Hi all!

Just gonna tell you what happened to us the other day. I’m writing this and listening to a song on you tube. Very beautiful if you want to listen to what I like while reading this story, just click here: ΜΑΡΙΝΕΛΛΑ – Εγώ θα πάρω καπετάνιο.

Anyway, we were invited to go to Folkstone and spend the day at the RAF Squaudron training ground so instead of going up in the morning, I asked if it was OK to go up Wednesday night and give the troops a little dance and that way we would get up early and see them training and getting ready for their tour of Afghanistan.

Well, we got there and they were all surprised when we ran out into their meeting room and danced for them. What a great bunch of lads …. I don’t want to get all serious but they know they are doing a great job and risking life and limb to keep the world safe, so it’s the least we could do. A little 3 minute dance to get them in a good mood!!

Well we finished and had loads of pictures and signed loads, and then Lagi asked “where are we staying“. The man in charge said “we’ve put you up in our best barracks, so are you ready to get some rest?” .…“Is it possible we can get some food first” I asked .…“Sure, what do you want? “e can go and get some Chinese”

Well, you know you don’t have to ask me twice so off we went! Me, Lagi, the Colonel and Mark our friend who organised the trip. We got the food and headed back to eat it in our room and watch some tele.

As we got to the room the man opened the door and inside the room were two metal thin beds and two wafer thin plastic mattresses and sheets and itchy looking blankets in a neat pile on the end of each.

I would call it a bed but that would be lying they were metal fences laid down to look like beds ….. ohhhhhh myyyyyyy god …. I looked at Mark and the man and they were smiling so I played along. Lagi wasn’t smiling. “See you two in the morning”…“yeah bye”….as the door closed Lagi looked at me and I winked at him. “Don’t worry they’ll be back they are playing a joke on us”.

We were still sitting there waiting for them to come back. Twenty minutes later; “They’re not coming back dad”… “I think you’re right Lags. Don’t worry I have seen enough survival programs. We’ll be fine”.

Lagi gave me one of those looks like he wanted to throttle me, so I reminded him that Christmas was only 6 months away and Santa would look after him. More importantly though; “Dad, how are we going to eat this Chinese?!!”

All there was in this tiny room were two beds, a chest of drawers and a mirror …and I must say given the circumstances I did look rather good.

I opened the suitcase and dug around and pulled out a shoehorn that I had pinched from one of the hotels that we had stayed in … so just picture it, we are sat there on 2 prison issue beds with itchy blankets, itchy pillows and taking turns eating special fried rice chicken chow mein sweet and sour pork with a stolen shoe horn!!!

We did eventually get to sleep and wake up and have a great day which I will tell you about some other time, as this has to be one of the longest stories yet …. anyone who thinks Stavros Flatley is becoming a diva please refer back to this story and consider how two little podgy fellas roughed it with the troops all in the name of show business!

Speak to you all soon

xx