Salisbury Plain Military Wives Choir sings to MPs in London

It has been a varied first week back at work in the Army Headquarters. Monday and Tuesday were relatively slow days, doing vital admin, and catching up on 100 or so emails, on my work terminal, that arrived during my time away. Despite having an 'Out of Office' reply set, the emails still kept piling up.

As most of you know, I have been doing a lot of work in my leave with the Salisbury Plain Military Wives Choir. Now I was back to work, it was about time they got some official coverage from us at the Army News Team. With their schedule firmly imprinted in my diary, I set about going to London with them as they performed at the House of Commons and Portcullis House.

Outside the House of Commons

The choir had been invited by the MP for Devizes, Claire Perry. Claire covers Bulford, Tidworth and Larkhill within her constituency, and wanted to show her appreciation by inviting them to this special event. After a tour of The House of Commons, the choir got to sit in the gallery and watch a debate. Claire told us later on, that Mr Speaker commented on how they were the most glamorous spectators he has ever had in his gallery.

Once the tour was over, and a group shot was taken on the staircase in the Grand Hall, the ladies had some time to change and warm up for their performance.

The Grand Hall

Performing for the masses

Wherever You Are

The choir absolutely loved the day, and their performance was absolutely amazing. Despite hearing them sing quite a lot, the songs never bore me. In fact, I hear them get better every time they perform.

With 'Wherever You Are' being the most well known wives choir song, two of the ladies sung their hearts out for the crowd on the solo part, with the rest of the choir doing a great job behind them.

Sir Andrew Robotham 

Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans

Luckily, several of the Armed Forces Ministers were able to attend. Sir Andrew Robotham and Philip Hammond, The Secretary of State for Defence to name but a few. They were all totally in ore of these women, and spent time talking to them, and giving them praise for their hard work. They also commented on the vital support they give their husbands in such a career. I am proud to say that my wife is part of this amazing choir, and is she the most supportive person I know.

Philip Hammond watches the choir

With a few speeches done, there were just a few songs left. By this point, the crowd had grown somewhat, as more politicians finished work.

Philip Hammond addresses the choir

Philip Hammond then got invited by Claire Perry to say a few words. 

God Save The Queen

With the performance coming to an end, it just left the National Anthem to sing before heading home. Philip Hammond and Andrew Robotham were then invited to sing with the choir. With Andrew Robotham firmly within the choir ranks, and Philip Hammond stood with Claire Perry, it was quite an impressive rendition. The whole of Portcullis House were on their feet, singing along too. Spectacular.

After that it was time to pack up, interview all the people I needed for my story and catch the coach home. The day had been great. Very hot, but great. We were all sweating lots, but it was worth it. 

It was the next morning I got the story finished and published on the British Army website, along with a picture gallery on the Army Facebook page. Claire Perry has used the story in her constituency leaflet and the Salisbury Journal have published it too. Hopefully more people have used it by now, as it helps raise awareness of the choir and their good work.

Then it was all change! I had to quickly get my kit, drive to Longmore and photograph Number 1 Company, Irish Guards conduct riot training. This was in preparation for a future contingency role, in EU led peacekeeping missions and the Olympic security. Quite a variation for my first week back eh? 

Military Wives to Riots! Brilliant!

More from me soon.

Steve (@CombatPhot)

Post Op Tour Leave (POTL)

Hello! Me again! 

Sorry I have been so quiet over the last month or so, it's been manic here!

I left Afghan around the 19th March, did the usual stop off in Cyprus, which was actually quite enjoyable, despite just wanting to get home, then landed around the 21st in the UK.

As most of you would have seen my end of tour slideshow by now, all I can say is, what a relief! That was such hard work to get off the ground, I am just glad it all worked out. I checked the other night and have over 8,000 hits on YouTube now, and the feedback I have got from my official Twitter (@CombatPhot) has been amazing!

So what have I been up to? Well................three days after landing back in the UK, I was in London giving a talk at the Imperial War Museum on Photography and 21st Century Conflicts. The talk was very well attended, with an audience of over 50, and went down a storm. Making the most of being in London, Mrs Blake, some friends and I made a weekend of it. We checked into an amazing apartment for the night, visited the Ice Bar and went to see Shrek the musical, which was brilliant!

So this is what i've missed out on for six months eh?

