You're a darling to say that, thank you so much. I'm relieved that Jamie's musings were in character. He doesn't seem like the sort to spend a lot of words or even to be very introspective, but the war, I think, changed everybody. The next battle is the Somme offensive. :-/ Mostly, though, I mentioned the date to make sure the reader knows how much time has passed, because I've been fluid with the passage of time. I couldn't be happier that you're following along and thank you so very much for your thoughtful comments.