Okay so Iran has 15 sailors and Royal Marines in custody, let me tell you what is happening right now, right now as we speak the SAS has the president of Iran's forehead in its crosshairs, behind the scenes the prime minister is telling the Iranian president that if our boys are not released instantly then the trigger is going to be pulled and the iranian president is going to feel a dumb thump in his head as the bullet hits. There is no way my country is going to let this stand. No way. We are a small country but let us not forget that we are the country of Churchilll, we are a great country, and paraphrasing from "Love Actually" "we are the country of Shakesepere, of Churchill, of Harry Potter, of David Beckam's right foot, of David Beckam's left foot for that matter" Iran is going to find just like Germany did, "some chicken, some neck" they have picked on the wrong bully in the playground this time.

The temps were in the low 80s, the sun was shining and the carolina blue skys were as blue as they could be. I had to drive down to Columbus County to have dinner with my husband (seeing as I havne't seen him since Wednesday) so I stopped off at Holly Shelter Wildlife area, which resulted in this, much to my delight, an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail drinking salts from the sand.



This is the earliest I have ever seen an Eastern Tiger, normally they arrive when the apple tree is in blossom, and yet the apple tree is way far from blossoming.

From there I went down highway 53 and 11 and ended up at Lake Waccamaw just as the sun was beginning to set, unfortunately I didn't get the whole sunset seeing as I had a date with my husband so I missed the whole red sunset thing but I loved the way the sun looked on the water....



and the sun coming down on the lake was just wonderful.

my darling husband has just been voted teacher of the year at his high school, I am so proud of him, you cannot believe, my darling husband teacher of the year. It doesn't get any better than this.

it would appear, from watching them wrestling with each other this evening, that Cueball can now fit Judy's entire head in his mouth. I would be concerned about this, as you can understand, except for the fact that Cueball has no teeth. Well that is not exactly true, he has teeth but they are firmly lodged in his gums and refuse to emerge (it is a common trait for the breed according to his vet). I suppose we should be grateful for that blessing seeing as the consequences could be quite dire. Right now Cueball gets Judy's head in his mouth whereupon he sort of sucks on her like a large lollipop, he then lets loose and the worst that has happened is that Judy has got a head full of Cueball slobber, heaven knows what would happen if he had teeth. For illustrative purposes only, here is a shot of Judy and Cueball "rassling" on the patio last year, Cueball has grown since that time so you can see where the problem is.



I went grocery shopping on Saturday which of course, as usual, included a week's worth of pet food. I heard about the recall on the news and thought to myself "ha! I don't buy IAMS and Eukanuba, I buy Food Lion's own brand - I am safe" so I go to menufoods.com and read the recall list. This evening I took all of the canned food that I bought on Saturday back to the store and replaced it with non-recall food. Who'd a thunk that the people who make IAMS and Eukanuba also make Food Lion's own brand? Either I am getting a bargain or the people buying IAMS etc are getting ripped off. As an aside there was a woman on the news yesterday morning, cradling her obviously very sick Chihuaha in her arms and through her tears she said "I thought I was doing the right thing buying her the best food, but by buying her the best food I might just have killed her" she was absolutely devastated, as I would have been, you try to do the best things for your pets and you end up endangering their lives. I sure hope that no more pets die, I can only hope and pray that the "pet parents" who have lost a baby can find peace in the fact that they did nothing wrong, they were just trying to give their babies the best.

I was at a party once, a party thrown by a female officer friend of mine. As I meandered about, mingling as one does I happened upon a young man (well not young, my age at that time you understand) with a ready smile and the most brilliant blue eyes. We got to chatting, and he told me he was a merchant banker up from London for the weekend. I was beguiled.

"I hear him, before I go to sleep
And focus on the day that's been.
I realise he's there,
When I turn the light off and turn over."

After the party was over I thought nothing more of it, other than I had met a rather charming merchant banker. I knew of course that my heart had ached to see him again but alas, it was not to be.

One evening in Wren's Quarters I received a phone call, the girls would tell me nothing more than it was the merchant banker. I answered the phone and Colin (the merchant banker's name) confessed that not only was he not a merchant banker up from London but he was a Royal Marine officer stationed fairly near my base. He asked if I would consent to see him again, despite his deception. I consented.

"Nobody knows about my man.
They think he's lost on some horizon.
And suddenly I find myself
Listening to a man I've never known before"

We spent much time together after that, and as it turned out I fell deeply in love with the most wonderful man I had ever met at that time. He was, not to put too fine a point on it, the exact description of perfection had I only programmed my ideal man into a computer and the computer had spit him out. I was besotted.

"Telling me about the sea,
All his love, 'til eternity.

Ooh, he's here again,
The man with the child in his eyes.
Ooh, he's here again,
The man with the child in his eyes."

Our relationship was pretty much perfect (although if I have to admit now, at the time I was more than a little clingy) but then one day I received a phone call from the drafting office. I had been granted my wish, I was going to Hong Kong for two years. I called him, "what do you think I should do" I asked? "Do what is in your heart" he said.

"He's very understanding,
And he's so aware of all my situations.
And when I stay up late,
He's always waiting, but I feel him hesitate"

We spoke at length about my draft, I told him how good I would look in a white tropical uniform with a brilliant tan, one evening shortly before I was supposed to leave I snuggled down in bed next to him and found a lump under my pillow, I looked, it was a white Swatch watch "it will look good with your tan" he smiled. So I chose Hong Kong, I remember the long night, the long sleepless night the very night before I flew to Hong Kong, watching him sleeping peacefully in bed. Marvelling at him. Wondering what on earth was going to happen as I got on that train the next morning and headed to the airport to catch my flight to Hong Kong.

"Oh, I'm so worried about my love.
They say, "No, no, it won't last forever."
And here I am again, my girl,
Wondering what on Earth I'm doing here.
Maybe he doesn't love me.
I just took a trip on my love for him."

So I got on the train, and dear friends it was over, a couple of months after I arrived in Hong Kong he began to refuse to take my calls, and then the letter arrived, telling me that he had a new girlfriend and that she "didn't see me as a concept" whatever that meant, I was devastated. I saw him again, years later when I was in Scotland at the Flag Officer's office and he was since out of the Royal Marines and working as a consultant for a radio communications company. And as he sat laughing at me the other side of my desk, his blue eyes shining with glee I couldn't help but hear in my head:

"Ooh, he's here again,
The man with the child in his eyes.
Ooh, he's here again,
The man with the child in his eyes."

I smiled back, and drowned in his eyes for a moment, then turned, "I have work to do, the Chief of Staff needs this" I said, he smiled, said he understood, excused himself and left, the demon was exorcised, I could move on, but I will never forget Colin, with the child in his eyes. I have absolutely no idea what brought this into my head this evening but into my head it came.

*With grateful thanks to Kate Bush and her brilliant songwriting skills.