After the initial rush to get ready for London was over, it was back to reality, living at home with my family all over again. Six months is a long time to be separated, and everyone has to get used to being around each other again. Sounds weird I know, they are your loved ones and you have all missed each other dearly, but in a roundabout way, got used to being apart. Using china plates, metal cutlery and being able to wear clothes other than MTP were novel changes for me!

So after a week or so back at home, readjusting, and doing menial tasks that I haven't missed, like food shopping, I was off on another adventure. This time I was Italy bound. Taking advantage of the school half term, we took the boys away for a weeks holiday. 

My lovely wife had booked us an apartment about 40 minutes from Venice, giving us plenty of scope to admire the sites in the location we stayed but also travel into Venice for the day.

Sadly the weather was not on our side, despite the promises of sun, but we made the most of it anyway.

After a few days enjoying the sites of Lido Di Jesolo, we planned a trip to Venice. The trip would be by bus, then boat to finally arrive at St Mark's Square.

River Taxi on route to Venice

The weather was amazing the day we went, to which we were all thankful. We were all really excited about seeing such a famous and picturesque city, and the chance to get some photos of this spectacular place was on the cards for me too. 

St Mark's Square

As we turned the corner and got our first view of St Mark's Square, my face just lit up. What an amazing place with tonnes of character. My camera was now poised and at the ready. I did, however, soon realise that I wasn't on a photo holiday and had to entertain my family too, as this is the sort of place you could spend a week and not get bored of photographing it. The intricacies of the buildings, the sculpting, the modes of transport and the general way of life in Venice, is amazing to capture in a photo.

Spectacular Craftsmanship

With a 24hr travel card for Venice, we were certainly in no rush to get home that night, so wanted to fully embrace as much as possible.

Not one straight line in the city

Venice is very picturesque in my eyes, although many say its old, decaying and smelly. Well, what do you expect from a city built on water, believed to have been discovered back in 421 AD? The place is still brimming with culture, colour, life and soul of a true Italian city. I just loved it, soaking up the atmosphere was great.

Traditional Venetian Mask

Having been in Afghan for 6 months with my camera, constantly on the go, I wasn't keen to do anything for a while, but glad I took one of my cameras to Venice, this would have been a shame to miss.

Riverside Housing

Local Artist

Inside the Basilica - St Mark's Square

Water Taxi

Now, as you know, Venice is built on the water. People here don't own cars. The streets are far too narrow, plus they would have to constantly cross the water. So river taxis and Gondola's are the only way people move from one side of the city to another. This is also the way businesses work and move freight.

The city is like a maze. You could easily spend two or three weeks here and still not see it all. The small streets weave in and out of the waterways, then suddenly stop. This is where you need a gondola to move across the water and continue your adventure. Very cleverly done, but confusing and frustrating at times for tourists! haha

Anyway remember where we parked the car?

One man and his Gondola

A gardening company move up and down Grand Canal

Once we had seen the majority of Venice City that we wanted to, and having fed the pigeons in the Square, we shot off on yet another boat trip to the Island of Murano, famous for its glass. As we sailed to Murano, we passed the main Venice Cemetery, which is also on it's own island, and is a rather impressive size too. Quite surreal, but spectacular nevertheless. 

So, hoping to catch one of the famous glass blowers doing his thing, we shot around the island quickly before all the shops closed. Luckily for us, we caught one, just about to do his final show for the day. The glass sculptures that these guys produce are phenomenal, and come with a very hefty price tag to say the least. 

Glass horse

With my son Joseph amazed at the man making a glass horse, we had to have a quick look around the shop. Needless to say I was a touch concerned. I was carrying a bag and camera, my wife had a bag and then we had the kids to watch, as we carefully manoeuvred up and down the narrow isles looking at pieces of glass with five figure price tags. After 10 minutes and realising we could afford nothing more than a small glass, sweet shaped souvenir, we left heading back into Venice.

We now had one more thing to do before we headed back to our apartment; a Gondola ride. This was no easy task. The Gondola's are a world known attraction for the city, hence the prices reflect this. Having asked nearly every Gondolier as we passed how much it was for a ride, we, being true tight brits, wanted it cheaper. Sadly, the tactic of bartering in Venice doesn't work. They set a price, and know if you don't pay it, 100's of people after you will. So at 7pm we bit the bullet and paid for the most expensive taxi ride known to man. Having said that, it was a real experience, one that we won't forget.

