Days  :December 7th, 8th + 9th: The day of the reunion.


Sorry:  This is really long and has no photographs because I 
forgot my camera.  So unless I can get Sarah to send me hers I'm 
afraid that it is another photoless page.  Sorry guys.


This is the weekend of the reunion for those of you not too good at maths.  I know that I can write whatever I like here because 
there's only three other people who can argue with me about it.  
Hang on a moment though, I wrote whatever I liked anyway.
I think I had better start writing about the reuion before I get 
shot!
So here goes.

The weekend started for me on the Tuesday.  I had an interview 
with the Navy in Portsmouth which ended on the Thursday.  From 
there I headed to Fletches house where I stayed on the Thursday 
night after a Karioke (spelling) night at the pub he works at 
(it's nice by the way.)  Then on Friday I hit Nuneaton I went 
about 16:00hrs and had saw everything twice by 16:30!!! Then 
went and collected Fletch and we had a quick hour in Rileys.  
Went back to his and I was moving to "The bungalow."  After a 
half hour walk to the bottom of his garden I found myself 
confronted by another smaller bungalow house. This is where me 
Josh and Sarah would be spending the night.

I dumped my bag in one of the rooms with a double bed.  Sarah 
would have the other one and Josh would have the settee 
(spelling again Lindz sorry).  They were coming on the train 
about 19:00hrs so we went to the station to meet them.  Josh was 
there with his bag, and Sarah turned up late with her CASE.  
It's a good job Fletch was driving a Landrover Disco because any 
other car wouldn't have managed all the extra weight!!!

We went and droped all the stuff off at Fletch's then headed out 
for Food.  Pizza shop it is.  I fell down the step into the shop 
after we'd been for a pint and still have the scar.  Then drove 
back to Fletches and headed off to his local.  Had a nice night 
there before going back to the bungalow and drinking somemore 
and generally having a good laugh.  Eventually went to bed about 
04:30  (rough estimate.)

Woke up next morning about 09:00 hrs.  Got ready and eventually 
left for Portsmouth.   Got in the car and drove away.  Filled up 
with petrol and where just getting onto the motorway when 
Fletch's Mobile rings.  Being in the front I answer. 
"Hello, you've reached Andrew Fletchers Mobile number, how may I 
Help you,"  "Oh hello Paul" his mother says.  I was just 
wondering, this thing you're going to, do you need a tickte?"  
"Yes" I say "Why?",   "Because Andrew's left his in the house!"  
So it's time to turn around and head off home to pick up the 
ticket......

So after some Dejavu we return to the point where we had been 
about an hour before.  After an interesting journey we 
eventually arrived in Porstmouth.  We had directions involving 
a  canoeing lake which we eventually found when we went out that 
night.  The instructions we had were coming in from the wrong 
direction......

About 17:00hrs we reached our destination.  Dumped the bags in 
our rooms and got ready to go.  Booked a Taxi to take us to the 
Mountbatten center at about 20:00.  

  We get there and there's a massive queue to get inside to 
where we are meant to be.  So we go into the bar and play some 
pool and have a few drinks, and who should walk in but Lex, our favourite Engineer.

Go and talk to him, no you, no, you happens and we don't go and 
talk to him.

Once we finish our game of pool we head off downstairs to see 
how the party is going.  In full swing by the look of it, so we 
get in there.  First things first, visit the bar, the nto look 
for people we know.  I see, there's John and Bryan, our watch 
leaders (Main and Fore)  Nick's there somewhere. Lex as 
mentioned already. And then we spy a Blonde girl dancing her way 
round the center.  We head her way, yes, just as we thought, 
it's Sophie and she's hyper as usual. She is also not sober.  We 
talk and get some food.  Go to the bar again where  we see Some 
really bushy eyebrows.  Yes, the navigator is there.  Then it's 
time for the auction.  I'm interested in a bell from the 
Churchill the bidding is started at £5:00, fair enough, I'll bid 
for that.  So I do.  When it is eventually sold for £180 I've 
bid twice. So as you can see we didn't get anything from the 
auction, but at one side of the hall was a lot of tables with 
things on.  Me and Josh bought a Watch leaders smock each,  
smart (and usefull later on)  I also replaced my M3 badge which 
I lost from the Yards.  I bought my brother and sister some 
small presents because I forgot while we were away.  Once the 
auction is over the real party starts with music and dancing and 
girls.  Me and Josh get invited to dance but he's scared and 
runs way.  Josh has an argument with the GJ  (not a speeling 
mistake, G stands for Grammer as in Grammer phone because we 
think that is what she was using.)  She was playing some awful 
songs and Josh asked to have a look through her collection and 
she told him that he couldn't, and that she was a profesional DJ 
and knew what she was doing, I think not.

Eventually we get kicked out and during the night we've heard of 
a club called route 66, now this name is a bit like Mcbeth, we 
aren't allowed to speak it out loud.  You'll understand in a 
minute.....

We hijacked a taxi outside the mountbatten centre which was 
meant for somebody else (oops)  And got a ride to Route 66 with 
bob, our friendly taxi driver.  He told us that we'd have 
trouble getting a taxi when we were finished but he agreed to 
come and pick us up hiomself, so he gave me his mobile number 
(07867670678 Just in case you need a taxi in Portsmouth, or need 
to grieve somebody when drunk)  We join the crew and somebosy 
infront of us know Rob Pickford, wow freaky or what, he works at 
the same place as him. He leaves for some reason.  Eventually 
get to the front of the queue.  "Have you got any ID." So Josh 
and Sarach are both over 18 and pull out their driving 
licences.  Josh pulls out a legitimate uni card that he got by 
faking the letter to get it.  Unfortunately all I have is a 
membership card to Pzazz, a nightclub in Sunderland.  Eplain 
that I've come all the way down from Sunderland and wasn't 
expecting to be going out clubbing and he lets us in.  
£6:00 to get in (It's roughly 00:00hrs)  Not happy but pay it 
anyway.  Get in and dance the night away.  Then about 01:20 the 
Dj plays Bob the Builder and says goodnight.  We laugh thinking 
he's joking, but no, he's serious everybodie's leaving.  So I 
ring Bob, he say's he'll be there in about 15 mins.  Bollocks.  
He doesn't turn up, so at 02:45 when we get a taxi the smock has 
been well worn, we had to bribe the taxi driver and pay £5:00 to 
take us on a 2min journey.  eventually get back and go to bed.  
Me and Sarah are sharing a room and sit up talking for ages 
before going to sleep.

I get up for breakfast, and nobody else from our group does.  
But I meet a lad who they met last night who went on the 
Churchill just after us whe went to the party,  and he was 
heading to Route 66 but there was a change of plan and everbody 
went to the travel lodge instead, and he ended up walking most 
of the way back before he found a taxi.
Eventually it's time to go and pay.  Unfortuantely I only have 
£10:00 and it's £20 for the room, lend a tenner of Fletch and 
realise that I £200 pound in the bank when I left Sunderland on 

Tuesday. Where it all went I'll never know I don't think.

We drop this lad off at the mountbatten centre where he'd parked 

his car the night before.  And we head off to the train station 
to drop me off.  It's a sad farewell but I know I'll see them 
again.  Sometime soon. 


I hope those of you who were unable to attend the reunions find 
this useful. If you want any more information ask questions 
through the guestbook.