It was 8 years ago today when my life turned upside down. We met in the Lambretta club of GB chatroom and it went from there. We've had loads more up's than down's well in my opionion anyway.
The thing with boring night shifts is that you get far too much time to think about things. There isn't a day go by when I don't think about the impact my decision had on my children but after hearing yesterday about one of my workmates going to see a specialist after the local hospital couldn't find anything wrong only to be told he has days to live you start to think as my tattoo says you're a long time dead.
Well this was going to be a long post but I think I've said in two paragraphs what I wanted to say. I'll just add if I'd got the same news I could honestly say I've had a scream, thanks to everyone that makes life so much fun for me. Xxx
Oh and I never did get that Lambretta on the road!

Pass me the pies.

I've been trying to get my camera geek buddy out for a few weeks to take some snaps. When I was on the train to London the other week I went past a site that looked like it would be good to go and explore. I sent him a text and we got together today. We had plan A the site near the railway, we might still go to do that one. Or plan B HMS Ganges at Shotley. We decided on plan B. When we got to Ganges we were surprised to see the gates open. We drove through and found it was fenced off all the way from the gates down to the marina. 8' high and all bolted together. Behind the fence was a white BMW which we took as being the security mans car. So we turned round at the bottom and headed back to the gate to park and have a mooch around. We found one bit of fence that looked promising, I got stuck and nearly ripped my coat on the barbed wire. Try again. After getting back to the car we drove toward another bit of the perimiter fence. This had a track running alone side it. We tried another couple of times to get in only to get to the other side and find no way through the undergrowth. A little bit further and we were in.
First we found the bar but it wasn't looking good without a ladder or crow bar. We weren't going to do any damage just get in where others had done in the past. After giving up on the bar we went in search of the swimming pool. or the dorms or anything we could get in.
Well we enjoyed our couple of hours looking at where proper urbex guys would of got through and decided it was time for some dry clothes and a cup of cocoa. We did manage to get into two storerooms, so the day wasn't really wasted...
I'm off to find a website and be a couch urban explorer.

I got told off again last night... Bad bloggers.

Well I had a lovely time in London with Sophie last Tuesday, our trips to London never go quite to plan. Started off well but got to Natural history museum and saw the queue stretching right round the building and thought sod the dinosaurs lets do plan B... Off we went to the V&A to see Vivian Westwood's shoes. they weren't there but we did see some huge casts, some photos and a crackin 70's suit in an orange colour.
We did speed viewing of portraits in the national gallery and a wander round the lions in the square. Food was crap at Planet Hollywood but we paid with vouchers so it wasn't too painful.
We wandered down Carnaby street and Oxford street but best of all was just spending time with my littlest girl.

Wednesday we took years of saved up pennies and 2's to the amusements at Felixstowe and had a walk down the prom with our little doggie. I was using a 1960's camera when a couple stoped and told me all about the photos he'd taken with the same camera. It's good to talk!

Thursday was spent mostly carving a death star, 8-9 hours of work went into that. We managed to get a table at Pizza Express in the evening after Pretso said they were full, then back to finish off the star.

Friday we had an early start dropping the boys off at Dads then onto Birmingham with Sophie to catch her train back t'up North.
We then went to Wales to visit Mum, Dad had booked a weekend away. We must of passed as he went to Birmingham we came out. It wasn't until we got to Elan and the new house that we were told about the local pub burning down a year before... I wonder why they kept that quiet... The new house is beautiful but I can't understand why they don't just retire and enjoy their time together. Don't worry about leaving property for your off spring, I won't be leaving anything for mine... Well maybe enough for a party!

Saturday morning and we headed off to Swansea for JR and Miss Chrlies wedding. See flickr for all the photos. A great day with good friends and who else gives a death star for a wedding present? Well that and a few 2 pint take out cartons...

Promise to try to blog more daughter...

