The small pleasures in life

Oh my god, I cant believe it has been over a month since I last put a post on here. Really it doesn't surprise me s I have been so busy with work that I haven't had the opportunity nor the time.
But I will give you a quick run down of what I have been up to over the last 4 weeks.

First off I had a week out bush, doing Army stuff. Teaching new trainees the basics of Infantry soldiering. A fairly intense training week with minimal sleep and plenty going on at all hours of the day. The week finished off with a formal assessment of the skills they had been taught and practiced. If they failed this assessment, (no they don't die) they are sent back a couple of weeks in training to do it all again, possibly in a different location. Luckily for these guys no one failed, mind you some should have and it wouldn't have hurt them to redo the training package. But that's life I suppose.

After a quiet Saturday off, which involved repacking all my kit ready to head off again, I had a nice bottle of French wine with my beautiful wife. Oh and my Mum turned up from Victoria to see me and the kids. Sunday morning rolled on, and in particular 0430 arrived, and i was up again and waking my wife to drive me into work. I was going away again, this time or 3 weeks.

This 3 week training period was to be split into 2 packages. The first was a confirmation of the previous weeks training however stepped up a notch and using real live bullets(the type that kill if pointed in the wrong direction) and another formal assessment. This time we had some that didn't make the grade and much to the relieve of the staff and some of the trainees. That lasted all of 1 week before changing the focus of the training.
The next 2 weeks involved Urban and Security Operations, which is the way we are currently focused as a Defence Force.
So what did the trainees do. The learnt how to move tactically in an urban/built up environment be it a small village or a large city, how to fight in the same types of environments, how to search and clear buildings both single room/floor structures and multi room/floor building, how to secure buildings. Clear and secure are 2 totally different things. How to manage the flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic and search vehicles. They also learned how to deal with riotous local populations as well as those who are pro coalition types. So all in all a very mentally and physically draining training period. Although physically draining, it had no positive influence on my bike fitness. I can assault a multi storey building and walk in full combat gear for as far as you would like but do you think I could ride my bike this morning without nearly dying every time some effort went into the ride. My fitness levels were certainly not helped by the fact that I got sick while away. I caught a virus off the trainees, lost my voice for a week and finished off the week with a chesty cough which I still have.

So now I am finally home and have 1 week at home before going away again for 1 week. So what have I done since getting home on Wednesday night. Went to work on Thursday and had a day at the grenade range teaching the trainees the intricacies behind using and throwing grenades, its not as simple as you might think. Then on Friday we had some trouble finding a sitter for the kids for the day so I was fortunate enough to be allowed to have the day off to look after Eilish and Rohan for the day. Now what a fantastic day it was. Went to the bank and caught up with a mate who is about to return to the Middle East for the rest of his Tour and then the kids and I went and saw High School Musical on Ice. What a fantastic show. The kids absolutely had a ball. They sang all the songs and cheered and whistled all the way through the show.

SO today is now Saturday and after returning from my ride, I have had a haircut, helped my darling wife with some of the house work(now that she has a job the house work is on the weekends) and have taken the kids for a bike ride around the block as well.
So why the heading for this post?

Sometimes when one is away for long periods of time you lose the pleasures that you take for granted. The kiss from your partner at the start and end of the day, a shoulder to cry on when things are a bit tough, having a muck around with your kids after a long day at work, sleeping in your own bed instead of having to sleep on the hard ground or in the dirt and mud, home cooking when all you have is Army combat rations, a shower, porcelain toilet.
For most people, these are things that are taken for granted but to our soldiers overseas serving our nation these are some of the most important things in the world and are longed for everyday.
So I urge everyone out there to give your partner a hug and thank them for all they have done and on ANZAC Day(25 April) spare a thought for the Soldiers, Sailors and Air Force crews who are half way around the world doing a job that the rest of you wont do and go unappreciated day in day out.