I first happened upon Sergeant Major Saab (SMS) in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains. We had both arrived there for a little Pre Expedition Training. My own upcoming Expedition would not prove overly demanding. The Expedition which lay ahead for SMS seemed quite a challenging prospect. He was heading to the Himalayas and Everest Base Camp. A former patron of the Irish Army, it all turned out to be well within his grasp.

On the day in question we found ourselves facing up to The Mound Known As Lugnaquilla (TMKAL). On a pleasant day I’m quite sure that taking a little wander up TMKAL is a very enjoyable experience.

This was not a pleasant day.

The Heavens opened. The rocks were akin to skating rinks. My feet were up beside my ears and vice versa. And being an individual who has some issues with The Two Spherical Objects On Either Side Of The Nose I found myself in something of a pickle.

I was not a happy camper.

To my rescue came SMS, guiding me safely along and before I could say ‘Hallelujah Brother’, I was ensconced in a nearby hostelry at the bottom of TMKAL sampling a little of the Local Life Enhancing Liquid (LLEL).

In the intervening years I have had many memorable encounters with SMS. We travelled side by side in India and experienced together La Nuit Blanche (LNB – The White Night). LNB has a tendency to occur when sleep is forsaken in place of the LLEL. My Good Self and SMS found ourselves ingesting the melodic sounds of Gilbert O’Sullivan one fine Rishikesh evening and for one reason or another the sleep thing seemed a little inconsequential.

We were scheduled to do some trekking that day. We did not do the trekking.

Recently I had a very pleasant spin on the River Shannon with SMS. He informed me a while back that he had purchased The Boat On The Shannon (TBOTS). In a previous existence I had partaken in a little floating on the Shannon and found it to be a most pleasurable sojourn. On hearing of the purchase by SMS of TBOTS I was somewhat intrigued. Although I was very much in favour of this purchase, I have to admit, knowing SMS as I did, my immediate thought was …is he off his rocker?

And so, with the tiniest of doubts in my mind, I recently joined SMS on TBOTS.

And lo and behold and Abrakebabra, he had done a great job with TBOTS. We kicked off in Ballinamore, parked up in Ballyconnell and duly scoffed the best pub grub in Ireland in The Anglers Rest. A most enjoyable little get together.

SMS – some man for one man.