God Is Dead

Bile alert this isn't going to be a happy blog!

I'm not interested in celebrities, musicians and actors, I don't know them and although it may seem heartless, I really don't give a shit, their families can grieve for them, but not me I'm not upset for them I'm upset for all the good people I know are going through a mountain of crap day after day! I don't know them I don't travel in their circles, the people who I care about are the ones in my immediate circle, my wife my children my grandchildren and my friends, I'm sick of good people being hurt and being put through the mill, and if just one more person says "its gods plan" I will stab the fuckers ! My grandson was two you shitheads what was the plan there? my wife has been in pain since I met her yet she soldiers on with crap days and bad days there's not much that's good in there I can tell you, my best friend's are put through hell because she has a stroke at such a young age and he loves his wife enough to want to care, and the government roll the dice and laugh in there faces because they played by their rules and had the carpet pulled from underneath the at every opportunity.

In my anger I just want to go howl at the moon at the inability of the universe to play fair! why cant the killers and molesters and all the evil shits that are out there, why can't they be dealt the shit hand? why cant they suffer? why do there have to be victims and suffering? why do good honest people have to suffer? I'm sick of all the crap things happening to good people, I wish there was more I could to help I feel so helpless towards life, I feel helpless that I can't do more for my wife my friends or my grandson, did I mention he was two, god help god when I finally meet him we have some things to discuss, heap all the crap you want on me I will roll with the punches and take whatever I need to but why the fuck do good people have to suffer all the time?

I have to blog and blog now as I can feel the anger rising with the anger comes the negativity (go figure) as I get older I expect to be infirm I expect the ill health, but at least let some people have a chance at life, why do you have to hit people at such an early age, the negativity will bleed into my very soul over the next few days, I'm amazed at how people bend and flow with the universe and everything that goes with it, I do wish I could do more to help the people in my life, this hasn't been done for numbers this has been done for me and the need to vent, until the next time!

Dear Friends

Best intentions stumbled at the first hurdle, well actually they didn't I just got lazy, I'm having some holiday, yes more holiday, actually time I hadn't taken from last year can you believe that? no neither can I!

The last blog has settled into usual numbers (for a normal blog) and I wanted to avoid the feeding frenzy of Lemmy and David Bowies deaths, I was never a huge of either artist, I doubt I would turn anything off by either artist, but I wasn't a flag waving fan of either artist either! the national grieving should just be about done now so I thought I would put my head back up above the parapet and move life along.

There is no great plan for this week although the wife does have a couple of hospital appointments that I shall be offering her some support (yes I know she is scrapping the bottom of the barrel) I just have been doing some writing and reading (funny I know that the blog is late) I like to try and have a groove to what I'm writing and although none of it has been discarded its not sitting right with me so back to the drawing board for the time being!

The title as always is indeed a song title hopefully easier than the last one as nobody (out of the seven people who attempted) got Grace Slick, and I have to admit I have been listening to a fair bit of this artist over the Christmas period after being reminded (not that I needed reminding) how fab their music was and it also reminded me of the string of friendships forged so long ago, many people who I miss (don't worry they are all still alive) but I doubt that they give me or others a second thought, I'm talking about school friends, people who we spent so much time with, but with the passage of time we wandered wherever the tides took us, a couple of people who I went to school with from the first day to the last day, I wonder how they are doing I wonder how their families are, people who at the time meant everything, girls I went out with and still became friends with afterwards not many admittedly but still you get the picture,  I have been back in my home town nearly 13 years and have barely seen anybody I know. now I know peeps moved on (and my appearance is so different from when I was last here) some have even died, so does this mean I was a whinging git that they were glad to see the back of, more than likely, we had some really good times, great parties, great music and hardly any fallings out, we played hard but that's what friends do, now I'm not being all weepy and saying lets all meet up, times move on as do people, that doesn't mean that I can't reminisce about those people who helped me through my teenage years, those really were the good times.