Laundry Day

Some of the scenery we saw as we travelled up and down the small waterways, was just spectacular. Wondering how many items of clothing fell off the washing line and into the water was one funny topic of conversation as we sailed by. All these sorts of funny things make good pictures, and as you can probably guess, I have loads from just the day in Venice, too many to show you. The ride took about half an hour, and we got to see lots of stunning buildings as we sailed up the Grand Canal. This was matched with old, derelict ones. But they all looked good, if that makes sense.

Marny Miles with our Gondolier

One thing I forgot to mention at the start of this post. My wife had applied to the Marny Miles Facebook page to take him on holiday with us, and we were successful on getting him on the dates of our holiday.

Marny Miles is a bear, created by a Military family, who raise money for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA). The idea is to get Marny to travel as much as possible, with as many families as possible, collecting memorabilia on the way. This, along with Marny will eventually be auctioned off for the charity. 

My son Joseph, 9, was really excited and took him everywhere with us, and we even persuaded our Gondolier to have his picture taken with him too. The least he could do for emptying my wallet! haha. 

We hope that Marny is successful in raising as much money for the charity as possible.

To read more just search 'Marny Miles' on Facebook.

Well, that was Venice over. Time to pack and head home. What a cracking break with the family.

I now have lots more leave to take, and intend to spend most of it relaxing, but also busying myself on occasion with various projects I am doing, which I will share more about in the not so distant future I hope.

Steve

Wherever You Are - My Last Afghan Post

Well, with my end of my tour fast approaching I thought I would write one last blog post before I head home.

The last couple of weeks have been busy as usual. We have also had some very tragic events occur recently. I am sure most of you keep up to date with the news and the sad loss of six of our boys. Needless to say, the atmosphere has changed since that day. 

The new Combat Camera Team has recently arrived, done their mandatory training package, and are now ready to hit the ground running. Despite this, the jobs have still been flowing fast for both teams, and with the temperatures hitting the 30s now, it's sweaty business.

I thought in my last post I would try and summarise my six-month tour, talk about highs and lows, and finish off with a look ahead. But clearly this is going to be the short version.

The tour itself has been a good, yet slightly frustrating one. As one photographer said about their time out here "it's 99% boredom, 1% chaos." I don't quite agree with this statement, however, I would agree that we do sometimes get bored here. The workload we have had over the tour has been massive, so the main boredom point is normally waiting around for flights and vehicle convoys.

I think the most frustrating part of the tour was not getting to see all the units in Theatre within the six months here. Having said that, it would have been quite hard due to the numbers in Afghanistan at present and clearly our work dictates our location. Those that we did get to work alongside were complete professionals and an honour to work with. The living conditions and the environment in which they operate may not be the best, but the morale of the guys was always on top form. To be honest, living out of a remote Checkpoint was far the preferred option for the CCT, however, short periods in each location was all we needed to gather our stories before moving onto the next job.

Those who have been following my blog religiously will have seen a large number of the places we have been to, and the people we have met and worked alongside. We have been fortunate enough to work with the Danish, Estonian, Tongan and Afghan Forces, as well as our own. Each of them operate slightly differently, however, all are working for the same goal, which is good to see.

There have been instances where units that have hosted us in their location, have been so hospitable it's unreal. The Danish giving us fresh food for a BBQ and the Estonians inviting us for a sauna to name but a few. Yes, you heard me right, a sauna! When the weather started to get cold, there was nothing better than a nice sauna and an alcohol free beer sat on the decking in their compound. Bliss! The only downside...having to sit naked with the rest of my team, and several Estonian men. Not ideal, but hey ho!

The tour has given each of us our own challenges. For me, it was just getting used to the restrictions of what you can and can't do with your imagery, which differs from the UK, in order for it to hit the press. Sadly, that is something controlled by London, which frustrated us all no end! I think I am definitely going greyer on top due to that one. Despite all that, the tour has gone very quickly, and we have had some great jobs. I have now officially completed just under a year here in a two-year period! My poor wife sometimes forgets what I look like! Rest is definitely needed right now!

Well, if you have read this far, you are probably wondering where all the pictures are. Sadly, in the post, their are none. Not standalone images anyway. Here is why.......

Since Christmas I have been working on a project, that some of my Facebook and Twitter followers may have picked up on, but no details have yet been disclosed.........until now.

