like sputnik, spherical but quite pointy in parts.....

Tornado / Vortex seen from Bexhill on Sea, East Sussex 25-10-2011

2011-10-25T15:51:00.001Z

totally awesome!
Was just looking out of my window when a storm was brewing and I saw this Vortex/Tornado tail in the distance. Watch the video that I took on my phone, it starts to get bigger so stick with it.

Blinkin-ada if it isn't Darth Vader

2011-10-11T00:08:00.002Z

Do you recognise the man in the middle? You should!

He played the most infamously iconic character, in arguably the greatest movie franchise ever! This is David Prowse aka Darth Vader from the Star Wars movies.

Saturday the 8th October with the kids I met him. The original Star Wars movies are a cherished part of my childhood so I admit I felt a little reluctant about meeting the great man himself. For a start I didn't want to be disappointed as it is said, "never meet your heroes", but also I was concerned I would gush.

True to my word I was over the man like a rash with my handshakes and whitty quips....it was soo embarrassing for the children. The shame of it. What I will say is that I had nothing to be concerend about, Mr Prowse was very friendly and kind, a gentle-man, not phased by a pathetic middle aged man acting like a giggly school girl. He had huge hands though, and you can get a sense why he is/was pals with other 'big boys' from the business like Lou Ferrigno (aka the Incredible Hulk) and even Arnie.

Let me tell you what I know about David Prowse.....
For a start he was a big man at 6'7'' tall when younger and upstanding. Us 70's kids knew him from TV, especially his character the Green Cross Code Man. This is him.

Lastly, did you know James Earl Jones' voice for Vader wasn't in the initial plan? David Prose had a go at doing the voice for Vader but it was eventually dubbed over, which in part is a shame, but as much as it pains me I agree with the decision......see what I mean below. (Scottish? what a blinkin cheek - nothing like showing your ignorance!)

Just having fun after all this time

2011-09-23T14:24:00.000Z

Dedicated to 'my mate' Steve

Personalize funny videos and eCards at JibJab!

Driving me mad

2010-09-19T14:01:00.002Z

Been too long since i've added a post here, but thats circumstance really. Having had enough of the restrictiveness of a corporate envirnoment I took advantage of an opportunity to get out. Thing is 3 months or so is a big enough break now. So its time to find myself another job.....thing is i don't think the job wants me to find it! So i'm gonna have to hunt a bit harder, but I'm confident it will work out alright eventually.

The best reason for driving me mad involves cars. Went to the Brighton speed trials and lusted over the white Nissan GTR in the photo. A few weeks earlier I got to go out with the 'Silver Arrows' driving display team at Mercedes World. Most of the crazy ride was spent drifting sideways, excellent fun. I recommend it if you can go!

I got bored.....again

2010-04-27T15:27:00.000Z

The saying goes 'devil makes work for idle hands', so it wasn't my fault it was his!

think its quite clever tho!

Amazing stunt!

2010-04-16T15:51:00.000Z

This fella transfers from one glider to another....really clever

Brave skydiver's human link stunt @ Yahoo! Video

Project Tardis

2010-04-09T21:44:00.000Z

No particularly intending to focus so much on the Doctor Who theme as I have recently. I am hoping this is it for now as we come into summer and I have the prospect of new opportunities for work. At least looking at it optimistically opportunities will arise! Anyhow I digress as always. Previously I have mentioned a project I was working on in building a Tardis and figures from an Airfix kit with my son. Well with the power of Windows Movie Maker I am proud to show a presentation of what we did. Then swiftly followed by another project involving me and a friend building what should have been a standard size headboard for my sons new bed, but it got a little out of hand. The dimensions at the end were 10" (25 cm) deep x 4ft (125cm) wide x 6ft 6" (195cm) tall. Then adding to that the 2 halogen built in night lights and the blue roof light, you can see that a couple of grown men got a little carried away. It was worth it when we brought it back on the roof of the van to my home. Seeing to my son who at the sight of what we were carrying, was rushing about like an excitable dog. I hope you enjoy the presentations.

First Attempt

2010-04-05T18:02:00.000Z

Here's my sons first attempt at stop frame annimation using Windows Movie Maker. It was after doing this that he took on the epic production of the Doctor Who Episode that I blogged about previously. Well done again to my kiddo for having a good imagination and improving technical talent.

Doctor Who The Lost Episode

2010-04-02T13:25:00.001Z

This is a fan movie that my son has made of Doctor Who. As its his first undertaking of a movie this size and it includes a mix of both stop frame animation and video footage I think he's done a storming job. He used over 700 photos alone, plus the rest. Have a look, but beware of the Man-Eating Guinea Pig ARRRRGHHH

Don't become a victim to your environment.

2010-04-01T12:52:00.001Z

This is a mantra that I keep repeating in my mind.   In essence it means, don't allow things around you get you down or make you it's victim. For instance your work, or your neighbourhood, or even the people you mix with. There is always something we can do about it. It could be as simple as changing the way we look at these things, perhaps the easiest and most practical way of improving our environment.

In a job you don't like? Then try looking at it as a means to an end, where the job just facilitates your real life away from it. What about if this proves impossible and where the environment effects you or your loved ones severely? In that case you have to make bigger decisions. Do I/we stay or do we move? Do I stick with this job that makes me unhappy?   etc etc.

These things have to be thought about even more seriously when we have others that are dependant upon us, like a family for instance.

For me though it comes down to this in the end, do I still want to be in this same situation for me and my family in 10 years? The answer over the last few years has been no. Our home wasn't serving the job, so we did something about it. My sons education was a problem, were we going to allow him to continue being a victim of his environment? No we did something about it? Ignoring a situation can only go so far, but looking at ourselves every once in a while and saying, "Do I want to be in this same situation in 10 years?", can help to motivate us to do something about it.

The most recent thing for me has been work. I am doing a job that I dislike that does not pay enough to cover our bills. Thing is, we are in a recession and work is harder to find.   For a long time I have reasoned that even though it is far from perfect, it is still the best solution. That has changed and as well as the opportunity to make a change arising, it also coincides with the fact that I've had enough. So I'm moving on. It's not an easy decision to make or to put into action. My success from here is now up to me, I can't be a victim to anything or anyone else. I either find another job or make work that will support the family. Success or failure is down to me from now on nobody else, it is my effort or lack of it that will make the difference.   One thing is for sure I am determined not to become a 'Victim to my environment'.

Happiness or Contentment?

2010-03-15T17:39:00.000Z

Thats what i'm trying to work out on my daughters face here. The sugar around her chops (frosting around her mouth) just adds to the effect! I have been assured that was a very good donut!

Decisions

2010-03-05T12:44:00.000Z

That cold and cough was severe, beyond normal man-flu I tell you. Until earlier this week I had been unable to go outside for the previous ten days, because of the cold and its effect on my cough and chest. It's a great relief to be clearing up from it now at last. Someone suggested that maybe it was the infamous 'Swine-Flu' that has been talked about so much, but personally I think it was just a nasty 'Piggin' Cold.

Things are back to normal for life and work again. When it comes to work, normal means dreadful. My true feeling is that I really am unhappy in my work, but I have always believed that work is a means to end. So I should be able to find a little place of contentment knowing that it funds my real life. Thing is now I can't hide away from it, the reality of redundancy is looming for many including me. The discussions about cost reduction and headcount has made things a little more complicated. I can't go into the details as it could easily be the catalyst for making my severance a premature one. So its like this, do I sit it out and just wait and see what happens? Or do I take the bull by the horns and turn my hand to something else. The latter option is the one I really like, because I hate the thought of being a victim and having someone else decide my future. Thing is though, I have a family, a mortgage, a loan and to pay and two pets to care for. I don't want to put them under pressure unnecessarily, the family I mean, not the pets, they might become the meal at this rate (only kiddin of course). I have had enough of the corporate world, and would love to turn my hand to other things, but I need to earn a minimum that covers the essentials.

I think reality is that I will have to sit this out, even though I really don't want to. It's realistic that I might have to look at other options anyway, as the situation could easily turn terminal (in a work sense). In that case what does a man do who has IT skills but lives away from the big towns and cities and lives by the sea, where a lot of old people have retired? Decisions, decisions.

Oh No!! It's a man with a cold....stay away unclean! unclean!

2010-02-21T03:05:00.000Z

Typical caught a blimmin cold, and I can't sleep. The kids have got it too. What annoys me the most about colds is that are so.....inconvenient! You know you're not going to die, yet it's capable of stopping you doing anything constructive. Then you also have to watch out for the cold outside making you worse. I'm fed up of colds, they are irritating. The kids agree too, my poor daughter was half crying/half moaning that she wanted it to 'go now', it was making her feel rotten. This is why I am blogging now at a time when a normal person would have been asleep for a few hours already.

I have tried hard to use the time 'ill' to do some things with the kids. Any free time I've had since before the holidays I've tried to have little craft projects on the go with them. Over the Christmas time my son and I worked on his Doctor Who Tardis, Airfix model kit. We spent a lot of hours putting it together and painting the Tardis, but we spent even longer painting the Doctor and his assistant Martha Jones. (if anyone is interested I will add some photos of our workmanship of which we are very proud) If none of this makes much sense please look up Doctor Who and use the links I've provided.

Anyway as I said there is another craft project I have been working on. It's very girly too. My daughter and I have been creating a little fashion brochure, and she has been designing her own fabrics.(or at least decorating ones we already have to her own taste) I am genuinely impressed by her definite taste in clothes and how much she notices the little details like the collar and the pockets, even the buttons. My role has been mainly advisory, but I'm good at cutting and I also designed and drew the mannequins we are dressing. I'm loving it! It's really interesting, not the clothes, I mean the craft and design involved. I'm loving us working as a team too, good old quality time with the kids.

While we have been doing this, my son has been building a spot of LEGO. He loves it! He obsesses with a model until it is complete. He's built 2 ships, a helicopter, a Batmobile, Darth Vaders Tie Fighter, the mojority of Spongbob Squarepants themed LEGO, such as the Rocket, the character houses, the boating school blah blah blah...there's loads more! The latest one is a bit smaller it's a car, and a snazzy one at that. It looks like a Shelby GT500 (aka Ford Mustang) to me, which makes it muscle car cool. Here's an image of it taken on my mobile phone.

A break in the weather

2010-02-17T17:50:00.002Z

Just a week or so back, just as the first snow had cleared, we had this beautiful day. It was cold, but there's a certain something about sunny wintery days that motivates you to action. I had earlier in the day come across this little opening to the beach less than a mile from home, and had to investigate it with the kids as soon as possible. It's now my favourite local beach, quiet and clean.........beautiful.

The photo isn't as clear as I'd have liked because I was zooming using the digital zoom. Still, I love the activity of the waves and the sea, all so busy!

Who wouldn't want to look at the waves like that. I think actually my son was letting the waves chase him up the beach.....and he used his real feet and legs not even virtual ones!

There's always the excitement of discovering something interesting that came in from the sea. This skull was a major discovery that day. After a bit of discussion we decided it was a fish skull rather than a seagull which was my first thought, but still it looks interesting and we bought it home.

This stone has been added to our collection, with its squiggles and veins.

about time too I reckon

2010-02-09T16:37:00.000Z

For all of us music has had a profound effect on our development in life. My tastes in music have changed drastically, from the early pop years, through to my funk, soul, disco and even blues years. I still love this music, but now is is joined by rock both modern and classic. For instance I have a favourite Beatles song, and its a more obscure one! Now that the days of Mod's has been and gone, I can enjoy The Jam and The Who without needing to be a part of the culture. Britpop era was eye opening, exposing me to Supergrass, Oasis, Blur, Suede and Pulp all of which have retrained my tastes.

But I go on, you see the purpose of this post is to let the music do the talking. It is my pleasure then to invite you now to the Royal Opening of my new blog, set up to share great music! It was once said that (you know who you are) that I had cloth ears because of my taste in music. Well i'm hoping this will establish enough evidence to disprove that. Please subscribe/bookmark and click the link to .......

http://whosaysihaveclothears.blogspot.com

To update this second blog should be simple, so do have a look often as you don't want to miss out!

Music Gold

2010-02-08T16:39:00.003Z

Thought i'd share little bit of musical gold with you. If you can close your eyes and turn it up, do it. To me this is a like the new Crabbies Alcoholic Ginger beer, filling your pallet with a fresh yet nostalgic taste, a little dry but wonderfully satisfying and crisp.

You may missed this when it came out years ago. Or maybe you haven't heard it for a long time. Its worth a listen now believe me!

Toploader -Achilles Heel

Now go to itunes, you know you wanna.

Off my FACE.......BOOK!

2010-02-05T13:40:00.002Z

It's empowering you know, cutting myself off at long last from Facebook. What they have been calling social networking, i've been viewing as unsolicited intrusion. It's weird, because I love people and am very social, but that was just making me choke under a barrage of mundane and benign tripe. I know this is only an opinion and one my darling wife doesn't share.

It's probably been like trying to give up smoking. You think oh its alright i'll just cut it down, I control it not the other way around. I thought by killing off my friends links to just a couple of family members and a school mate or two would give me back my life. (hold on thats overdoing it, give me back my ...time? yer. sanity?...yer a bit. ....my soul? hmm) It didn't work. There are too many reasons to enjoy Facebook to try to ease the relationship calmly. So i've had to do the leap of faith and kill the account once and for all, and just hope that I still have some friends after the massive (irony alert) fallout and carnage.

So here I am, me as me! Broken free! Hello-o-o-o-o? is anyone there-e-e-e-e? Am I alone-e-e-e? helloooooooooooo-oo-o-o-o? Oh damn where did I put my old Facebook account details...please let me in!!! Its cold and i'm so lonely!!

Avatar

2010-01-18T13:08:00.005Z

About the movie Avatar

Just wanted to make this nod to the latest James Cameron movie. He's had a very successful career to date it must be said, but this latest addition could be the top of the tree.

When asked what I thought of the movie, I have to use words such as beautiful, luscious, fantastical and mesmerizing. I did see the film at the best possible screen, the Imax in London, and in 3D.

The imagination and attention to the smallest details make this the most visually stunning film of all time. The story is a familiar one, but the delivery is good. You care what happens to the heroes in the story. You can't help but feel at the end......'oh, I want to live there', and I do!!

Look at the trailer and the featurette that I have linked below, you can get a good idea of the quality of this creation.

Click here to go to the featurette, Experience the World of Pandora.

