DAY 13 (Tuesday 02 August 2011)

Today started out with our PT session being in the outside pool, it was quite a strenuous session, whoever said you can’t sweat when doing swimming hasn’t had one of these sessions with Maj Kelsall (OC/QM) taking it.  We spent a very knackering 45 minutes doing life saving techniques (being told that we are not qualified life savers, we are only there to assist if need be) then we did laps of the pool doing various stupid things, you also have to realise that the pool is only a 16 meter pool so it doesn’t do well to have loads of us at one time.  However, I did get told to stop cheating at one point, that was when we had to swim across the pool, haul ourselves out go round the float and lower ourselves back into the water and swim across and do the same again, well instead of hauling myself out and standing up to go around the floats, I just stayed sat down, swung my legs over the float then lowered myself in the pool, to me that is not cheating, it is using my initiative.

Anyway after that we just went to work where again, it’s just the mundane stuff with a few extra things thrown in.

However, tonight is the night for the COS Dine Out, this will be my first Mess function here even though we are in our Mess Dress we are in Summer Mess dress.

 Me in my Summer Mess Dress

 

Back now from the function, it’s not stupid o’clock but it is certainly past my bedtime.  Well it was a good night was had by all, we all had cocktails to start, then other drinks were drank whilst we waited to be seated for the food.  The meal was nice, starters were Battered Mushrooms with Garlic Sauce and a bit of Salad, main course was Chicken with a white sauce and the usually customary vegetables, even though there was a sauce, gravy was also provided, dessert was Lychees with ice cream, however the Lychees weren’t fresh, they were out of a tin, but it still tasted nice all the same.  Of course you can’t go forgetting the cheese board with crackers, if you say biscuits over here that is what you will get, biscuits (Oreos have been known to accompany the cheese board before now).

After dinner there was the obligatory toasts with the Port, the Vice for the night did the toasts, however, when it came to toasting the Queen, all he said was ‘Sir’s, Ma’am’s, Ladies & Gents’, that was it, he just did the hand gesture for us to stand instead of saying ‘Please be upstanding’, still everyone got the gist with the hand movement.

The evening ended not too late but late enough, at least I didn’t have to get up for PT.