How many times have you heard it said? Go somewhere - you never know who you might meet? Yesterday was my modest journey to the sports hall, and as chance would have it, my route home took me through a shopping centre nearby. I don't usually expend my cash there - I used to, when I had a car with less ventilation and bits missing, but that was a few years ago.

I spotted a woman at some distance. Not sure why. Maybe her red coat caught my eye. Or perhaps her blonde hair. Whatever attracted my attention, I immediately thought of someone I used to know. I wonder... Could that be her?

My legs are somewhat longer and as she entered the building I wasn't far behind. I was right. This was CA, a lady I used to work with. It must be nearly eight years since I saw her last.

Poor woman. I used to give her all the horrible small orders and kept the profitable big and easy ones for myself. To this day I don't know if she ever cottoned on, but true to her nature, she never complained and got more praise than I did. Hey, just life in the big warehouse.

We had quite a chat. After I'd been sacked by that company, things had changed. A move to seasonal hours, a cut in wages by a third, and finally redundancy of all the old hands. It had gotten so bad she was glad to get out. I remember writing a parody called "Walking With Warehouses", making fun of the company by comparing it to the BBC dinosaur program. Sadly that piece has gone and I don't have a copy of it, but that's the way of things.

As if to confirm the temporary nature of our changing universe, CA asked me if I'd heard about GB. A forklift instructor, health and safety guy, and all round internet junkie. It seems the Grim Reaper got him. A stomach cancer. Very sudden. Here today, gone tomorrow. You find me in a very reflective mood right now.

Through Adversity To The Scrapheap

It seems the Royal Air Force is fighting another last ditch battle for survival. Not against the Germans this time, but it's own masters. The problem of course is that huge debt the previous government ran up. Now the coalition want to make savings, and the axe is due to fall on the air force.

It is true that modern combat aircraft are hugely expensive. It is also true that we purchase aircraft capable of taking on cold war Russia. The Government say that's a ridiculous policy, the Air Force say they can't guarantee security without the assets to achieve it.

Who's right? That's more difficult. On the one hand the immediate problem is mounting debts on a colossal scale and a very different political scene than the late twentieth century. The long term problem is that politics can change rapidly, and bring with it security risks that weren't apparent before. If that happens, then we won't be prepared. Unlike World War Two, when it was possible to build a twin engined bomber in 24 hours, a modern sophisticated aeroplane is going to take a long time to arrive off the peg.

In other words, the government is gambling that peace will remain in our time. Maybe they're right, but you can't help wondering where we've heard that before.