I was trying to tell Mum on the phone about what I'm going to do with the stencil I was making, but had to go and let Donna into the garage.
I'm going to spray 5 of these on my scooter to mark the passing of £100's on new pistons through thrashing the pink beast. I'll post of photo of the scooter tomorrow.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking on this day of celebrating my birth.
My earliest memories are walking to a chemist in Leeds with Mum and looking into the counter at the end of the shop and lusting after a Mars bar(remember when Mars had the thickest chocolate on the top and were much bigger) and seeing Polo mints for 2p a packet.
Getting taken for a walk with a neighbour and her poodle in Roundhey Park? Leeds only to get home and Mum was in bed with a baby. The lady that took us for the walk wouldn’t say why we had to go to the park and wouldn’t push me high enough on the swings.
Getting pulled out of a nursery school classroom by the ear by the teacher for putting conkers in my pocket. They were the most beautiful things I’d ever seen, so smooth and shiney, the patterns were amazing, I wanted to take them home from school and look at them forever.
Getting taken to a Roman Catholic Church in Leeds not wanting to sing and then being amazed when two teenage girls came in and the Father stopped whatever boring rubbish he was doing turning round and shouting at the girls for coming in late. I thought I’d never want to go there again.
Having a nightmare one night when again it goes back to the RC Church we were sent to an RC school run by evil Nuns my nightmare was that I went to the toilet and I was the only boy that still pulled my trousers down to pee all the other boys laughed because they all pulled their winkies out from the bottom of their shorts. How could they ever expect me to believe that God is all things good when his reps weren’t the nicest people on earth?
Having the best junior school in the world when we moved from the leaky old building with outside toilets to the new school and getting Miss Caunce as my teacher in Halton, Runcorn Cheshire. Also having the best time in the world when we were on holidays messing about in the woods and fields and even better still building sites. What a place to play! Kids miss out on so much these days. It never did us any harm… Well apart from my brother getting the top of his finger chopped off when a piece of concrete that we were playing in moved!
Holidays in Tenby and Nanas extra thin bread, Grandads Vespa to sit on in the garage and play. Being able to climb on ruined castles without people worrying that if you fell you’d sue their arses off.
Not enjoying school in Richmond but enjoying working with my Dad when the shop was shut or out in the delivery area when it was open.
Thanking the Gods when my Dad asked his record department manager if he could listen to some of that Punk music that was new on the scene and bringing home “In the city” by The Jam. Dad didn’t think much of it… I was hooked.
Overnight becoming a Punk and not knowing that Mum knew I took the dog’s collar!
Overnight turning into a MOD.
Going on my first scooter rally, well I was there when by chance it was the same weekend as a scooter rally in Keswick Cumbria. I was amazed at all the bikes. I wanted one so much.
Starting my love affair with beer.
Overnight ditching the parka and becoming a scooterboy.
Thinking that my girlfriend (Tracey) was pregnant at 15 and thinking I would take care of it. He/she would have been nearly 30 now! She wasn’t but I’d really wanted her to be.
Having friends like Mick Cain and knowing now that if I saw him today we’d still be friends and not bother about not hearing from each other for 10 years+
Now we get to what seems like yesterday and the birth of my crackin kids. Fighting back the tears when I rang Mum & Dad to say it’s a boy.
The day Sam turned from Mummies girl into Daddies girl when Sharon started work.
Katie never getting moody or falling out with me.
Getting the call to go straight home from my newspaper job because Sophie was on her way, I finished my round went back to the yard and sorted some papers and mags out for myself and having the manager saying “Fuck me if this doesn’t get you moving I never will!” You didn’t come out for ages Sophie, no need to rush!
Meeting Donna and my life never being the same again. Regaining my youth and starting my mid life crisis tour of the world and seaside towns for rallies.

All this and never once did I think I’d ever get to the age of 44. Never once have I acted my age. When I was 15-16 getting asked what I thought I wanted to do with my life and not knowing the answer.
Well I’ve got this far without knowing and I’ve had a damned good laugh, so I think I’ll just carry on and bugger what they think.
Viva La Revolution and mine’s a pint of Mild.

I was offered the chance to have a day working as a stevedore or as we call them berth op. One of the safety office people thought it would be good for the union to have first hand knowledge of a little part of their work routine. At first I thought bugger that I'm not working for a living! Then I thought no conquer your fears and have a go. So I did. Luckily doing this got me off doing a full night shift but did mean getting to work for 11.30. When I got there I went to the stores for overalls then to the union office to meet up.
The day started with a little safety talk and a slide show. I'd always thought that on board these vessels it was spotless and in tip top working order. How wrong was I, most of the vessels especially if they've been working on routes in the third world are rust buckets and not in the least bit safe. Non existent walkways, safety railings rusted and missing, pieces of 4"x2" used for leaning out on to fasten lashing bars. The list goes on.
Anyway after a bit of a chat about this and other things we had a quick practice at the training area then onto the quay. We were taken then to the biggest vessel on the quay, and one of the better ones. I took one look at how high it was from the quay and thought right get on with it. Don't even think about the height. Going up the gangplank was fine, it was climbing about 25' straight up a ladder onto one of the working platforms that I wasn't too sure about... 3/4 of the way up I thought I don't like this. I was glad when I got to the top and the guy I was working with (another union bod) was even worse than me. He wouldn't let go of the hand rails. After doing a couple of bits of lashing I took a walk over to the far side of the boat. Bloody hell it was a long way down to the river!
After the good boat we took a drive down the quay to a crappy one. What a difference. limited workspace, crap conditions, dirty,smelly again the list goes on.
I was up for doing a bit more and seeing more of sea side working but our safety man had other things to do so it was back to the union office for me.
I've got a lot more respect for the stevedores now that I know what they have to put up with. But working for a living... Give me back my tug!