Being away on tour is an emotional time for everyone. Emotional for the soldiers here, but also the families and loved ones back home. Six months separation is a long time. I have personally found it hard living separate lives for so long. Trying to deal with day-to-day dilemmas at home during a 10-minute phone call, but also staying focused on the job at hand. My poor wife broke her leg quite badly back in November and was confined to her bed for weeks. Getting things done around the house was not easy, nor was getting my stepson out of bed for college, but she worked through it. I have also had to deal with my Nan passing away two months into my tour, which was hard. But sadly life goes on; your work here never stops.

Still no images? No!

Just before Christmas, Gareth Malone aided the setup of a Military Wives Choir at Royal Marine Base (RMB) Chivenor. Using a track composed by Paul Mealor, their mission was to raise money for the Royal British Legion and SSAFA.

With the track being sung by wives of serving soldiers, who were in Afghanistan at the time, it struck me as quite an emotional track. The words were from letters they had written or received, and the video contained lots of pictures of them and their loved ones. As most of you know, they got the Christmas #1 and the support they received was massive. So I set myself the task of getting permission from the music company to use the track for an end of tour picture slideshow. This was no easy task. It took me around three months of emailing various departments within DECCA, the music company, but also MOD main building, where our legal team had to get a contract agreed, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Defence. It was damned hard work, but I have finally pulled it off! 

Why? Well, I wanted to give a flavour of Afghanistan to the people back home. I wanted to show them their loved ones, working, relaxing, patrolling and so on. I wanted to pull on the heartstrings of the wives back home by using this emotional track and images of our lads. I wanted to show the families parts of Afghanistan they would never see, or places their loved ones have been, and describe those places with my imagery. Hopefully some of you will recognise some of the people in my pictures.

As you can imagine, I have taken thousands of pictures in my time here, but I could only use a few, so I wanted to focus on our boys, not the Afghans for this theme.

Having sent this slideshow to someone back at the Army Headquarters, in order to check the output quality for this post, it made her cry. So I think I have done my job in setting the tone of my piece just how I wanted it. I don't mean that in a bad way, but at the same time, I didn't want it to make people laugh (apart from a couple of pictures). Afghanistan isn't the sort of place that is to be laughed at.

So, with that in mind, the theme was set to 'Wherever You Are.' My take on the Military Wives Choir video, but from a personal perspective, hoping to give people a realistic insight into life in Afghanistan and places where their loved ones could well be working or living.

So with all of that said, I wish all of those on Op Herrick 16 a very safe and productive tour. 

My sincere thoughts and condolences are with all of the families that have lost their loved ones during the Afghanistan conflict. I hope that my imagery of the Repatriation Ceremonies, during Herrick 15, have given you some form of closure through these difficult times. 

I now look forward to getting back to my family, who I have missed dearly, and jetting off on holiday for a nice family break. My wife deserves it for putting up with me for a start, but also for me being away loads, travelling the world, capturing what the British Army does.

You can also look forward to hearing more about my goings on and reading my blog from a UK angle. I must say thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read or comment on my blog, and to all those who actively follow me on twitter (@CombatPhot).

I will leave you now with a quote that has also been stuck in my head for some time and the picture slideshow I promised you about 843 words ago! I think it sums up the majority of people I have met here quite nicely.

'It's often said of our Armed Forces that they are ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Well, I don't entirely buy that. Ordinary people don't run out under withering enemy rocket and heavy machine-gun fire to rescue a wounded comrade. For that matter, ordinary people don't put their lives on the line for distant folk, such as the Afghans, who need our help and are now turning their country round because of it. No, you may feel ordinary — most extraordinary people I've met do. But you're not. Even if you were once, you aren't now.' - HRH Prince Harry at The Sun Military Awards. 

So, Wherever You Are, please spare a thought for a Sailor, Soldier or Airman, doing his or her bit for Queen and Country, in a hostile environment, thousands of miles away from home.

Steve

One Last Trip Around The Bazaars

Having had a very busy couple of weeks, I thought it was about time to update you on the team's goings on.

As mentioned in my last post, we recently had a trip to Loy Mandeh Kalay, which is situated in Nad-e Ali. The reason behind this trip was to do some filming for UpperCut films, who are completing a documentary on the area.

Despite the job being predominantly video based, there are always stills that can be taken for future use.

