Sunday Aug 25

Dearest Susan, Tonia and Cameron,

The movie this evening is a bit of a dud (John Wayne) so I decided to write instead. How are you, sweetheart? Busy, if your letters are any indication. I’m pleased that the chalet is getting some attention, as it looks like I will have a lot of leave owing during the Winter. We are due to rotate between 15 Oct and 15 Nov. but do not expect to have to stay until the bitter end, as it is quite a simple rotation. We have been told that we will be going to Whitehorse in January, but not to Jamaica in March.

Life here plods on...with no days off (until the alert status drops) each day seems just like the previous. We are involved in almost every field here and much of it’s quite frustrating. We are arranging for, and escorting repair teams for power lines broken between the lines. Ken has been with one team of Turks working on the main line to Kyrenia. They were due to finish tomorrow, but I now find out that a Greek minefield is right next to the last break, and they don’t want Turks near it to (according to the Greeks) “inspect” it. So now we have to clear it and get Greek technicians to come which means getting Turkish agreement not to shoot the Greeks. We go from high government officials to lowly sergeants on both sides, every day.

Today I drove to several towns south of here to start more repairs in and near a Turkish town where two tank battalions are facing one another. It was a bit eerie driving past all the heavy Greek armor and then 5 minutes later past the Turk tanks. Life has, however, settled down a bit and we think the peace will hold for awhile, anyway. Businesses are re-opening and the streets of both sides of Nicosia are generally filled with people now.

I finally got some laundry back that I put in before the shooting. The laundry had been hit by a mortar and all the stuff had to be re-washed.

The Turks allow us to move in their zones only under special circumstances. I was held up at a road block for 3 hours the other day and finally, after a meeting with the Turk Colonel (I got a ride in one of their jeeps to meet him) I gave up. And we were taking food to refugees.

Please write often, Susan, as mail days are almost the highlights here (one from DAD today, but yours didn’t come.). I miss you all and love you very much.

Kenn
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