sandrewn

Your 56 day wait has been rewarded with not one but now two chapters (so far). While we, who are imperturbable are at 81 days and counting. Patience is said to be one of the seven heavenly virtues and I feel like we are being tested. Keep the faith my friends. To get back in the mood, I give you the following from 1978 .I think I maybe dating myself again (time & age wise).

Nelson is NOT a popular guy in Denmark. Just saying... Can't please every one all the time. While I was looking at the Wiki Battle of Copenhagen site, I noticed a familiar name amongst his (Nelson's) ship captians. HMS Glatton 54/56 - Capt William Bligh (of HMS Bounty fame). Most every one has read or seen the movie - Mutiny on the Bounty and of Bligh's incredible journey in the ship's boat when he was set adrift. Of some interest I found the following HMS Glatton - a most unusual type of ship http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Glatton_(1795) The story of the mutiny on the Bounty and how Bligh got back http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutiny_on_the_Bounty What a small ship the Bounty was compared with George's Intrepid http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Bounty While on the Bounty page I came across the term Widow's Man . This one new piece of information made all of the above well worth my time invested. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widow%27s_man Now that we have heard from Mark (A brief hiatus), let us hope it is an orange chapter (see Post 97) that is forthcoming.

Whether it is an apple or an orange, it is good to have you back with us ( I personally, am hoping it is an orange).

Despite George's best efforts, Nelson carried on his affair with Lady Hamilton. Since we seem to have some time on our hands. The following shows what happened to/became of Lady Hamilton. In addition, if you are so inclined, the Battle of Copenhagen for which Lord Nelson received his elevation to Viscount. http://www.rmg.co.uk/explore/sea-and-ships/in-depth/nelson-a-z/emma-hamilton-and-nelson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Copenhagen_(1801) If any of you are interested with any of the above, I have come across some other interesting tidbits on the web.

I blinked again and was at the end once more. This second expedition showed how involved Jarris' physical problems were. While Mirri demonstrated what true friendship was like. These two seem destined to be together. Great chapter, thank you.

You have done it again. I just started to read this, I blinked and it was already over. Jarra weak in body with a perceptive mind. Mirri of strong body with what seems like a savants mind. I think these two will compliment one another. As Bogart said, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship. Thank you for the start of a great looking adventure. Sandrewn

Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone The first vid was for the Irish tourist bureau. The second vid is the same person singing, but with his Irish group, Celtic Thunder. I like the song and I really like Celtic Thunder. Enjoy. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x73k80_celtic-thunder-come-by-the-hills-da_travel

There are so many. Here is the short version of one of them. There are some real tear jerkers in these ten films. After all the above sadness, at least one of the following should bring back a smile.

Mark I worried it was the first. I presumed it was the second. Strange as it may sound, I am glad it is the third. The first is out of ones control as life goes on with or without us. The second is I think for you a good thing. It fills your time, Gives your life meaning and purpose, you know you are alive and kicking. The third (your muse), will I am sure return you to us. You have your health. You have a meaningful life (family & work). With time, I have faith you will return to us. Sandrewn Fair winds and following seas

I am glad I made that as clear as mud (sorry). That is what you get when I post at 4 in the morning. No, the boy is not Joel. At the end of the clip, Joel does a cameo appearance. If anyone, I think he (Joel) might resemble Arthur or Iggy.

An idle mind is the devil's playground ( Philippians 4:8 ) I came across an article on Joel Grey. You may (or not) remember him as an oscar winner from the1972 movie Cabaret. This January at the tender age of 82, he has just now come out as a gay man. Interesting you say, but why bring this up here? Well, since you asked. So, I went to YouTube to look up the movie and found this song from it. If you look at just the face and listen to the voice. Then, disregard the uniforms, theme and background. This movie was supposed to be taking place in Germany, in the the early 1930s. (Now for the tie-in to our story ). I think he could of been a model for one or two of our singing, fair haired midshipmen. Well, I thought so and still do. Agree or disagree, this is my two cents' worth.

