Kidz!

Kidz eh? They always manage it don't they.

After mentioning yesterday about how proud Victoria makes me, with learning to fly, studying hard at school, working hard for the Blades on her work experience, and getting involved with everything she can at air cadets and the Duke of Edinburgh awards scheme.(D of E )

It however appears that, paying for her 18 flying lessons, (£140 each!) and for all her flying equipment (booster type seat, which was over £100, books, cd's, sunglasses etc etc) and after paying for all of her cadet uniforms/equipment (both Army cadets and Air cadets), and for all her cadet/DofE week long/weekend excursions, and for school trips and equipment, and after twice a week driving her to, and picking her up from, cadets, i/we am/are apparently doing it for selfish reasons.
(Even though i have gotten out of my sick bed when my illness was at its worst to take her, and both my wife and i drove an equivilant of around 200 miles taking her to and from her work experince, with me supposed to be taking things easy as i try to recover, and my wife being on nightshift)

Obviously her flight with the Blades that was made possible by my relationship with them, and her work experience through the same, and her part time job she had at the pilots mess at Sywell aerodrome through the same, were all me being selfish too.

Apparently having two evenings a week spent with her cadet friends, and weekends away camping, flying, having adventures with her cadet friends, isn't enough of a social life, and i am stopping her from having a social life, despite being told that ONTOP of going to cadets two evenings a week, and having weekends and weeks away with them, she can go out with school friends one evening a week, that isn't enough either. (even though she rarely actually takes advantage of that evening she is allowed out).

Obviously we should allow her to go out, down to the park, with the delinquents that she attends school with, to sit and drink cider, smoke, and get into trouble, and stay out until the very late hours, instead of doing her homework or studying for her flying.

Obviously the many RAF personnel, including the first woman to receive the DFC for bravery, former Red Arrows, Blades pilots, former Wing commanders, Hawk display pilots, current RAF recruitment Sergent's, and other RAF personnel, all telling her that she needs to make a choice, between having a normal social life, or studying/working hard towards her chosen career, if she wants to make it, means nothing.

The fact that they all told her that they were in their bedrooms studying while their so called 'cool school friends' were in the park drinking cider, is purely co-incidental that her so called school friends tend to do that very thing.


I was informed of all this last night, after telling her she couldn't stay at a friends house to get ready for the cadet summer ball, as she had shown a lot of attitude this week, and despite being warned that it would cost her that very thing, she once more began showing attitude to my wife and i.

She then showed even more attitude, and was told she risked losing out on going to the ball altogether if she carried on showing attitude, and guess what? She threw another paddy.

All that on top of the fact she had been informed of the harm lots of stress has on my recovery, and which has left me very hurt, upset, disappointed, and feeling like utter crap, is obviously my fault, for being so unfair.

Why do my wife and i put so much effort into helping her towards her dream of being a pilot in the RAF? Because just like most other parents, we love her, and want her to have the great life it will bring, one we can only wish we had experienced, as it really is a world apart from what us 'normal people' experience.

Yes we appreciate she needs a social life to 'blow off steam', but her air cadets should do that very thing anyway, and all this came after my wife and i had just discussed that Victoria needs to take a break from a bit of it, over the school holidays, leaves us thinking why do we bother.

Kidz eh?

And the really strange thing? We still love them even after they treat us with such disrespect and ingratitude.
Kidz eh?

A look back, an update and a proper begining?

Well, i haven't really used Blogger properly, or even thought about it in a long while, but may now look at blogging again, like i did on the old Yahoo 360.

I have had a really rough n tough few years, but after finally settling my employment with my old employers, i paid for some private therapy, which has helped me onto the first step to recovery.

There have been some notable highlights to the last few years though, not least of which was forming a strong bond with the Blades aerobatics team, who are without doubt the finest bunch of civilian aviators in the world!

All former RAF fast jet veterans, and former Red Arrows, who with their thousands of hours of display experience, are now the worlds only close formation aerobatic airline!

(They fly passengers through jaw dropping aerobatic flights, in close formation with family,friends, or colleagues.)


I don't have the time right now for an in depth blog, so will just try(?) to post a few photo highlights of the last few years, and will look to trying my hand at blogging once more, on my road to recovery.

Thank you, to anyone interested enough to have read this far! lol
Paul.


Pictures, top to bottom:

1) My beautiful 15yr old daughter, Victoria, who now has 17hours flying tuition on the AT-3 trainer, and is well on the road to her dream of becoming a fast jet pilot with the RAF.

2 / 3 / 4 ) We moved to a beautiful new home, that borders the countryside.
(views from, and of)


5) One of my personal faves from my portfolio, taken during a fantastic week down at the Eastbourne airshow in 2009.

6 / 7 / 8 ) Some shots taken during an air to air with the Blades at IWM Duxford, an experience to cherish.

9) Victoria flying with the Blades

10) Quite probably my best shot to date, the Blades flying in close formation with a Spitfire.

Other highlight pics that i could have chosen, were meeting comedian Eddie Izzard at Duxford after photographing his father flying in the Spitfire in close formation with the Blades, or meeting Iron Maiden frontman, Bruce Dickinson when he flew in close formation with the Vulcan bomber with the Blades, or when i got to shoot the Blades aircraft under the Vulcan at a Waddington press call. All i have to do now, is secure a future career that continues these experiences,and fulfills my dreams, once i am well enough to do so.