go on camp and you feel silly dancing at the disco cos everyone else there is at least 2 years younger than you... 102. As well as knowing what 'Screech' is, you can also name several people who have snorted it. 103. You say "say again" instead of "Pardon?" or "Could you repeat that?" (You don't want anybody getting blown up!!) 104. You know, and have used the "There are only 2 types of Sarge.." etc. quote to a group of very shocked cadets.
105. You get chuffties over paper plates with some random NCO's scrawl all over them..
106. You know there should be a 'G' in front of SMEAC.. and everything turns into a GSMEAC brief..
107. You go on the USS and they defer you - saying you need to do more outside of the ATC!
108. You've had a squaddie tan before. Twice. And you looked a muppet. (But it was ok because someone else had it too)
109. You found out what 'freezing cold' really means.
110. You've got enough left over bits of ration packs to make a new one! And enough wind/waterproof matches to start a bonfire!
111. You feel controversial if you've got a facial piercing or hair/tattoo/brightly dyed hair even when you're not in uniform..
112. You know the first two verses of the National Anthem (and stand to attention to sing it, just like your Sgt told you to so many years ago)
113. You NEVER wear ties with shortsleeved shirts.
114. Your beret is more like Army Air Corps blue than RAF blue.
115. You know 'VR(T)' actually stands for 'Virtual Reality Trooper' or 'Very Rarely Trained'.
116. You called a teacher "Ma'am" once and hoped to god everyone thought you said "Mum" because it's less embarassing..
117. You see an air cadet in uniform and even though you aren't, you make a point of letting them know you're in the ATC too (because that's how cool you are)
118. Wing Training Day is written in HUGE bold writing on your calendar but you forgot to put your/your Mum's birthday on.
119. You remember when brassards had white elastic..
120. You prefer Bivvies instead of Tents (just in case you need to bug out, obviously)
121. These two words bring back vivid memories: 'Drill' and 'Drunk'. Extra credit for 'Pepper potting'.
122. The phrase "Don't salute me; I work for a living" has escaped your lips.
123. You have already, or will be, chuffed when your Sqn Number shows up on this list.
124. You make a habit of pointing out your (or someone else's sqn) when you go past it in a bus or car.
125. You spend hours melting off and repolishing your shoes just for one little cadet to stand on them 10 minutes later. (said cadet almost without exception ends up cleaning toilets)
126. You bring lots of spending money on annual camps, knowing it'll only ever be spent in SPAR.
127. You have a dedicated 'Cadets' or 'ATC' folder on your computer.
128...It has many sub-folders..