To mitigate some of my confusion, I asked one of the staff officers to walk me through some of the basic British Army vocabulary. Some things become very clear when explained and others make absolutely no sense at all. For example, titling staff officers SO1, SO2, SO3. It does not mean that the SO1 is doing S-1 (personnel work) or that the SO2 is doing intel or SO3 Ops. No, it is a substitute for rank. SO1=Lt COL, SO2=Maj and SO3 is a Captain.

And the purpose of this is?

I guess it is to avoid having to say “chief” or deputy, or section head or whatever. You assume that if someone is the SO1 of the area, they are in charge and a Lt COL. But if they are a civilian, then they are in a B series.

We went on from there, but my mind went blank. I have to stop comparing and just learn the way they are here….

Socks

Let me just stick with DvDs, Audio Books (Stephan White) and socks.

I could not bring myself to knit another long ways sock, so it is just around and around. I hadn’t realized how long a leg the other one had. Perhaps it should have occurred to me what there were 140 stitches to graft?

Of course, we have our own knitting vocabulary as well. I am not touching the whole discussion of binding off vs casting off. Growing up American, I bind things off to complete them. One casts off lines when the boat is leaving the dock. It is not permanent, think about it.

-Holly