The friends I have now only one or two of them are from my time in Gimpsville and like me they moved away, unfortunately I came back, I love the place but as I keep saying I don't know anybody, I am still trying to kick start my life into a good forward motion, rather than ticking over in a sea of isolation, one or two people keep saying that we should go for a pint it hasn't happened yet but I don't mind we all have lives to lead, this is primarily what has brought all these memories flooding back, my current friends The South Shields Massive, all of the wife's friends (and there are millions of them) all the people who are in my gravitational pull they all mean so much to me and its only now that I understand that everybody has a place in the universe we call life.(god I sound like Jon Anderson)

The next blog will be here sooner than you think and it depends which one perks up the most they are all  historical but I need them to be hysterical, in a good way, best foot forward and all that jazz, I don't think anybody needs to panic (just yet I need to check with my lawyers first) I have the choice of a couple of gigs that are worth writing about, or even about the Mayfair or Walkers or WR's lets see where the groove takes me as I'm not sure (as I get a massive influx of emails from people going NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO) what I want to do, its funny how things that happened (good things as well as the crap stuff) can influence life, the universe and everything, its more than 30 years since I left school but the friends I made they are not very far from my brains and if you remember in the last blog I said I have started dreaming again well most of the people I went to school with float in and out on a regular basis.

I was being super careful about what I write as the wife used to be super critical of everything I wrote, in a good way however it appears I have hit the boring button, so she has taken to skimming the first paragraph and if its not interesting she ignores, I wrote a heartfelt blog to her the other week (emotional rescue) and she didn't even read it ah well prepare for fireworks lol. the rest of the week is more of the same I'm in lazy mode so more writing more reading because I know what's waiting for me when I go back, so enjoy keep spreading the disease and until then Toodles!

Dreams

Moving swiftly along with the new year, here's a new blog for you!

I have being experiencing dreams since my CBT course has been completed and I find it wonderful in a strange kind of way, now for the last 30 + years I have endured the same six minutes over and over again every single night, very occasionally a dream breaks through that is so strong and distorted I wake up not distressed, but all over the place, now I have not started to dream straight away and occasionally I still dream of those same six minutes (usually muted and playing somewhere off in the back ground) but over the last eighteen months my dreams have started to flow like a river into my unwaking thoughts.

Now I have no intention of spilling the beans on these dreams, and no there are no sex dreams amongst them, but I dream about people I know, again nothing strange just run of the mill stuff with people I have a connection with, but not day to day contact with, all upside down, I sometimes sit and wonder when I wake up,what the hell they all mean and is this how other people dream?

I'm not complaining it just can be exhausting at times, again is it just me or am I really nuts (who me lol) this is exhausting in a different kind of way and with the best intention in the last eighteen months, I think I have only had a couple of bad nights sleep, so lets hope for it to continue, but please a little less like Alice through the looking glass and a little more like.................erm I'm not sure!

Thanks for all the great support over the last eight months, times have been crap, but I think most of you guessed that, So here we go with the best will in the world, best foot forward and all that, lets see if we can beat 15000 readers for the blogs this year, I know its going to be difficult, but you know what if it helps pull me out of my funk well lets give it a go, triple digits is the aim for every blog some will be historical and some will be spur of the moment ones,lets see which do better the longer or the shorter ones?

So here we go all aboard keep spreading the disease, the name game will always be in play (its funny how only peeps from Scandinavia seem to want to join in, well those who try anyway even Nils got the last one, whatever is the world coming the last blog was 280 and so far I think Nils has got six correct, its the taking part that matters most so watch the skies for incoming my intention is too beat last years publication I want 52 as opposed to 33, until the next one Toodles!

We'll Burn The Sky

I had to change the pace of the blogs, life had been shit and I really didn’t want to infect the blogs any more than I had, so I drew a line in the sand and I took a stand. My intention is to stand and fight and if I have to I will take life and its four horsemen down with me, together me and the wife intend to Burn the sky (hence the title and yes the name game is very much in play).