If you haven't seen it before now and it appeals to you, then I make the suggestion that you should see this movie at the best possible screen you can find, you wouldn't want to miss any of the detail.

Question.... Did you notice the fingers? See anything?

Root Canal

2010-01-14T16:29:00.003Z

Just back from my last session of root canal treatment. Its been ongoing for about 4 months, and this was the last session.

Tell me Charlie, what are your thoughts about the treatment?
Thank you for asking. After some quiet contemplation and thought I feel that another time I would rather stick a fork in my eye than go through this treatment ever again!! People wince when you say root canal, but seriously if you haven't had it done before and they suggest it, do not take the decision to have it done lightly. Anaesthetic to numb will not stop all the pain!!! No way bob! When they start sticking needles into the individual canals of the root and then filing, you are in for it, without a doubt. Now understand i'm not complaining about my dentist, he seems a very competent chap and seems to be genuinely trying to be as careful as he can. Its the treatment itself, it just plain hurts.

Ok Charlie, you expressed that clearly, but was it worth it?
Hmm maybe for some. For me, I think no, just pull the fella out so I look like an 8 year old kid with great gaps in his mouth. I think the look could catch on, and i'd be quite fetching. It should also make whistling a lot easier. (do you remember Phylis Nelson?)

Just wanted to share that to whoever is listening. You are welcome to think of me as a great big wus, but I say you weren't there man! You don't know what it was like! They do things to you, bad things, things that just should not be allowed. He he gotta laugh at yourself!

let's go on with the snowwwww.......

2010-01-13T17:25:00.007Z

Just to add a few more photos and videos from yesterdays post. I was going to leave the snow subject as it had started to thaw, but no, more snow last night and today. Its all good. As long as it doesn't stop me going up to London on Friday (2 hrs by train) to see the movie Avitar in 3D at the Imax in Waterloo. It is possible because it just takes a leaf on the rails to stop the show here!

My daughter with her mates, the snow looks almost fake!

Our garden at the back of the house. Funny how the snow makes even the messiest of gardens look pretty.

Here's the kids in the snow as we make our way to sledging in the Bexhill Down wood. You get a good idea of our locale too from this image.......although its not normally so ....white.

Do have a look at my other videos on Youtube. My account id is chuckie002, and you can even subscribe if it takes your fancy.

there's no business like snow business

2010-01-12T12:18:00.003Z

Like many, we have had to make some changes to our routine with the recent snow. Some have had power cuts and travel issues as the roads have been to icy, or the snow has been to high. I'm not looking forward to seeing my heating bill for this winter, the thought of it scares me enough. This aside, the snow has forced us into a simpler life for a few days. Stores have been closed, forcing us to consolidate with the things we have in the cupboard already. Driving has been dangerous so we have been walking, which obviously has its limits too. Thing is, these are minor inconveniences in comparison to the fact that we have SNOWWWWW! And snow means for any kid, snowman, snowball fights and not forgetting sledging! We've all loved it!! Have a look at this video and some of the other links of us.

here's a couple more of the sledging

My Son Sledging

Mr Wife Sledging....well if you can call it that - haha!!

Echolocation

2010-01-06T13:50:00.002Z

Maybe you have heard of this before. What the video shows is a blind 7 year old boy who uses echolocation like a dolphin or a bats sonar to see things with his ears. Its genuinely amazing and humbling.

This isn't the first time this has been done. I believe the technique was inspired by this boy in the the States.

Super Fast Rail Travel

2009-12-09T19:51:00.003Z

Check out this video that I took on a simulator with the family. Its a steam train travelling at about 750 mph between London and Brighton. BTW I know I sound irritating, I was just trying to make it interesting and exciting for my daughter that was complaining at the time.

Bring me Sunshine.....

2009-12-08T17:07:00.003Z

We had a great time as the Wedding in York. The bride and groom themed much of the wedding and indeed the ceremony too on Morecambe and Wise. We had humour and tricks galore based around the antics of arguably the best comedy duo in British history. As best man I thought i'd join in on the theme. Pete and I worked a short Sketch into the speeches based on Eric Morecambe's character with the cap and mac holding a shopping bag. He interrupted my speech for a spot of banter at the expense of the groom. (we wouldn't want it any other way)

We were all given mock glasses to wear during the ceremony which was fun. These antics even made it into the York Press....have a look here!

Congratulations to the happy couple!!!

All boys love trains

2009-12-04T22:10:00.005Z

I've never thought of myself as especially a lover of locomotives, but after today that has all changed. Our family trip today included the 'National Railway Museum' in York. Out of us all I think I was the kid gawping at the huge engines. We got friendly with the staff and one of them let us onto the legendary 'Mallard' and esplained abouts dual controls and record holding speed, a massive 126 mph from a steam engine!!!

York has proven to be a real hit for us all. You should check it out.

Jorvik or York

2009-12-03T23:31:00.004Z

I didn't realise until today that York was a thriving Viking community for over a decade, and was given the name Jorvik. It seems they did better during this time than under the Saxon's. Trade was good and properties were being improved.

York today seems to be doing good trade. My favorite purchase of the day has to be the 'scratch & sniff' postcard we bought from the Jovik Center. It has distinct sniffs, one of sweet food and the other is of a latrine. I hope the recipient enjoys the toilet humour..har har..

Cadbury World

2009-12-02T22:33:00.002Z

Question. How do you make a good day out with the family even better?
Answer. Add chocolate! And when you have finished that lot, eat some more!!!

.....oh and there was stuff to look at too.

Muppets Bohemian Rhapsody

2009-11-26T16:07:00.002Z

I can say nothing more than stick with it, and when Beaker joined in I loved it!

The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody @ Yahoo! Video

Top 5 Singles

2009-11-03T14:59:00.004Z

So i've been thinking a lot for various reasons about music lately. One of the thoughts has been about my top 5 singles and the fact is that I can't produce a definitive list as there are at least 20 songs that could make the top 5 depending on my mood.

So what I am going to give you is A list of 5 Singles that are favourites. (also take no notice of the order)

1) Heal the Pain - George Michael

2) Don't like Mondays - Boom Town Rats

to see video click here

3) Ain't Nobody - Chaka Khan

Chaka Kahn - Ain't Nobody

nick | MySpace Video

4) Different for Girls - Joe Jackson

5) How Deep is Your Love - Bee Gees

That's my list.....now i'm going to be a pain and am gonna TAG YA! So I want your comment on my choices or rate them out of 10. Then post your 5! Easy as that.

Is there anything worse than a bear with a sore head?

2009-10-27T12:47:00.004Z

Well apparently there is, Me.....and this fella.

We share one key thing in common.......Toothache. I've been nothing less than grumpy, moany, winey, miserable and grouchy......5 of the famous 7 !
I've been to the dentist 5 times in the last 2 weeks. It started with one night my tooth broke whilst eating some popcorn. (why lord why make something so lovely yet so dangerous) I have had the tooth dressed, filled, refilled and dressed, treated and finally the nerve removed. At last I have had a day without masses of painkillers effecting my ability to function. How is it that its the smaller bits of our body that always seem to hurt the most? I've had it with pain this year, I think its someone else's turn now.

How that i've come out of the fog I will try and post a little more again about what I'm up to and what I've been thinking about (a very dangerous pass-time). I have read loads of books this year and should give a heads-up on the good ones...so I will. Also I have been trying to learn Linux recently, which hasn't been painless, but I am thinking about installing Ubuntu on an old laptop. (a desktop version of Linux) I'm only thinking about it, because you seem to have to throw loads of power at Microsoft systems nowadays, and that's just to do the simple stuff like ebaying and keeping up with email. You need so many levels of protection and security to go anywhere near the internet, its too bulky and too expensive! It's time to check out the opposition, even though I suspect I will be back with windows within a couple of weeks.

I realise it doesn't look like I'm fully over the groaning and moaning, but I will be soon.

Just testing

2009-10-22T01:49:00.001Z

Move on people there's nothing to see here. Rumours of a man with a personality are merely that, and as such it can be neither confirmed or denied.

Just move along and take your dog with you.....oops sorry madam.

I'm a Numan newman!

2009-10-02T14:03:00.004Z

As far as music goes, one of my biggests desires has been to go to more 'gigs'. I mean gigs rather than concerts. The main reason for this is that i've been to so many larger events and came away feeling it was all a bit....flat. In part I reckon that is because the venue is too big and you don't pick up on the chemistry from the performance. Well hopefully that is changing. I've booked myself to see the Electronic Music God himself, Gary Numan on 17th November. He's doing a night at the Brighton Dome, which is a smaller venue. I thought i'd warm myself up by looking up some clips from his previous concerts. Now to be honest and yet a little gross I'm wetting myself with anticipation. The clips I've seen are genuinely awesome! It's different to what I was expecting, much much heavier, but better for it. See what you think! I'm up for suggestions on who to see next.

A good day

2009-09-25T15:30:00.003Z

...thats what my son said about yesterday. Well in full what he actually said 'we have had a good day today dad'.

To break the negativity of work I decided to walk into town do some stuff that needing doing but hadn't got round to it yet. the day was proving to be beautiful outside, so my son decided to join me. We walked and talked our way into town. I did the things I had to and said lets go get a coffee, so we ended up below De La Warr Pavillion next to the sea having a 99 flake whilst sitting on the stones. It was blissful, we talked, we listened to the waves coming in, threw some stones, cuddled up and talked some more. It was only 30 mins I guess but probably the best 30mins we've spent together for weeks.

I know not everyone lives by the sea like this, but we should all take a break from what we are doing. Even just 30 mins, so that we can all have 'a good day'. If we don't then we just end up allowing ourselves to be victims of circumstance. People that get to the end of the day and huff, just glad that its over and that we can go to sleep and forget it all. It shouldn't be like this, everyday should be a good day, but we just have to chose to step away from the mundane so that we can make it one. What made the difference to the day wasn't that I had less work stress or that I'd had a financial windfall. Things are really bad for everyone in those areas at the moment including me. What made the difference was stepping out of it for a bit, being with my son and enjoying our little life together.

thanks son! This post hasn't turned out how I had expected. Originally it was just meant to be a note saying we had a nice day.....funny how thoughts evolve.

Tomorrow's World today!

2009-09-14T15:45:00.004Z

Good news ! The BBC have release some of their archive of the TV show Tomorrow's World on the web, including full episodes!

Something that struck me as I watched an episode was how firstly this technology show was on prime time TV, not stuck on some obscure channel at 3 a.m. Secondly, how although they explain the technologies in simple terms, they didn't dumb it down. For a media that seems to cater for the Sun readers and the Vicky Pollards, it was good to see that they expected people to have some semblance of intellect. Thirdly I thought this show is a wonderful way of reflecting the ideas, aspirations and fashions of the 60s 70s and 80s. Lastly it reminded me what a corker Maggie Philbin was! (a right sausage)

Use the links in this blog to have a look. You could view it as a history lesson, with insight to the opinions of the future from the past. (oops headache) It could be a review of changing techology and seeing the start of things we have come to accept in recent years as normal. OR, just a plain laugh at the fashions, believe me its worth your time to have a look.

Cracking fun lad!

2009-09-09T16:04:00.008Z

Had a family trip to London yesterday. What was different this time was that the girls did the girly things and went to the Victoria and Albert Museu m (V&A) while the boys went to the Science Museum. My son had a purpose to pursue aswell, and that was to go to the Wallace & Gromit exhibition that was on. I wasn't so keen to be honest, and I felt that way right up until we got to the ticket stand and they said for this next hour entrance is free!! Can you imagine the change I felt? Just saved myself 16 quid, which meant I was now the biggest Wallace and Gromit fan in the whole place. Eee by gum lad I was reet chuffed! (sorry...its the best I could come up with for a kid born in Surrey a place you spend your life apologising for...."what are you sorry about?"...."no I said Surrey" - it only works with the accent)

There was some clever exhibits, and the detail on the sets they had on display was astonishing! I even naughtily went down the kids tube when the officials back was turned. Getting a freebie does lift ones spirit don't you think?! ha ha

I do think the general exhibits in the Science Museum need a bit of a refresh and maybe changing some too. I did look at some things closer this time than I had previously. For instance when we looked at the aircraft, my son and I spent just as long at looking at the display of aircraft engines, all be it with little more knowledge of what we were looking at than ooo aaaahh thats a big one! All in all a good place for boys to go and boys be I reckon, while the girls went off looking at costume and furnishings in the other place, YUK!

Broom brooooooom ....beeeep!

2009-09-02T16:08:00.009Z

I haven't shared with you my almost perverse interest in mechanical things. Be it planes or cars I have an interest and a certain desire to be sitting in these things swooping or turning to my hearts desire. I've always had a love for the Spitfire. I love how it looks, its sounds and its history and the fact that they took the speed of this plane almost as fast as is possible without it being a jet. If there was just ONE thing I would do if I could ever have the chance, it would be to fly in a spitfire. A possibility that is even less likely due to the fact that there are very few 2 man spitfires in the world. Ashamedly I must admit that when I can I go to airshows and yes I have binoculars around my neck whilst I oooo and ahhh at displays. When I was a kid, liking the red arrows was not cool, but now I love watching them!

Funny thing is this post wasn't meant to be about planes, but rather it was meant as a lead into the fact that I went to the Bexhill Classic Car Show on bank holiday Monday. My wife and daughter couldn't be bothered with it, leaving it up to me and my son along with a friend to get nerdy with the classic car set. I'm going to just show you some photos from it now, along with my comments. Please do not think badly of me, rather understand I have a problem and that as i'm maturing it seems to be getting worse. Oh and yes i'm looking into getting my own classic car for next year...........what a loser!
This is my mate Paul and this is his Morris Minor. Five of us turned up at the event in it, I really don't know how it was possible. I have spoken to him by the way about his attire and how he looks like someone who owns a Morris Minor. That looks like a flat cap to me!! Sorry Pad

My personal taste in cars is more to do with appearance and design outside and in, rather than the performance, this is true with this car. I had some fun with this fella. The car is a Lancia Beta Montecarlo. I was taking a photo when the owner turned up and wanted to go. Firstly I asked if I could get one more photo, to which he said yes. Secondly, I then cheekily asked if I could sit in it with him for the photo above. Finally, I thought stuff it and asked him for a go, to which he said alright then! We went a couple of miles down the road to Cooden Beach where we could listen to the engine rumble as we went under the railway bridge. Excellent! Thanks again to the Mister Man for taking me out in his car. It pays to be a cheeky boy sometimes.

