Until last week of all the millions who marched off to war there were two remaining veterans of WW1. Now they’ve both gone. Henry had witnessed the Battle of Jutland! When you think how many of their comrades died so young that they had never even had a sweetheart. So much suffering, so many parents, wives, fatherless children whose lives were also broken

For historians WW1 now joins Waterloo and Gettysburg as battles and wars with no living witnesses all they can do is hope to discover lost memoirs and papers if they want to write anything new.

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One of the annoying things about learning a foreign language is when you know the meaning cannot think of what the English word would be! Occasionally there is no direct translation.

The closest English translation for Astuce seems to be ‘crafty’. I heard it in France when somebody would say that they had managed to solve a problem with an ‘astuce’ i.e. they had found an elegant solution. We do use astute, so let’s steal another French word and start using Astuce!

from wikionary French word Astuce
1. Shrewdness, subtlety, astuteness
2. a trick; especially one which is intended to cause harm
3. a tip or piece of advice

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Reputedly, the most difficult tongue-twister in the
English language is:

The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.

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When you about to undertake an usual amount of physical effort ie a trek a charity walk of cycle race where endurance is important it is vital to get your preparation right. This is assuming that you normally are as so many of us are a sedentary worker (sitting down).

On the day of the event you must abandon your cautious attitude to calories, you need to eat a lot, you need to eat regularly, you need to eat BEFORE you get hungry, you need to eat healthily with a balance of slow and fast burning foods. For fast burners eat bananas and quality energy bars.

Similarly you need to drink regularly, the best way is from a platypus style flat pack water bottle which you carry in your backpack with a long tube to drink from.

If you hydrate too little you will suffer energy loss and worse and find it difficult to recover even if plenty of drink is subsequently available.

Platypus Big Zip SL Hydration System – 34835 (USA)

Platypus Hoser Hydration System (UK)

Oh and don’t forget the chafing cream!

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