A couple of Blog entries ago I told of my idea for the front room of my bungalow now that it is mostly empty, that idea involving a radio controlled helicopter that was stated as being for outdoor use only, but that I had decided that this was probably only written on the box, and the toy, and the control unit as a kind of “steel umbrella” and a “get out of being sued if it all goes Pete Tong” kind of thing. I therefore made the decision that this was perfectly safe to use in the large front room and that I would. I also decided to utilise my standing frame whilst not being used by me to stand obviously, to be the platform for my target and BB catcher so that I may shoot my BB gun from the relative comfort of my wheelchair, with the TV or music in the background, a beer or two (or three, or more) and in the dry and warm. I wanted to combine the two though, I had the idea that if I could set the trim right on the helicopter and get it in to the hover, I could put the control box down and shoot the helicopter. Brilliant eh? How hard could it possibly be and what could possibly go wrong?
Ok, firstly the helicopter bit did not go as well as I had hoped. It took off and span wildly around in circles until I trimmed the rotors to stop this. Then I spent a little time flying it round the room which went OK. Next I thought I would try to land on various things and despite understanding how the helicopter flies, what happens with the rotor blades and the importance of fully understanding what happens when a helicopter nears something like a wall, that being that the down draft from the rotor blades travels back up the wall and back down on to the rotor blades causing it to drop on that side, I ignored all of it and continued anyway. Needless to say that it did not go well as I previously stated and I simply bounced around the shelving unit, which sent it over to the window where it caught up in the blinds and simply crashed. Attempt number three or four didn’t go particularly well either, at one point, despite me having the damn control box, I watched the helicopter fly directly towards my head and only avoided a collision with my forehead by ducking, quickly, which nearly made me over balance and fall forward out of chair, fortunately this did not happen but the helicopter again ended up in the blinds and crashed.
I am guessing that most people at this stage would realise that the warnings on the box, helicopter and control box were not actually a suggestion and that it needed a bit more space than a front room to fly it, and I was no exception. So flying the helicopter inside is a bad idea and I should stop immediately and grow up, stop being such a child and as I had almost run the battery down on the helicopter anyway I stopped and put it on charge. Next then was the BB gun. I had consumed a couple of units of alcohol around about this point, but was far from pissed. I had drawn this conclusion because in the past when I had been on the sauce and had consumed maybe a unit or two too many, I would sway a little and lose my balance resulting in me ultimately falling over. I was not swaying, I had not lost my balance thus far and I had not fallen over and so the shooting was ON!
My eyes are not fantastic since my collision and double vision will occur if my head is at the wrong angle but I was managing, a bit more Southern Comfort and a few more beers mixed in with a can of Strongbow and the evening was most relaxing. And so I loaded the two magazines with ten BB’s in each and started my practice at the target. 10 rounds, scoring, at the target to my front. The paper target sits in a black plastic frame which has a net to catch the BB’s after passing through the target thus making it easier to collect them back up and re use them, genius! Of course for the net to catch the BB’s they have to of course go through the paper target which was not going particularly well. I could see two targets by this point, which I put down to the angle of my head and nothing at all to do with the alcohol and so I started to aim with one eye closed, something which I have not had to do when shooting pistol before but to eliminate one of the target pictures it had to be worth a go. It worked, I hit the target….frame and the BB came back and I, in essence, shot myself in the forehead, not once, but many times.
I reloaded and reloaded and kept shooting at the target and quite a lot of them went in through the paper and were caught by the net, many more though hit the patio window at the far end of the room and would bounce back to hit my chest, legs, chair or more often than not, the window behind me. The BB would then either hit the back of my head, “ping” off of an ornament on the shelving that I had been attacking with my out of control helicopter or roll past me heading back down the floor of the front room. So, I had not managed to control the outdoor helicopter toy inside or indeed get my aim in with the BB gun so what was I to do next? I decided to roll around the front room in my wheelchair and pick up the BB’s that had gone astray, which if I am honest did not go so well as I simply couldn’t seem to pick them up any sense. With this in mind I gave up and had another attempt at the helicopter and BB gun thing again. I hovered the helicopter (ish) and cocked the BB pistol and fired and missed and crashed and swore and decided that after around a further half hour of BB’s “pinging” round the front room, that I would go to bed instead and watch the TV. More than a few of the BB’s had, it appeared, rolled down between my back and the back of the chair as when I got in to bed, there were yellow BB’s sitting where I had been. Not to worry, I settled down and watched a film with a beer.
When I got up the next morning and went in to my front room it looked as if someone had taken a bean bag and cut the bloody thing open. There were little yellow BB’s every bloody where and so for the next God knows how long I spent my time picking the things up which is no easy tasking I can tell you. So as a result of my evenings “entertainment”, I have decided that the helicopter inside is a BAD idea, the BB shooting range is a FAIR idea and that drinking, shooting and flying an RC toy is just a BLOODY STUPID idea. Unless it is a Saturday night in which case it is perfectly acceptable!
Last night, Tuesday I had an excellent night at the Army Reserve Centre (ARC). The Warrant Officer in charge of the Squadron Recruit Training Team asked me if I would assist him on the evenings training for the recruits. They had three command tasks to attempt, and the WO asked if I would mind being in charge of one. It was raining, we were outside and I was soaked through before they had started on the tasks, but I loved every minute of it. I get involved where I can and I am grateful that 675 Sqn allow me to parade with them rather than have to drive all the way to Wyvern Barracks in Exeter where my Company now is. I am officially assigned to HQ Company but they are happy for me to continue to parade at Taunton as always. The WO is now looking to obtain permission for me to be a more integral part of the recruit training team so I will be used more, doing something that I am still able to do and more importantly, ENJOY doing.
I have a few things coming up in the pipeline which I will be excited to take part in and then of course share on my Blog. It has been really encouraging over the last week to see the numbers of “Like’s” on my Blog FB page increasing and I really hope that it continues to grow in the hope that when I undertake “challenges” to raise money for the charities that have assisted and supported me, I can raise a good amount of money. I didn’t go for a “st-roll” with `Jack` and Alison today because it pissed it down but now I have the sun streaming in through the living room window. With any luck it will stay like this for a while as tomorrow I am supposed to be going for a “st-roll” with “Me Val”. Friday I have something that I am really looking forward to and could be an amazing experience, (I’ll tell you Friday!), and on Saturday I am hoping to go and see some old friends from the Battalion as it is the annual SAAM, (Skill At Arms Meeting), which is essentially a shooting competition. 675 Sqn (formerly `B` Coy 6 Rifles) have been invited to take part but are only allowed to enter one team meaning that they are not able to win the competition. That does not mean that they can not win team and individual medals though. As I am now officially HQ Company, and as this will be the first year that they are able to enter two teams, I want and hope that they do win the shooting competition. The shooting “GURU”, Bully will clearly have been training the lads and lasses on the shoots so that they will know what the sequence is. With that in mind, I am really hoping that they do get the Company name on the trophy. Again, something for me to write about if I go.
Rob and the team of people undertaking the three peaks challenge did it in under 24 hours despite a two hour delay on the motorway which was great so well done to them. There is still time to sponsor them for Diabetes UK if you have a spare couple of quid. Here is the address for the Just Giving page in case you can, and if you have, on behalf of Rob and the team “Thank you”. www.justgiving.com/Robert-Ross3
Finally, another bit of good news and “Thank you” to any who shared this plea for help to reunite the guy with his Overlander.
IT’S BEEN FOUND – Many, many thanks to everyone who passed on the message about our customers stolen TerrainHopper. It’s now been found! Thanks for your support.
That’s all for now.
Good evening all.