After a short night flight into Patrol Base (PB) Wahid, we had a quick brief on the morning's patrol before we got our heads down for the night. The patrol was being run by the Police Advisory Team (PAT) from the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (PWRR). Accompanying the patrol would also be a Naval Petty Officer (PO) from the Military Stabilisation Support Team (MSST), and a Private from the Female Engagement Team (FET). These guys and girls do amazing work within the communities, and are a vital link between the military and the Afghans. They aid in the set up of local projects, and help communities turn their villages back to the thriving places they once were. The FETs are also a key attribute to any patrol. Afghan culture frowns upon their women being seen, unaccompanied, by other men in public, so the FET is able to approach areas the male soldiers simply can't. They can liaise directly with the females and help them with any issues they have.

On route to the Bazaar

After breakfast, we had a quick 'bonnet brief' before preparing to move. The Loy Mandeh Kalay is only a stones throw from Wahid, so before long we were into what we hoped was a bustling bazaar. Sadly, none of the Afghans had really ventured out due to the cold, so we patrolled on up to a local police checkpoint where we would wait until it got busier.

After about 30 minutes, and a cracking cup of chai, we were back out the gate. The bazaar wasn't particularly big, but in comparison to a few months ago when the MSST first went their, it had changed massively. 

Loy Mandeh Kalay

Over the previous few months, the MSST and the FET had been working in conjunction with each other to improve the once run down bazaar. They had instigated a works project to repair the bridge on the other side of town, hoping to bring in more business for the shop owners.

Shop owner and Local Policeman pose for the camera

It's always hard trying to explain to people back in the UK what Afghanistan is like, but when you are here, you take what you see as normality, as you are living amongst it. The bazaar had a mobile phone shop, a pharmacy, fruit and veg shop and a mechanics workshop, of sorts.

A young child stands staring at the British patrol

So after a couple of days in Wahid, we were off again, back to Bastion to edit and turn our kit around for the next task.

As most of you are aware, we have an amazing medical facility here in Camp Bastion. Probably one of the best hospitals in the world, in my opinion. The work these unsung heroes do, is amazing, and I spent a week with them witnessing it for myself.

As you can imagine, photographing such a place can be quite tricky, and took months of planning and permissions to be sought. But we got there at last. Due to the sensitivities of the hospital, we (the military) had not been able to update any of our medical archives since mid 2009, so getting full, unrestricted access was a real achievement!

Well to keep it brief, I saw some amazing, but stomach wrenching things that week. I covered every part of the hospital, from the pharmacy to the operating theatre and the GU Doctor. It really is amazing what these people can do, not only 201 (Northern) Field Hospital, but the medical profession as a whole, especially with some of the cases you have to deal with out here. Sadly, I can't show you any of those images, but I am sure most of you won't want to see them anyway.

Padre McCourt takes Mass

As part of my week, I also covered the Pastoral care within the Hospital, and spent a rib tickling day with the Geordie Padre. What a laugh he was! I followed him on one of his three daily trips around the hospital, where he spoke to every patient and member of staff that crossed his path. It was good to see him interacting with everyone, including the Americans and Afghans by using an interpreter. I won't lie, he loved the attention! That night I attended Mass, to photograph him in his 'home,' the hospital Chapel.

A couple of days later I was supposed to be following James Blunt and Katherine Jenkins around Helmand, but sadly they never got here due to flight issues. Quite a shame really as they were supposed to be performing at some of the more remote locations in Helmand to cheer up the troops. Instead, I went off to photograph some cricket.

The Afghans in the final few overs

There had been a cricket match planned in Camp Shorabak on the edge of Bastion. I know nothing about cricket, but apparently it was a 20/20 match. With Sgt Wes Calder, the Army Photographer for 20 Armoured Brigade in attendance, he saw the Brit team get knocked out after losing to the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the interpreters team. Day two, which I was covering, just left the two Afghan teams battling it out.

The Afghan National Army cheer from the stands

After a couple of hours the game was over, the Afghan National Army won, much to the delight of Brigadier General Sheren Shah, Commander 3/215 Brigade, who was in attendance. The ANA were ecstatic, so much so, that I had about 100 of them all climbing over me trying to get a picture of the winning team. Mobbed is an understatement. 

Lap of honour

Luckily for me, the winning team soon ran off on a lap of honour, waving the Afghan flag about, giving me some space to get the shot I wanted. After a few shots of the presentations it was back to the office to edit.