I was happy that I had blogged and had got it out of the way, but I was running on empty and the vapours were not something I wanted to smell, something was rotten and for once it wasn’t me, but life itself, and for once I wasn’t going to be beaten, I had a cunning plan and I intended to put it into operation. Thankfully I was back to work and even that wasn’t cutting the mustard, well that’s not exactly true, it was, but I was listless, the days were just bleeding into each other, each day becoming just a mind numbingly boring slog, even coming through the front door to see our hell hound bouncing about because he’s happy to see me (WTF) didn’t kick start the motor of life, but at least there was a spark, that at least was something, I’m not used to being the centre of attention, ha go figure.

I had yet another Dr’s appointment actually it was meant to be with the practise nurse I started to panic when I saw a Dr sat in the room (oh dear now what?) as it happens   it wasn’t as bad as I thought, the super tanker that is me is slowly but gradually being pulled back on course, I was presented with a new medication (that was to have ramifications more of that later) I thought they were going to just call me fat! however I had lost some weight (again WTF!) nothing over the top but certainly baby steps,  the worrying thing was the fact that my test results for my heart weren’t back (I did try to tell them I didn’t have one!) ah well I have another appointment soon so maybe that will present me with some better news, back to more work and sometimes the wife is on her duty shift on a late shift and it would appear I have become accustomed to sitting in the dark at home, now not in a miserable or miserly well (well actually I’m not sure on the last part) I have used the cover of dark to sit and try and have a working plan for life in general and it has seemed to work (so far) it might not be perfect, but I’m getting there, baby steps boys and girls baby steps!

I have also spoken to the youngest on the odd occasion usually about food and how to cook something (seeing as how I’m the home Marco Pierre White……cough splutter not!) it’s nice to make contact even if for a little while, as I keep saying the world keeps turning and she is growing and starting to spread her wings, she is no longer our little girl anymore (try telling the wife that) for once it appears I am thinking of myself and giving myself some space, funny how that works, I need to be careful I might get to like it!

Again back to work and the 17^th audit of the year thankfully the last one that is aimed at specifically me, not that I mind, my average is sitting at 96% I know I’m doing something right, if I’m not that’s what the audit is for, so unlike other people I never panic about an audit especially when the nearest person on the audit trail has a 71% rate (oh dear) I’m not perfect but I always try my best. Thankfully it is helping me come back to an even keel! Hopefully as you read this that you might realise I’m getting better, I’m not “happy” or “fixed” but I am fighting the good fight. Some people are having some very heavy times in their lives, I hope I can offer them the support that they have offered me over the last couple of months, this year has been decidedly shit for friends and family through sickness and health, Life will win in the end (it always does) I just have no intention of giving in or of going quietly (that’s the new me go figure) music has as always been helping and I have been playing even more music (if that is even possible) but it’s always the classics, but what the hell, I’m having fun with the stuff that I’m listening to and that’s what music has always been about!

We had a jolly jaunt to take the youngest some food supplies at Uni, I checked the weather forecast, “there’s going to be some rain but we should be OK” famous last words a journey that takes just over 70 minutes one way took a little over 150 minutes (you do the math) to get there, we didn’t stay long because of the condition of the rain soaked roads on the way there, but it took us over 390 minutes to get back with many diversions and downed trees with a smattering of drowned policemen doing a valiant task of getting us on our way home, the worst weather we have driven through, my hearts go out to the people in Cumbria and all of the support people who endured though that long night.

The next day although we were drained we had arranged to go and see G & E, who because of our situation we felt that we had neglected them, we simply hadn’t been the best company and G had enough on his plate without us adding to it, we even turned up on time ………..well for us, within ten minutes of the arranged time, we set off to The Rattler and had a wonderful Sunday lunch, but as always it ended way too soon, the previous days adventures were taking the toll, the wife had pulled something (ooo er missus) and was struggling with her breathing, we came home after a lovely meal (and even better company) like the old couple that we are and snuggled on the settee with the hell hound at our feet.

