And a new beginning.
The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things.
Well, I suspect I have spoken of shoes and ships, and cabbages and kings, but I am damned if I can think of any occasion when I discussed sealing wax. I mean, why would I?
Ok, like all evil colonialists over the centuries, I eventually pack up and leave this far flung corner of empire and return to Blighty. I suppose I could settle into the home counties and slowly transmogrify into the Blimpish figure of ‘Disgusted’ of Tunbridge Wells, boring my ever diminishing group of companions with stories of African adventures while gin ‘n tonicing myself into red nosed oblivion at the local Conservative club.
Is that me?
Well, yes, yes it is, but that to one side. After all, even after taking leave of the luscious forests and beautiful dusky maidens – even if no longer maidens after my acquaintance - of the Afric world for the pallid and and graceless charms of the modern day English, why should I abandon the work I love so well?
Therefore, I would like to announce I will be settling elsewhere, the home counties are not for me. I have accepted a position with the Zanzibar Gazette, and will henceforth be reporting on Counting Cats in Somerset, although this may be subject to change.
All my trademark convoluted sentences and five dollar words, used when the two bit variety would do very nicely thank you, will be there for your edification.
That Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, Punxsutawney Phil, oops, Ian B, has indicated an interest in becoming a gentleman from the Gazette, although whether as a staffer or a roving correspondent is yet to be settled.
It is with these words, and some small regret, I am handing over to my friend, NickM, full management of our station in Zanzibar, but I wish him and other Zanzibaran Kitty Kounters all the best, both now and in the future.
Goodbye Cats. Sorry to see you go, but thanks for everything.
We’ll look in on the Zanzibar Gazette from time-to-time (still looks a bit under construction at the moment).
;-(
That’s because it is under construction.
Sorry to see you leave here, but I’ve bookmarked your new domicile & look forward to visiting.
That was a great piece until the end. You make me sound like the leader of a coup.
Thanks for all the posts CC and may I pledge my new loyalty to el Presidente Nick M.
SAOT,
I bought your book by the way, kindle edition. I haven’t read it yet tho, I bought the complete (kindle) Barsoom AND Tarzan works of ERB at the same time and I’m reliving my childhood by working my way through them first. $3.95 they cost me. For the lot.
Ok Nick, so what is occuring? Are we carrying on or what?
I have said it before, this place is a brand with a following, many people enjoy reading us. It would be almost a crime to toss it away after all the blood tears toil and sweat that has gone into it over the years, especially yours. But it’s getting to be a bit bleedin lonely round here.
I am the joker in the pack, few will want to come and read my stuff, it was the rest of the crew that did all the heavy lifting.
So a decision please. And don’t forget my main mantra, Momentum Momentum Momentum. I we are to carry on we need to get some new posts up.
This has been one of the saddest weeks of my entire life.
RAB
At the risk of nominating myself for a Brownnose of the Day award I think you underestimate your contributions, I always enjoy them especially the childhood in the valleys stuff, don’t mistake shortage of comments for lack of interest. On a personal note I shall keep coming here as long as there’s stuff to read but I’m trying to give up the commenting lark ( loud and prolonged cheering ) as I’m boring myself never mind anyone else and I really don’t ever want to be involved again, even peripherally, in anything as unpleasant as the recent meltdown here.
Bless your heart Thornavis, I will treasure your comment. I have and am desperately trying behind the scenes to resolve this crazy Kitty Kounter mess. Time will tell, soon I hope, if I have been successful.
And for gawds sake don’t stop commenting. This is a blog not a newspaper, conversation is what it is all about, disagreements arguements fights and all.
I don’t know what to say. This is very sad. I wish Cats and Ian B all the the best…but I wish they’d continue to find contributing here a source of visceral and intellectual enjoyment.
And RAB is right–”This is a brand with a following.” In fact I’ve picked up stuff from here to post to the Individual-Sovereignty Yahoo group. (With credit, of course.) Also, of course, “Momentum momentum momentum” is crucial. So for several reasons, I hope he succeeds in putting the train back on the rails.
RAB–I too enjoy your stuff. And second all that Thornavis said.
