Venturing out of the crib

It feels like putting on a suit of armour.

One piece at a time.

I've had some basics in theory, and practical, but nowhere near a fraction of what I need to effectively go out on patrol.

Today was radios.

Following practical lectures on the in's & out's of the new police radio system all morning, we were actually let loose outside the confines of the station come the afternoon. In uniform. For the first time. Like dutiful children we were told exactly where to go, but still it felt, and damn well looked like, every member of the public was staring at us as we ventured out in pairs to do some role-play in-situ.

Suddenly call signs and instructions came blaring over the earpiece thick and fast, on the one hand you're listing out for your letters and numbers whilst simultaneously interviewing the actor/volunteer and scribbling down the key points of what they're saying.

Fast-forward around six months however; doing it for real. I'm exhilarated and scared shitless by that thought.

Anyway, the weekend was excellent, and I'm real annoyed that I seem to have lost my Bluetooth 'dongle' (which lets my mobile talk & transfer to my computer). I'll upload pics when I can, in the meanwhile this review (of his Glasgow gig) sums up the experience pretty well. Just damn fine pop music at the end of the day, he doesn't pretend to be anything else. Good on the bloke.

Part of Sunday was spent directly under the flight path of the Red Arrows display team, performing over a local aerodrome. Again - an awesome sight and another set of pictures I really must upload here when I can.

Funny - I can't seem to relax when I go home these days (in a nice way, kinda'). It's either seeing as many friends-that-I-haven't-seen-in-a-while, or some other task or event that takes up all the time.

Whilst the evenings down here, are long, dark, and admittedly a little lonely.

I don't look forward to winter.