Unemployment

No more work and school finished for the last of them yesterday (Wednesday). On Tuesday I spent the day Interneting and going over some of the Cassino photos. There is film footage of a German Stug - a self-propelled gun for the uninitiated - that is shown in almost every document on Cassino, and stills used in nearly every book. It was supposed to have been sheltered in the Hotel Continental but I have proved it is in fact the neighbouring building. I'm sure the Nobel is in the post this minute! I met J after work at The Ostrich and we sat in the sunshine for a drink (Yes! Sunshine, if only for an afternoon.) We sat and read (look out for a book called Erindipity by David Kenny - most amusing) and after a pint of Kronenburg and a bottle of Bulmers cider I was quite merry.

Yesterday I had the same sort of day, but found out how to layer maps and aerial photographs on top of a Google Earth view. This means I can now fade them in and out to see where certain features are, and it is great for seeing what has changed since the war. I also had a play at using SketchUp to add 3-D buildings to the map, but I'm not very good at it. Perhaps someone used to CAD could whip up the monastery for me? 8-) As it stopped raining in the evening J dragged me out for a walk, this time way down to the end of the harbour and back up the other side. It was further this way than I'd been before on foot and it was interesting to see some of the old workings, including two drydocks, the locks, sluicing gates and so on. As it was 9:30 by the time we got back near home, we waited for the burglar alarm that has been annoying us to go off, as it does every night at that time, and made a note of the address. Sadly it may turn out to be unoccupied, but GVA Grimley will be getting a call!

Today I actually got pen on paper and wrote up the 28th Battalion's attack on the Railway Station for my battlefield guide, then started on the next section, the later attacks on the Railway Station by the 26th Bn and 19th Regt. I think J is writing this same section now too. He has been churning through the writing at a great rate from the sounds of things, so I need to keep up with him with the stuff from the archives over here and soon in Italy.

I hear that a Kiwi has been given a VC, the first since WW2. Excellent, and well done that man. The citation certainly shows he was a courageous man, and lucky.

Speaking of the Army, it is exactly 7 months since I first wrote to the Army about my experience at the Kippenberger Archives in Waiouru. For those of you not in the know, the first Director sat on my complaint for 5 months and then retired. I had to write to the CO to get a response after 6 months. They put it on to the new Director, who failed to see my point of view, 8-) but now tells me that the whole thing is not actually within their purvue anyway! After 7 months of back and forth he tells me he can't actually make a decision! I went into this with quite a high opinion of the Army, but now my opinion is that they are run by fools, and like all peacetime armies the biggest fools are in the highest positions. I now have to deal with Director number 3, but have engaged the CAB to help me. Small Claims Court here we come.

J has had her farewells and got a bloody good reference from the school. I'm continually impressed (not surprised of course) by her competence, and completely jealous. Mia sposa, mia eroina.