Ahh the Daimler Dart, as modelled by our sons! Genuinely a beautiful car to behold. I can't get over the fact it was a Police pursuit car. You can tell the man who was going to drive it chose it. If he had left the decision to the bosses he'd have ended up in an old Model T Ford. The photo does not do it any justice, you need to look at it side long and you then can see why it was called the dart. If you look at the front you can see the bell that would have been used in a chase...how cool is that!

Can you believe this beauty is a Volvo? What happened to them? They went from this, to making boxes with wheels. This one was used for the original series of The Saint, and would have been driven by the lead character himself. I can't see Volvo being used on any TV programs today other than maybe Countryfile. What a waste of what could have been!

Nuts about Bolt

2009-08-19T13:34:00.003Z

Can you believe the man Usain Bolt did it again! He didn't just win the 100 meters mens final in Berlin this last week, but also thrashed the world record. If you watched the final the other day like me you'll know what I mean when I say he didn't even look like he was trying that hard. Certainly not if you compare it against his competitors. I can't help but feel sorry for them as they struggle to do what would in ANY other decade been a world defeating time. He just humiliates them. Maybe i've got a 'give up now' attitude, but really why bother? It doesn't matter what you do, you just cannot come close to someone who can run like that. I'm not knocking Bolt. He will be a legend in athletics history like Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis of that I can be sure. He is astounding....WOW!

Did you see Michael Johnsons reaction on BBC television.....click here

I dont cause quite as big a splash anymore!

2009-08-03T16:52:00.002Z

Why is that I hear you say?

It's nothing to do with my diminishing popularity, although that may be a little true. What I'm speaking about is the fact I'm just a little less......big, than I was. I did lose 28lbs a little while back, but because of my emergency treatment for stones and the upheaval that caused my eating regime, it meant I put some of that weight back on.

The good thing is that I didn't put on as much as I thought I had, and my determination to get back on the saddle and rid myself of the ripples is still in tact. In fact it's very good. As of today, as well as making up for the weight gain from before, I have now lost some on top of that. So my total weight loss to date is about 30lbs, which ain't to be sniffed at.

Thank you, but you can stop staring now...ha ha

Friday Fun

2009-07-10T11:32:00.005Z

I pronounce myself as the Friday Fun Facilitator for this week. Here are some videos that I guarantee will make you smirk just a little bit.

We haven't had this advertisement in the UK yet, but i'm sure we will..... enjoy!

A really stupid dog! Anyone can see that the foot is just being friendly, it wouldn't dream of touching his bone.

RE: Michael Jackson, am I the only person who isn't that bothered? If I mourn it would be for the genius of 30 years ago.

What does it say about me

2009-06-19T14:28:00.003Z

I recall a personality test I did for a job about 20 years ago, done by some chap called McQuaig. It asked you to rate what you thought of yourself and what you believed your friends thought of you. I think in principle it was saying that, what you think your friends think of you is more like you really are, and what you think of yourself, is your potential, what you could become.
Does that come across clearly enough? err ...hope so.

Anyway it was with this thought I was thinking what do the cards my friends sent me when I was sick say about what they think of me? For instance this one.......

Then there are the 2 I got via Moonpig.com (obviously their advertising is working), that seem to suggest that the brewer industry would be suffering whilst I was ill and unable to drink.

This goes back to my point, what does this all say about me? I like to think it says I have a good sense of humour and enjoy a sherbert with my friends.

Whats the worse that could happen?

2009-06-09T16:22:00.003Z

Ha ha that's what I was trying not to think about before the operation. As a man we have definite views on what's the worse that could happen. It was because of this that I purposefully didn't ask the surgeon on Saturday to explain the procedure for my operation.

Although he wasn't explicit, he said something that alarmed me. It was when he smiled and bragged, "i've not have to cut someone open for kidney stones since 1985!". Although i'm sure he intended the comment as reassuring, it wasn't. You see all that made me think was, 'if he isn't going to cut me, how is he going to get to the stone?". Any guys reading this i think will get the relevance of the question. All I could do was try to ignore any thoughts about any of it, although that isn't easy whilst they are jabbing and prodding you in pre-op.

I recall in my prevous post that my main concern about the operation was if they were going to incert a catheter, the idea of that and the soreness made me feel sick. Little did I know that was the least of my concerns. I will try not to be graphic and crude. It wasn't a catheter that I had to deal with as I came out from the anasthetic...oh no. It was the realisation that the whole tool kit had been used 'THERE'. (I hope you fellas are starting to wince a bit now) I had this great urge to go to the toilet, and they passed me a container under the sheet. I couldn't go but when I brought my hand up, there was a lot of claret on it. Oh no what have they done! It took me 2 hours before I was brave enough to have a look. I shed a tear, things will never be the same.

Now its a couple of days later, and the burning has died now. I feel a little bit sore still and I am on painkillers, but thankfully I have calmed down. All I try to concentrate on now is the fact that I had a great meal in hospital and the potato and leek soup was possibly the best thing i've tasted in years. Believe me you have to try and think of something optimistic about a situation that may have left me with an emmotional scar for life.

btw to any women reading this I will say 2 things. 1) yes I am a moaning softie BUT 2) general concensus is that kidney stones are the closest thing men can get to labour pains.

A Rolling stone .......

2009-06-05T21:41:00.002Z

When it comes to Kidney Stones the saying that 'a rolling stone gathers no moss' may be true. BUT, instead of gathering moss it gathers the screams of a million peoples agony, and maybe some blood. (hmm nice)

So I thought I'd just add this update as I've not been able to until now due to being 'poorly'. As I'm going under the knife tomorrow I wanted to say so long and it's been nice knowing you.

Think of me during the daytime hours. Don't be surprised if you can hear an inhuman scream or wale. It's probably just me having the catheter removed. Or worse still, they haven't got the amount of anaesthetic quite right.

Doesn't smell like mine

2009-05-19T12:27:00.003Z

Got back from our holiday to Ireland on Sunday evening. All of the family were looking forward to getting back home as we had had an extended journey with 'essential engineering works' causing delays to trains, and also meaning we would be doing a large part of the journey on a smelly bus on our way back from the airport.

Although the bus smell was awful, that is not the smell I'm talking about in this post. It was the smell of the house! You may not be like me, but, if I've been away there is something reassuring and familiar about the smell of your own home. You walk in through the door and the smell as much as anything tells you that you are home.

The thing was the house didn't smell like mine. It smelt odd. Not nasty, just odd. It had a sort of mango-ey tropical niff, not a scent that I associate with our home. Over the years I've come to appreciate the sense of smell. I always check fruit out for ripeness by sniffing it. Then there was the big one, 'baby whiff'. This is the smell of your baby that has an almost hypnotic reaction in a parent. The smell seems to come from the back of the head and confirms what the eyes can see, that yes this child is mine. It can make you feel everything is ok, even when you are tired and worn out. I guess in the animal world this happens all the time, and is more important than physical features.

Back to my house. Do I know why the smell was ...wrong? Yes I do. Although it wasn't MY smell I did recognise the smell. It smelt like my mother-in-laws house before she moved into ours. I'm not going to complain about it, but my job now is to ensure our niff is the most prominent one again. So I have primed the wife and kids to rub our scent on everything like house cats. I have said no spraying your scent like cats do, but it is ok to leave the bathroom door open until I feel the balance has stacked back in our favor.

Ouch!

2009-05-06T18:05:00.002Z

After an alarming trip to the toilet yesterday, my doctor has confirmed I have either a urinary infection or kidney stones. I'm hoping its the infection. Apparently the latter is the closest a man can get to the pain of childbirth. What adds complication to this is that i'm on holiday with the family as of tomorrow. We are off to not-so-sunny Ireland for 10days. I'm looking forward to it as long as I do not have any health 'issues' during that time. I have been given antibiotics so hopefully that should clear it all up. If not! You may hear the screams of a man in great pain blowing over the waters to England or wherever you may be. It wont be next doors cat, or foxes mating, no, it'll be me trying to pass a pebble.

As a change of subjects. I have been asked about what I could do for this Bexhill talent show I was in last year. Apparently we are doing 2 shows this time. I'm all up for a some sort of performance, as just standing there singing is a bit dull. I will likely sing but it has to be fun or interesting. Any thoughts? I was thinking about asking one of the young ladies who sang solo last year if she'd like to do a duet, but I recon she'll say no and anyway she's good and i'm not. I don't mind comedy if you can think of anything.

Anyway speak when i get back eh!

weighing it all up

2009-04-17T15:32:00.002Z

This post is a bit mundane, of which I can only apologise. I had to tell someone though, because it is good news. You see when it comes to losing weight I'm always sceptical about myself and that I will keep it up. That chocolate and ice cream will make me fall. That crisps and cakes will dissolve my resolve. (ooo poetry) But after realising that unless I did something drastic about my weight and do it now, i'd only be able to weigh myself on HGV scales when the operator was at lunch. Knowing how it is for me i'd bet he'd take sandwiches that day and be working through lunch anyway.

To be honest I have felt so sickened and disgusted with myself and my weight, that the wrong sort of food just makes me grimace. Thing is that isn't a negative feeling for me. I'm really pleased it has made me feel like that. I have come to realise that any half-hearted approach to weight loss just doesn't work. I can't be moderate or modest or even controlled because they are just excuses to eat rubbish from time to time. To do that would be the end of it for me, and i'm now getting to a point where I think I'm going to do this right and sort myself out once and for all!

So, let me talk results to date. Well i'm very pleased and a bit shocked that I have lost only half a pound shy of 2 stone in weight (thats 28 pounds!). That means i'm half way through my first target of 4 stone. I'm really please with that. I'm also pleased that I don't feel the urge to celebrate with fish and chips! Nope i'm happy as I am for now, and i'm not going change anything as its working.

Sorry to bore you.

Its started!

2009-04-07T14:09:00.003Z

I know I know, i'm sure you told me so.

Poor Linda (mother-in-law) and I have locked horns a couple of times already. I've got to stop being pig-headed I guess. I don't want her to feel miserable here, but I think at the moment she hasn't felt like its a barrel of laughs either. I can't say much more as it wouldn't be fare, but I do want to try harder to help her to settle. This was made more difficult when she twisted her ankle yesterday and spent over 6 hours in A&E (ER to some of you) in Hastings. So now there is an invalid hobbling around with crutches. (reminds me of Kermit the frogs reaction in the movie when he saw the poster for frogs legs) As far as the hospital is concerned, that place was diabolical! Some people were there for more than 8 hours, with broken limbs waiting to be seen. It felt like the middle ages, I never thought i'd wish we could use St Peters again. (must be bad)

Life

2009-03-24T01:01:00.002Z

Oh dear......let time slip again between posts doh!

Never mind, let me tell you bit of whats going on. For a start I've started a diet. I've had enough of the fatman living my life for me. There is another slimmer guy inside whom the big man ate a long time ago, and he feels its his time to rise.

Watchmen, the movie experience of the year. It was a let down on the whole. Who wants to see that blue fella with his blue fella on show? Thats not entertainment. It's even worse when you see it on IMAX!

The real biggy at the moment is the moving in of my Mother-In-Law. We are initially looking at her staying for a year but we shall see. Now you and I know there are millions of Mo-In-Law jokes out there, but I have lost my right to say any of them, as it was me that suggested she move in. It has its plus sides I recon......such as going to IKEA for a shopping trip with her. You can never have enough storage! Also there's the baby sitting 'potential'. Meaning me and the Mrs can get out for some us time which doesnt happen often enough. Also think of the blogging possibilities of the extra madness that will now exist in my families life.

The Moon as Observed

2009-03-10T01:16:00.004Z

This is the image of the moon that I promised on my previous post.

Taken using a smaller telescope by a friend when we were at the observatory on Friday. Not as good as the image I was looking at through the bigger telescope, with its clearly defined craters, but it gives a great idea of the image I was looking at. This is still so awesome. (i'm almost jumping about like a school child - ha ha)

may I make an observation?

2009-03-07T02:00:00.005Z

Aha! Don't worry I'm not going to complain about Facebook and its mates again. My observation is linked to tonights trip to the Herstmonceux Observatory and Science Centre. It astounds me how many interesting places we discover in our area, and this is another case. We've been to the science centre as a family a couple of times in an effort to educate us all. It reminds me much of the Lookout Discovery Centre in Bracknell, with its hands on science experiments, although colder and with more concrete. It is fun enough I guess...well the kids enjoy it.

The place really comes into its own when once a month they open up the Observatory to the public, or at least 3 observatories out of the 5 they have within the grounds. If its a clear night and you have no issues with going out when there's a bright moon (you know who you are) then this is the place to go! I have tonight seen things i've only seen on film or photograph. For instance I saw the moon, and not just bigger than we can see normally, I mean see the moon, the craters and landscape, it nearly took my breath away. We viewed Saturn on one of the smaller telescopes and it looked just like it had been drawn onto the lense. Lastly and perhaps more impressively was a closeup on Orions Nebular. I'm not one of those guys who can pick out groups of stars in the sky, it all looks the same to me. After seeing it tonight and talking to the on hand expert (not sure of the qualification, but he was definately an egghead with a brain the size of a planet...ahem excuse the pun) I can pick it out. I now know Orion is a whole constellation of which 'the Belt' is only a part. It is marked out by 4 prominent stars with the 'Belt' and the 'Sword' within. We had a close up on Orions Sword and saw it was like a cloud, and within it 4 stars had been created over the millenia. This might sound a bit boring to read but it wasn't when you saw it! My kids where captivated.

We didn't hang on much longer, just had a drink at the cafe and went home as it was gone 10pm. We could have seen this time but didn't was Venus, which has been shining brightly lately as you may have noticed. We had arrived at 8pm and it was too low in the sky at that time for it to be picked up by the telescope. The other they were viewing/tracking was a comet, which would have been a great experience if we hadn't had to go.

Here's a photo taken with the kids and there grandmother next to the smaller observatory where we had seen Saturn and the Moon . A friend got a photo of the moon taken through a telescope lense there (unofficially) which as soon as I am sent it on email, I will post it up on blogger.

Before I go always remember to cherish and love your blog.....yes blog not dog ya numpty!!

Where have all the Bloggers gone?

2009-03-02T14:50:00.003Z

A question I must ask! Whats happened to bloggers and blogging?

