The Perils Of Being Perverse

Not In Any Seedy NSFW Way - 
 - I hasten to assure you, it's merely the way your humble scribe's mind works*.  

Conrad's mental landscapd  (Censored version)

For a recent example, please check out the post about "Pointless", where all and sundry are mocking, laughing at, and generally being horrid about Oak Leaf Wine.  Trust your modest artisan to think along the lines of "Hmmm I wonder if it's as bad as they make out?"
     So, "perverse" in the sense of being against the consensual majority, ta very much.  Tomorrow is the weekly shop, so I may have to stop one of the Morrison's staff to enquire about the products of viticulture that they stock ...

Back To The Bus
Yes, yes, I know we weren't on this subject already today, I'm talking about yesterday- do keep up, please, and get used to this kind of thing because it's Business As Usual on the blog.
     "Gosh, Mandy's late in today," I thought yesterday at about noon, realising that she hadn't put in an appearance.  "Her bus must have been swallowed up by one of those roving interdimensional superstring wormholes that First are always using as an excuse."
     She actually drives in, but I thought I'd sneakily introduce the subject matter of buses, and it's not as if she'd ever bother reading this nonsense.

 - Hopefully ...

     You see, given that BOOJUM! seems to be popular across the Pond in South Canada, where everybody has a car and drives from A to Z, I feel it worthwhile expounding on The Bus a bit further.  The Allotment of Eden is designed along compact lines, unlike South Canada, or Ruffia, so it's possible to get from A to B relatively quickly by using public transport, and in the interests of saving the planet**, a bus will substitute for as many as 50 cars.  Not only that, it allows us to gainfully practice the Art Of Queuing, a traditional British pastime that we are going to shine at in the 2020 Olympics.  Plus, we get to display our British Reserve as passengers, sitting in stony silence, reading the paper (or Kindle, in a nod to the 21st Century), looking out of the window and generally ignoring our fellow man.

A Q.  Close enough.

"First Light" By Geoffrey Wellum
Another excellent bargain bought from the bookshelves of Oxfam.  Being the autobiography of a young pilot during the Battle of Britain and afterwards, written-up long after the events when he could put a bit of auteur polish to the wordses.
     His RAF*** training is long, arduous and what might be called "winnowing" as the RAF won't accept anything short of Excellence in their pilots, fighter or otherwise.
     Conrad has to admit to committing possibly the Ultimate Sin in reading - skipping ahead.  Which should be pronounced with plenty of reverb and in darkness whilst wearing sackcloth and ashes.  I know, I know, (hangs head in shame) but, your Honour, it was about -

"Operation Pedestal"
Ah, yes, the legendary Operation Pedestal, if by "Legendary" you really mean "Extremely Awful Attritional Endurance Experience".  I shall enlarge.
     For a long time in the Second Unpleasantness, Malta held the unenviable distinction of being the most bombed place on the planet.  This is because, in the Rock-Paper-Scissors of the North African War, Malta sat upon and strangled the Axis supply lines to North Africa.  Aircraft, ships and submarines based upon the island played merry Hob with German and Italian shipping, hence the siege laid upon the island.
     By June 1942, though, food and fuel were running out, so a last-gasp convoy was routed via Gibraltar to provide both - Operation Pedestal.  14 merchant ships were given a huge naval escort: 4 aircraft carriers, 2 battleships, 7 cruisers and 24 destroyers.
     In a ghastly, non-stop engagement that went on for days, 9 of the merchant ships were sunk, plus an aircraft carrier, a cruiser and a destroyer.  The Axis lost possibly 60 aircraft, so not an especially cheap exchange.

Operation Pedestal - fishes-eye view

     Although pretty much an Axis tactical triumph, in strategic terms it was a disaster for them, as 30,000 tons of supplies got through, plus the tanker "Ohio" - which deserves an item of it's own - and the siege was well and truly broken.  Malta was essentially saved by the Op. Pedestal convoy, for all the Axis prating about victory.

     I would be going back to young Geoff, but we're already at count, so the good stuff wil continue tomorrow, along with the bad stuff, the middling stuff and the buff stuff; is that enough?


*** That is, the ROYAL AIR FORCE.  Royal.  British.
**  Can't have you lot destroying it before my invasion fleet gets here, can we?
*  If it works.  This is still a matter of debate.