The following days have moved on at a swift pace, back to work and a brief respite with SMOR and his good lady, Whitesnake hit the toon and we were hooked up with brilliant seats (thanks man) and passes for the after show, we missed Black Star Riders (on purpose) after seeing them a half a dozen times in 18 months we wanted the company of a likeminded lunatic ( I can hear him now shouting “how very dare you”) we watched the band (no review I enjoyed it, I know I was surprised as much as you the reader hahaha  end of story) met with some peeps and missed loads more, we then headed out as Def Leppard were getting arrested for throwing a bag of cats down some stairs ………………..oh no I mean as Joe Elliott started singing, to be honest the last time I saw a full Leppard concert the drummer had two arms (High and Dry Tour if you were interested)  they have done some nice stuff, they just don’t interest me enough to want to watch them, good luck if you want to but no thanks for me.

The next day I was Duty Dog, I know me in in charge of a billion-pound shopping centre, it frightens me as well, well not as much as it used to. It’s a long shift which I usually while a way dealing with stupid people who should not be allowed out of the house, never mind their street without a carer! A quick turnaround after a late night does not make me a happy camper, but I got through the day painlessly and without killing or maiming anybody, a low profile was the order of the day, once home with the wife back indoors we were soon ensconced watching all the crap on the TV that we had recorded but not watched, I made a killer sweet and sour chicken meal and then we drifted off into a TV stupor, then we climbed up the wooden hill as we were returning to Carlisle to pick up our youngest and bringing her home so she can serve in servitude over Christmas or something similar, that sounds so wrong written but it still strikes my funny bone over and over again , mind you as I pull this particular funny out, I discovered that so far all university has done is to teach my youngest how to drop the F-Bomb with monotonous regularity………..go figure my tax pounds working for the good of the country, but as always I get ahead of myself!

We were able to drag ourselves from our pit at a silly time (I was going to say at the crack of dawn but the wife kept asking who the hell is Dawn?) of the morning at a time when darkness still ruled (I know its December I was trying to paint a picture) and headed westwards as more heavy weather was heading into Cumbria and we didn’t want a repeat of the previous weekend, the wife still wasn’t well, ongoing health issues no not me, mind you I do believe I am the perfect tonic! So I was concerned for her, we got there in record time announcing to the youngest that the eagle had landed, we were like UN peacekeepers going to get refugees out of a war torn country once on board we got the hell out of dodge with Charlie firing all they had at our Chinook……………………. hang on I’m having Vietnam flashbacks for some reason! We got out ahead of the bad weather although we could see it coming in, at the half way point we stopped at a Little Chef for second breakfast (well we were hungry Hobbits) the weather caught up with us and it was a steady downpour as we crawled back into Gimpsville, stopping briefly to pick up the hell hound (who the Kraken was looking after just in case that there was a repeat of last week’s debacle) we headed the last stretch with a hell hound going mental as he was really happy to see the youngest, the wife was working up a head of steam as she thought she was going to have parking issues (don’t ask, we could live miles from anybody and she would still get annoyed bless her…………..it’s good she has a hobby so to speak!) thankfully there was a spot and we gratefully retreated indoors before the snow arrived!

