Royal Blue

Post-Deployment Happenings

So over the past few months that I haven't been blogging I have been a very busy bunny having had seemingly one big thing after the other so in order to keep everyone up to speed in case I start blabbering on about recent happenings anytime soon they have been, in order of eventfulness...

• Moving In With Marine!

Definately the biggest and most exciting thing to have happened! We were talking about things one day and it sort of just came up out of the blue, he went away with work the next day and when he came back a few weeks later I had found us a lovely house and we moved in a little while later! I hate to think how much we spent kitting the place out but now we have our first home together and have never been happier!

• Went To Hospital

Had to go to hospital for a diagnostic operation to find out the cause of some abdominal and back pain. Not too serious however I reacted badly to it and was really quite poorly so it took a week in bed and the best part of a month to recover and get back to normal only to find out that I have to go back in a few months for the same kind of thing only they are actually going to deal with the problems rather than just look. It makes me think at why the NHS is so much in debt and spends so much money, if its a simple operation and they have to do the same procedure again why not just fix me the first time while I was there on the operating table? it makes so much sense to me!

• Starting to think about what to do with my life

Not very eventful really but something that I've been thinking about a lot lately - I'm about to enter my final year of university so having to think about what to do after I finish this year - the kind of job I could get, whether to do a masters or not, its all very important but I just can't seem to get round to deciding anything yet!

• Enjoyed the biggest wedding season ever!

Went to quite a lot of friends and family weddings (everyone seems to be getting married this year!) It was very lovely and all the brides looked beautiful and the grooms very handsome and it made me do the very girly thing of think about what mine and marine's wedding would be like ( I have planned it all ) - now all I have to do is get him to propose and all will go to plan! :-)

Back at Blogging!

If anyone reads this then you will probably have noticed that I have not really been posting very much over the past 4 or 5 months or so. This has been mainly been due to the fact that I have been very busy with university, work and moving house (Me and marine have finally moved in together after a very long wait and lots of pretend living together at my parents house) and also because when he first came back from Afghan I pretty much lost interest in everything to do with it and wanted to put it all to the back of my mind for a while after a quite intense seven months. However I have now decided to start blogging again because life is never less-than-eventful while going out with a marine even during the times they are mostly at home and also I have began to miss scouring the news for things of blog-interest and so on! So the first thing to be posted of any interest (although quite old news by now) is,

Serving troops to get free postage

Politicians have welcomed Royal Mail's decision to allow relatives of troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan to send parcels for free.

Royal Mail is working with the British Forces Post Office to arrange special arrangements for the busy posting period up until Christmas and will confirm formal arrangements in the next few days.

Head of the army general sir Richard Dannatt, who had called on Royal Mail to introduce the free service, said he was delighted at the move.

"This decision to provide a free parcel service to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan will mean a great deal to our soldiers and to their families," he said.

Royal Mail chairman Alan Leighton said the Post Office wanted to give frontline troops as much support as possible.

Mr Leighton said: "Royal Mail's postmen are already serving in many military bases, including in Afghanistan, helping provide postal services to the armed forces and we know how vitally important it is for frontline troops to get parcels from their loved ones at home."

The Conservatives welcomed the move as a "very honourable gesture" by the Post Office.

Liberal Democrat leader Menzies Campbell, who has backed calls for a free postal service, said the "small step" would make an "enormous difference" to the morale of troops fighting in difficult deployments.

As yet, it is unclear whether the service will be maintained after Christmas.

Sir Menzies called on the Ministry of Defence to work with Royal Mail to maintain the service in the long-term.

Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox added: "If the government is serious about maintaining the morale of the armed forces and welfare of service families they will guarantee continuity of the scheme rather than being dragged kicking and screaming to fulfil their side of the military covenant."

I am so happy that Royal Mail have finally agreed to free postage at all times rather than just the month before christmas we were given last year and I really hope that they continue this after the initial stated time period. Something as small as free postage might not seem a lot but the happiness that extra parcel or card could bring to a soldier away from home is worth so much more than the few pounds or pence Royal Mail may now be losing out on.

R&R

He has just gone back to Afghan from R&R! It was the best two weeks ever!

