made the mistake of asking HR to comment

On Sunday I made the error of asking HR to comment. Well, I got four e-mails last night. Not sure at this point if they are all going to appear below but have a read.

"Hiya , I have just watched the planet saved by men in black 2 and so I can relax ! I am glad Ches is happy in her new job; she looks a wonderful daughter, always smiling that lovely smile. I went shooting (the .22) on Saturday and found out the chap who shoots beside me every weekend is an ex vampire/meteor photo-recce pilot! and later ,an Air Trafficker !! He was in 2 Sqn before my Dad was ! It was a lovely day out ( I have not been shooting since before Xmas) and the weather was stunning. The range in a conservation area and it is lovely driving through the woods with all their colours. Today I played around on the internet,reading up on history and WW2 things then fiddled with the two larger rifles ( I am hoping the FAC will come back next week then at last I can shoot targets with them!). I will have to drive to Northampton to buy collect the ammunition for them both. I read a bit more of my book on the history of sniping,which is important because I have to keep the ability to read going. I have to stop my mind wandering that is the main thing! I have about four books to get through and there is a heck of a lot in them. They are all historical , and I find that it leads onto more as I go along. I also read a web item on a Russian WW" fighter pilot; it was fascinating.
In the afternoon I roasted a meal for us all ;with a turkey crown,sweet potatoes,normal potato,carrot,leek and parsnip. I wrapped the turkey in bacon and (cos I forgot to put it inside) I put some old Stilton on top. It was delicious ! I made some gravy with a few of the roasted leeks in it and added some frozen veg as a balance to the roasted stuff. It was delicious. Lee is reheating some of it now so it doesn`t get wasted and goes a long way!! I had better trot and read the blog. Have fun , and be good. Love to all."

"Hi , just read the beginning of the blog and am going back in a tick. Had to comment on your header tank repair: That's straight-forward engineering and fault-finding you have done there Paul. Any tech would be proud of you (I am ) ! you did the :
go in and look at it.
Fiddle with everything.
Think about it.
Go away and think some more,
go back fiddle again and especially with anything you missed the first time and then ......"bingo" ............it begins working !
Technical things know when to give up ....and it did.
If it had been a PC you would have had to sneak up on it in the dark and power it down:
then rip out any , or all the boards and replace them (only one board at a time or you are in for deep problems !).
What you must never do with a faulty PC is
a. approach it with the lights on.or subsequently or during the repair....
b. comment to a friend (when in "earshot" of the PC) that the PC seems to be working fine now."

"Aha , just read the rest ! If in doubt shout "mayday" . I managed to put six neat holes in one of my central heating pipes some time ago now. Didn`t realise until I went downstairs and heard the "pat pat pat" on the top of the TV next to me !! Good thing you had cover.
I had my boiler go out (due to a blocked pipe further along) and they said that I would have an engineer come to me on the Tuesday (it was Friday and damn cold). I would have been OK if I had had a baby or an old-age pensioner though. Good to know that paying the same fee-we can get the same service ! I used to have all the insurances but have cancelled all but the gas now because : they condemned my cooker (no spares) and mucked up a light switch (the lad was leaving to be a priest so that's all right then ,the tosser !!)."

"START HERE I rely on your seasoned editing skills Paul, to decide what is worth putting in the blog. As a Clerk Sec (see I remembered) and Engraver Extraordinaire I trust your judgement. END HERE. I shall try to put it in chunks from now on though, I suppose I ought to or it will wear you out!! I thought that , since you know the others better than I , you would take out whatever might interest them and blog it, whilst discarding the remainder.
PS what is a TV Rabbit and who are the Tractor Boys?"

See what I mean, and this is the edited version. He is OK with Russian but completely thrown by TV Rabbit and Tractor Boys!! Sit still and concentrate Robert. I shall explain.

TV Rabbit. A device that you attach to a TV in point to transmit the signal to elsewhere in the house. Attach another to the receiving TV and you get to watch your favourite programmes in a different room without the problem of wiring.

Tractor Boys. A pretend Football Team from some remote spot in the East Anglian area. Hated by supporters of Norwich City and, not sure why, supported by the otherwise sensible Blue Skies. Can you guess?

I started as a Clerk Sec and ended as a Personal Administrator via P&A Clerk. But dead impressed that HR remembered. I now need a cup of tea. But .........

Before I go it is with great regret that I have to report the passing on of Daisy. Al's 11 week old Hamster. I am sure you will understand the pain this causes a nine year old. Daisy was buried in our back "garden" beside a Buddha last night. RIP.