As it happens the snow kept falling, I took great pleasure in resumption of my kitchen duties and cooked for the family, and yes still it snowed then just as we were getting ready to snooze (I mean watch TV) the was a knock at the door (ok it was the doorbell, but the doorbell ringing just wasn’t as dramatic as it needed to be) it was keeper of the royal hounds and his good lady wife what a surprise, the whole of Gimpsville covered in snow and they had travelled all the way from sunny Shields to see “real snow” a wonderful surprise as we don’t get many visitors (let’s be honest who the hell visits Gimpsville especially in winter) as always with any visit it was over way too soon and they had to fight their way back to the land of the living (well sort of). Sunday was exactly what a Sunday should be, nice and quiet Monday was a return to work with some worrying problems, my new tablets were stating to give my kidneys problems and I was considering to stop taking them, then the flood gates opened quite literally, damn I had to be quick and there was (and as I type) still a few issues, tablets stopped being taken unfortunately I was told that wasn’t going to be the answer as it would take roughly the same length of time to flush them out of my system (damn that’s nearly ten days, I’m on day eight as I sit here) Tuesday was even worse, not funny and then there was the burning as well, I’m a bloke I’m crap at being poorly the wife was as always an angel of devotion (at least she didn’t say suck it up buttercup)I struggled on and at times I felt I was stuck in a pension queue at the post office, once home I tended to crawl into my spot on the settee, just me and the wife (as the youngest had been dragged off to the Kraken’s Lair) we were watching a programme (I can’t even remember what now) and it was describing the effects of PTSD, and wallop I was blindsided, thankfully it didn’t last long, I was more than impressed in how I dealt with the attack, the wife helped, but the black cloud ran away with its tail tucked between its legs, that’s a good sign although at the time it wasn’t.

The week progressed with major fallouts and an attempt on the Krakens life, I won’t be going into details simply because I wasn’t at either incident mind you if I had been for the falling out, I do believe the police might have been called to cart me off, I’m not a happy bunny some people (including Family) are a waste of skin. The week crawled towards the weekend not before the pit stop at the quacks, only for him to tell me that my heart is fine (WTF) and I’m doing all the good things for my other problem and to keep it up. Friday arrived and I came home as the wife went out to work I didn’t even turn on any electrical device I simply sat in the dark and brooded, again it wasn’t all good but it did get better, thankfully by the time the wife got home I had put the side lights on and was at least “cheery” I think it was the continuous running backwards and forwards to the loo that had me down, but the new me dusted myself off and I got on with it and I didn’t mind not being connected to that other world you know “the internet”!

Saturday came and I was duty dog again and it was funny watching people who didn’t get the bus go pale when they realise how much it is to get “public transport” ah well I hope you enjoy your Christmas parties later on in the day, I didn’t attend mine although I have been on an upward turn I still wasn’t anywhere ready for some social interaction, I was a good boy and came home and enjoyed an evening of Queen taped on the Sky box from the previous evening, and if you don’t mind me saying it was ………………………………………..AWESOME!

Saturday night we also had the Hurricane who was as always a handful (girls are so much easier to deal with) Sunday has been more of the same and at the moment we are getting our gear on to try and put some that’s crossed with a mink (vicious little critters) and a Tasmanian devil, and that’s just to get him up the stairs, I’m sure it will all work out in the end. Back to work for a short week in the run towards Christmas, the last shift being a duty dog shift the rota always goes pear shaped at the end of the year although the wife was on time at the end of the shift well I say on time for her 40 minutes isn’t too bad, according to her she can do no wrong, well would can I say to that well I can think of a few things but surely they are not printable in a family blog (WTF) Christmas came and went with hardly any issues, the dinner I cooked was nice and on time just like the Kraken who didn’t stay too long, Santa wasn’t kind because I’m told I’m too old for that shit, although I did manage to get myself some CD’s ( an Al Di Meola box set, a couple of Supertramp classics a Black Sabbath album that I didn’t have a bought copy of, all classics) now I just have to get through my holiday and go back to work (I’m dreading what I have to go back to but hopefully it will keep my brain occupied) just the wife swearing at technology (and she is our geek squad) if I put a swear box in the living room she would be owing the box a few million pounds I kid you not!

