[BITList] our dumb world

[HUGH MCINTYRE]

Colin,

I did mention an absence of Gulf Bs, but the Gulf D's (and Cs) are also neglected.  You will, I trust, excuse my ignorance - the closest I ever got to the Gulf D's was a pleasant afternoon aboard Dara in, I think, Bombay, 1957 or 58.  That was before she was blown up, of course. Jack Edgar, who relieved me as daywork fiver on Uganda in November 1956 (he was going to sail on her, and I wasn't), was 3rd on her when she blew up, but I didn't see him there when I visited - possibly he was still on daywork and forbidden social intercourse.  There was an Indian 4th or 3rd, daft as a brush, who gave us Fats Waller at the piano impressions on his desk, when not chewing light bulbs.  Apart from a Siamese cat who favoured lying on the blades of the overhead fan, that's all I recall of the Gulf Ds.

I was at a funeral yesterday - a chap much older than I.  I didn't know him at all, but Janet was friendly with his daughter.  One of the hymns was the old Boys Brigade standard, Will Your Anchor Hold, and during the last verse I had a vision.  Fear not, I am not about to send in huffy messages about blasphemy, etc, it was a secular vision.  The line goes : "Will your eyes behold through the morning light, the city of gold and the harbour bright."  What I saw was the coast of Jutland emerging from the morning mist in July 1965 as we approached Esbjerg.  I was holding a pint of Carlsberg draught grapefruit juice (true).  Not a city of gold, and too many storage tanks, but it was landfall.  It got me thinking on landfalls, possibly the most exciting feature of life at sea.  By landfalls, I mean the ones that come up from the horizon, morning mist optional, preceded by the smell of the land. London arrival after a 6 month trip was always an event, but not because of the landfall, which was rather indeterminate and protracted.  Rotterdam was another such place - we sailed up a narrow waterway about the length of the Nile, and the novelty soon palled.

I was painting the outside recesses of our windows and it rained, hence me sitting here writing. The rain is officially off, so it's back to the grind.  I did them a couple of months ago, but it was the wrong colour.  Right enough, it was the colour Janet picked, but I should have advised her it was the wrong colour. For my sins I get to do them over again.

Hugh.

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