[Denver]

Thanks PARA,

Difficult for your mate I do know, once you get an idea burning away in your skull and eating away at your heart, you start to find ways of making it happen. If there is a way, he will find it, he just has to keep working at it.

I'm not Welsh PARA, I de-mobbed in Sierra Leone but had to come back to the UK to tie off some lose ends at a unit in Wales, took the money and stuck myself on a residential TEFL course down the road in Cardiff because I had similar aspirations to your mate. Believe me PARA, the novelty wore off very quickly, great way to see a bit of the world yes, but leave your western culture behind in the UK and do as the locals do, otherwise, forget it. There are a lot of retired couples teaching as a means of getting around, good for them and alot of geeky kids (sorry to kids with a geek tendancy) but no life skills, still needed thier **** (Oops!) wiping for them. They are supposed to be ambassadors of the English Language and have a vocabulary consisting of "Sorted" "Ya know like" and "Eeeeerm"..................A tad embarassing.

I'm back at doing what I and I suspect you know best! Why spend 25 years doing a job, getting good at it and then moving into an area I know squat about. So I am back to body armour and armalites and doing BG (No, not bargirl! tch tch!) work here in Baghdad for 15 times the daily rate of pay I was on in the mob. PM me for more details PARA, I am guessing half your Regiment is here in one capacity or another.

Doing another recce to Phuket in September. Like you PARA looking to settle down somewhere, not sure where yet. Have a place in Croatia and a place in the UK (both let) So one will have to go. (Thinks for a nano second - the UK!) Can invest or lease, not sure yet, I get itchy feet too often to put down roots too far. I just know I am tired and looking forward to a break.

If you are in town 10-23rd September we can hook up and talk business over a beer or three Ask at Patong Villa for Denver.

Head well and truly down PARA, but this B7 armoured Ford Excursion really helps!

Take care mate,

Denver