Is it a virus? (the flu type I mean) Or is it something more sinister? I know its a problem because I too have started to dry up on postings over the last 3-6 months. I thought it was just the year end wind down. That's not true, I've struggled to get the cogs running again since the new year and its March now! I think I know why. Facebook!

Let me explain what I mean. I started blogging as a social yet creative way of communicating to people. A chance to say things my way, and talk about my experiences good and bad. It also became a scrapbook and diary of my experiences. I admit i'm not the best writer, but I genuinely love the opportunity and find it stimulating. Like many, I have been contacted and pestered to have an account on Facebook Along with its vast array of applications, all of which keep you locked into their world, but don't really use the brain. Social networking sites are good but just don't offer creativity. It started with Friendsreunited, but Facebook seems to have taken over and made it much easier to reacquaint us with old friends and family. All this has just led to me (and maybe all of us) being distracted and caught up in the mundane. I can't help but feel I'm being sucked into something that is imbecilic and moronic, not stimulating at all. I spend time checking out people status and trawling through quizes about senseless things. Why would you or I be interested in what each other is doing every minute of the day? Whats so wrong with my life that I spend it looking at everyone else's life? If I carry on like this I'm concerned that I will become a texting teenager, who has the social skills of a skunk after eating a very hot curry.

I know I know, I sound like an old fart, and maybe thats true, although I hope not. My resolve is to gain back control of my on-line life. Facebook and its friends like Bebo, My Space and that new one called Twitter (surely the name gives us enough of a clue that this is for the brain dead?) have their place, and I am glad to have the opportunity to keep in touch with my nephews and nieces and others. There was an episode of the IT Crowd that parodied the subject with the pretendy site Friendface. My point is this sort of social networking, doesn't need to be a daily thing, and it certainly shouldn't stiffle things that are more interesting. My blog needs my attention again, and i'm going to give it. I realise that so few read it nowadays but that's no longer why I do it. I do it as it's an outlet that refreshes my being and allows me an opportunity or genuine expression. (all very heavy sounding)

Very ranty I know, but stuff it, it mine! Its how I feel, and I think other bloggers will catch my drift. I hope it strengthens your resolve too.

xxx Chux :)

Ain't snow pretty?

2009-02-03T15:28:00.003Z

Even a man who suffers from an alergy to nasty winter weather has to admit this snowy snap we've had has been delightful.

My daughter and I had great fun creating our new friend here. The ideas for the eyes, nose and clothes all came from her, and I think she did a great job. Any suggestions for a name?

Surely it can't get colder!? Brrrrrrr.........

2009-01-08T14:35:00.003Z

The English and talking about the weather, it seems to be our speciality. I'm no exception to this as the weather is definately my main subject of conversation at the moment. Ok Ok so it's not the Arctic here, but the cold seems relentness none the less. Apparently we are going through the milder spell right now. (I hadnt noticed it myself) According to this BBC report though we are due for an even colder snap with temperatures in the South East hitting as low as -6 C which is blooming cold!!!

I'm just desperately looking forward to the spring now, where it'll be warm enough to go out the house again!! I expect our friends in Sweden, will laugh and say this isn't cold like they get. Which is true enough I guess, but for some reason us English are just never prepared enough for the variety of weather we get. Maybe thats the problem. Our climate is such that we need too much equipment to cope with the weather differences in a year. I was in a DIY shop on Tuesday and they were selling sledges for the kids to ride in the snow. Do I buy one, or don't I? Will the snow last long enough for us to try it out? Problem is even if we get snow now, we probably wont see anymore for about 10 years. By that time we'll need a new sledge as the old one has crumbled.

Oddly last night in bed I was thinking about things I can do when the weather is milder. Something my daughter has pestered me about for a couple of years now is to camp out in the garden one night with her, something my son and I did a while back. It'll be great having a feast in our tent and reading the Beano. I bet She'll want me to tell her stories too. So I must do that, along with thinking about other positive things to look forward to when it warms up AND stays dry for long enough.

Minnie the Moocher

2008-12-11T16:54:00.002Z

This is the first of 2 videos from the 'talent' show last weekend. Come on join in....Hi-De-Hi-De-Hi-De-Hi!!!! People enjoyed it and we had some fun.

One for Jo......the skies the limit!

2008-11-24T17:44:00.005Z

Jo recently had some photos of the sky from locations she had visited. It made me think about the lovely open sky view we get in Bexhill down by the sea. Here are some examples using my trusty camera phone.

This was viewing the sky towards the South East from the beach.

This time looking more South West. I love this image although it's a bit dark because I was facing the sun. See how the rays shine down from the cloud and make a bright reflection on the sea. My mum use to call those rays "God's glory". (click to enlarge)

Again the same view but just a couple of minutes later. If you click the image to make it bigger, you can see the sun's reflection on the sea getting smaller because of the cloud.

Am I feeling blue yet?

2008-11-14T10:44:00.002Z

We've had our first major rehearsal for the show and the triumphal return of the Blues Brothers, along with other less interesting acts. At this point I can confirm we were complete rubbish. It all went so wrong....

1) Didn't get the intro music ready in time to practice my warm up words.
2) Sound tech was farting about with our first song and it bombed out half way through our performance.
3) Missed my queue in the song and couldn't get back into it properly.
4) Sang out of key. I sing low as a contrast in 'Everybody Needs Somebody' but I just don't sound right, and I don't have enough power. (I need more power Cap'n)
5) Wasn't close enough to the microphone, and thus people couldn't hear me. Paul was fine, as he naturally eats the mic when he sings anyway.
6) Both of us arrived in bad moods and headache's, it's safe to say both of us left like that too.

To top it off, someone asked which Blues Brother am I? The short fat one, or the thin tall one? It didn't take Einstein to work out that i'm both, taller and fatter.

At this rate I don't think we are on a mission from god, rather, we need some divine intervention to make us good!

Knock Knock...

2008-11-06T16:56:00.008Z

A smart little video of (i think) a Kestrel with its trainer, swooping about. So beautiful.

This was taken on a great day out in October with friends and family to Knockhatch Farm not too far up the A22 from Eastbourne.

other highlights.....
There is something very disturbing about the way that 'widget' thing on its nose/beak moved around independently on this turkey.......yuk blahhhhhh.

We were able to pet these Llamas as apparently they are very sociable animals. The wool was very soft. Llamas seem to be a bit of a theme here in East Sussex, we have a Llama farm at nearby Norman's Bay.
These guys are quite near the entrance to the farm looking look like a comedy double act. They remind me of Statler and Waldorf from the Muppet Show.

Did I accept the King's Shilling?

2008-10-27T16:20:00.006Z

You may recall from history lessons how men were coerced into joining the navy.

Becoming a sailor for the King's navy wasn't a pleasant job and recruits were reluctant. To try and overcome the shortage of men for the job, 'Press Gangs' were used to find men, however unwillingly, to sail the ships. To give some morality to the task, the Kings regulations stated that the press gang master could not assault you and take to as a new recruit, He had to see you take the "Kings Shilling". A common tactic of the Press gang master was to ply a potential recruit with ale...several pints later the unsuspecting victim would find a shiny new Silver Shilling coin at the bottom of the his tankard. This was enough to seal the deal and the man was led to the ship, or dragged as was often the case. It was for this reason that tankards began to have a glass bottom, so you could check your drink in case of the Kings Shilling being slipped in.

This is an exaggerated example of the sly and underhanded tactics used to get me involved in a local community talent show. Years ago I did a 'Blues Brothers' act with a mate for his parents 25th wedding anniversary. Although we were asked to do it for some other family celebrations after that, I felt it had a limited life. To be honest it wasn't that good either, so I decided nearly 20 years ago that i'd not be doing that again.

That was until one of my new Bexhill mates called Paul came up to me just before we went away to California on vacation and said, "I heard you want to do the Blues Brothers with me for this talent show". My reply was something like.." wha...the, how? who?...no I don't..blah". It works out that my wife was speaking to one of the organizers (her mate Sharon), and told them I did this 'Blues Brothers' thing in the past, and they decided between them that Paul and I would be good at it. So we were booked in as an act, without any input from me.

After that shock, I've had some time to get use to the idea now. If you recall in past posts my desire has been to overcome my personal inhibitions and to have a go at singing. It seems that my prayers have been answered, although not quite the way I was expecting. I've decided now that I just have to go for it. Paul was hoping that we'd just get up and sing, then get back off again...but oh no. If we are going to do it, then we shall do it properly! You can't go up on the stage dressed in black with the hat and sunglasses, and not expect to give a bigger performance than just singing. The poor chap looked pale when I expressed some of my ideas. Something that makes it easier this time and no disrespect meant to the fella I did this with before. Is that this time my partner has got some talent. He can both sing and dance. This means we can have a proper go at being entertaining, and have some fun whilst we are at it. Almost every time we meet to rehearse one or the other of us has a new suggestion to improve the act.

Maybe doing this is just what the doctor ordered, I think I need an outlet, and if the truth be known I'm starting to love the idea of it all. So going back to my point at the start, did I accept the King's Shilling? Well just like a sailor I think I got this job after being press ganged by some dodgy people. I have to admit though, now that i'm doing it I do seem to have found my sea legs.

back to reality

2008-10-14T09:00:00.002Z

Do you like the new profile picture? It'll probably only be temporary, whilst I'm still clutching onto memories of a fabulous holiday in California.

So many highs, and i've got so many photos, maybe 500? There was no serious downside to our trip either, not even the natives. We stayed most of the time in San Diego which is a prettier city than Los Angeles and it has a strong naval culture and influence.

We did the LA trip to Disneyland for 4 days halfway through the trip. I just love the place. You arrive there and you naturally leave all of life's baggage at the door. I would like to say it was just for the kids, but that would be an outright lie. It pulls you into this wonderful make believe world, where everything is clean and everybody is polite and friendly. You are welcome not to agree but this is my 3rd visit to a Disney residence and I am convinced they have the best theme parks in the world. They are complete and flawless at what they do.

There was so much more to the trip than Disneyland though. Staying with wonderful friends who showed us great hospitality. Meeting new friends and having great times with them. There was also the few days we spent at Yosemite National Park. Where we drove and climbed mountains, discovered new (to us ) wildlife and hugged a giant Sequoia tree. As far as new animals were concerned we saw deer, lizards, a golden eagle and chipmunks to name a few. We even started tracking fresh tracks made by a black bear, until I realised this wouldn't be clever if we actually caught up with it.

The problem with all of these great experiences is getting back to 'normality' again. The jet-lag hasn't helped, but its more than that. I realise my dislike for my job has become a mountain like obstacle. It took 20 minutes of being back on-line, then suddenly I was hit by a huge wave of negativity from those around me, a negativity that I've had to get use too in the past. Problem is I just don't want to get use to it again. I guess this is just holiday blues, and nothing more....or is it? I love my life and family, I love my new home and location.....its just my work. It makes me almost tearful getting involved with this uninteresting and hostile environment again. It begs the question, what can I do about it? To be honest I haven't got an answer, but I think I'm going to need one real soon.

Oh well..............back to reality

Hot Hot Hot

2008-09-22T21:34:00.002Z

Just wanted to rub it in a bit. California is HOT HOT HOT!! I don't mean warm or mild, I mean hot like i've never known it before. Humidity was harsh when we arrived but it has since subsided.

At this rate there is the smallchance I might bare flesh for a tan, but i'm concerned about the whale conservation guys in San Diego getting confused.

Which reminds me we have seen dolphins in the sea here.......at least I think they were dolphins. I did ensure we stayed in shallow water just in case.

Saved! By a bearded Virgin

2008-08-29T14:19:00.003Z

Love him or hate him, Richard Branson has proved to be our saviour! Not only is the credit card I booked my holiday with one of his, and they have agreed to pay us the cost of the flights. The Bearded Virgin went one step better. We have been able to book a flight on his Virgin Atlantic and the seats are cheaper! A whole £400 cheaper in total.

Thanks your bearded virginess, for your help in a crises. Maybe i'll sleep tonight, as I certainly didn't last night, dreaming of happy smiling bearded virgins......or maybe not.

Zoom Airlines goes into Liquidation a Week before our Holiday!!! Noooooo!! you've got to be kiddin

2008-08-29T00:01:00.007Z

How can it be, that an airliner who has successfully been running for 7 years, suddenly dies the week before we get on one of their planes?

Whats the chances eh? 1 week almost to the day

Probability of a refund from them.....nil. They have said try your credit card company. That's 2 grand to try and recoup if we can then.

The website is very apologetic though....That's nice eh!

Tonight the wife and myself were sitting down and watching the 10 o'clock news, when it came up as a headline. First thing we did was run to the computer to find out if this was true. It seems surreal that one minute we are chatting and drinking a coffee in the living room, and the next we are running about panic stricken. We chose them as they are the only carrier flying direct to San Diego. There's a definite lesson to be learnt here I think. Only use the major carriers, even if it means flying to an airport 2-3 hours from where you want to be.

Zoom.........stuff em eh!

The 3 S's, Sun, Sand and Sement (ok cement then)

2008-08-27T14:03:00.005Z

Its that time of the year, when blogging slows down. It should be because of the hot summer we are having over here, but we know that's not true. There hasn't been a summer in this country for a few years now. There's so much I wanted to accomplish this year when it got warmer, but it just didn't happen! Of course there were the odd days here and there, but most of them were during the week when I'm meant to be working. We have had one BBQ this year and that's it.

Not all hope is lost though! One project I was determined to accomplish was relandscaping my pond. Boring !!! Well I agree it probably is, but as I didn't realise I even had any fish in this pond i'd inherited, it shows how uninterested in the subject even I am. It was after living here for a month or so that a mate of mine said, "you do know you have fish in that pond, don't you?", "No your kiddin". Apparently he wasnt and I have about 5 of the hungry chappies in there. Knowing this meant I have the responsibility of making sure they have a pleasant home to live in. One that looks a bit smarter and a lot less ...green. Problem is, I don't know anything about ponds or building and I have little DIY know how too.

This didnt stop me from deciding buy a new pump for the pond and wiring it along the edge of the garden, so we could have a water fountain feature. Also I wanted to kill the old waterfall/rockery that looked like it came from the sixties. This involved a lot of clearing and shovelling, quite a few hours worth. Then the same again with the aged crazy paved edging and stones. I really didnt realise it would be so much work. Come the bank holiday Monday, this was it, I am going to have a go at bricking in my own surround for the pond. How much sand and cement do you use?? Whats the mix? I guess I could have asked a man in Wickes, but I was too scared he might laugh at me. You see as a man you are meant to know this stuff, well thats what we are led to believe. Its the same with directions in the car. If we ask for help on jobs like this men are scared that their voice will sound like a choir boys and we would lose all our body hair.

