Remembrance Sunday!

 

I, like many Veterans, prepared myself for the act of remembering the fallen by polishing my shoes and medal and getting the rest of my kit ready on the Saturday before.

I was proud to have been given the privilege of representing the Rheindahlen Branch of the Royal British Legion, at the British Ceremony of Remembrance in the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Reichswald! The British Senior National Representative, Group Captain RJ Niven, at the NATO Combined Air Operations Centre had asked for a representative who was also to recite the Kohima Epitaph during the Ceremony! 

As there were many Royal Pioneers buried in this cemetery I also took a Wreath given me by the RPC Association to lay in their honour. 

As I had never been to the Reichswald before I was up early and a good thing too, as the first thing I was called upon to do was scrape the ice off of all my car’s windows! 

My NAVI, as we say here in Germany, took me to the Reichswald via The Netherlands. The address I had was that the cemetery was on the Grünewald Straße and when I got to it I turned the wrong way and drove away from the cemetery. I quickly realised my error and turned round and soon found it. 

There was quite a gathering of Nations at the cemetery as one might expect. In fact all NATO Nations were represented including Poland a relatively new member State. 

I made myself known to Group Captain Niven and the Parade Sergeant Major. I was asked to lay the RPC Wreath in the third wave of wreath layers which included the local German Civil Dignatories and to lay the RBL Wreath last! 

The Wreath Layers were lined up about 20 metres from the Memorial Stone, so it was quite a Walk of honour to lay my two wreaths. 

The sun shone and there was frost on the ground. There were no microphones or means of projecting ones voice other than that learned on Army Parades. It was difficult to hear the voice of the RAF Chaplin who had come out especially from the UK, or the other actors in the ceremony! 

Consequently when it came to my turn to recite the Kohima Epitaph I put on my best parade ground voice and recited it as loud as I could!

“When you go home, tell them of us and say, 

for your tomorrow, we gave our today!”

After the ceremony I visited a number of the graves.

This man is the grandfather of fellow Pioneer Kevin Kittel!

Next year I shall make sure I take a number of the small RBL wooden crosses to mark the graves I visit!

This is how far away I stood during the ceremony and the distance I had to march twice to lay my wreaths!

Guests had been invited to a light lunch in the UK Community Centre following the ceremony and so I now went there. It was in a converted Military Quarter on what had once clearly been the Patch when the RAF had had a large presence in Germany.

Here I was able to have a conversation with the Chaplin Rev Craig Lancaster, who thanked me for my part, so I must presume my voice carried! 

I told the organisers that I would return next year to represent the Royal Pioneer Corps and if possible bring a second person to represent the Rheindahlen Branch of the Royal British Legion! 

My NAVI took me home this time not going via the Netherlands! 

Christmas News Letter 2015

As I look back at 2015 I can say that it has been a wonderful year for me. The start was full of pathos and grief which I left at the foot of the Cruz de Ferro on the Camino in Spain. Thereafter it was fun and laughter shared with great friends, new and old, across two continents.
I have written about them so need not repeat what I have already said. However, one of my friends did remark that he had sent me to North America to report more fully on what I saw and did. He was complaining that after my Civil War adventure there was "radio silence" from me!
He was right of course. The silence was not because there was no adventure, but perhaps because it was so much more of a very personal experience. I had no idea how to explain away how much I enjoyed just being part of a great family, both in Canada and in Connecticut. I felt at home and for two pins I could have lived in either community happily for ever after.
I returned to Germany in November to learn that not much had changed here. It was good to be in my own four walls and to meet the friends I have here. I took time out to go and visit my friends in Munster-Oertze, in Bergen-Hohne and in Hamelin.

I have prepared for Christmas as always.

The Crib is a "Cherished Teddies" Crib and underneath is a Teddy Bears tea party!

My Front Door

I have received a number of Christmas cards, not as many as I have sent, but then it is always thus.

My cards received. 

The fun here starts with Christopher's Birthday party on 23 December and as previous years he asked for a "Smartie Truck" as a Birthday Cake. 

 

A certain little lady also liked  my efforts so much she has ordered one for her fifth birthday in February! She had a Teddy Bear Cake on her fourth birthday.

 

This year I received more invitations to celebrate Christmas with friends than I could accept. It makes me happy to know I have so many, they are my family more than any blood ties I may have to other people on this planet. I just wish that sometimes I could have all these friends in one town, like Pat and Dan or Brec and Sandy have, and not spread out around the whole world. It is the cross I have to bear for the life I have led as the son of a soldier and a soldier myself. Hanna and I often had conversations about where home was for me. Growing up in one place going to only one school does have advantages which only now I appreciate and do not have. But I am not down hearted. I shall have a very Merry Christmas in a real family atmosphere with good food and fun and games and much laughter, I am sure.

