As we enter the last month of the tour, and start to tick off weeks rather than months off the "chuff chart", it's difficult for my TA colleagues and me not to have at least one eye on returning home, the day job, and re-gaining our former lives.

At least one TA colleague packed his bags ready for home, just after Christmas, soon after returning from leave.

I am keen to get home and try to regain some form of normality in my life myself but haven't quite gone that far, to date.

Over the last six months or so, it's been too easy to get wrapped up in the situation, the work and the military culture, not quite at the expense of everything else but with the minimum amount of thought about returning home.

We get back to six or seven weeks leave before returning to work, and I think I'll need every day of it to acclimatise and readjust back to home life.

For a start I'll need to cut down on the swearing - I could double the length of this column, the way I've been talking out here.

I'll also increase the level of exercise I've been doing, to help clear my head and remind myself of what I was doing before being called up.

I can honestly say I'm looking forward to getting back to "work".

It'll be like starting my job again to some extent. I expect to be enthused, although I've never been short on it.

The thought of being able to make my own decisions, and sort my own priorities as I see fit will be a real contrast to the last six months.

My colleagues and I are literally counting the days down, 24, 23 . . .

Regards, Nick