So I had to just try! And thats what i did, it even went quite well. So this summer I have one job I can smile and say i've got done. With that in mind I can now clear off to find a proper summer, I quite fancy Califonia, sun, sea, sand and......I think i'll skip the cement though.

If

2008-08-06T13:16:00.003Z

Occasionally I have been known to include a spot of poetry in my posts over these last couple of years. I'm not a soppy romantic, but I do love it when I hear or read the English language being used by a master. The best modern example is Stephen Fry, who wields the spoken word like a knight with his sword.

It was whilst visiting Bateman's, the home of Rudyard Kiplin. That I was re-acquainted with his most famous of poems, 'If'. I have included this poem below, please read through it. I believe this has a good chance of being the best piece of verse ever written. Even IF you know it well, reading it through again is worth the time.

[IF]

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

I dedicate this to my son.
I will always try my best for you
With much love
Dad

Birds and cars just dont mix

2008-07-16T14:43:00.007Z

It was after seeing a young seagull this morning when going to the 'hairdressers' to get my 6 weekly haircut. Thoughts began to connect in my brain (slowly obviously), and it involved cars. The gull looked fluffier and scruffier than a normal white gull we have down here. This was because it still had it's baby feathers, although nearly full adult size. Anyway, I digress as always. Seeing this chap reminded me of a past post about these blighter's being rats of the sky's that find pleasure in marking your car as a sign of ownership, like a cat sprays to mark it's territory. You have to get use to this fact , accepting that you are going to be washing off bird pooh forever.

I do smile though when I see the vindictive nature of these 'ownership ......patches'. (for wont of a better word) It doesn't matter how pretty or expensive your car is , when these guys decide you are the object of their obsession at that time, you are in for it! They will cover your car!! And I mean cover, I really do! To help demonstrate what I mean, whilst sitting in my car at the local retail park, I was watching one guy as he was trying all he could to clear the bird mess from his car. He had just popped in the shop for a few minutes, but believe me when I say, that by the time he returned, every panel on his new Chrysler PT Cruiser had been hit. What makes this fact even more amazing is that the other cars next to it were not touched. His face was a picture, all read and sweaty, and he couldn't believe it. Can you imagine the utter hopeless feeling he must have had at this discovery? Then realising that people were looking at you, and that you had no option but to try and clear up as best you can. I'm surprised people didnt bring benches and chairs out to watch him. Imagine the cursing that he said under his breath!! I shouldn't laugh at the poor man, but the funny thing is, I can quite see the seagulls point, the PT Cruiser is a butt ugly car!

I can assure you that I had nothing to do with the next example. My mother in laws car. Well, ive just never seen anything like it. She had half her car saturated in the seagull 'tags'. Half a car is exactly what i mean too. All of the drivers side of the car, including half of the bonnet, roof and boot were splattered. It was such a perfect job that you could have used a ruler to follow the line perfectly. I wont say I thought this was very funny as you never know who's reading this post. I can't help thinking that the gulls have got a wicked sense of humour and a definite taste in cars. They must have taken exception to my mother in laws blue Toyota Yaris, maybe it was too boring or something.

I come to the final part of this post. I recently had my car serviced at the dealership, and they gave me a loan car for the day. Maybe it was too much to ask for this to have been a Mitsubi shi Evo X or a Colt Convertable, but I never expected it would be butt ugly vehicle what is named the I-Car. I said butt ugly on purpose, because it looks just like a butt as shown in the image on the right. They said do I mind an auto? I said no, because I thought it would be some tasteful saloon car. How mistaken I was!! The reality was a small stunted abomination of a vehicle. To make it worse they had it plastered with advertising and sales details. Driving the car was embarrassing enough, but this made it unbearable. I've always fancied having a go in one of those small Smart cars, just for a laugh. After driving this similar looking machine, that desire has disappeared up itself. I hated everything about the looks,the space and the handling. If there was ever a car that needed to be splatted by the Seagulls this was it. Did they? No. Either they had been afraid to get near it, just in case it was catching, or I am miles off the mark in what is and is not, a nice looking car.

Some guys think having a flash car will help them get birds. I'm holding off buying my new Aston-Martin DB9 just in case the birds don't like it. I don't think I could take that kind of rejection.

Humour....simple is always best

2008-07-14T12:12:00.003Z

No need for it to be complicated, this just works!

Diamond Geezer

2008-06-27T11:14:00.003Z

I have long held a theory. That all of us have a bogey group, band or performer that we secretly love, but are to ashamed to admit it in public because they are cheesy or untrendy. Some of us may keep the CD's hidden behind our Pink Floyd or Deep Purple albums. We get them out and rock away to them when nobody is about. Maybe we put them in the car to play on long journeys.

It's on long journeys that my shame becomes evident. I love love love singing along to Neil Diamond's album, the Jazz Singer. 'America' stirs my emotions and I can't help stretching the vocal cords to near breaking point imagining that I am 'The Diamond'. 'Love on the Rocks' and 'Hello Again' make me floppy and smile contentedly like a baby that has just been fed and burped.

My wife was aware of my vice, and as a special for our 16th Wedding Anniversary bought tickets for us to see the man himself at the O2 Arena in London.

I was always aware that Neil (as I like to call him) has a great following of the maturer generation. I think I underestimated this fact when at the concert. I haven't felt so young since I tried to buy my first pint of beer at the age of 14. It seemed that a good 50% of those attending needed walking assistance of some kind or another. I'm surprised Stannah wasn't advertising like mad all around the venue! They'd have made a fortune with this audience. Those that were able bodied we're still of the blue rinse generation, a good 40 years my senior.

Don't think that these oldies had no life in them, because believe me when 'The Diamond' came on stage, the old ladies sprung to life. You've never seen anything like it. I reckon a good proportion of those present had pushed there hip replacement operations forward just so they were agile enough to show their object of lust a trick or two. The poor man had to keep dodging the old ladies 'Trollies'(knickers) being thrown at him. A detail I'd never experienced before was the amount of people walking about during the concert. It irritated me at first, because these old ones should be better behaved than that. Then I as I thought about it I realised these people probably had inflamed prostates and dodgy bags attached to their thighs that needed regular emptying before they exploded on those round and about. When I saw it in this context I was impressed that they lasted as long as they did between pee breaks!

Just because this was happening don't think I was too busy watching the oldies exhibiting there wares to enjoy the show myself. Let me tell you now, it would take a heartless man not too have got himself up singing along to 'Sweet Carolyn' until he's hoarse. You also have to applaud the performance and professionalism. It was a flawless. He did this all without any intermissions or breaks, just a solid 2 hours or so of the main man entertaining his audience.

Both wifey and I came away smiling. We had had a lovely afternoon and evening out together. It was an entertaining experience, that left us feeling happy on the long old journey back to the coast on the train.

So then i've been willing to bear my soul to you and admit my dodgy liking for Neil Diamond. Whilst i'm at it i'll also admit to having an obsession for The Bee Gees, and appreciation of Tom Jones and the Monkees. I can't explain or excuse these facts. I recon though i'm not the only one!! Go on share your dark secret love of a dodgy group or performer with me. Just Add a Comment, don't worry I wont tell anyone!

p.s do click the links to hear the man's music for yourself! Give into the cheese!!!

Long Man of Wilmington

2008-06-20T14:22:00.006Z

Those who have read this blog before may recall previous mentions of some of the sights in the area. One of those I always intended to check out was the 'Long Man of Wilmington', about 12 miles away on the other side of Eastbourne.

My wife and I celebrated our 16th Wedding Anniversary and thought we'd take the kids out for an adventure to see our long friend and have a picnic. Here are some photo's from the outing.

History about Longman: The lack of firm historical evidence still leaves many theories abounding about his history. Many Sussex people are convinced that he is prehistoric, other believe that he is the work of an artistic monk from the nearby Priory between the 11^th and 15^th centuries. Roman coins bearing a similar figure suggest that he belonged to the 4^th century AD and there may be plausible parallels with a helmeted figure found on Anglo-Saxon ornaments.

Click on the image to see the big chap a bit clearer as he is quite a way in the distance. This was taken at the car park where we started our trek.

As normal with these sorts of features on the landscape, pagans visit the place at certain times of the year. Although there is no evidence to show this has any connection to pagans, druids and the like. I think they just want an excuse to wail and have an unusual bbq.

There are few historical references to the Long Man The oldest was a drawing made by a surveyor named John Rowley, in 1710.

The best bit of all I guess is taking in the fabulous Sussex views. Lush vegetation as far as the eye can see.

A Natural

2008-06-10T14:39:00.004Z

You may have seen this kid before. He's a natural and only 2 years old(surely nearly 3! ha ha). Wonder what my other favourite drummer thinks. Play it all the way through. Checkout his left hand keeping good timing, kids arn't usually that good at rhythm at such a young age, some take even longer!

Snakes and Ladders

2008-06-02T14:38:00.004Z

Surprising what a Saturday afternoon doing gardening and home maintenance can turn up.

This little fella was having a snooze in the sun on a rock around my pond. I must have disturbed
it whilst weeding and clearing. I was flummoxed to what sort of snake it was, as i'd never seen anything so bronze before. The kids went and got my wife up, who was having a nice nap that afternoon. This little chap caused a right stir. I picked it up to show the kids and wife, also to show off a bit that I was hard enough to pick it up. Truth is I'd never have done it without my thick rubber gardening gloves on. It was very exciting holding it as it swayed in a snakelike fashion. I'd say it was about 40 cm in length (aka a ruler and bit in length). It has a small darting tongue like you'd expect. It was also very docile and not at all aggressive which is why I felt confident to pick it up and show it off.

A little later I was able to establish that it was in fact a slow worm , which isn't really a snake at all. Rather it is a limbless lizard. I had seen slow worms when I was younger, but the colour of this one was so bronze and the ones I had seen before were more grey. This seems to be down to the fact that our new friend is a girly slow worm!

We let her slither in a gap between rocks so she could hide and get some rest from us. It's nice though to think we have nature's friends like this in our garden, but its even nicer knowing it wasn't an Adder!

Oh btw, we also have a few frogs. I haven't been able to get close enough to see them clearly, as everytime I get anywhere near them they dive into the pond.

A good a way to go?

2008-05-28T10:23:00.006Z

It was my first time to Beachy Head, the cliffs next to the West side of Eastbourne. The views are stunning. It is probably now one of my favourite places on the South Coast near where I live.

There is a nice pub and visitor centre that are worth a look in. The visitor centre has a small museum of local interest at the back. This has displays and presentations on the local wildlife and details of historic significance about the area. This all sounds really nice and sweet doesn't it? That was until I arrive with my big feet ready to put them into my even bigger mouth.

Other people will take the place on face value and appreciate the heritage, but not me. Like serving a Pork Chop at a Bar Mitzvah, I arrive on the scene. I don't give any consideration to local sensitivities or peoples feelings, no not me. You see, Beachy Head has national fame mainly because of the amount of suicides that happen there.

Where other people might take this subject seriously, I with the sensitivity and feeling of a piece of coal can't resist going for the big one. How can I put this without making myself sound like a man with the tact of horny bull? Well I can't. I just came out with it to the man serving at the desk of the visitor centre. "So, how many cark it off the cliffs every year then?" It wasn't until the words were in the air that I realised how bad they were. The man was silent and stared at me like i'd farted in a monastery whilst the monks were in silent contemplation. To those of you that know me personally I'm sure you can imagine my useless efforts at backtracking as I try to erase my faux pas. Bumbling and rambling and stuttering , that hole getting deeper and deeper. Why is it you can't stop yourself in this situation. Best thing I could have done was turn around and walked back out.

They take this subject so seriously there that they have a full-time Chaplaincy Team to provide comfort to the potential 'cordless' bungee jumpers. These men of the cloth are supplied with their own Jeep to race to determined victims before they make their final attempt at being 'Superman' impersonator. Apparently some of those who are determined not to be stopped have to make a dash for it when the 'Collared' caped crusaders bound over the lumps and bumps on the landscape in an effort to cut them off from an appointment with the light at the end of the tunnel.

Death and suicide I know are not funny. I apologise for any offence this may give, but in true Englishman style, I find it easy to talk about sensitive things with humour. I still refer to man's 'bits' rather than the biological term as an example.

The really determined of you might still be holding out for the answer to the question. It seems that the hole digging led to the man at the desk giving up his solemn face and telling me that many sources claim it is about 20 people a year that die off Beachy Head, he was aware of double that amount this last year. The Chaplaincy are the only people who keep accurate records, but they weren't around to ask. They were probably driving about in the 4 X 4 interfering.....er I mean patrolling the area.

Beachy Head isn't a good way to go, but it is a good place to go, unless you've been feeling a little down recently that is.

Ketchup, I mean catchup

2008-05-15T12:08:00.004Z

I've noticed that most people do not post on their blog for 1 of 2 reasons. 1. They have been too busy. Or 2. they are too miserable, down or depressed.

This is for normal people mind. In my case it's reason 3. because I've been abducted by aliens and subjected to all manner of pleasant and unpleasant testing and anal probing.

This is the only way I can explain life and my disappearance from the blogging scene.

For instance, a couple of weeks ago I got locked out of my house. I knew just as I closed the front door what i'd done. I recall a half dream of my wife saying she had taken my keys as she couldn't find her's. Thats why they weren't in my coat pocket! This happens I guess. It doesn't help the feeling you get in these situations of being stupid and ridiculous. I also had another problem. It was 1.30 pm on a Monday and I work from home. I was only meant to be popping up the road to get myself some lunch and a drink. It was a relief to discover my phone was in my pocket, so I could at least make the embarrassing call to my boss to explain why I wasn't working. I knew that i'd not be getting into the house too quickly, today was the day my wife had gone up to London with the kids to some museum. I had a car I couldn't get into sitting outside the house, as again my wife had my keys. I would have been happy to have gone to Eastbourne or even Brighton for the afternoon as there was nothing else I could do. But no! no house and no car. Lack of transport limited where I could go. Oh well, never mind, they would be back by dinner time.