3 Weeks and Counting

Marine has been gone for 3 weeks now and although the days seem to be dragging by the weeks are going quite quickly which is definately a good thing! The strange thing that I keep thinking about was the last time that he was in Afghan was for 2 months and it seemed to last forever but if it was the same this time around we would almost be half way through! I've been getting in to a little routine and have come to the conclusion that as much as I would give anything to have Marine with me right now there are good things about him going away as well as the bad :

• I've had the chance to get a promotion at work which means more responsibility and more hours but also more money!
• I've been able to concentrate a lot more on my University work getting it all out of the way earlier in the year rather than procrastinating and leaving it to the last minute!
• I've had absolutely loads of 'me time' which sounds sad but it's actually really great to have time just completely to yourself to relax and unwind
• The fact that I've been missing him so much has really made me appreciate how much I love him even more
• We get to plan loads of amazing cool things for when he comes back which is so much fun!

Of course I'm counting down the days until he can be here with me again but at the same time I love the fact that we can be just as great a couple even when hes thousands of miles away! We've been able to talk almost every day and we've been writing to each other all the time and whereas usually we would be cutting down on some of the things that we do in order to see each other around the hours we both work and my classes at University, I've been able to do a lot more of the things I don't usually get to do as often! I also think it has made us both realise we are even more crazy in love with each other than I thought because we're already missing each other so much and anything that can make us love each other even more has to be a good thing!

Oh and I've had my first comment! I didn't think anybody would bother to read my random rantings but Kath from In Training has left me my first comment ! Her site is absolutely amazing and her boyfriend is a Royal Marine too! :-)

He Called!

Im sat at home exhausted after spending a few hours shopping in our brand new shopping mall that opened yesterday when my phone rings and it was MARINE! Its the first chance hes had to call me since he arrived in Afghanistan sometime yesterday and although we only spoke for 15 minutes I am so so so happy I feel like running around like a little girl! Our conversation was pretty much I love you, I miss you and not really much else but still its made my day and now I cant stop smiling! :-)

2 DAYS DONE!

Marine's been gone for two days and while I dont think its really hit me that I wont be seeing him for at least 3 months maybe longer when he gets his 10 days mid-tour leave to come home Im definately doing ok. Ive been working loads and doing EVERYTHING I can do to take my mind off of things and even though hes probably only just arriving there about now Im already thinking about all of the good things we are going to do when he comes back!

I've already wrote him one letter even though I had to rewrite it twice because I kept making mistakes ( and I want it to be all nice and lovely when he gets it ) and Im about to start writing a second but all I can think of right now is how annoying are blueys! I mean its great that you can send them for free and that the letter itself is an envelope is a nifty little idea but the one thing they are blatently in need of is lines! I have had to draw lines on each one I have ever wrote to Marine and while he was in Afghanistan before I wrote quite a few! If I dont my writing ends up wobbling up and down the page and while Im sure he really wouldnt notice I have this weird compulsion to make it all perfect before I send them to him which means I have to draw lines with a pencil, write my letter, THEN rub the lines out which takes forever! Royal Mail NEED to make lined blueys.

The one thing I have found though and I dont know if other women feel the same but the whole thing about writing letters to your man while hes away on deployment is so strangely romantic! It makes me think about all of those women who wrote letters to their husbands and boyfriends during the war and then kept the letters forever and ever because they meant so much to each other! It makes me feel really great writing him a letter knowing that it is going to cheer him up and hopefully make his day a whole lot brighter just because he has a letter from me!

Marine Has Gone

Marine has gone. He left earlier on today and I feel so awful its untrue! We spent last night together which was lovely if strange due to the fact that I would randomly burst into tears when he told me he loved me or how much he would miss me. We snuggled up and went to sleep which was also lovely but kind of sad as all I could think of was that this would be the last time we were going to do that for such a long time which was the same feeling I got with a lot of things today like our last cuddle, our last kiss etc etc it was so difficult today I tried to be brave and be happy so that our last memories are of happy things but we both got very upset and even though it was nice in a way as it shows eachother how much we're in love I still feel terrible and all I want to do is snuggle up with him and for him to make everything better. I love him so so much I miss him already.

David Cameron Talks A Lot Of Sense

So I never thought Id be swayed by the conservative party's tactics of making David Cameron appear to be the cool, young candidate so that younger people will vote for the tories and I definately didnt think that I would vote conservatively yet the more I hear him talk the more and more I actually start to like the guy and what hes about. He wrote an article in The Sun in which he talks about how proud he is of the troops in places like Afghanistan and how he feels that the government should do more for them and their families - particularly when it comes to such things as deployments and their general wellbeing.

