The bus stop is right by the gate at the Chichester site, so having done Chichester a couple of times, on 20th February, we decided to go the other way into Portsmouth.
The bus ride was interesting, as we sat at the front of a double decker. We decided to go to the stop at the Historic Dockyard, bringing back memories of that cold, misty March morning when we went along to see Simon returning home from his first tour of duty in The Gulf. He'd been away for 4 months, it should have been longer but when he was due to be flown out to HMS Southampton, which was taking part in routine exercises out there, we had the atrocities of September 11th. Suddenly the whole reason for the ship being there was changed as the area was now declared a War Zone.
Instead of flying out to The Gulf in September on a commercial flight, Simon didn't actually get flown out until November and on a covert mission, as there was a very real threat against all our ships and their crew. It was a stressful time and it was important to Simon that we all be there to greet the ship and of course, as his Mum, it was important to me to be there too.
The idiots I worked for at the time refused to let me take the day off to meet the ship. However I had been suffering from Flu since New Year and had struggled in to work when I should really have been in bed, I went to the Doctor's and said how ill I was feeling, after taking my temperature and examining me, he asked what on earth I had been doing to myself and signed me off for 2 weeks. So yes, I was there to see the ship come in, even though I felt as if I should be in a wheelchair.
That was the unhappiest time of my life workwise and when I was told the following year to do something that would have been fraudulent, by someone who knew nothing about the claims system I was in charge of and then got told I would have to attend a disciplinary hearing, I told them they could stick their hearing and their job up their arse, as I was giving them a month's notice. Best decision I ever made.
Seeing HMS Southampton come in through the mist, with the Royal Marine Band playing Sailing was an experience you can't buy. And Simon got a huge shiny medal for having served in a War Zone.
Back to present day Portsmouth. It was cold and windy and the shops uninspiring, so we caught the next bus back. At least it wasn't raining, too much!
When we got off the bus, back at the village, we met this charming chap at the Farm Shop.
Then time for another sunset walk before dinner.
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