30th
June 2016 (Thursday)
.... 09.30 Although cool, and rather
cloudy, it is dry, and I’m going to hang out a washing; so it isn’t going to rain! I’ve been
 |
| 'M' looking at the view |
along to the ‘Paper Shop’, on the
bike; now the plan is to go to Leven; ‘M’ wants to browse the Charity Shops for
wool, .... I’ll see if I can find some Suzanne Gregory ‘books’. We have the ‘Drop in Cafe’ in the afternoon...
this is the last one until September;
the start of the Autumn/Winter session.
22.30 All the above ‘shopping missions’ were accomplished; plus a few extras from Bayne’s the Baker....
including “Soo’s lugs”. We then went
to Sainsbury’s for coffee where we met, and were joined, by Myra and Jim, who
were also at Leven on a shopping trip.
We
had the ‘Drop in Cafe’ this afternoon, .... rumour went round the village that we
were going to have ‘goodies’, and ‘goodies’ we had: strawberry tarts, cake, pancakes.... “Puku”
has been well spoilt today. The “Soo’s
lugs” have been kept for tomorrow.... this is because we have to wean “Puku”
orf the rich diet of rubbage ... er .. quality foods... very slowly. This
will all change when we get out on the bike on
 |
| ....the view |
Saturday! ‘M’ and I went down to the harbour after the ‘Cafe’
(in the car) expecting Jimmy to be there but, as we were to find out later, he
was ensconced in the Hutte at Ivy ... feeding ‘Blob’. He, Jimmy, eventually arrived at Ivy for a
second time, to join us for a cuppa .... needing someone to talk to.
On
this night, one hundred years ago, British and French troops were getting ready to attack along a 16 mile front to begin the “Somme
Offensive”, which was to begin at 07.30 a.m on the 1st July. This was going to be the first time that
most of the British troops, volunteers for “Kitchener’s Army”, would go ‘over
the top’. For 19,240 it would also be
the last time. The British Army suffered
57,470 (including the 19,240 who died) casualties on that first day, the worst
in the history of the British Army. The
Somme Offensive lasted for 141 days, ‘ending’(?), because of onset of winter,
on the 18th November.
 |
| Jim and Jimmy |
The ‘Battle’, which cost so many lives on both
sides of the lines, is credited with weakening the German Army, .... helping to bring about the Armistice that
followed two years later.
Photographs
: Top – ‘M’ looking at the view, Middle – the ‘view’ and Bottom – Jim and Jimmy
at the ‘Drop in Cafe’.
