History, sadness, and the hot chemist

I’ve been busily family historying for the last week. I am drowning in photographs, old letters, documents, and mothballs.

One person I’ve been concentrating on lately is my great uncle. He was my father’s mother’s younger brother, who was killed in the Second World War at the age of 19, on the 14th of July 1943, while flying in an RAAF mission over Belgium. I have a swag of documents from the RAAF from 1943 relating to the circumstances of his death (including some incorrect ones) and a journal that he kept daily between January and April 1943. I got hold of a letter he sent to his older brother that was written three weeks before his death. It said “guess I wont be home for the arrival of the little one but I’m damn sure I shall be there for the first birthday”.

So sad. Such a senseless loss of life.

I do have a few posts half written. They’re on the way, my friends, just bear with me. In the mean time, here’s a word verification I’ve had on my desktop for weeks, waiting to be posted.

I’m still on the nasty pain killers which make me nauseous and constipated, so although the pain has lessened, I can’t really enjoy it that much. Today I went to the doctor and she wrote another script to tide me over until N-day, when I see the neurologist on the 28th November. After the doctor I ambled over to the local shopping centre, where I picked up the first season of Smallville from the video store, because I have always had a thing for Tom Welling and I need some diversion. I went into the chemist and was met with the gorgeous chemist, who caused me to become a little breathless I have to say. After composing myself and getting what I needed to buy, he rang up the sale and took my card. He swiped it and asked, without skipping a beat, if I was constipated with the pain killers. Trying not to appear shaken, I answered, truthfully, that it is all under control. He gave me my card and receipts back. I’d gotten cash out and he asked if two tens was ok, or would I like a ten and two fives? I said “what the hell, give me two fives, I’ll grab an ice-cream on the way home”.

He smiled impishly as he handed me the cash, and I nearly came on the spot.