So would it be really unreasonable of me to.......

[McDreamy]

....tell a senior Army Officer exactly what I think of him the next time I see him at the bus stop?

I am thinking yes but he is really getting on my tits!!

Oh yes, most definitely an 'Officers' Car'.

The true test is in the following:

Do you have a car?
1 point for hatchback
2 points for estate
3 points for 4x4 (deduct 1 if you do not have a horse box or boat to tow)

Do you have a pet?
2 points for dog (add 1 if a Lab, deduct 2 if a dangerous breed)
1 point for a cat (only if in the Artillery, Infantry or Guards, if not score 0)
0 for any other pet, even if it is for the children's benefit

Do you have a horse?
Add 1 point per horse

Do you have children?
Add 1 point per child

Did you or your husband go to boarding school and your parents weren't in HM Forces?
Add 1 point per person

Did you go to University (not polytechnic)?
Add 1 point per person

Did you go to finishing school?
Add 2 points

Were you a chalet girl?
Add 3 points

We have the following cars - both preloved and dating from 1998:

Well, we have the hatchback (Saab) and the 4x4(Range Rover), so that's 4 points.
We tow a glider and trailer, so equivalent to a horsebox?

Pets died before we moved to Brussels, 0points

Glider not horse - 1 point?

1 child - 1point

both Dads in HM Forces -dh boarded, I didn't until 6th Form - 0 points

dh went to Liverpool, I went to Marjons as he was paying after we got married and it was local to West Devon where we lived. - 1 point
or can I have another point as my PGCE was through Exeter, and dh's MA was KCL (Via Shrivenham).

0 for finishing school
0 for chalet girl

7 points in total

On another note, how many of you Army folks own your own house? I am curious as I went to a AFPRB meeting the other day, and I was astounded by how many RAF/Army officers didn't have their own homes, and were about dh's age, which means leaving the services in the next 7 years. I know one Army family here who spend most of their income paying to make up the school fees even after BSA, and who don't have or want to buy a house. I don't know if it's because it's a different culture in that when RN guys go to sea you can't go with them, and so you put down roots in a place, it becomes home and it seems pointless not to have your own place; you may as well miss them in the comfort of your own decoration and not bloody magnolia everywhere; or if the Army have a requirement/custom that you move with the regiment.

How does that impact on you jobwise as well? I stayed in the Westcountry and we weekended as I didn't want the hassle of jobhunting or starting in a new school every two years, and it meant stability for me. Mind you, my mum moved around after my dad until I was 10, so I went to 4 different primary schools, and didn't enjoy it. It just strikes me that we are all married/with blokes who are mebers of the same organisation in that they are HM Forces, and yet our experiences are so different in the expectations each service has of the wives/partners.

We score 7 as well! I will let you have a point for the glider. No caravans allowed though.

Many Army officers do not have a house - or if they do, they rent it out. The pre-requisite of BSA is to be married accompanied, hence following the flag.

I am a career girl- took a career break when we lived abroad in 1999. Currently on 12 months maternity leave, back to work in Jan 2009. We sold our house a couple of years ago but still save a couple of grand a month for next place. We are going to buy soon (depending on house market) and settle down. Husband will have to commute at weekends. So agree with you re schooling but bangs goes any hope of BSA as my husband won't be married accompanied. Although I know many people who take a MQ and have a family home elsewhere just to qualify for BSA!

So many people in the Army are disillusioned and think they can buy a house when they retire with their lump sum. Maybe if they didn't have so many dinner parties they could economise more!

Oh dear...we only score 5. Perhaps dh is not destined for senior rank after all.....best ring and tell hime now to stop him working so hard in the hope of getting picked up!

We are looking to buy a new car, so perhaps we could pick up some extra points there! H is allergic to dogs, so I have been told that we are NOT having one Having said that, the house is empty for 4 days a week, so it wouldn't be very fair on it anyway.

Perhaps I can have a gerbil....

LL, when are you moving to Shriv?
We're RAF and don't have a 4x4, or horse, or even a lab!

These points are crucial for future prospects. We should all take up flower arranging. I would have thoughts points could be gained by that, or perhaps a Cordon Bleu cookery course. Children's names are vital too.

Oh dear, you were doing so well.