I also hope it’s not going to be necessary for me to download the entire weblog. There is a great deal here that’s worth preserving, and I’m already immersed in trying to rescue one weblog and I have another in the queue…. :>(
Best to everyone, including “our new El Presidente” :>) , and thank you all.
Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi!
Whatever the outcome I’d like to find a way to keep in contact with RAB and Nick ( AKA Bill Gunston’s lovechild
)
Do you have access to my email address from my comments ? if so then please use it to get in touch ( assuming Hotmails ‘ Smartscreen’ spam filters will allow that, they recently decided my favourite classic race car mailing list was ’suspicious’ while letting through any amount of phishing emails referring to online banking accounts I don’t have. Useless fucking twats )
Sorry about the swearing. I’m working class and I have done some shit fucking jobs in my time, and some of the people I worked with were cunts, but we all swore like troopers to relieve the tedium. It turns your fucking language blue, so it does.
Here you go HSLD…
xxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx
You seem like a clean cut sort of hard working bloke to me, who I wouldn’t mind in my inbox.
We are on a knife edge here my friend. If we published the emails that have been flying round between us we would probably get the biggest comment spread we have ever had, and end up being discussed on Newsnight by Will Self, Polly Toynbee, Germaine Greer and Paxo.
Libertarians eh?
“I have said it before, this place is a brand with a following, many people enjoy reading us. It would be almost a crime to toss it away”
Yes exactly, a brand with a following.
Thinking about this, it would be a hell of a shame to let CCiZ expire.
So if you want to guest posts or regular posts, I would be happy to oblige. It seems to work well at ‘Orphans for liberty’
Bill Gunston’s lovechild?
You saucy git! I taught the Gunster all he knows! You know the Me-262 was vastly better as a bomber destroyer than a pure fighter partly due to the ballistic drop-off of it’s Mk108 cannon don’t you? This is obviously less of a problem in a direct frontal attack on a B-17 (weak at the front) than in a turning fight where you have to deflection shoot…
Funny MK108 story :-
A really good mate of mine, also in the firearms business, was brought a MK108 that had been dug up by some aviation archaeologists. His job was to deactivate it to make it legal.
Anyway he phoned me up for advice because while he’s pretty much an expert on infantry weapons he knew I had a good library on aircraft armament.
So, still on the phone, he starts digging the mud out of the breech area and finds out that the cannon is cocked, ready to fire and has a round up the spout.
I don’t need to point out that the shell has a high explosive filling do I ?
At this point I am expecting the phone to go suddenly quiet…but using the diagram of the MK108 I help him identify the firing components and how they operate so it can be made safe before he digs the 60 year old round out of the breech.
This is definitely a job done best by telephone from 125 miles away
As it turned out the impact of the crash had bent the receiver to the extent that the breech block had jammed in its rearward position and could never have moved forward to fire the round, but we didn’t know that at the time…
Oh no, a technical WW2 thread
“This is obviously less of a problem in a direct frontal attack on a B-17 (weak at the front)”
I thought they attacked B17’s frontally, not because of any structural weakness but because of a lack of forward facing defensive firepower, whereas rear attacks often meant many tail guns of the defensive formation engaged the attackers?
SAOT,
The perils of not making myself clear. Obviously, I meant “defensively weak at the front”.
I’d much rather go up against a Fortress than a Tupolev Bear, the amount of times I’ve had my F3 Lightning blown out from under me by those radar guided 23mm tailguns is ridiculous.
I’m going to ask the Air Ministry for a heat seeking missile which actually works sometimes so I don’t have to get in cannon range….
HSLD,
Did you know the B-36 could out-fly a MiG15 at it’s operational altitude. Those big wings.
I didn’t know that. I seem to recall reading the Canberra couldn’t be intercepted at altitude by any RAF fighter then operational when it entered service.
Thinking about it further I’m sure it was in a book by Roland Beamont, and he should know…
I know I keep banging on about this but you should really get one of the Strike Fighters sims. Jam packed with 50’s and 60’s heavy metal jet goodness - I have the whole lot and it includes Meteor, Hunter, Lightning, most of the Century series, Mirage, Ouragon, Kfir, A-4, F-4, A-7, F-8 and a bucketload of commies to kill ( although if you try to turn with a Mig in most western jets they’ll kill you instead )