Michael Yon and Winston Churchill

Bit of a theme of mine this week, I know, but all the google searches link him to Bruce Willis so I'm fencing with the internet search engines. Blogging is great fun, who knew!

It's the end of the evening and there's been a lot to celebrate so I've finished by twisting the cork ever so gently from a non vintage bottle of Pol Roger, Winston's tipple of choice. I think he was related to the family. I belong to the Churchill Society and every quarter we get a glossy magazine that covers rare and unusual information about the great man, so I'm a mine of trivial information about Winston.

Non vintage doesn't have the crunchy bubbles but it does have the buttery taste and I feel armoured and ready to read Michael Yon's latest dispatch. Except tonight there are two - Americans Among Us and The Punisher's Ball.

Well, I'd completely forgotten my earlier admonishment, so sat down with the brimming flute and a highlighter and had to get up again for tissues within a minute of reading. It's laughter and tears all the way through.

All this talk of movie stars reminds me of my Bill Pullman story. Thank goodness I didn't drop the muffins. Hollywood stars do lend a certain spark to an event and it was incredibly cool of ole Bruce to pop along. Thing is, I always fancied Alan Rickman more (the villain in the first Die Hard movie), something about that English sneer, sorry, I digress!

I can't quite get over how right I was about Michael's writing in an earlier post, what is that, cognition? Still learning the high falutin' psychology terms.

But he's wrong when he calls his guys ugly, they're handsome and manly and such great eyes...so yes, the girls are gorgeous but THEY would have spent months getting ready. The guys would have spent one second shaving and gelling their hair and they look amazingly attractive.

And the telling line - "while others were already complaining of boredom with stateside life..." which I think nails it. I believe they say things like this to Michael because they know he understands that thinking. What I want to know is, how do these guys find, date and marry someone who just waits and waits for them, while they go zinging off to all points on the compass, I'm just saying.

His writing is poignant but not sentimental:

"The ghosts of the fallen took their places alongside widows and family..." I know this is true, if you look really hard you can see people materialise, ever so fleetingly.

"A mournful fog skirted the edge of the dance floor all night."

To absent friends and heros...good night.