Next year I have already planned many new adventures on land, on sea and in the air. They will be reported here, by me or the bears as they happen.

 

So may I close by wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a New Year full of hope and happiness and if you are that way inclined many safe small adventures.

And He saw that it was good.

Some times we find the technology a bit too difficult for us bears. Some of the above photos were transfered from the camera to the phone and then to the iPad. So none of them are in the order they  were taken. Dawn on the second day is at the bottom. The bridge is in St Jean Pied du Port and we crossed it to get on the Camino outside of town.

The first picture shows the weather as we climbed up the mountain on the first day. It was cold and cloudy but thankfully it did not rain.

It was a steep climb to our first hostel in Orisson. The second picture shows the view of the hostel and the view of the mountains.

We slept  in a room with three sets of bunk beds, so six humans, two were from Australia and three from the USA.

Alan showered and washed his clothes then sat and waited for the evening meal, talking to the two nice young Aussies.

The humans all sat at long tables for the evening meal which was served at 18:30hrs. It was a three course meal with much red wine and water as they wanted to drink. Then after the meal they all had to introduce themselves and say why they were there. Alan enjoyed it and it was a great introduction to the camaraderie of the Camino.

In the night Alan got up once to look at the stars which were very bright, and of course we were all a whole lot closer to them.

The next morning the dawn was fabulous as you can see from the last photo.

After a light breakfast of coffee and toast we set off at 08:00hrs to climb the rest of the mountain. Though it was sunny it was quite cold as there was a stiff North wind. But the views were terrific.

Alan took a number of panorama pictures as we got higher and he was so taken with the views he was reminded of a passage from Genises Chapter 1 verse 31, and God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.

The world certainly looked good from up high. There was snow on the mountain in places and after the picture of us all at the cross, we crossed the ridge and went down the other side into Spain.

There were many large piles of snow along the way.

The climb Alan, says was much like the Miner's Track on Snowdon and he was thankful of his walking poles, particularly on the down hill side into Roncesvalles. The silly bugger took the really steep path which they had said we should not use! It would have been impossible without the poles.

In the monastery of Roncesvalles we were pleasantly surprised at how modern the accommodation was. Again we had the lower bunk, but this time there were cubicles of four along one side of a long corridor which led to the ablutions. We shared ours, with a German, a young woman from Maine and an English Chaplin! Alan enjoyed talking to him.

They went together on a guided tour of the monastery at 18:00hrs were late for the meal at 19:00hrs, but punctual for the mass in the medieval church at 20:00hrs. Alan said he did not understand a word of it as it was all in Spanish, with three very ancient monks/priests who officiated. Alan was, however, easily able to follow the ritual as it is the same everywhere. He took communion and then all the pilgrims were asked to come to the alter to receive the blessing. As he stood there deep in prayer and thought, his mind was centered on Hanna and he said when the blessing came he felt a tremendous sense of joy which almost made him cry!

It as off to bed then and he slept through till 05:30hrs when most people stirred. Today, Saturday 25 April we walked a more leisurely walk through the hills to Zubiri. It was up hill and down dale, but not anything as steep or as hard as the first two days.

We now have another bunk bed in a larger room with about 14 bed spaces and it is all unisex including the ablutions. There is a Brazilian couple in the next bunk bed to us. We have not met the person who is occupying the top bunk, but that's because we are sitting in the reading room writing to you lot.

Our meal will be at 19:00hrs and breakfast is at 07:00hrs. We shall be a early to bed tonight too. 

Buen Camino!

God is smiling on our Camino

As we write it is clear to us that God must be smiling on our journey. Firstly he is smiling because in the night of Sunday Alan woke up and decided a couple of changes to his packing plan. He decided to take his aluminium water bottle instead of his plastic one. He felt the plastic one tasted funny. Then at the last minute he decided not to take his poncho and tent making kit, which weighed 1.2 kilos but his iPad instead. Well we are benefiting from this now as he has allowed us to write the blog. 

God  is also smiling on our Camino because on Monday as we made our way to MG main station we met a giant of a man who made Alan look like a dwarf. This man asked we we were pilgrims and when Alan replied in the affirmative he explained that he was Spanish and came from Santiago!!! As we parted he wished us Buen Camino, which is the traditional greeting and more or less means have a good journey.

On the train firstly to Aachen, Alan listened to his audio book, and then on the rather smart French train to Paris dozed off quite a lot while listening to it. 

On arrival in Paris North we took a taxi to Garde de Austerlitz. As luck would have it the driver was Tangierian and so Alan was able to practice some Arabic. He admitted privately to us later that he had clearly forgotten much.