I was already a Sci-Fi fan when the series came along. Yes I admit it, I am a Trekkie. I have the original and all of the following series and movies on hard drive (with backups). With his passing I feel the need to view to them once again, what better way to honour him. I will miss him/them. The following was in the news yesterday. I think he knew his time was short. It was either poetry, or it was prophetic. Perhaps, it was a bit of both. As news of Leonard Nimoy's death began spreading, the "Star Trek" actor's final tweet was seen in a different light. "A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP," he wrote on Feb. 22 -- the last four letters, of course, an acronym for "Live Long and Prosper," the line that shaped "Star Trek" for decades. He was a Trekkie until his final days. Mr. Nimoy may you R.I.P. / Mr. Spock L.L.A.P.

cems and jake31dublin, be welcome as official Mark fan club members. May these be but the first of many Likes to come your way. The first is always the hardest. Looking forward to your future posts and reviews. Sandrewn

I'd like to think of myself as being part of the first group mentioned. As we count down to post time, I found three clips of interest (at least to me anyways). Two are about HMS Victory and one a letter from Lord Nelson. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-30926084

Yes ditto, like Mr Patience said. With a bit of time left, here is something that caught my eye. This lady was quite amazing, I hope you think so also. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K08yOZ2X00

Since the monkey bailed on me, I have been reduced to trying to find videos to distract you. It would seem we have need of some (distraction) at this point in time. The first,is to give you a happy face ( ) The second, I have never been to the Islands and I like rainbows (R.I.P. Israel) The last one, well, it is a ' Finale '

Did you turn your clocks back 1 hr ?. This article has little to do with our story. It does mention the Portsmouth Naval Dockyard and HMS Victory. It is about the HMS M33, the last remaining Allied warship of the Gallipoli campaign. Lest we forget How the last Gallipoli gunboat was saved PHOTO: Dogboy, Wikimedia CommonsM33 undergoing restoration in Portsmouth Naval Dockyard in 2010. by Tom Rowley, The Daily Telegraph Originally published: 2 days ago Share Comments Email She was a pretty dismal ship that fought a pretty dismal campaign. But now, a century after she was commissioned by Winston Churchill, HMS M33 is set to play a central role in commemorating one of the most shambolic episodes of the First World War. The gunboat, which bombarded the Turkish coast during the disastrous Gallipoli campaign of 1915 and 1916, is to undergo a $4.3 million restoration in time for the operation’s centenary next year. Restoration work is underway in a dry dock at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. She is one of the few remaining warships from the First World War, and the only one to have served at Gallipoli, where 50,000 Allied servicemen died without gaining an inch of soil. Researchers have unearthed crew members’ diaries, as well as original logs and captain’s reports. Financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund and other donors, the National Museum of the Royal Navy at Portsmouth will restore some of the interiors before opening the 570-ton ship on August 6 next year, exactly a century since she first saw action. She is expected to take part in official events to commemorate the campaign, due to be outlined by the Government next week. Historians hope that the permanent exhibition will raise awareness of Gallipoli. “We can’t just remember the war’s successes – we have to remember the failures,” said Duncan Redford, one of the museum’s historians. “We want to lift people’s views from the mud of the trenches to the whole world. The Great War was far more than the Western Front.” In fact, the campaign was designed to end the trenches stalemate, by destroying Turkey as a fighting force and opening a line of communication with Russia, uniting the Allies. British, Commonwealth and Empire forces, with the French, would seize the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli before advancing on the Ottoman capital, Constantinople. Gallipoli became the largest amphibious operation of the war, and its least effective. Historians have blamed its failure on poor planning, insufficient artillery and inaccurate maps and intelligence. The M33 was one of five monitors, or gunboats, commissioned by Churchill, first lord of the Admiralty, and John Fisher, the first sea lord, in March 1915. Rather than risking state-of-the-art battleships in what they knew would be a risky campaign, they ordered monitors, specifically designed to be expendable. Equipped with 6-inch guns but with a very shallow hull, they were able to maneuver close to the shore and bombard the coastline. A battleship carried up to 1,000 men, but monitors only had room for 67, meaning that each assault would put fewer men in danger. The campaign had begun by the time the Admiralty placed the order, so Harland and Wolff in Belfast had to build M33 in just seven weeks. She had many flaws. She was made so quickly that the workmen who built her called her a “whippet,” but not for her speed: she could barely reach 10 knots. She was also unstable: a crewman complained that even “some of our modern sons of Neptune [were] wonderfully seasick.” She struggled in strong currents and had to be towed to Malta, which she reached on July 14, 1915. She spent the next three years in the Aegean, targeting Turkish forts with around 50 rounds of gunfire a day. “She was not designed to be maneuverable or to be a ship that fights other ships,” said Matthew Sheldon, who is spearheading the restoration at the museum. “She was about attacking forts, and was designed around her guns.” Even though the crew did not return home until Armistice Day, November 1918, there were no casualties, despite a few “hairy moments”. The other monitors were not so lucky: one sank in 1916 and another two years later. But the crew of the M33 endured other hardships. Unlike soldiers, they had no leave for more than three years. Conditions were cramped, with 44 men sleeping in hammocks in a small room where temperatures could top 38C. There was no refrigeration, so the men often survived on ship’s biscuits. Even so, diary entries state that the crew organized fancy dress competitions and adopted a small cat they named Miss Muggins, who grew fat on tinned fish and was forever getting lost. Henry Mulligan, the ship’s leading signalman, wrote his diary throughout the campaign. On August 7, 1915, he wrote: “Fired 59 rounds today. Don’t think Mr Turk likes the look of us.” Related stories: A perilous gap in Armenian history First World War battlefields reveal stories 100 years later in large photo exhibit in Paris Photos: Life in the trenches Images: Remembering Unknown Soldiers from the Great War After the war, the ship was sent to Russia as part of the White Sea Squadron, to support counter-revolutionary forces fighting the Bolsheviks. She was hit twice, and her hull still shows the repair after a Bolshevik shell struck in 1919. Miss Muggins suffered a burnt tail. M33 was saved from the scrapyard when she was converted into a floating workshop during the Second World War. She was bought by Hampshire County Council in 1990, which carried out emergency repair work – but a plan to open her to the public could never be realized. Until now. Today, she stands in a dry dock propped up by sodden timber. Workmen are on site to see she is ready by next August. Ironically, this old workhorse sits in the shadow of HMS Victory, Nelson’s flagship. Yet, she has her own appeal, says Sheldon: the speed she was built, and the good humour with which her crew endured life aboard. “She shows what British industry could do in just seven weeks,” he said. “It was incredible.” .

