Christmas Day has come and gone and unfortunately dear reader , Boxing Day finds me in reflective mood. Operation Spinbad is worth looking up for anybody who still believes that successive British governments have any clue as to what they are doing. But, it is to our servicemen that my thoughts turn to this morning……

A cold coming we had of it

Just the worst time of year

For a journey, and such a long journey

The ways deep and the weather sharp

The very dead of Winter

And the camels galled, sorefooted refractory

Lying down in the melting snow

There were times we regretted

The summer palaces on the slopes, the terraces

And the silken girls bringing sherbet

Then the camel men cursing and grumbling

And running away, and wanting their liquor and women

And the night fires going out, and the lack of shelter

And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly

And the villages dirty and charging high prices

A hard time we had of it…..

Extract from T.S. Elliot’s “Journey of the Magi”

The poem brilliantly describes how the Magi left their homes of privilege in order to brave such hardships in the service of a higher calling. It is only to be so deeply regretted that our own heroes are treated so shabbily. As our lads are once again sent off to face the foe, as  literally hundreds of thousands of fit young men are heading in the other direction, one wonders if our politicians would have been handing out  knighthoods to Sir Cosmo as their appointed captains steer ever deeper into the ice!

Back with my more usual fayre tomorrow, until then, I wish you all the very best!

Mike