So there you go the last blog of the year, I intend for them to be written by a happier (fingers crossed) person in the new year and my intention is to post 52 blogs next year, some may be small but they will be posted whether I like it or not, misery will not be allowed to have company, life’s too short and I don’t want the few friends and readers that I have to get the idea that I’m an old misery (old yes misery no). Times have been crap and hopefully this year we might (although I gave up holding my breath years ago) just get some good times, I’m sure there will be tears after what’s gone before us but hopefully less and less and a stronger stride in our pace as we take on life at its own game, I’m not asking for much, just a little sunshine to peak out from behind the clouds every now and again, so until the new year keep spreading the disease (I really do mean word) watch the skies for incoming I wish you and yours all the best and a fabulous new year until then……Toodles!

Oi life come and get me ya Bastard, I’m ready and waiting for Ya!

This is the picture

Now don't be alarmed, don't panic I'm going to say a few things here that some might think that I'm being controversial, I'm not really its just depends on how you view the big picture!

Firstly this is going to be the penultimate blog of the year, there I said it, I loving writing but I'm not in the right place to publish anything, too much going on in my tiny mind to comprehend, nobody can argue with that, as nobody knows what's going on in my head! I'm totally sick of publishing bile and although I have a ton of ideas that aren't bile, I'm not happy posting stuff that's not 100% I'm struggling with the big picture and I feel disconnected from the wife and all living things, so I believe that I have to at least offer her some support, this is not goodbye but quality control (at last) or so I would have myself believe.

I need to get some traction in my life, I have nobody to blame for this malaise but myself, if I don't get some traction people are going to get fed up and will cut the ties that bind, I know I have had a load of offers of help and I thank you all for that, however its something that I need to do, no matter how many offers of assistance I receive its something only I can do, so don't think that I have hit rock bottom (nearly but not quite) I know that I have to dust myself off and get on with it, I have done it before I'm sure that I can do it again.

I just had the crappiest birthday with only my brother really remembering it, not that I normally celebrate it, but the fact that the kids have to be reminded by their mother kicked me in the slats just a tad, adding up to my (imaginary ) tale of woes, so today I shall begin the long haul back to normality, if anybody wants to have a pop you can, just try walking a mile in my shoes then you might understand why I have become such a fucking misery, maybe it will shine some light on to why I am wired the way that I am.

So as I have said I am trying to right the displaced ballast (I'd love to know why I use all these nautical terms) in my rusty keel so if you see me on the street trust me I am trying to do my best, the blogs both old and new have being doing great business, and I have no idea why! over 15000 this year alone, go figure, keep spreading the disease I will be back hopefully better, but if all is equal I doubt before the new year, maybe a year round up and then to kick off the new year in a better frame of mind, I love all of the people who read and comment so don't panic its just a speed bump in the road, until the next time Toodles!

Silence amongst the static

This has been the longest darkest week of our lives, thankfully it begins to drew to a close tonight, huge amounts of damage have been done, however with the love of good friends we appear to have arrived at the other side battered but not bowed.

We lost a beloved member of the family this week and at such a young age, none of us were prepared for the despair that followed in its wake, the loss is terrible and although I have to admit to being a cold fish, I’m destroyed for the loss, I’m destroyed for the wife as I seem to be able to do little to console her although I won’t give up trying! Thankfully he is now at rest, not suffering anymore after that horrible disease claimed him way too early in his life, thankfully that “C” word meant nothing to him, it did nothing to shrink his happy go lucky demeanour.

There been a family fallout earlier in the illness, something which could have been avoided, but that’s not what the blog is about, it’s something that should have been avoided, it didn’t help either side, both sides suffered, us from not having as much access and the other side not being able to take up our offers of support, we bimbled on as best we could with short outbursts of emotion, totally debilitating  the wife when it hit, but she is made of sterner stuff and soon got back on the horse and rode on.