I think the BSA got cocked up as someone I know was taking the piss by claiming BSA and being very married unaccompanied. The rules changed shortly thereafter. My Dad got BSA for my db and he weekended, and Mum was stable. We bit the bullet and have paid for ds to be privately educated all the way to year 5, which was why we weekended, as I needed the job to pay the school fees.

Brussels is an anomaly however, as the school fees for the local international day school are picked up in full by MOD, including the school bus charge, as the nearest forces school is in Germany. There are moves I think to stop this, as it is perceived that this is unfair, but they will then have even more problems in filling the NATO and EU posts than they do at present. The alternatives would be huge rise in LOA, or they'd still not make a saving as there are no mess facilities here, so all the Cdrs/Lt Cols who are here married unaccompanied get a nice flat rent and bills free (apart from the phone and the internet) and LOA as well. Living in a 'quarter' (private hiring) at least they are clawing back something in rent, heat and light and water charges and CILOCT, although I am shocked at the rate of the latter, as it is more for this house than it is for my own.

I suppose that you could do the quarter and have your own home thing to get BSA, but it can't be far off in terms of costs surely; if you calculate 12 months rent and bills for here (but we are paying overseas fuel and light charge) then it's about £8640...that's more than you would get in BSA surely?

Interesting comment about the lump sum - that may fund a deposit and a bit of the purchase price, but even in Cornwall where my house is, prices have rocketed. OK they may be falling now, but they are not going to drop to the early 90s levels. We paid £92k for our house, which was a stretch at the time (it's our third house), and it was worth about £300k when we remortgaged in Dec 06, and we haven't done much to it in the 15 years we've had it. DH came with a house when we got married, but I'm glad we've never got off the housing ladder. It's my security, and means that when he goes outside we know where we'll be living and that we haven't got to scrabble around to get settled and end up with something we don't want. You sound sorted about it though, lots of Army types I've met seem to have adopted the ostrich position in relation to this...bums in the air, heads in the sand.

But if you are naturally posh you can get away with it.

LL - I should think he wasn't amused either - bit of a difference between the ACSC and the JCSC! Is he going to do his MA whilst he's on it? It's hard work, dh was a DS for the ACSC, so he wrote it, taught it and did some stuff for the HCSC as well, and got his MA as well. I stayed out of the way as I'd have never seen him, so weekending, or not when it got really busy, worked for us. I got to see the nice bits like the ladies nights and the balls.

Can I have points for doing cross stitch and tapestry? Does what we read make a difference as well? And can I please have a point for screwing new curtains out of the UK housing people?

Scary teacher - you should really have your own curtains. Army curtains are a definite no no.

I think cross-stitch/tapestry deserve 1 point - for both activities.

If you are a proper Officer's wife you shouldn't have time to read - as you are so busy with the dogs, the children, the horses and preparing for the next dinner party.

Shit we score 10

McDreamy - sorry hijack - is there a cashier there where you are?
DH is going out in a couple of weeks. I have "allowed" him some spending money, but is there a cashier where he could cash cheques if he needed to. And knowing DH he is bound to need to!

Well done McDreamy. Think of ways to improve. Do you think a sports car is worth any points?

Scary teacher - if I was to send my dd to my old school as a boarder it would cost 24K per annum. The army would pick up 2/3 so would only cost us 8k - but if you had 3 children it would cost 24K - no wonder so many families have to scrimp and save. 2K a month on school fees!! On a take home pay of a Lt Col after quartering costs you would be left with £1200 for fuel, food, stabling costs, pedigree chum etc.

lol HF I am thinking!! We only have 4x4 because we are in Cyprus and we have a boat, can I deduct anything for that?

We a have a NIssan X trail and a boat 2 points
Estate 2 points
Black lab 3 points
2 children 2 points
Both went to Uni 2 points
That's 11!!! Can't add up either

There is a cashier Saltire, I am not sure who can cash cheques though. I know we could only do it when we arrived and when we leave but it is probably different for visiting servicemen as they haven't got alternative banking facilities. Let me double check with DH this evening.

Ok thanks. He says that what he has Euro wise will be enoguh, but I know him too well!
Will look out for a reply

When does he arrive? It must be fairly soon!

Something like the 12th of May! I've stopped listening to be honest.