In my life I need you now...

Saturday was the squadrons 30th anniversary parade and the annual dinner, after all my gripes and moans it turned out to be a bloody good day! I was even presented my wings by Group Captain Ford, (half cut!)

Sunday came around too quickly and saw me on the road back to Sheffield, back to work, back to revision and all the fun that brings. I arrived feeling in need of a holiday, for my holiday.


By Wednesday things we're back to normal and set for a brilliant day, me, Claire, Jamie and Paul headed out to Stanage for a day climbing. I even started leading, bagging my first VDiff, yay.


It was Rav's birthday so in the evening we cracked open the beers and the bottle and enjoyed a somewhat unconventional BBQ (amatures!) After a pleasant amount to drink we headed to the York to catch up with some more bodies, and get some more drinks before rolling down to Juice. Not before Rav getting dressed up as Frozone (again) then nearly breaking his neck flying over my shoulders, we thought that was the event of the evening... We left the York and half way down to the union, i see a wall, i jump on to the wall, next i know I'm sitting on the floor with a head covered in blood. I'm propped up by Gaz and someone else having Jamie shout at me as i pass in and out of consciousness, in the meantime Claire dials 999 and an ambulance is on the seen just as i come around. After checking me over I was taken to A & E, Claire keeping me company while the rest head on down to Juice for a complete evening! I was released from hospital five and a half hours later after a head xray and 4 stitches, we got back to Claire about 6.00am... An 'interesting' evening to say the least... After a lot of confusion it was determined i hit my head on a taller wall jumping onto the shorter one and apparently part of my scalp is still attached to the point where my head hit... nice!

Glide by the curves...

Wednesday saw the Thorpe Woodlands Adventure Training Staff, the T.W.A.T.S all back together for some fun frolics and general dicking around. We spent the day refreshing and getting the tents up and ready for the season, it's gonna be awesome. This years volunteers arrived Thursday morning for an introduction to the initiatives and a chance for us to get some archery and high ropes practice, a good chance to get back into the swing of things (no pun intended). Friday we spent all day paddling, it was a good to get back on the water it's been a while since I've had any skills practice. All in all three bloody fun days back with the gang, and i cant wait till I'm back to work.

I don't know why and i don't know what for...

Where was the holiday?!

I pose this question to myself, I'm back at uni and desperately feel in need of a holiday... I've just had 3 weeks 'off'. In reality I only really spent 3 days of that in the comfort of my own home, and having been absent form the net for a while so i better let everyone catch up.

Uni officially ended for Easter on the 23rd of March, however unlike most i hung around a deserted Sheffield until Monday where i caught a train bound for Dundee... Dundee was to be my new home for the next two weeks, almost a year ago now i won myself a Air Cadet Flying Scholarship, entitling me to 12 hours free flying with the aim of going solo. Finally things came together and whether or not it was the right to do or not, i found myself in a hotel room in Dundee with and Irish wanna be terrorist and a faint smell of piss and potpourri. Jonny was the guy i was sharing with and soon enough the other three lads introduced them selves, Stu (doing a 3 week NPPL), Dean (a Swindon lad and soon to become a Dundee husband) and Gareth (a strange jordy accented lad). Arriving the same day as me and Irish was Keeta (another NPPL character, with her own number plate and slightly 'over protective boyfriend). By the end of that first evening it felt like we had already been there a week, jipping Zied, struggling to understand Roy and hitting the town on the lash.

The next day saw me, Irish and Keeta introduced to a 7.00am start, the flying school, our instructors and the fabulous Scottish weather. After 5 days of getting back to the hotel by 3 i finally got my first hours flight on the Friday. That first week we went out 7 nights in a row, including watching the England game (with a CFS officer) in a rammed Scottish pub, interesting to say the least. By the following Monday Gareth and Dean had flown solo and left for home in time for that weeks newbies to arrive, along with a fantastic turn around in the weather. Adam (welshy), Andy and Raphael (little bit to book dedicated) were the newbies and again very soon were incorporated into our 'family'. Friday came around, and after my second sortie and 19 touch and goes with Marjan (he gave me 3 bollockings before leaving the ground on our first flight) he jumped out leaving me in sole control of Hotel Delta... I called the tower, taxied to Rwy 28, got clearance, took off, made my crosswind turn, my downwind turn, my downwind call, my base turn, my final turn, my final call, i landed, and taxied to the holding point. The tower called 'Tayside 2 Hotel Delta cleared to taxi to Tayside, and congratulations on your first solo' That's when it dawned on me I had just flown a circuit, 1000ft above the ground on my own. Whoop Whoop!!
Saturday after a check flight i was sent solo again to use up my last hour... By 4.00 the same day i was sitting on a train crossing the Tay rail bridge, watching the airfield shrink into the distance, with a feeling of 'glad to be going home' but also a feeling of 'wow, what an experience, i don't quite want it to be over...'

Solo Downwind...

Solo Crosswind...

My solo ladies...

I arrived home just before midnight, the first time in almost 3 months, it was nice to have Claire waiting for me at the station, and nice to see mum, my home, my room and defiantly my own bed! Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were not too exhaustive, me and Claire headed to Knetishall for a picnic and Monday evening JJ and Emma surprised me and we spent the evening catching up, playing cards and getting a little merry. :-)

Stu and Keeta with Delta

Hotel Delta...