Sgt Wes Calder RLC

A couple of days ago, another one of the Army Photographers in Afghan popped by Bastion en route to an operation he was covering. For those of you that don't know, apart from Sgt Nesbit and I on the CCT, Wes is the only other Army Photographer in theatre. Wes works for 20 Armoured Brigade and covers various aspects of what his Brigade get up to across Helmand. As you can imagine, with the amount of personnel in Helmand, the three of us are quite busy, and very rarely see each other for a chat and a brew.

Wes, like us, has been bouncing from one Op to another for the majority of his tour, so having chance to catch up was good.

Wes asked me while he was here if I could take some portraits of him to go into our Army Photographers' Yearbook. As with any photographer, you spend all your time photographing other people, and never get any good ones of yourself, so this was a good chance to get them done.

With the weather hotting up here, and the sun being so bright, we found a nearby ISO container to shoot in. That way I had better control over the ambient light, and used my softbox as a fill. 

After a quick edit, and copying them onto Wes' laptop, he was packed and off. Hopefully we'll get chance for another catch up before the end of tour, as he heads back to Sennelager for the birth of his first child, and me back to the UK.

Well, I think that's about it for now, I need a coffee.

What will my next blog be about? Who knows. 

Operation Horhari Afghan

Over the last couple of weeks the CCT have been over run with job requests. So much so, that the team had to split down in order to cover two concurrent operations.

Sgt Mark Nesbit deployed with Maj Mark Scadden on Operation Kapcha Zhrandagaray (KZ), leaving me to cover Operation Horhari Afghan. Surprisingly, Op KZ didn't require any video footage, so Mark Nesbit was let loose with his stills camera. Something he got a little excited about to say the least!

With me originally packed for Op KZ, the last minute call for Op Horhari Afghan coverage didn't cause a problem. With the weather here still hitting the minus degrees at night, this Op, in the middle of nowhere was no doubt going to be a cold one.

This particular Op was arranged by Brigadier General Sheren Shah, Commander of 3/215 Brigade, Afghan National Army, with the Brigade Advisory Group (BAG), made up of 2nd Battalion The Rifles, on hand.

The main aim was to clear insurgents from an area close to a bustling town in Helmand province. 

Around 1,000 soldiers and police from the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) were to clear an area known as the Bowri Dashte, situated to the west of the bustling town of Gereshk in Nahr-e Saraj district. On top of this, were about 250 British soldiers from the BAG, along with small elements of other units who acted, purely, in an advisory role as the operation progressed.

Early morning start

The first day of the Op was an early one. After waking up at 0400hrs, I did some final admin, before hitting the road, in a Jackal! The temperature must have still been below zero, and their I was, in an open top vehicle!

The ANA prepare their vehicles

So, we left Patrol Base (PB) Hayatullah, heading to the nearby Afghan Check Point (CP), Spin Majed. The journey was fairly short, however, I was pretty numb by the time I arrived, and still had a full day ahead of me.

An Afghan Warrior

Once we arrived, the small CP was almost full. Soldiers from various Tolays (Companys) were getting their kit ready to deploy out on the ground. For the Afghans, this was a crucial operation. Nahr-e Saraj is the last district within Helmand that is still secured predominantly by ISAF troops, unlike Nad-e Ali and Lashkar Gah, which have recently handed over security to the Afghan forces.

Weapons at the ready

With the hustle and bustle of radios being checked, weapons loaded and vehicles mounted, I was quick to work. Despite not having an interpreter, and knowing only 'Hello' and 'How are you?' in Pashtu, my universal sign language came into play. Simple points at the camera, and a clicking gesture gets the point across. Occasionally having to pose the weapons where I wanted them, and turning the subject to the right angle is all part of the fun too. Once you take the first shot and show them the picture, they get the idea, and shout all their mates to line up for a picture too! You are never short of Afghan portraits out here, they love it, some even pull some amazing poses.

Sunrise at last

After an hour or two, the sun started to rise, and what an a amazing sky we had. I just had to get some silhouettes. Within what seemed like minutes, the stunning orange glow of the sky went, turning a nice pale blue. By this point, half of the Tolays had lined the route ready to proceed across the desert.

Patrolling commences out of the CP

Following on behind, as mentoring was the role of the BAG during this Op, we only managed to race ahead once or twice on the road to get a few shots. The whole Operation was planned and executed by Brigadier General Sheren Shah and his operations officer. Something that has only happened a few times recently with the greater push towards transition.