On the overnight train to Bayonne we had a German, called Gert from Saarbrücken, in the bunk under Alan and a Frenchman in the opposite bunk to Alan. Gert was also going on the Camino, but the Frenchman was just going hiking in the hills around St Jean Pied de Port.

These men didn't chat much for as soon as the train pulled out they just rolled over and went to sleep. In fact Alan didn't even notice that a fourth gentleman came and used the last bunk under the Frenchman in the night. This man had left by the time Alan surfaced to take his eye shades off and his earplugs out!

The train was now delayed a bit so Alan and Gert chatted to pass the time. The sun was out and there was not a cloud in the sky. Through the train window we could see in the distance snow topped mountains and began to wonder if the Pyrennees will also be snow capped. 

At Bayonne we had a couple of hours to wait for a bus to take us the rest of the way. Now we saw quite a few other pilgrims from various nations, Canada, Malaysia and France to name just the obvious ones.

The parting of the ways came at the station in St Jean. Gert was going to walk on to Orrison so needed to look for the Pilgrims office to get his pass stamped. Alan walked out of town in the opposite direction to his small and quaint pension. We have a nice large room, but must share the toilet and bathroom. Now With free WiFi Alan was quick to log on for us while he went and showered and washed his clothes. As the sun is shining still, he hung them out to dry. Shortly we think he will take a walk into the village to find a place to eat.

God is also smiling on us because the weather is so wonderful as the view from our window shows. It is forecast to stay this way too.

Hanna Part 10

This morning I went for my fitness bike ride and stopped by the grave on the way back. We had a little chat, I shed a few tears, admired the flowers and was pleased the candle was still burning. 

After my breakfast I began to get out of my lethargy which descended on me 16 days ago now. At first I succeeded. I started a new regime of changing beds on a Friday, which was the norm when Hanna came to stay in Verden and Hameln. It was only over the last few years where she came on a Sunday, so that was the bed changing day.

As I cleaned, I needless to say, came across various cards she has given me. Reading them again stopped me in my tracks and instead of cleaning I indulged myself in fond memories of a shared life. Many of these cards dot my bookshelves and here is one I can share with you. 

The card was written for our anniversary of meeting, the day after her 75th Birthday in 2012.

One stag is saying to the other,

 "All women are somehow..." 

and the other replies, 

" not real men!"

Inside the card she wrote,

"75 red roses! You are crazy!

23 of them indicate 23 years of a relationship which has so far survived all the difficulties. 

One reason for this is that you are still unpredictable + crazy.

That means I'm not dying of boredom!

Happy Anniversary.

I love you.

Hanna"

And I love her still.

Hanna Part 6

The Best Laid Plans.......

I had thought that for yesterday I had organised things so that the firms that provided all the equipment that was needed to care for Hanna, from hospital bed, oxygen machine and wheelchair to rollator, would come and collect it all. My aim was to be able to put her living-room back the way it was before all this happened. Then I thought, in my romantic naive way, that after the funeral next week, the family could sit there and pretend that she had just stepped out for a moment, as nothing in the house had changed. 

It was not to be as the best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry. One of the firms did not come and so the major items are still there, making the place look desolate and not homely and welcoming as I had wanted.

Hanna Part 5

"Der Reisebär"

Pippa and Squeak my childhood bears

Those that know me well, know that I have a very large collection of teddy bears. Not only that, but when travelling I would also take my oldest bears from my childhood with me. When doing so there was always the danger of loosing them with the suitcase if that went missing, which on occasions mine did, so I carried them in my hand luggage. These two bears are as old and decrepit as me, also wear glasses and are fragile.

Hanna knew the value of the bears and decided that I needed a new travel bear and presented me with one on a birthday, quite early in our relationship. She also personalised it by stitching some letters on one of its trouser legs which in German is the equivalent of  saying, “I love you!” As all my bears have names and histories I quickly named this bear “Jamie” after a little boy I used to know. I have used the bear on occasions as a motive for cards and here is one of him on an anniversary card.

Jamie

Now Hanna  had a travel bear too called “der Reisebär”.  These two bears have accompanied us on ALL our travels together and mine, is a circumnavigator to boot.

They would sit together in whatever accommodation we found and watch whatever we got up to. Thankfully bears as anyone will tell you can keep secrets. They also protect one, children especially, from the dangers of the night.

In her Will Hanna mentioned that I might like to have her “Reisebär”, which needless to say I do. I am going away for a few days on Thursday so I went and got the said bear. I have named her (she was always a female even though she had no name) Hanna, and so now these two love bears will never be parted again, for in the past when not on holidays or travel adventures they lived separate lives. Now they live together with me and will share the many adventures to come. 

Jamie and Hanna will go where I go