Troops Make Dave Very Proud - Tory DAVID CAMERON writes for The Sun

THE thing that’s had the greatest impact on me in this job was visiting our troops in Afghanistan in July.

Some of them are only 18 years old. They’ve only been in the Army for a year. They are working in 45 degree heat. They are fighting a ferocious enemy, day in, day out, week after week.

I’ve never felt more proud in my life.

Our mission in Afghanistan is not just a moral responsibility: it’s vital to help keep Britain safe. A lawless, broken Afghanistan was the cradle for the attacks of September 11.

We’re asking a lot of our servicemen and women.

But are we doing enough for them and their families? Our troops are being sent on more and more missions, in more and more distant lands - but they still have to pay income tax while on operations, unlike many of their comrades from other countries.

And what about public services for the families back at home?

In my own constituency, schools near the RAF base at Brize Norton see as many as half the pupils come and go in a year as their brave parents move from base to base and from mission to mission.

Although our armed forces are spending longer periods away from home, they still only get 20 minutes of free time to phone their families each week. Even prisoners in our jails are allowed half an hour!

The Government says this is all fair. I say it isn’t. So when we put together our forces manifesto, we’re going to look at ways to sort these problems out.

We have the best armed forces in the world. To see them on operations is to be truly proud and impressed by their skills and courage. They are a golden asset for Britain. It’s time we did more to help the men and women who put themselves, on our behalf, in the line of danger.

After hearing him talking about issues like these and how he thinks that they are so very important I cant help but think that he could actually be very good for our country and could possibly make me vote his way.

Military Girlfriends

I am a Military girlfriend...Please don't forget about me

I am a Military girlfriend. I hold no formal recognition with the powers that be. I am at the bottom of the chain. I hold no Military ID card, I am not a "dependant" or a parent. The man I love may face unspeakable dangers, and I am at mercy of those who possess this recognition for news. I understand and accept this.

I am a Military girlfriend. I have promised to be here for him upon his return no matter how long he is away. People may say I am insane for making such a commitment with no guarantees, but I hold onto our promises and have faith that he will come home safe to me I know full well that my love for him fuels him in the worst of times.

I am a Military girlfriend. There is no ring on my finger to symbolize our commitment, though I love him no less for it. I hope everyday that he will be able to call because a simple 30-second phone call can bring the greatest spectrum of emotions...smiling with tears in my eyes from so much joy and pain. My relationship is based on a brief communication where "I love you and Im okay" speaks more than volumes and gives me the strength to keep going.

I am a Military girlfriend I take no moment we spend together for granted. I hold onto every touch, caress, kiss, every word.I have memorized the feel of his skin, his smell, the sound of his voice, and I play it over and over again so that I will not forget. I cry myself to sleep some nights because missing him hurts so badly, but I wake up the next morning, brush myself off, and start a new day.

I am a military girlfriend. The events of the next several months hold my life and my future in the balance. When you watch the news reports, you may turn away and go about you're business relatively unaffected.When I watch news stories of the war I do not see nameless soldiers a half a world away. I see individuals who will be forever changed by war. News of every casualty causes me pain and deep sadness.

I am a Military girlfriend, Not a spouse or family member. When you say your prayers at night for the husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, please don't forget about me.

I saw this on the internet and think it is such a beautiful and sad piece of writing and something that I completely understand and identify with being in the same situation and feeling the same way. You get a lot less sympathy, support and recognition as a girlfriend of someone in the armed forces yet you are going through the exact same thing as the wives and parents of these men and in some ways it can almost be harder. When a woman's husband goes away she has the knowledge that hes made a commitment to her and is going to be coming home to her - being away doesn't change the fact that hes her husband. Whereas as a girlfriend you dont really have anything but faith and trust in the fact that you love each other, theres no guarantees that things will be the same when you get back and in many ways I feel that that can be the worst part of being left behind - you just dont know that things are going to ever go back to normal.

Im not too sure but the site where it originated seems to be here.

Beginning Of A Blog

Im just a normal nineteen year old girl who happens to have been going out with a Royal Marine Commando and over the last year and 4 months or so have had to settle into the turbulent life of being a military girlfriend with weeks and even months apart with sometimes very little contact at all. Currently Im counting down until Marine is deployed to Afghanistan for six months which is by far the longest time we've ever been apart and to say im nervous is a bit of an understatement! I thought that blogging might be a good way of dealing with it all and even if its not at least its one more thing to keep me busy and my mind off of things while hes away!