Desert bound

The operation was split into sections, covering various bits each day. The part in which I was tasked to cover was the initial start, and the clearance of the first 5 kilometres or so. Following men on foot, by vehicle, was a long process. We managed to stop several times, often in good locations for photos. 

Overwatch by CP Seraj Ulhaq

Towards the end of day one, we headed to a nearby CP, Seraj Ulhaq, to watch the ANA cover the ground to our front. The overwatch was provided by soldiers from 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment. With the sun starting to set, I had to grab one last silhouette before heading back to Hayatullah for the night.

We covered a little more of the Op on day two before heading back to the office to edit, and push the story out to press. With only one day before my next trip to Gereshk, I had a very quick turnaround of kit, washing and the usual admin tasks to do. 

All in all this was quite a good operation to view. The Afghans are becoming more and more competent by the day, with the incentive of taking over security for this last district of Helmand in sight. 

My next blog post will cover our trip to Loy Mandeh Kalay, and hopefully a few other good jobs which I can't tell you about just yet. I will have to leave you in suspense for now.

First drink on leave - Peppermint Tea!!

Well, what an outstanding RnR that was!

I managed to get home a day early, which was a great bonus to start my leave off. My leave was to be a fun packed one, which started off the day after I landed. My wife had previously booked a 5* Spa Day, at the Hilton in Heathrow, as a treat for her and a close friend, and as I got back early I tagged along. What a day! It was probably the most relaxing day I have had in a long time. Such a nice change from the dust, cold and rain of Afghan. I soon forgot about it all while I enjoyed the hydrotherapy pool, sauna, steam room and a water massage bed! Pure bliss! Sadly they didn't have beer at the health spa, so peppermint tea was all I got! ha

The next day was Christmas Day! Yep, on January 17th we had Christmas in our house! Seemed so weird, but so nice that my wife had organised this for me. Wine, Turkey, presents, more wine and maybe a bit more wine. The weirdest thing about it all was using real cutlery, plates and glasses as opposed to paper and plastic in Afghan. Really freaked me out! Stainless steel cutlery seems so heavy after 4 months using plastic.

 Christmas day was followed by a packing/admin day. I was off on a surprise overseas trip. Mrs B had arranged a nice relaxing break in the sun for the two of us, but where were we going? Everyone knew apart from me! 

After a night in a Gatwick hotel we were Benidorm bound. Brilliant, some sunshine at last. We had a fantastic four day trip there, which was just what the doctor ordered. We were met at the airport by my parents, who are currently on a nine week holiday there. The joys of being retired eh? Then it was sun sun sun. Oh.........and lots of beer too!!

No sooner had we got back from Benidorm, we were packing another bag for an overnight stay in East Sussex, where I would be collecting my Son for a long weekend. My little boy, who isn't really that little anymore, was ecstatic to see me. Along with my wife, we had a 'sleepover' with him, I got to see him open his christmas presents from me, and see the look on his face when I gave him a dead Afghan Scorpion paper weight!! Hilarious!

Well the travelling continued............

After driving home from collecting my son, I unpacked and repacked! For about the 4th time. This time we were Newcastle bound for my Step-Daughter's wedding. The drive up was a slightly emotional six hour journey. Most of the family and friends had arrived by the time we got their, so we all went off to dinner together to catch up before the 'Big Day.'

It was great to see everyone, and everything for the wedding seemed to be going to plan. Being the step-father of the bride, and also a photographer, I spent the day capturing images of the happy occasion for them as a bit of a gift. No pressure then! Gladly, they both love the pictures.

The day started off with a bit of a hitch, luckily it was the only one all day. That was when the fire alarm at the hotel went off, just as my step-daughter had got out of the shower, prior to getting her hair and make-up done! Needless to say we were all in hysterics seeing her outside, with a towel wrapped around her body, one on her head, and a fag in her mouth, in -2 degrees! Brilliant!

The rest of the day was fantastic, cracking service and an amazing reception. I don't think my son left the dancefloor all night, after declaring that "the sitting down bit was boring dad!"

Then that was it, RnR was almost done. An eight hour trip back home, dropping my son on the way, then uniform ironed and prep for the flight back the next day!

Phew, busy two weeks, but loved every minute! Got to see my amazing wife, kids, dogs and close friends and family. 

As expected, it's been hectic since we arrived back in theatre, but unfortunately I can't share anything about that with you at this point.

I will leave you with some images of a heavy weapons range day that I shot prior to leave.

Until next time..............