Dinners and Orders

Not really a weekly or even event based post here, but its been a while so thought id keep the ball rolling and let you all know what's been going on over the last week or so. 
Not hugely exciting i'm afraid as the focus is now firmly on the '7 Question Estimate' and giving Orders.  Which truth be told is a pretty tedious process, by which we all come to the decision to go right flanking with a Fire Support Section at 90 degrees in lots of different and convoluted ways.  Then go through an equally convoluted process to deliver said Order to our Platoon in a way that has graduates from good univiersities  baffled; but i'm sure will be clear as day to your average Infantry Squaddie.  Of course i jest; and we all understand why this process has to be so regulated (mainly so when we're in full idiot mode after weeks on no sleep and living in the rain we just follow said process and so don't forget anything) it's still pretty turgid stuff.  It is however the bread and butter of being an Officer so we must all simply swallow it down.

The weeks have however been punctuated by a number of mainly alcohol related festivities, which is the sort of thing we would have dreamed about towards the beginning of the course.  First up was a Platoon night in London, which was the predictable flurry of colourful trousers, overly formal shirts and champagne in one of Claphams, truth be told less classy establishments.  We may appal everyone within a tactical bound of us, but we have fun so who cares.


This is followed by our first Company Dinner Night, which i think its fair to say is a big success.  For those of you as yet unaccustomed to the Dinner Night (I will do my best to correct this for many of you soon!) its classic military fair.  Trumpet calls to dinner, silver one must never ever touch, very tight trousers, bursting for the loo but not be able to go, port drinking, marching band inside the dining hall, banging of tables and putting on our poshest voices stuff!  All of the senior Officers are there, and its a great chance for us all to let our closely cropped hair down, and converse with them as humans rather than strangely keen servants. 

Needless to say drinking goes on far longer than it should; which feels less than good the next day when one is up at 6 regardless, and being forced to run around the athletics track as we all struggle, and some fail, to maintain full control of our churning stomachs.  I suppose there's a lesson there somewhere, but by the look of the various Colonels and Majors last night its clearly one i have many years to learn yet.  As photos are frowned upon (obviously!) here are a few of our getting ready revelry.  More to come soon.