Saturday
4.30am – The men begin preparing vehicles and equipment for a visit to Mowmand, a poor village on the north-east edge of 3 Squadron RAF Regiment's patrol area.
6.30am – Following a hurried breakfast, the squadron picks up Pashto interpreters and sets out on the 45-minute journey to Mowmand.
8am – Children flock around our vehicles as we arrive in the village. Half of the flight man a veterinary clinic, while the other half patrol through Mowmand in search of the "headman".
9am – The men sit down to sweet tea and boiled sweets with the headman, who talks about the village's poor harvest, lack of teachers and preparations for winter cold.
11am – Our convoy rolls out of Mowmand, following a cross-country route to Highway 4 and Kandahar Airfield.
6pm – The men are sent into a village called Mandi Sar to test the "atmospherics", following an American offensive the previous day.
11pm – Our flight drives east into a sandy and rocky moonscape, where we will spend the next eight hours. As darkness falls, the airfield is lit up "like a Christmas tree".

Sunday
6.30am – After a night sleeping under Afghan stars, we are woken by the flight sergeant. The chill in the air soon becomes a sweltering morning. I eat cold beans, egg and sausages from a 24-hour ration box. The box contains about 4,000 calories of supplies, including a molten Yorkie chocolate bar, bearing the slogan "not for civvies".
8am – After departing our overnight camp site, we spend three hours patrolling in the areas around the dry and dusty bed of the River Tarnak. The only other life is the occasional motorcyclist and goat herder.
1pm – After lunch at the base's canteen, and replenishing equipment, including flares and water, we park on a canal bank on alert for suicide bombers. The squadron is tasked with protecting a convoy of oil tankers heading south to the airfield.
4pm – Shortly after the convoy safely passes by, we head towards the airfield ourselves.
4.10pm – We are turned around after reports that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) had crash-landed to the north. The men talk to Afghan police and villagers, but the search is fruitless.
7pm – The men carry out patrols around the airfield in an effort to prevent Taliban rocket attacks.
11pm – Again, the men find a place to spend the night, taking turns to sleep and keep watch.

Monday
6am –The men return to Kandahar Airfield, marking the end of their 48-hour shift. Dusty and exhausted, they shower, before going on what is known as quick reaction force (QRF), meaning they could be deployed again in the next 48 hours. It is not until the next 48 hours that they are officially "off-duty". But, as the men told me, they won't be "off-duty" until they return to the UK.

Read more of Jonny's reports from Kandahar:
Our Man in Afghanistan - peterboroughtoday.co.uk/kandahar
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