After excepting that this was it I realised it wasn't so bad. I had my wallet so I could always get some grub and drink. The local shop was only 10 mins away, and it was an opportunity to do some gardening, that i'd not normally get. After some dodgy unlocking of my gate, I went into the garden to the shed. I discovered a little friend, a really attractive peacock butterfly. He had been unable to get out of the shed so I helped him out. See it was worth all this just for that. My new mate showed his appreciation by letting me take some photo's of him on some flowers a little later. Here's he is.

Things were going so well, until I got a text from my wife to say she was having dinner whilst in London now, and wouldn't be back till after 8 pm. It's then I also noticed it was getting cold. I had a choice, go get some fish and chips and try to sit it out, or, see if I can pop around to one of my new friends homes when they get back from lunch. The latter is not my sort of thing at all. For a start these guys don't know me that well yet as I've only been here a year. Probably the main thing is that although I'm a sociable guy, I don't like appearing 'needy' to others. I've called out for help in the past and was let down badly, so this was an issue for me. Pride looked like it was going to get in the way, until nature decided on the solution to my problem. It was the cold and the desperate need for the toilet that made up my mind. I had to phone a friend.

I called Laurence, who only lived a few minutes away from my house. To my utter amazement, he immediately said "no problem, give me a minute to speak to the Mrs and then come over and have dinner with us". I offered to pick up my dinner from the shop, but he wouldn't have any of it! When I turned up both he and his wife said they've never seen me so sheepish. This hospitality has reaffirmed that there are genuine people in this world, who care about others. I'll try not to be such a cynic next time. Let me tell you coming into the warm again was heavenly, and the relief of using the toilet was paradise.

I've had other odd experiences lately aswell, some good and some not quite as good. Due to time I can't go into them now, i'm sure thats a relief. I have checked to make sure the probe mentioned earlier has been removed now, and there are no signs of tampering that I can see, although i'm sure my feet glow in the bed now at night, odd that. (which reminds me ....did you know a new X-Files movie is coming out this year?)

I don't want to go overboard, but......

2008-04-25T12:48:00.002Z

did any of you see the Cutting Edge program on Channel 4 last night? The title was 'Strictly Baby Fight Club'.

It was perhaps one of the most distressing programs I've seen for a while. It was about these parents that make their kids do child Thai Boxing. These kids are in the ring in organized fights from the ages of 4 or 5 in some cases.

One family take there kid to Thailand for matches as there's more money involved, but the kids do not wear any guards for protection. One father described these fights, "the Thai kids just see a foreigner in the ring and want to smash them in".

One 5 year old little girl was being obviously forced rather than willingly to fight another 6 year old girl in the ring, who had beaten her the time before. The parents were shouting at her to beat this other girl in! The father almost ridiculed the fact the little girl cried after the fight and wanted to go home and play with her dressing up stuff and tiara.

I can understand (not agree) that some kids may desire to take up boxing and like that sort of thing. It's not my style, but I can see it could provide an outlet for a kid with too much energy. This was taken much further than this and was prizefighting for infants, who were being trained to show exceptional aggression in infancy. Parents have a unique responsibility to bestow a gift to there children that will help them in life, but these parents have given the gift of violence. It has been proven time and again that Violence begets violence. Violence doesnt provide security and protection, it doesn't prepare people for love and consideration. (i'm going to have to stop now)

When we hear about abuse in the world I can't help but think that people like this are doing exactly that. They lose their rights to have children in my opinion. My feelings on this are much stronger than I wish to convey in this post as I don't want to be provocative.

Please review the program if you get a chance and i'd be interested in your opinion.
here's a couple of Youtube links to clips from this program.
Clip 1
Clip2
Clip3

I'll leave this direct quote from the Channel 4 website about the little girl of 5 i mentioned above.

As the father of a daughter in particular, Darren feels that it will help Miah to stand on her own two feet and encourage her to be able to take more care of herself when she is older.

Determined to make champions of his kids, they are encouraged to train three times a week and compete in the ring against other children. But pre-match jitters often get the better of Miah, who has to be coaxed into the ring on more than one occasion. "Every time she goes in that ring, there is always a worry she will start crying", admits Darren. But nonetheless he remains determined and ambitious.

For her next fight, Darren is taking no chances. He has 'bulked' her up so she is not at a weight disadvantage against her older opponent. Will this be enough for a win to make daddy's day or will the five-year-old, with a penchant for disco dancing and dressing up as a princess, go home empty-handed once again.

The difference 2 days can make.

2008-04-07T12:44:00.004Z

I don't plan to be another Englishman that talks too much about the weather, but I'm quite amazed at the difference 2 days makes. I'd heard snows was coming, but never thought it would hit this far south.

This was taken early Friday evening after a Fish & Chip supper down by the sea. All day had been tee-shirt weather.

Never would have thought that 2 days later on the Sunday we'd be pulling sledges through the snow. We had a stormer of a snowball fight in the park over the road, screaming and shouting with fun and laughter. When my son got too cheeky I just reminded him of some yellow snow we'd seen, that sorted him out!! ha ha

It's melting already and I can be pretty sure that by tomorrow it will be clear again.

btw - don't forget to read my previous posts if you haven't already!!!

Ashes to Ashes....

2008-04-02T12:11:00.003Z

Ashes to Ashes, Funk to funky
We know Major tom's a Junkie.......

This song has been going around my head for weeks now and I know why. It's the drama on BBC that's just finished it's first season.

Coming on the back of 'Life on Mars', which set is 1973, 'Ashes to Ashes' is based in 1981. Both shows are about police officers that are injured on duty and end up in a coma whch sends them back in time. The unusual link is that the other characters in the show are the same. (more or less) The real gem is that both shows introduce us to Gene Hunt, the straight talking, sexist, macho brother of Jack Regan. Every profane comment that comes out of his mouth is pure gold.

If I had to make a choice over which series I prefer I think i'd go with 'Ashes', just because the vibe is more upbeat and the music is much better. 'Life on Mars', reminds me too much of the 70's and how grim it was. The feeling is captured perfectly. I can almost taste the Homepride white bread and smell the dog pooh. I get reminders of walking to school with holes in my shoes and watching Big Daddy wrestling on a Saturday afternoon. Which doesn't sound all that bad I guess, but the memory seems to be set in a dirtier and greyer time in my head.

The 80's weren't perfect by any means, but choosing 1981 for 'Ashes' was a good move. It was the start of changes in peoples lives. A little less hand to mouth for many. Music was powerful and a lot of new sounds were being born out of punk. In fact i think this may have been my personal experience rather everyone else's life too. I just wish I had been that bit older in 1981, so that I could have immersed myself into the sounds of the time. I was only 10 or 11 years, which was too young to truly appreciate the innovation and rawness of music at that time. When I was shopping for music everything had gone drastically downhill. Stock, Aitken and Waterman were playing with our minds and our tastes. I think it was this that drove me to listening to old time Motown, Soul and Blues, which is as far as I could get away from the bland blended benign commercial muck of the later 80's. ( my music influences, thats for another post I think)

So i've come to a conclusion that yes I prefer Ashes, but thats more to do with my association with the time than the show itself. These shows are the most original TV drama's to grace our screens for a very long time, and because of this the producers will flog it to death until we are sick of it. I wish we had the same originality with comedy, which in my mind had its greatest decade in the 70's. I can replay some of the scenes from Christmas specials over and over in my mind without getting bored of them. (Four Candles) That my friends is a story for another time....

been making my mind up!

2008-03-31T15:44:00.002Z

Sounds very Bucks Fizz-ish I know.

I never make decisions that involve technology quickly, that and the fact is hate paying over the odds for ANYTHING. I'm almost so obsessive that i'm daring the prices to go down after I buy things. I torture myself by checking the prices for weeks after a purchase. Am I the only one that does this?? Surely there aren't others too? If i searched the internet I'd bet there a name for it even. Some phobia like post-purchasaphobia! In fact there you go I've invented it!

So anyway as it stands, I have finally made by new TV purchase. I phoned up my local Richer Sounds store in Brighton (local 45 mins away!!) and reserved a Sony Bravia which according to almost everyone I had spoken to and the professional reviews was the best. I had spent weeks comparing reviews so that I didn't get this purchase wrong, and was confident i'd done my best. Last Wednesday I went to the store and had a great shopping experience with the top notch staff there, and inevitably returned home that evening with a .......Philips! (click link to see my choice)

Why the change of mind. For a start that's typical of me. Then it comes down to one simple fact, reviews are a total waste of time and you have to decide for yourself. To me the choice was obvious when i compared products.

So my advice for the future, when making your mind up I suggest you do just that. Make YOUR mind up and ignore anyone else's. And also if you are going to buy Audio or Video go to Richer Sounds as they have the best display and the most knowledgeable staff. (and the prices are very good)

I Can't Stop Crying...........read and see why

2008-03-04T10:32:00.003Z

Crying is a powerful visual show of emmotion, but we cry for many reasons.

For instance:
- Crying because we are heartbroken or upset over a sad news.
- Chopping onions causes us to cry.
- Glare from the son, or bright lights when driving at night can do it too.
- Crying because we have been physically hurt. Like a child in the playground who has fallen off a climbing frame.
- Sobbing out of frustration.
- Then there's the crying because you are happy, tears of joy!

Well yesterday I had an occurance that other guys will relate to i'm sure. Firstly it started when the kettle stopped working, which made me feel a bit miffed as I had to use the saucepan on the stove for hot water. It was obviously the day for electricals to die as in the afternoon my son came up to my office to tell me the telly was playing up. Huff-Puff oh what have you done now and the like came from my mouth. I am convinced nobody else in my household can use anything electrical other than me. I feel I have to make a presentation to the whole family explaining how something works everytime we get a electrical appliance of any sort. I'm standing there with a flip chart explaining what a switch does on the kettle. Also how hot water only happens if you put cold water in it first.

I tried this too when we originally bought the telly. I had diagrams and practicle training sessions on the workings of the off and on button along with use of the volume control on the remote. I'll limit my comment on 'using the remote control' session to a simple nooooo you just dont get it!! This led to the type of crying known as 'sobbing out of frustration'. It has hasnt got any better since, because no matter how many times I explain how the telly works (dont get me started on the differences between composite and RGB, or switching between the Digi Box and the DVD player) 10 mins later the family are back asking the same thing over again. So having my son tell me it was up the spout brought on despair as here I go again! Anyway, immediately I can see the image on the screen jumping about like TV's did in the 70's when you hit them to fix them. Sigh....it must be a knocked out connection or something. After some basic fault checking I realised no this was the real thing the TV was broken. Here's where the crying comes into its own! First i felt a crescendo of despair, 'oh no not something else that's broken'. Then it became tears of sadness over the end of a good television and the subsequent cost of replacing it. Finally and i'm sure you fella's will relate to this, it was the tears of joy! I'm going to buy a new telly!!! I'm going to check all of the reviews and test out lots and lots of tellys to find our new one. I can only explain this feeling as like discovering that chocolate is in fact non-fattening and should be eaten twice a day for a healthy lifestyle and complexion.

So don't concern yourself about my tears, be joyful that i'm entering the world of widescreen LCD entertainment! In fact rumour has it the my darling wife thinks it would be a good idea to get Sky+ whilst we are at it too. Who am I to say no. Ok Ok the reality of all this is that i'll be explaining how it all works again to the family, but thats a small price to pay for the male equivalent to lying in a bath of creamy cadburys.

Can you hear the screams??

2008-02-20T12:08:00.003Z

I though i'd give you an update on Delmonti's condition. (in fact he has blogged from his hospital bed this morning too)

He had the hip-op on Monday morning, not to be confused with hip-hop which is a long way off for the fella I think. I believe that was all as successful as hoped. In D's own words, "they haven't put an offer in for my shoes, so thats a good sign". He was quite chirpy and chatty on Monday as the anaesthetic hadn't worn off. Needless to say that changed later in the day!

He hasn't really been able to sleep much due to the pain since the operation. Tuesday the physiotherapist had him up taking a few steps and bringing on floods of pain and a great variety of colourful words and thoughts, he certainly has a vivid imagination and vocabulary. No greater moment was this demonstrated than with the catheter removal, which produced a noteable mention in the screeming like a banshee contest. According to the nurses they hadn't heard anything like it since that famous delivery in the maternity ward of baby X, also codenamed 'Melon Head'. The mother was said to be screaming for 17 days and 14 hours AFTER the birth of the baby with the record breaking head.

I do recall mention of horse tranquilizers to beef up the morphine, but i'm not sure if that was just wishful thinking or not. I am quite happy to fund a visit from the vet if he thinks it would help. It should be a simple thing as these guys normally have to deal with moving targets.

I hope the cranky fella recovers soon, and wish him well and a super fast recovery. I've just heard he's been up on the crutches again today so thats a great sign that things are going the right way.

I was hoping to get some celebs to pop in and cheer him up, but sorry mate this was the best I could do.

With appreciation to the cheeky girls for dropping everything in their busy schedules to show consideration to the public like this.

Photo's

2008-02-12T17:13:00.000Z

Things seem more stable at the moment. The Old Fella (father in law) has after what everyone thought was going to be the end, recovered a bit. This has given us all a bit of mental and emmotional rest for now which was needed. Also it's given me a chance to post again, but i've obviously got a lot of catching up to do. Here's some photo's of things we've been up to that i'd like to share.

The kids are getting a science lesson from uncle Geoff. We had some good fun with explosions and chemical reactions that day.

Taken at Highpoint wood not far from us. We needed to get some freshair and decided on a family walk that afternoon. Kids loved it. Bit muddy though, and I made everyone except me of course take their shoes off before getting into the car. There's lots of these sorts of places to discover nearby. This is the first of many this year i'm betting. In fact this weekend we even went down to the beach and kicked the ball around and chased the waves, making ourselves wet. It was great! I can see it's about time to get the kites out again, maybe this weekend?

This was from 2 weeks back. The kids along with myself and my mate Dave went for a wonder and checked out some of the pools. It had been a sunny day but we didnt get a chance to go out till later in the day. The sun was going down and it was much colder. It's always fun and interesting walking down by the sea though. There was loads of wood along our beach from this shipwreck in Dorset. Amazing how it came as far East as this. Most of it has already been scavaged by locals, and my new decking in the garden is looking a treat. :)

Monty Python

2008-01-09T16:34:00.000Z

I wouldn't have said I have been naturally drawn to the humour of the 'Python' team in the past. My opinion was not based on knowledge. As a youth it just wasn't my thing. For a start it wasn't anything like 'The Two Ronnies', 'Morecombe and Wise' or even 'Cannon and Ball'. Also I may have been distracted by another episode of 'The A-Team'. (what you looking at fool)

As time as gone past i've realised that a lot of 'grown ups' really love Monty's humour. So, over the years, I've taken every opportunity I have to watch them and see if I can finally 'get it'!