I attempted to bury myself at work, it worked to a degree but I was always easily distracted, the bear was not available for any meetings I hid more than I did work, my boss and work mates were fantastic, I honestly probably would have slid back into the dark old ways if not for them, I’m sure they weren’t aware, but they really did save the day for me. Music has as always been a constant, helping my many moods, especially when I didn’t want to connect to the outside world, which was often if I’m being honest, we got to see the little man one last time and he directed us to where we had to stand, the happiest point (for me) of the last few months, we had been told not expect much but as soon as he saw the wife he sat up happy over the moon to see her even the morphine couldn’t rob him of that happy moment in time, that will live with me for the rest of my natural life!

We were going to see him the following week but it wasn’t to be he slipped away, but we were there within five minutes and the wife got to hold him one last time, he really did love her, he loved being cuddled by her. Then our world tilted and ground to a halt and we had to try and keep it together for the sake of our own sanity, I was fine until I had to phone my boss and then I blubbed like a girl, work again was fantastic and I rallied all of the defences to come to the wife’s aid, it was agreed that the Hurricane would stay with us over the coming weekend, I’m not going say why I think it happened this isn’t the forum for that, we were just thankful to have that little bundle of dynamite over the threshold once more.

The week passed and we did what we were supposed to, we grieved, even me, we had arranged for the youngest daughter to come home and for once the house would filled with joyous noise, the Hurricane arrived and he was so excited to be here within a minute of being here he launched himself to the bottom of the stairs, stopping all of our hearts at once, I honestly thought he had broken his neck, thankfully he sat and grinned then realised he needed to cry for some sympathy and sweets, crocodile tears flowed for all of about 12 seconds and then he took off like a hurricane through the house, which he demolished and rebuilt over the course of the weekend several times, shouting at the top of his lungs his favourite word of the moment ”POOP” we soon cured him of that, every time he said his favourite word aunty kissed him, yup a typical little boy he stopped almost straight away. We did our usual yomp around Gimpsville, well he went on his scooter and I limped behind! More cards and flowers arrived and again I was doing really well until a card arrived from work with lots of people’s condolences “damn I sprung another leak” thankfully my defences were built tall and strong it was just the odd freak wave that got me from time to time.

The weekend finished quicker than I thought and soon he was heading home, the wife and the youngest had arranged a night out with friends to cheer themselves, me I sat in the house in the dark, I enjoyed it and not in a bad way, it just gave me time to think good thoughts, which was strange! Monday a last day to sort out things for the coming day, and we soon headed to our pits awaiting that dreaded day, Morning soon came back over the hill and I was up and making breakfast just like any other day, no matter what happens the world never stops turning. It started to rain, was this the littles man way of saying he was happy, I’m not sure, but he was ever present at the forefront of my brain for the rest of the day, I busied myself with cleaning shoes so that we could look nice and clean for inspection, the rest of the day went by in a blur and we were soon heading home and thankfully the wife didn’t turn into the Kraken, it was close but not close enough.

We got home and again we said we would look after the Hurricane, once again straight away he is into the sweets (we have taught him well) and the little blighter has only swallowed a bloody cola cube damn he is putting us through the hoops, crisis averted the youngest heads back to Uni, I sit here and my heart breaks as he looks at me and tells me he misses his brother, nobody should have to go through this at his age. Now we have to pick ourselves up and get on with our lives, they won’t go on as before, but we will do our best.

The blogs will hopefully now be able to try and return to some kind of normalcy, can’t promise but I will try, thank you to everybody in my life who have helped us over the last few months, I know thank you might not seem a lot but it’s all I have left, so once again thank you from the heart of my bottom (well I did say I was trying to return things to an even keel) so watch the skies there will another one along soon so until then Toodles!

I Am A Wildebeest!

Honestly I thought I was a rather “large” person until I saw Vince Neil on stage last night in Newcastle, again as always I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s pretend you are Tommy Lee strap yourself in, it could turn into a bumpy ride!

The night didn’t start out well with a large number of texts between me and the wife regarding conversations that we had had with each other in the run up to the gig:

No I don’t want my Jeans

The camera is on the video cabinet

Will you be on time??????????????? Yep you know she wasn’t!

