This is not something I expected to be writing last week. It’s not even something I expected to write two days ago but life moves in mysterious ways, so here I am, Laptop, Book, Coffee, sitting on the SeaFrance Rodin Dover Calais Ferry, writing for my blog offline because I don’t have internet access. Well, I do if I use my phone but that’s much slower to write in, expensive and it’s easier to save and post later when I return to civilisation.

So, What’s Eurocon and Why am I going?
Eurocon is a big meeting of like minded players of flight sims. Predominantly Warbirds, and for our squadron (>>>PARROTS<<<) at least, AcesHigh2. It's held at a place in the Netherlands (that's about all I can say for now, I'm trusting TomTom SatNav to guide me safely for an old map hand like myself that's not a comfortable thing to do but needs must and all). like minded players is essentially middle aged men from all over the world, you'll meet them later if you're not bored of reading already. At the meeting we will play on the flight sim (fairly normal, we do that from home), make friendly conversation visit an aviation museum learn some things drink a little.... Why am I going? Firstly, it looks like fun. However, I wasn't planning to go and hadn't booked a ticket. Wednesday morning all our >>>PARROTS<<< squadron got a message that one of our members was ill (Flubby perhaps it was bird flu?) and he could not take his already paid for place. If one of us would like to take it, all we had to do was get to the hotel. Did you know it's only 3 hours from Calais? The big question was whether I'd get permission from my wife Rhonda. I asked Wednesday night when I got home and the answer was no. However, 11am Thursday morning she changed her mind (Perhaps that very large bar of Galaxy chocolate left in the fridge had something to do with it). So, Here I am, sitting on a ferry, Home PC loaded in the car, laptop rolling from side to side as I try to type, sailing away from the white cliffs of Dover. Grown men, playing flight sims sound strange? Perhaps, but stranger still is the international nature of my group of friends within the >>>PARROTS<<<. We may all fly a World War 2 style flight sim, trying to shoot each other out of the virtual skies, but we are all children of the modern age. We all detest war, we are all grateful we are not going to war ourselves. We all appreciate the sacrifice of our forefathers in the wars of our past. 'Strange' is that it's quite likely My grandfather was fighting my friends grandfathers while retreating to Dunkirk and landing landing on the Normandie beaches. Yes, every other >>>PARROT<<< comes from a country Britain has been at war with, yet fortunately now we are friends. Germany, France, USA, Argentina, Spain, Italy, are all represented by my friends. Anyway, for the rest of the crossing I'll enjoy my book (review to be posted after a dozen others I haven't got round to posting) and look forward to posting more about EuroCon, with pictures, from the EuroCon itself.