Wot I done in the holidays...

Pre-orders being taken now, and I'll sign your copy for free. ;^)

The Battles for Monte Cassino Then and Now by Jeffrey Plowman/Perry Rowe Permalink:http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1870067738

or

http://www.fishpond.co.nz/Books/Battles-for-Monte-Cassino-Then-and-Now-Jeffrey-Plowman-Perry-Rowe/9781870067737

But seriously, if you know any history buffs, please pass this on to them! That's the power of social networking.

New news and old news

Well, more change. Where to start?

We went to the Isle of Wight with friends for a week. The weather wasn't great so as far as we know the Island is a 200m diameter circle, though with someone changing props every now and then. It was foggy for most of the time and since we were there to walk it was a tad spooky at times. While there Judi looked up her long lost relatives but without making huge progress. We did have the odd bit of sunshine and saw the island highlights - Carisbrook Castle, the Needles, and so on.

Tennyson's memorial

Our friends are also the other half of our quiz team. We've not been doing so well as none of us know any music, and there is a music round every week work 1/6th of the total. Mind you, we aren't so hot on any subject after 1980...

Putting a damper on the week was Q's call informing us of the earthquake, so we were worried for a while. It is a relief that no family or friends were badly affected. Still, I cried to see the wreckage of all those heritage buildings. I hope that whatever replaces them is more than just a cheap, quick rebuild. Will we be left with a Napier/Hastings or a Akl city centre?

Speaking of building memorials, with the bridge done I am making this:

Polish memorial, Monte Cassino

So far I have this, so there's a bit of work to go...

The recreation so far

This one can't take a year like the bridge, as we'll be moving in July/August. Yes folks, the decision has been made to chuck in J's well paid and secure job for another move into the great unknown, in the middle of a recession. Madness. 8^) 

We will be visiting NZ in August for C's graduation so hope to catch up with as many as possible. We'll take a month or so and do some touring of the North Island which I never saw much of before. Could be a little chilly though... Since we are away so long we'll stick our stuff into storage and move locations when we get back - much like last time, except we'll need a bigger van this time. J gave her notice - around 5 months so plenty of time to find a replacement - and there were a few tears from the boss.

Not my boss though as for the first time I am at a new school! Wearing yet another hat! This incarnation I am acting Exam Officer at Norton Hill School, a half hour drive south of Bath. It's a nice school but I am really in at the deep end this time - more so than any of the previous hats I've worn. Fortunately the incumbent was ultra organised so systems are in place and she did most of the hard work before she took her seriously sick leave. That is dedication! To add to the first week I got a bad chest cold so am pretty shattered, and the agency filled in my personal details as Gender: female. I should remember that operation shouldn't I? Put the knife down Mrs Bobbitt!

Tomorrow is hockey again. We've been struggling for a team since Christmas, through injury or absence, and it looks as though tomorrow will be a 9 aside game. Two weekends ago only 8 turned up. Perhaps understandably our results have been crap and we've been at the wrong end of some drubbings, so much so that we could be relegated. And all under my captaincy. 8^( 

On a happier note we get our hands on the book on April 20th apparently. Sadly, that is a few weeks too late for Jeff to pick one up in person while he visits the UK (including us) in March. We are both bemused by the apparent lack of marketing being planned, and a little worried that neither of us actually have a contract. Will this be just a labour of love?

Speaking of labours of love, I will guiding another group in May. The same organisation as two years ago - The Monte Cassino Association. This time J will be staying in the hotel so she can add her Kiwi charm to the proceedings. She and I'll take a few days beforehand to visit Termoli so I can get the pics for my next article. I finally got a contact there who might be able to give me a hand - a professor of History in the local uni - so hope to fill in some of the gaps in my picture coverage. I've been able to use Google Earth (TM) to map 80% of the pics already, but the ones I'm missing are likely to be the most useful for the publisher (tank losses, for the record). We also hope to catch up with some of our friends in Cassino - and sell them the book. I thought the Italian agent might be setting something up for the 'season' in Cassino but it appears that it is up to me: buy the books at 35% discount and flog them out of my car boot. Not really a possibility when flying RyanAir.

On Sunday we are off to a comedy act - Punt and Dennis. I've no idea if they've made NZ TV screens or radio yet, but they should be funny. Hugh Dennis was in a TV series called Outnumbered which I found very funny. It was partially improvised with three kids, one of whom was a young clone of Jonathan Davies, who you may also not know. We've been watching a few series off disk - Breaking Bad, which should be called the Law of Unintended Consequences; Dexter, though that got a bit annoying and stale after a while; and we've started on Huff but it is only filling in time.

As am I. See you next month. 8^)