Now if she had only listened the first time around…………………what am I thinking why on earth would she listen to me for!

A very busy day had me crippled (dodgy knees will do that to you) so my mood wasn’t the best, when she claimed that she was going to be at least another forty minutes (GRRRR) I did what I do best and I waited. She finally turned and thankfully we weren’t too off with each other (well for us) so we soldiered on as we do, and got parked up in our desired location I jumped out and stripped off (down girls down)  into my “gig” clothes (t-shirt and hoody- woo hoo) we then made contact with SMOR who was in the town with his good lady, so we said we aren’t far from where you are we will wait for you and meet up, well we waited and waited and waited it turns out SMOR had lost his sense of direction (WTF) once we finally  located him we ensconced ourselves on the ground floor  at the mile castle as SMOR had been to his regular ballet lesson and put his back out. Captain Bluebeard played a flying visit with his lovely lady and the night looked like it was going to be a good one.

Food consumed, we galloped (yeah right with his back and my knees) to the venue I told SMOR he couldn’t get lost he just had to follow the tribes of freaks heading towards the venue. Soon we were chatting and waving at lots of people who we knew (alright 95% of them knew the wife and thought I was just tagging along as a carer) and we chuckled as we watched SMOR climb the stairs to the venue one painful step at a time.

Now if you are a regular reader of the blog you know I won’t do a song by song account of the gig, I will give you the juicy bits, first the night was almost ruined because me and the wife couldn’t catch a battery falling through the air the same speed as an African sparrow, this really was a game changer and to think that we were about to go to war over a battery sums up our night (stop buying shite battery’s) thankfully the crisis was soon averted when we finally discovered it in the changeover, Alice Cooper was as always great, he had 50 minutes and he pulled out (most of) the stops, he always has a top notch band, although the fact that the bass player had half a sheep around his neck was just a little off putting, my only complaint was we didn’t need a drum solo a bass solo and a whammy bar exercise, we come to see Alice not the band, and yes in a two hour show he might need a breather but in 50 minutes (no thank you) how about another song? if you ever get the chance go and see him it’s well worth it.

The changeover was well coordinated but it looked like chaos at times, we then settled down for the main event, now I will admit to not being a fan, I like John Corabi and I would have preferred to have seen him, I have blogged about the band before (back in the mists of time in a blog entitled “A wet and soggy muff” don’t ask) to be honest when the stage was finally all sorted I was surprised and it was a pleasant surprise, it turned out to be a great show (the sound wasn’t fantastic where we were) but a full blown rock extravaganza, a drummer on a roller coaster and enough explosions to send someone with PTSD back to the beaches of Normandy!   Although I am positive that when he started singing “Anarchy in the UK” the opening line that he sang was “I am a Wildebeest” boy he certainly looked like one as well, I get why people like the band, and shock horror the singer even sang (kind of) but to be honest I’m glad that I won’t have to panic that the wife will melt the credit card whenever they announce dates, a great gig with great bands with only a couple of tweaks it would have been a top ten gig. The ladies were nice not for any other reason than it annoyed the wife, she can drool over Nikki Five or whatever you call the bass player but I can’t appreciate two energetic singer’s/dancer types, there no double standards there at all is there (oh have you not met my wife) and will somebody please don’t let mick mars do another guitar solo, I could throw it down the stairs more tunefully1

Then we took our own sweet time to leave (8000 leaving at once we weren’t going anywhere quick) and bumped into tons more people (well ok the wife did, I’ve never been that popular) but we did bump into G&E which really did make my night, finally my battered knees made it to the car and we drove home in some of the thickest fog of my life, duty manager today meant I could have a lie in, erm actually no I slept in first time ever, what the hell happened there, another musical blog anybody would think life is normal, it will be if we keep bumping into all the lovely people that we did last night, until the next blog  keep watching the skies………..INCOMING ………..for now Toodles