A month ago I saw 'The Holy Grail' and this last weekend I caught 'The Meaning of Life'. In past i'd seen 'The Life of Brian', and I must admit that film was very good. You had clever people being and writing a very clever story, with a multitude of quotable scenes. That's not so true of the other films. The Grail was ok with the only highlight being the Black Knight. The rest was blah. In comparison the abomination that was 'The Meaning of Life', a dull and unfunny movie. Whatever message was trying to be conveyed was lost in a deep well of tar with rock on top, and earth, and some grass, and maybe some flowers with a cherry to garnish.

So if i'm walking down the street and a stranger asks me if I like Monty Python, I can grimace and say, "nah, not really" with good conscience.

Why have I decided to mention this?

1) Because i'm trying to write something that isnt to do with my dying father-inlaw.
2) With a serious need to cheer up, i've had Eric Idle singing 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' running through my head for the last day. In an attempt to cheer myself up. It's with this that I conclude my comments on Monty Python. This one song and scene is enough to make up for the rest! Click the photo! (pssst... click on the other links too)

we're all still here...

2007-12-26T01:38:00.000Z

Just to update those who have been concerned.

My father-in-law seems to have settled at the moment. When I say settled I mean it in a relative sense. He hasn't got any worse in the last week or so. Eating is a problem as he eats a mouthful of his dinner at best, the nursing home are providing drinks with vitamins. The doctor called to say there is the option to have an operation to feed nutrients directly to his stomach. Our 'opinion' when discussing it together, is that in this state is he's just too weak to have an operation. We did feel we had to speak to him about it and although he can be confused at times, when we discussed this matter with him he was most adamant, 'No Operation'.

Too be honest I can understand this. If he really is on his last legs, he wants to make it as confortable as possible for himself.

The other thing which has been a concern is getting his finances sorted out. Thankfully as of Friday we have had approval for 'Power of Attorney'. So we can start clearing up bills and unnecessary direct debits from his accounts. Such as his broadband and telephone with BT which is a waste of time when you can't even hold a cup properly. Also, without wanting to be morose, we can make sure his funeral insurance is up to date.

I can't help feeling that we are too young to be doing this. I feel guilty almost all of the time. Especially when I am asked to make decisions that effect someone elses life. Dealing with someone else's finances, just feels so wrong! It's like i'm rummaging through someone elses affairs, as if it was my mothers handbag! I was always taught you don't go through someones handbag or purse. These thoughts make me feel like i'm stealing. I know we arn't but thats the feeling I get.

I will add an upbeat post very soon as we have been having some fun too. Need to get a photo or two added to it first.

Thanks for caring!!

How are you doing?

2007-12-13T16:46:00.000Z

However you are, it's got to better than it is for our family. Especially my wife.

I've not had a chance till now to update my blog. Unfortuntely my father-in-law is VERY sick. He has now been moved into a nursing home, but it looks like he has had 2 more strokes recently and he's unlikely to recover. So we are now just doing all we can to arrange his affairs and to get ready for the inevitable.

I'm doing ok, its not my dad I guess. My wife is being so strong, but I'm sure thats because 'needs must' and she has no option but to get on with it. The vital thing is just to support her and listen, when she's had enough we can shed some tears together. I am very proud of her though.

Maybe thats the positive in this post! She is doing so well, and we all love her dearly and want her to know that. xx

How Old Are You?

2007-11-27T13:39:00.000Z

We have the Wii at long last!!

After having my name down for what seemed like months I got my call to pick up the console. The thing they never told me was that the price of the bundles and extras was going to be increased greatly because of Xmas! The price when I originally requested the white box of wonder was £220 for the console and ANY 2 games. The price when its a few weeks away from Christmas is £260 with ANY 2 games!! That forty quid was obviously a booking fee, or maybe it was an Overly-Eager fee, and this was the way to cool me down. Maybe i'm doing them an injustice and the extra money is going to charity, and an orange elephant did fly past my window.

That said, we love it and are getting to grips with the delights of Wii Sports, Mario Galaxy and one for Jo we even got Boogie. I must admit all of these games have got a lot of entertainment value. The kids and I love it. Belting out Cool and the Gangs Celebration or watching (not listening) whilst my daughter does the moves to some Pussy Cat Dolls song. In fact a couple of songs i've even scored a million points, which sounds a lot but i'm not sure if thats good or that the game is being charitable. I am proud though that my rendition of YMCA didn't even get me onto the scoreboard it was so bad. Wii Sports has me being thrashed by an 8 year old in bowling, and bruised black and blue by a 6 year old in boxing.

It's definately a machine to get you up and active, and great for family indoor play or party play. I can't see many true gamers being that interested as the spotty, fat, baldy fellas with no mates, will only ever get up to go to the bathroom (if they've forgotten their bottle that is) or maybe to heat up some foamy pizza.

If you are concerned that you may be a bit old to play games anymore. Then I suggest you take the Real Age TEST. This takes into consideration many factors such as lifestyle and heredity to come up with how old you really are.

I was quite pleased when I discovered my Real Age is only 33, and i've knocked 4 years off. Have a go, obviously it's a bit of a laugh and shouldn't be taken seriously......and I can make no promises etc etc......

bunch of Chickens

2007-11-22T13:14:00.000Z

It seems talking about ones families in public like I did on my last post scares people off from making any comments. Not that there is much to add to what I said. The saying goes that blood is thicker than water, which in a biological sense I accept. In an emmotional sense I don't. I have no problem in excepting my families flaws along with my own. If someone does something wrong they should get whats coming to them, family or not. Don't get me wrong I understand that there is a bond with family which cannot be replicated in other relationships....its just different and natural. If you recall my open comments about my feelings for my mother you'd see I more than understand that, and I loved her with a full, open and honest heart. That said, if I did something wrong i'd not expect my family to stand up for me. To be honest I don't think on the whole they would anyway.

This seems to be very different to many families that have a close tie. In a way I wish I felt like that too. The truth is my own family, my wife and my kids is where my loyalties stay firm.

Whats brought me to say this is that i've had a lot of people that have read my last post but have asked me privately about how we are getting on now. Let me reassure you I don't mind people commenting or sharing an opinion publicly on my blog. I'm prepared to be told i'm wrong and i'd be happy to have someone reason with me so I look at a point differently and thus change my stand.
SO be honest, be straight, share your opinion and don't be scared!!

on another note..........
Last nights Footie was a travesty against the game. England played like schoolboys. The only highlight was Beckham back in the team.(never thought i'd say that) They do say though that every cloud has a silver lining and it's now official, Steve McClaren has been sacked this morning. Personally i think they waited too long, he should have been handed his P45 after 15 minutes into the game last night.

Another rant over. Just so you know i'm quite alright and happy so no worries i'm just in a sharing mood!

I need a moan......

2007-11-14T18:02:00.000Z

Father in law has been in hospital unwell for a number of weeks. So bad that although they have decided they cannot treat him anymore, he must now go into a nursing home. Last week wifey and I went a hunting for a suitable establishment. In particular to find one of these places where people werent actually 10 minutes from death, or at least pretending to be ok-ish. Surprisingly we found one with lovely carers who actually seemed to care. (St Paul's, St Leonards)

We told the social worker and hospital about this place on Friday morning. Late Friday afternoon we get a call that he is moving in on Monday morning. This causes panic because now we have to get his flat cleared and put as much as we can into the new home.

Ok its tough going but I guess it just has to be done. Not so apparently according to my family. My own father was moving this same weekend and my family didnt seem to understand I couldn't help with that move aswell. What irritates more is that this guilt they've given me for ignoring my own father is just plain unnecessary. Moving my dad is a handful of reluctant, yet local siblings. To move my father in law down here on the coast is me and my poor wife! Guess who's doing all the heavy lifting? AAAAAAAAArrrrgggghhhh families!!!!!

I have tried to call family since to see how it went and explain it all again, but the answer so far is,"can't stop i'm too busy helping dad!!!".

Needless to say this is making me uptight! My wife is upset over her dad, and she has a lot to do with clearing up his debts and bills. We are both working like nutters, and both feeling warn out with it. Every day involves work of some sort or another and it wont stop for a few weeks yet from what I can tell.

anyway moan over .....have a nice day. I bet someone from my family actually bothers to read my blog now and this post causes a huge row!! Stuff it, at least i live near the sea!

I hate that duck!

2007-11-06T11:33:00.000Z

Keith Harris, the ventriloquist.....whatever happened to him eh? Cuddles the monkey was the better of his creations, who's main purpose was to abuse and destroy that flippin Orville. That blasted song!! Now I've thought of it I can't get it out of my head, its like that pregnant caterpillar thing that went in Chekov's ear in Star Trek - Wrath of Khan.

A past memory I have of Keith Harris with Cuddles was on a Saturday watching Seaside Special. (I'm so old!)) Cuddles was pestering him for a wee. Now, if you are sad enough to know what i'm talking about perhaps you recall this banter went on for a bit until Keith finally said, "have a wee then!", at which Cuddles replied "Weeeeeeeeeeeeee".

Just like Cuddles I want a wee too, but spelt Wii. And just like this furry fella i'm not able to have one. Stocks are out! So I'll have to just hold on and suffer the pain until I too can shout "Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii"

they're all flocking........

2007-10-19T10:11:00.000Z

When i'm talking about flocking, I don't mean the Seagulls, or as I'm currently calling them, Vindictive Giant Flying Rats. These evil flying vermin of the coast, can dump on your car (moving or not) with such pinpoint accuracy that the Airforce has invested millions in studying and copying these birds for their next round of friendly fire. Its not just the accuracy though its the ......quantity! I need a trowel to clear the car nowadays. If I didn't know better i'd have thought cows could fly, (they can't can they?) and that they had a personal vendetta against mankind.

Enough sidetracking. When I'm talking about flocking I mean the people. Bexhill may seem insignificant on a map of the British Isles, but it does seem to be the Mecca of the South Coast, drawing people from the North in droves. (well a few at least) Especially those from London and it’s suburbs. I already have friends and acquaintances that have moved down from Slough, Cheam, Crawley and Chertsey.

For example. I had been looking for months for somewhere to have a decent coffee in Bexhill. Those of you from 'up North' and other sophisticated places take these simple things for granted with your Costa's, Coffee Republic and Starbucks, but we don't have these in our little town. In fact I was convinced that they had never heard the words fresh, ground, gourmet or premium applied to coffee before. Then one Saturday whilst walking away from town with my daughter toward the railway station for a trip to Brighton. I'd just sipped and thrown away another bad coffee that must have been made with a half teaspoon of Mellow Birds, when I stumbled on a coffee shop i'd not seen before. It was called Oasis, and is situated on on the corner of St Leonards Road and Sea Road. I still hadn't had a drink and we had a long journey ahead. Would this Oasis live up to its bold claim as a sanctuary for the parched, or was it just going to be another serving of muddy water, that tastes like it came from the washing machines outlet pipe? My confidence wasn't high.

This pessimism changed to confusion, that eventually led to elation. I know that smell, yes I’ve smelt it before. It was the rich burnt coffee bean aroma that I’d almost forgotten existed. Looking at the menu on the wall and my excitement was complete. Listed wasn’t just your well known Cappuccino and Espresso, but they also had other coffee variations that only people in the know would talk about, including Americano my staple drink for a few years. It wasn’t just words either, they knew the difference between this and a regular coffee. I didn’t have the time to savour this discovery as we were on our way to the station, so I had to buy one to go. So it was not until I sat on the train that I could taste test the coffee, which I am pleased to say was perfect! The taste was as good as the aroma that proceeded it. I had finally found the Oasis for my taste buds. I’d need to investigate this place further.

This is where the point of this post comes in finally. On my return to Oasis I discover why this Coffee Shop stands out in our little town. The owners are from the London area and have moved down recently themselves. This has to be the reason why they understand good coffee. They have tasted the delights firsthand and could see a gap for providing it in Bexhill. It gets spookier than this, because whilst chatting about the coffee and how they do their own blend and are considering marketing and selling it freshly ground for people to purchase and take home, that I discovered that Simon the proprietor worked for a computer company in my old home town of Chertsey up until the last few years. We knew the same people too!! This is not all . While we are chatting a lady nearby tells us she is from Cheam!! So she too must have been on the search for a place to rest up and drink what is now Bexhill’s finest Coffee Shop.

So they are flocking down here, away from the smog and the noise. Thankfully these ones have not brought that side of civilization with them. What the owners of Oasis have brought with them is a sanctuary of the taste buds, enhancing what is already our little bit of paradise.

To Cross the Road

2007-10-10T14:54:00.000Z

Why should I feel nervous when I help someone cross the road? What have I come to, that my instinctive response when asked for kindness by a stranger is ‘what’s the scam’? What should have been a simple everyday case of humanity, made me look around for a non existent accomplice and then to feel guilt for thinking that way.

An older woman who obviously had some other ‘issues’ wanted help to cross the road in Bexhill town.

Are we really that suspicious and sceptical in the suburbs of London? I hate myself for thinking like I did. I want to thank that lady for helping me. It was her that helped me to cross the road.

Bexhill-On-Sea

2007-10-04T16:02:00.000Z

These photos were taken a couple of weeks back just before the end of summer.

This is too dark but it's the only one I have of the coastline leading to Hastings.

Its amazing what you find in the rock pools! Fish, shrimps and more.

Wrestling an octopus by the looks of it!

He's been like that for hours.

Beach to the East.

The Lifeguards house on the East side.

Taken from the cliff on the Eastern side of the seafront.

It might not be paradise here, but we love it!

I never knew that........

2007-09-25T15:08:00.000Z

Did you know that Midge Ure of Ultravox fame, was asked by Malcolm McLaren to be a Sex Pistol?

Midge also had his first appearance on Top of the Pops in 1976! He was with a Scottish band at the time called Slik. He was at that time 23 years old which makes him older than I'd have ever thought. A headsup for Delmonti on Midge Ure's performance of 'If I was', do you recognise the drummer?

Another interesting fact is that Holly Johnson of Frankie Goes to Hollywood fame is ALIVE! For some reason I thought he kicked the bucket years ago with aids or something, but I was wrong. So well done Holly!

One Hit Wonders!