Well I'm only late by a day and a couple of minutes. Still my young fellow Libran I am sending you this note, for your sepecial day, so.... Peter Piper Hoping you had a Great & Happy Birthday And since mentioned them, here is a video for you. Sandrewn

Hey I am getting better, I am only a little late with yours. Just wanted to drop a fellow Libran a short note to say to you..... BumbleBee I hope that you had the best day possible and belated Happy Birthday Wishes to You Sandrewn

I have been away for the last few days, so this is a tad tardy. It appears that we both like to travel and really like COFFEE! Plus we are also fellow Libras and members of GA. What more is needed, so...... zaf89 I hope you had a fantastic & really great Happy Birthday!! Since you are an author and I couldn't figure out what kind video to download for you. Here instead is something an author might ponder on. “Words have a magical power. They can bring either the greatest happiness or deepest despair; they can transfer knowledge from teacher to student; words enable the orator to sway his audience and dictate its decisions. Words are capable of arousing the strongest emotions and prompting all men's actions.” ― Sigmund Freud Sandrewn

I just got back, so this a bit late (only 9 days). 28 aunts and uncles, WOW! As a fellow Libran I am sending you this after BD wish. So..... Eric29 Hoping you had a really great Happy Birthday !!! And here is a song for some easy listening. I have always enjoyed this one, hope you will also. Sandrewn

To late for me, I already finished off my six pack of Baby Duck(one of the few select wines that come with twist or bottle top). These be dark times for us, fellow shipmates. This famine will end soon (fingers & toes crossed). To help pass the time here once more is our unofficial series theme song. Be brave, me hearties!

The only good thing about a really windy day is that what usually follows is a Bright Sunshiny Day. So my fellow Libran, here is hoping you.... Dark Have a really Great and Happy Birthday I tried to find something for you that had DARK in it. The closest I got was the following. I picked this one because while I like seeing S & G, this video was just a bit more (read one hell of a lot more interesting to watch) and listen to. All my best. Sandrewn

In keeping with my pledge to be a better person, having enjoyed some of your stories and being a fellow Libra. Please accept my hope that you... Lilansui Have the Best Birthday ever Sandrewn

Fifteen years old, going on fifty. I was always jealous of those wunderkinder I crossed paths with in my life (I know, get over it). This has all the marks of another great tale in the making. I so look forward to it. Thanks in advance for the adventures to come. A great chapter, thank you.