JRT,

I've been looking forward to September because it is usually a settled month and also my favourite time to grab a final holiday before the start of winter's chill. This weekend's Bank Holiday was a washout.

Off to Brighton in an hour or so to pick up some furniture. This will be a long trip - especially if we get delayed by the build-up of returning holiday traffic.

Folks,

Dux:

Let me see now, Brighton is a seaport is it not? Olga is an excellent swimmer and she loves to sail.....

Folks,

I flew what must surely be one of the most exciting and dangerous mission I have ever flown in BoB2 tonight.

609 and 56 Sqdrn. made a frontal attack on bombers 4 miles S. of Southampton at angels 12. There were 39 enemy 109s and He111s. I have never seen Jerry more keen for a scrap. At one time I counted 6 black crosses at the edges of my screen and one more padlocked in front of me. Sometimes I use the padlock and sometimes I don't. I prefer not to but sometimes it is the only way I can find the blasted enemy. Tracers streaked past me no matter which way I turned.

Finally I dropped padlock and pressed ctrl-F1 to padlock the nearest enemy. Then I could more easily deal with the fellow chewing on my rudder. I had to do this several times before I could return to the 109 I had originally padlocked which was still just barely visible in the distance.

This guy led me straight into a flock of barrage balloons. I think it was a ploy to get me off his back. Who knew the AI was so clever? Those cables ripping by were unnerving. I don’t know if you can actually hit one in the game. Do you know?

Out of ammo and gas not to mention nerve, I radioed the tower for a vector and set course for my home field. For me it was a good landing in that I didn't break anything on me or the airplane.

We lost 6 pilots. Jerry lost 11. To paraphrase what someone keeps on repeating on the R/T in every mission...."They got their wake-up call".

Gents,

JRT,

That was a gruelling 16 hour trip - to the gay capital of the South. Not Olga's territory I shouldn't think!

Folks,

Dux:

Ummmm. I believe I do remember reading that Brighton prides itself on being a 'gay' tolerant city. Much like our San Fransisco I suppose. It is not my chosen lifestyle however I have always wondered about the 5 O'clock shadow so often seen on Olga's face.... and that perfectly sculpted six pack and those huge biceps.....

Quite right, I had completely forgotten about those terrible injections she was forced to endure just after she was ordered by Stalin to compete in the women's shot put and weight-lifting events at the Moscow Pipe Fitters Union's annual Comrades of Lenin Tractor Pull, Farm Implement Symposium and Track & Field event touted as the anointed prelude to the 1936 Olympic games to be held in Berlin.

Of course Olga swept the field capturing 12 gold medal firsts and only one lead 10th place gong that she ruefully accepted after competing rather unsuccessfuy in the Soviet Female Agricultural Worker's Hand-Made Swimsuit Competition. It was on to Berlin with high hopes for glory after that.

How I wish I could have been there in the new Olympic Stadium to see the look on Shicklegruber's face when that shot put flew just inches past his ear. Is it also true that when they had hung the gold medals around her neck she turned and pulled down her rather bulky competition grade canvas and burlap Hot to Trotsky gym shorts? Then did she really moon the Fuhrer? She did! Whatta girl.

JRT,




Whatta girl indeed...if indeed she is a girl - or woman.

We have another break in a fortnights time, at the usual place. It's one of the very few places that will tolerate three doggies. A a dog owner yourself, you will be aware of the holiday restrictions on our faithful hounds which limit one's choices. It is more fun to take them along than be worrying how they are coping in kennels. That's something I only ever did once and wouldn't do again. Old Barney seemed confused and dis-oriented when we went back for him. Never again. After all, we understand why they are there but they don't.

Folks,

Dux:

Having just last night been brushed off by a 400 mile wide hurricane I'm feeling lucky today. Perhaps I should play the lottery or take up cordless Bunji jumping? I practiced that for a few hours once but I soon realized the chair I had been launching myself from was simply not high enough.

As soon as the quack released me from the concussion ward of Our Lady of Lost Causes Hospital for the Clearly Disturbed I went right back at it but from the dizzy heights of the dining room table this time. Me noggin still smarts a bit and a tooth is loose. To quote that sage American medical man, Elmer Fudd, what I need now is some weal west and wewaxsation. I'd ask to go along with you but it is a rather long swim and the Atlantic is still churning off Cape Hatteras from the recent passing of Earl.