2007-09-10T11:51:00.000Z

According to Wikipedia, One-Hit-Wonders in the UK are a Top 40 phenomenon. Where an artist or band produce a single hit song that brings immediate yet brief fame.

It was whilst thinking on a recent post by PT that it made me think about my favourite One-Hit-Wonders. You can't always explain why you like a particular song like this but if you are like me you often felt disappointed that the group or artist were unable to repeat the glory.

These are the ones I could think of immediately when I considered the subject. You'll notice most songs were in the 80's and the performers had mullets! I've supplied as many Youtube links as I can to help relive the these glorious tunes.

King - Love and Pride. Also they did a follow up which I prefer called Taste of Yo u r Tears but it did't get beyond no.26 in the charts so I dont count that as a hit

China Crisis - Black Man Ray

Alphaville - Big In Japan

Phyllis Nelson - Move Closer who can forget the gap in her teeth!

Tony Basil - Mickey (for some reason Youtube made me confirm my age before letting me see this video, maybe i've missed something)

Far Corporation - Stairway to Heaven (I prefer this upbeat version to Led Zep's, who never release it as a single anyway)

I'm sure i've shown my ignorance with some of these and that in fact the people involved have had huge success but never mind eh! Also i'm sure Delmonti will still be convinced I have 'Cloth Ears'.

So have you got any One Hit Wonders that have stuck with you? Where you shine a little light of remembrance for their all too brief flash of brilliance?

I would like to appologise to Altered Images, Transvision Vamp (Wendy James.....nuff said) and Billy Idol who I considered putting in this list until I went through Youtube and reminded myself of some of their other hits.....sorry.

Bird Flu.....

2007-09-07T12:21:00.000Z

Yes it has been confirmed the 'man flu' virus has mutated into the 'bird flu' virus. Witnesses have confirmed that a woman in her 30's has caught this rare strain of influenza.

Her husband a popular local member of the community, had a severe case of the worst type of illness, referred to in the medical community as 'man-flu'. Hospital officals still believe it was a miracle that brought this man from certain death. One spokesman said,"Mr {name has been removed for legal reasons} has been what we can only describe as a hero and an inspiration".

Unfortunately the story does not end there. The man's 'bird', aka 'er in doors', aka his wife, now suffers from the mutated virus. She is said to be stable and expected to make a full recovery. The Hospital spokesman mentioned earlier said that "this illness is a much weaker type of virus and that the woman should pull her socks up and stop being a moaning minnie" he then added "what do you think Lemsip is for?"

The husband was asked to comment but refused point blank saying, "if the Mrs heard me talking about this stuff to you it would be worse than 'bird-flu' for me, it would mean BSE or CJD, and you don't want to see her when she's like that!"

Man Flu.....

2007-08-30T14:05:00.000Z

I guess some insensitive people, mainly women, would say i've got a cold.

It's as simple as this, i'm dying. My head is splitting. My eyes are watering. My sinuses are painful. My nose is blocked and runny. This has got to be something serious right? Not just a cold, this is the plague or maybe even worse!!! This will show you what I mean.

So dear friends these are my parting words to you. Wish me a painless end to this cruel disease and say a prayer to ease my suffering in these last painful hours.

So long cruel and uncaring world!

A Quick One....If you could turn back time

2007-08-17T11:28:00.001Z

What would you like to go back and change and why? (keep it as abusive free as the English language allows of course)

For me I have nagging reminders of events that I did wrong and people i've been mean too. I didn't do stuff like this often but when I did it was like cutting myself down too.

Also, i'd like to the change the conversation I had with my dear old friend Sheila who said on one saturday, shall we go see your mother in hospital today? I said "no, lets go to the garden centre like i'd promised you, as i'm seeing mum tomorrow". This of course was true, but when I saw mum the next day she was dead. (i'm not hating myself for this, just disappointed...)

***Rewind***

For James

2007-08-03T10:51:00.001Z

My mate James is leaving today to go back to Uni. I thought i'd have a laugh and write a little ditty for him in the style of Purple Ronnie, here's goes......

My mate James has a brain thats bigger than a tree
He talks about clever stuff for breakfast, dinner and tea

That's alright as he's kind, funny, helpful and caring
And a big lad who could do with a girl for pairing

He likes to drink and see mates at the pub
And then all go home for a soak in his tub

It's sad to see you go, you're a flippin good friend
And even more so when I have a computer to mend!!

Famous James'

James Hunt - Racing Driver
James May - Top Gear Presenter
James Last - Musical entertainer for the mature audience
James Blunt - Rubbish modern Pop Artist

hmm can't think of anymore at the mo, maybe you can help

A little petting didn't hurt anyone....

2007-07-26T13:10:00.000Z

Let me introduce the new family pets......

Snowy the Hamster and Sparky the Guinea Pig.

These fluff balls of fun are the result of a years worth of negotiations with the children on possible new pets. Dogs, Cats, Spiders, Snakes, Rabbits and even Stick insects have all been mentioned. At long last they've given up on those ideas (spiders.....shiver), and chosen something sensible instead.

Sparky is the Guinea Pig who does nothing all day. I don't think my son realised the irony in calling her Sparky. Here's a little video of her living it wild. It takes a while before you can see her as she's hiding the little minx!

Snowy is a Hamster on a mission. He's a crazy extreme sports sort of Hamster. He'll jump to get away if he can and he's blooming fast! Speedy Gonzales wasn't a mouse but a hamster I tell you!! The video of him was taken when he was only just awake so he's not doing his normal mad dash Roadrunner style. Otherwise we'd have had to slow the film down for you! I'm not kiddin.

The pets names have been the center of some smiling between me and my wife. Snowy the hamster, was given this name before it was even seen or bought. Since then it has had a few other names including Twinkle. The problem is my daughter isn't really considering that the hamster is in fact male! Thankfully Snowy which is the 'safest' of the names is the final decision. The situation isn't much better with my sons Guinea 'Sparky' which is the name you'd give a mate you'd play football with. The other possibility is the nickname for your favourite electrician. Certainly not the first name i'd use for a female, but my boy thinks otherwise. I have to admit I'm looking forward to the interesting names of the grandchildren we'll have one day!!

.... I know, i'm it!

2007-07-19T13:41:00.000Z

PT has 'kindly' tagged me so i'm now It. He did this about a week ago but I was too comfortable to do anything about it until now.

Being tagged means someone who's meant to be a mate posts 8 facts or habits about themselves, they in turn are meant to tag a further 8 people to do the same. Unlike PT I can't tag anyone else as they have already been tagged by him.

here's my 8 things.....

1. Favourite Food Fact. I love Nandos it is the best. A Chicken with PeriPeri restaurant chain, that takes 10 mins from placing your order to being served it! This is a no fannying about place, just right in my books. I prefer to have mine medium hot and then to add some Garlic Peri Peri sauce on top. I like a bit of sauce! OH just to add to this I also love Ice Cream, a good vanilla being my favourite (not the cheap stuff) On Tuesday I ate two thirds of a tub of Ben & Jerry's Phish Food, curse Tesco's and it half price madness!!

2. Friendship Fact. My mate Kerry is very poorly and going into hospital today. She's likely to be off for at least a month. Get Well Soon !

3. Funny Habit. Delmonti on his 8 items list, said he makes shapes in the air with his foot whilst watching TV. Well I do similar, but I mainly write my name in the air with my foot.

4. Health Fact. I have had Fibromyalgia for nearly 3 years. So everything either hurts or aches all the flipping time. I just try to ignore it if I can, maybe it'll just go away - ha ha.

5. Family Habit. Every night I fill up the dishwasher and wipe the kitchen tops. Then I check all the doors and lights. I go in and see the kids who are sound asleep and make sure they are comfortable and that their lights are off, before giving them a little peck on the head and getting myself ready for bed. If I didnt do this I wouldnt be able to sleep at night!

6. Blast from the past Fact. My school mate Lucie Sheargold (maiden name) has got in touch with me through friendsreunited, after 20 years. We went to the Ashcombe School together in Dorking. Lucie was always a straight talker, which still is a characteristic I like in people, including myself.

7. Sport Fact. Tennis is my favourite sport. I havent been able to play for a few years, but i'm determined to get back to it next year! Sports like Footy are lower down my list and I enjoy them when with others rather than as a personal passion.

8. Music Fact. I have been asked if i'd like to have a go at singing with a local band that playes Blues and good old fashioned Rhythm & Blues. This is a dream come true, and I know I can do it. BUT, I'm so scared I turned it down. People who know me might find it hard to believe that I suffer in the nerves department, but I do. I wish I'd done more singing in public when I was a kid. In those days I had a voice like an angel and confidence by the bucket load. It annoys me more than you can know that i'm like this.

A Year On.......

2007-07-09T14:13:00.000Z

It's been a year today (9th July) since my mum died. I don't want to make a annual big deal of it because I think its unnecessary to make anniversaries of the harsh events in life. Its not yearly that I think about her anyway, but rather everyday.

I have been wondering what have I accomplished this year and have I learnt anything or improved as a person.

I certainly had to wake out of a self indulgent mood I had been suf fering early in 2006. It made me think a lot more about where I was brought up, and about my relationship with my family and my children. You've got to always appreciate what you have!

The other thing of course is that I got the push I needed to go through with the move out of Surrey and into East Sussex. I think it was Jane Marple that always said you could learn a lot about human nature within a village. Well I think the move to Bexhill has certainly opened up a diverse menagerie of human character and nature.

So all in all the year has been a good one, except at the start. I believe I have made more progress in my journey in life, I have greater empathy and understanding with those who have lost loved ones. Also as a family we are doing darn good. As the saying goes every cloud has a silver lining. (the weather had to get in their somewhere!)

Some photos i want to share of my mums garden, it may not be anything special to look at but it was her special place. I took these when I visited my father last Thursday.

I know I'm no photographer, and using a cameraphone doesn't help, but thats not really the purpose of these photos.

It's positive thoughts........

....and loving memories.

It never rains but it pours.......

2007-07-03T22:38:00.000Z

It never rains but it pours, I don't think this saying is meant to have such a literal application?

If you are anything like me you'll have had enough of the rain by now!! I just want to get out and enjoy the lovely Sussex surroundings. The few times its dried up I've been inconveniently doing something else, like working.

I live in the UK surely I should be use to it? Not in July I'm not!! June too, can you believe how wet its been. I'm almost considering building the Ark and getting the hamster in there ready.

An argument that might be used is that it is Wimbledon and it always rains during Wimbledon. This is very true, but I bet even Wimbledon didn't think they'd be dealing with hailstones in the UK. I tell you hailstones might be handy if Cliff Richard starts his old shenanigans again at the tournament. Also a spot of carefully directed lightening might come in handy if he breaks into Bachelor Boy or Living Doll! Unless he has the young ones with him then its allowed!

I guess you get the idea that I'm a bit miffed at the moment. I think what has brought this on is that I've caught a flu of some kind that has made me spend most of the last few days in bed. I'm on pain killers to help with the additional pains I'm getting from it in my legs, feet, arms, back and chest.

But what would you expect eh? As they say, It never rains but it pours!

results...........

2007-06-15T11:51:00.000Z

No its not the footy back on again. This is to update you on what we did for our anniversary, and what i decided on after much deliberation for a gift.

Taking onboard a little of what you had suggested on the last post here's the results.

Initially I must say that Jo's suggestion of a box of her favourite things was a great idea. But! I couldnt get past a copy of Hello magazine and a Cadburys Twirl chocolate bar as things i'd know she'd like. Does that make me a bad man?

So I did the best i could do in the circumstances and went to have a look around the shops in Eastbourne. I looked at craft things. I looked at books, be it novel, biographies or factual and historical until I went crossed eyed. Smiths thats normally a good place, maybe some attractive stationery, but that has no passion!

Eventually I went to Past Times, which isnt a normal blokey shop but I must say if you are stuck for ideas it's worth a look. When you get past the throw cushions and sickening smell of pot pouree if has some nice little bits. It was here I stumbled over my eventual idea. I was looking at the unusual jewellery, which in my book is always over priced, and I saw a round locket with a Celtic Design. I didnt buy the locket but it made me think a locket might be a nice idea. Its not my wifes normal fare but with a couple of pictures of me and the kids she'd like it! So thats what I did, I found a nice locket. Even though I had previously said that I wasnt keen on buying jewelery.

Its a funny thing though, almost a law or rule unto itself, that if you choose and purchase one thing, suddenly you see a hundred of other ideas. I had to battle with myself not to buy much more. In fact I purchased a small box of hand made chocolates personally chosen and beautifully decorated, but thats it! Thats if you don't include the fine meal I cooked for her along with wines and cheeses. Main Course was an Indonesian Prawn dish, similar to a mild curry, bursting with flavour from the fresh corriander. Then we watched a soppy flick called 'Music and Lyrics', not my normal fare but appropriate for the occassion.

The anniversary was Wednesday and i'm pleased how it went. Its Friday today and my mother-in-law is down to stay and gonna babysit for us. So we are off out tonight for a meal in a Thai restaurant not far away in the village of Little Common, within the area of Bexhill.

Thats that, thought you might be interested and have supplied some rather poor photo's so you can see what i was talking about.

thanks for the help! have a drink on me!

I need your help............its life or death

2007-06-04T10:18:00.000Z

You'll understand the urgency when I explain to you its our 15th (yes I was a child bride) Wedding Anniversary in less than 2 weeks!! I want to get my wife a present, but need some ideas.

With the big move to Bexhill we have decided although 15 years is a decent milestone in our marriage we dont have the resources to go to town with our celebrations, such as a party. I plan for us still to go for a nice dinner out together, but finding a good restaurant in an unfamiliar area is a problem. I'm randomly approaching 'locals' pretending to be a market researcher in an endeavour to solve where too eat. I'm sure i'll work it out. There is always KFC!

Its this present quandry that is muffling the activities of the grey cells. I want it to be something that will make her go ahhh and smile. I'm not talking about mega expensive here. In the past I bought her a white gold diamond solitare and so jewelery unless something really unusual and beautiful (and much cheaper than that ring) wouldnt be on the list. I have given her CD's and books, beauty treatments, perfume and smellies in the past but I want to do something else. Underware and chocolates have been done in the past too, but I don't really think they are my darlings 'thing' at the moment.

So I throw myself on your mercy and ask if you have any ideas?
What about gifts you have given in the past that had a good reaction? Or, maybe you received something that you always cherish or at least thought it was particularly sweet?