A little Christmas Eve fishing…the fish took the day off though…
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What sort of fish is that? It looks like an Angler fish.
Years ago my uncle took me bass fishing on Falls Lake, north of Raleigh.
It was interesting to compare the different methods compared to fishing in the UK, as well as the different US names of fish I recognised from course fishing at home.
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Finally got some reaper powder. Extremely hot obviously. Actually quite tasty in small doses.
The jam… I hate jam. But I misjudged and assumed it would be marketing nonsense, how can you have really spicy sweet jam. Nonsense.
Spoiler alert : not Nonsense. Ridiculously hot and sweet, hiccups for 20 mins and blotches all over my neck.
I’m gonna try it on toast for breakfast next
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Oh my, that is one seriously cool t shirt lee
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cheers, and i bet your sinuses will be clear with that pepper 
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It is called an Oyster Cracker here…ugly as sin…
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She who must be obeyed took me for a short walk. Hardly ironman but post hospital its a first big trip for me on my own feet. About a mile and a half.
More to the point we knocked off a local aviation location on our bucket list. Station 479/RAF North Witham.
2154hrs on the 5th of June 1944 Lt Col Joel Chace USAAC took off from this exact point in the photo on what was the first combat mission of Operation Overlord. D Day the start of the liberation of Europe.
He led 20 C47 Skytrains carrying the Pathfinder troops of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. 19 Aircraft returned with one aircraft lost but the occupants saved by HMS Tartar, a British Destroyer. Unlike the rest of the aircraft of Troop Carrier Command the Pathfinder aircraft were equipped extra navigation equipment while the 80 paratroops had the ‘Gee’ navigation system ground stations developed for RAF Bomber Command.
The hard standing of the airfield is almost all intact. Owned by the Forestry Commision it is planted with woodland and freely accessible to the public. It was a bit wet today.
The approach to the runway is by one of the wartime admin tracks intersecting the taxiway here
Then
NB the above image has south at the top
Now
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I bet you can feel the history that unfolded there. I love visiting old abandoned places, that once was bustling with activity. It’s a special feeling just standing there, taking it all in and let the imagination run wild.
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The journey of a thousand miles…errr…should be undertaken in a nice car with heated seats…! 
Good to see you out and about!
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Christmasday was pretty nice:
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I love history. If you look at the north south road west of the airfield. The dead straight one is “Ermine Street” the main Roman road running from their invasion supply base at Richborough to Lincoln. Eventually extended as the frontier moved further north. While Gaius Suetonius Paulinus the Roman Governor was campaigning in north west Wales, Boudicca Queen of the Iceni led a revolt with the Trinovantes in response to new tax decrees from Nero (along with the rape of her daughters by Roman tax collectors and being whipped herself). In anticipation of this revolt Paulinus (who had no control over the tax collectors) had ordered a vexillation (detachment) of Legio IX Hispania under Quintus Pettilius Cerialis to march from Lincoln to Colchester to deter the anticipated revolt. As they marched south down Ermine Street they learnt of the revolt and the destruction of the city of Colchester. Cerialis turned around and attempted to get back to his fortress at Lincoln. Somewhere near The airfield at North Witham Boudicca caught up with The vexillation and crushed it. Only some of the cavalry escaped with the unconscious Legion commander strapped to a horse. They were pursued along Ermine Street past North Witham and entered Lincoln. The pursuers were so close that spears were thrown at the gates as they closed. Cerialis recovered, held the fortress of Lincoln and made a successful sortie to York to deter the revolt spreading there. Later he was to return to Britain as Governor.
I can’t move anywhere from home without being knee deep in history. The castle King John of France was kept prisoner (on parole) after his capture at the battle of Poitiers is nearby, now a farm but still lots of physical remains of the castle.
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I really enjoy Tony Robinson’s history documentaries. Your post reminded me of them and now I am looking at them. Something to watch while making lunch xD
Or binge watch all seasons of Blackadder, that works too 
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After my accident I did a degree in Ancient History and Archaeology, which included an option of two years of Mediaeval History.
Have you seen the series “Two men in a trench”? Military archaeology in UK.
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I will look into it, thanks 
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