I'm exactly 3 x older than the youngest apprentice on our course 😆

Fasciniating really - mixing under full-time pressure, with so many younger people

Enriching and sometimes frustrating, for both of us in equal measure!

But I was surprised that my fellow Naval Service…

We might be the most elite (and feared) branch of the RFA...

but always find time for charm, grace and #standards 😉

Communications & Information System (CIS) specialists ⚡⚡

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

RFA Stirling Castle Stirling Castle Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Family Royal Navy Royal Navy in Scotland Navy Lookout Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity

New profile pic and bio

Proud to be breaking bread with the world's finest naval auxiliary service

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Across to Stores for uniform

Not 'Rig22' yet, as we're only in 2024 😬

Me: Good morning, my curtain rail is broken

JR Accom Office: How did you do that?

Me: Practising my flags

Office: What?

Me: Sorry, it just came off when I pulled it

Office: ...........

Day 1, first black mark 😟

East of Suez withdrawal

Tom Sharpe it's not but on the day when NHS consultants agreed a 20k pay rise you can understand it.

Adiós

To mark Easter, here is the Church of St Andrew in Ongar, Essex, thought to be the oldest standing wooden church in the world. ⛪

Tree-ring dating of the church's timbers suggests it was constructed around 1063.

97% take-off power from this RR Trent XWB, with rapid 3 stage spool-up whines and crackles 😋 Volume up!

97,000 lbs of thrust, kicking this A350-1000 into the air, with 10 hrs of onboard fuel

Derby's finest, with its heritage snaking back through the Trent, brilliant RB-211,…

Behind the shiny submarine froth, progress made on robust military links and responses under a 'Defence and Security Cooperation Agreement' between 🇬🇧 & 🇦🇺

Important to remember AUKUS is much more than a fleet of SSNs

If UK signs a 'Status of Forces (SOFA)' agreement with

Thanks to all the good people here in Oz, for great professionalism and hospitality👍🏻

Starting my 3 flights home now and 6 hours of time-zone unwind 🥴

Think it's going to be Zolpidem city for me 😴 😴

Six years ago today Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame of the Gendarmerie nationale died from wounds incurred the previous day at Trèbes, France. He had selflessly exchanged himself with a hostage held by an Islamist terrorist who had already murdered three people. Remember him.

Excellent piece

AUKUS locks UK more tightly into the triumvirate manufacture/operation cycle

The hope (we could say 'intention' here) is that Barrow et al, can finally ramp up to reach their (intended) sweetspot, without political fiddling and pushing to the right

The…