Indeed I have yet to find a kennel, no matter how compassionately run that can replace the companionship of any dog's 'pack'. After all they do not know what has happened to you or them or if you are coming back. Dropped into a strange place where they do not know the pecking order, where the next meal is coming from or even if they are as well treated as a pack or spoiled royal Corgis they will not be happy until reunited with their true family. It must be traumatizing for all but the most alpha of canines.

Now children are quite different. You can drop them off at any kennel that provides 3 squares and a cot and if they can play with the other inmates they do just fine. UhOH...I have just received one of those frosty 'looks' from SWMNBN. Pondering that 'look' I have just remembered to say that at no time no where no how have we EVER left any of our kids at any kennel.....

OUCH! I must stop typing now to return for a brief convalescence at Our Lady of Lost Causes Hospital for the Clearly Disturbed and the Physically Battered.

Gentlemen,

JRT,

We have also been following the progress of Earl from this side of the Atlantic with the usual detached interest that only 3500 miles of ocean can assure. We have the occasional mini-tornado which often comes out of nowhere at short or no notice, so the tornado and the lack of prior notice become inseparable - a single entity, which is convenient enough to place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the met office. As if it where some sort of weather phenomenon devised by them.

This model represents the Percival Mew Gull was a thirties racing aircraft which could achieve 265 mph for a measly 205 hp.
This was only 35 mph less than the Hurricane I early production fighter.

Folks,

Dux:

She's a beaut for sure. And she looks fast and powerful too. That event you attended must surely have been well regulated for there could not possibly have been enough sky in which to fit all of those lovely planes at one time.

"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...cry if I want too... You would cry too if it happened to you. Dah, dah, dah..dah...dah" Yes, that was Leslie Gore singing about how I feel this fine birthday morning. Thank you Leslie. In spite of my tears, I also want to thank the SimHQ computer for remembering my birthday. I wish I knew when it was first assembled so that I can reciprocate when that date rolls around again MG. Would you look into that for me?

The real reason I'm crying this morning has nothing to do with my birthday. Vandals broke into our old house over the past week and ransacked both it and all the out buildings. Lost are my bulky 40's naval radios and all those model kits I had yet to bring here including the huge stand off scale F4U still in the box. They also stole my turkey frier so there will not be another conflagration this Thanksgiving or any other. I suppose the fire brigade will be pleased to hear about that.

It's my own fault in a way. Although everything was 'securely' locked the bast.... assh... thieves had no real trouble gaining entrance. A lock is only as good as the door it is placed upon. It is sad that such greedy, problematic members of the human race can stoop to such despicable depths but they do it every day with little worry of being brought to justice.

There is little hope that the police can or will do anything about this. Not as long as the doughnut shops are open and they are open here 24-7. The house was broken into once before 15 years ago when it was vacant for a short time and they did nothing more than take a few notes that I am aware of. This encourages these shi...tur... jerks to do what they do. I am more angry with myself than with them for it was in the final analysis my mistake that allowed this to happen.

Folks,

This Reginald Bon-bbb..Baton and I'm g-going to-to read to you the local nu-news with m-my ca-commentary.

A group of Danish rocket enthusiasts trying to launch a dummy 30km into the sky had to abort the mission
when a valve on their rocket jammed. W-what it jammed wu-was n-not ma-made ca-clear.

The Copenhagen Suborbitals group is attempting to fly its DIY vehicle from a restricted military test
area near Bornholm island in the Baltic Sea. I-m wo-worried. H-how fa-far is that f-from here?

A man-sized dummy is strapped inside a pressurized, tubular capsule. S-so t-that is wh-where Ga-Gordon B-Brown has g-gone....

When Sunday's countdown reached zero, a puff of smoke was seen from the rocket but nothing happened. E-either t-that was a smoke s-signal c-call f-for help or t-the d-dummy m-may be sm-smoking a l-last cigarette...

A subsequent inspection found a valve controlling the flow of very cold, liquid oxygen to the motor
had frozen up. W-what d-did they expect LOX t-to d-do?

No further attempt would be made to launch on Sunday, the rocketeers said. Actually w-what t-they s-said was in D-Danish s-so w-we a-are j-just g-guessing. Wu-one w-word w-was sh-shouted a l-lot. "Lort"! I th-think I know what th-that meant. W-what's a f-four la-letter Da-Danish w-word f-for de-defecation?