I apologise in advance for my "Carry On" sense of humour!

I was away from the house last week. When I returned on Sunday I found that my electric toothbrush had stopped working. I tried to cajole it back to health, I fiddled with it, I poked it, I prodded it and I pulled it! All to no avail - my electric toothbrush would not purr into action!

I was about to give up and throw it away when, in a fit of frustration, I whacked it against the wall. Sure, enough the whack did the trick and the toothbrush worked!

This being proof, if proof were needed, that, sometimes, a good hard bang is far better then any amount of specialist attention!

A little perspective and a real hero!

Sometimes it is good to get things in perspective. At other times, perspective is thrust upon you. Just recently I have been a little low in my new job. The commute means that I don't get to see the kids as much as I would like and the work is not, entirely, fulfilling.

However, when I spoke to my stepfather on Thursday he told me that he was attending a funeral on Friday. My stepfather is an ex para and on Friday he attended the funeral of a current para. The para in question was Pte Martin Bell. As far as I am aware my stepfather had never met Pte Bell but he was part of the same regiment and, in my stepfathers eyes, that made him family.

Pte Martin Bell was a true hero who, on his day at work, saved the life of one of his colleagues before being killed in an IED explosion.

RIP Pte Martin Bell.

A case of Deja vu? or Like Father, Like Son

Way back in the Summer last year I took my kids on holiday to North Devon. Whilst there we visited Watermouth Castle where I took this picture of my lad with his head in the local stocks.

At the time I had this strange feeling of Deja Vu come over me. The other day I was flicking through my mothers photograph albums and came across this picture of me as a kid (the stocks have been repositioned but they are the same ones!).

PS. Please excuse the clothes and the haircut - it was the seventies and I was dressed by my mum back then!

PPS. Is it bad that I kept my old red t-shirt for my lad?

Positive first words!

I've always liked to think that I'm a, "half full" rather then "half empty" kind of guy! So, you can imagine how disappointed I was when I found out that the first word I ever spoke was, "No!"

It makes me wonder what it was that provoked such a word to come creeping from my mouth. My sister and I were always fighting as kids and, perhaps, this was the start of our first squabble? Perhaps, I had realised that my parents choice of TV was boring and I was trying to prevent them watching a further episode of Coronation Street?

I really don't know, but I do know that I'm more then a little disappointed!

Happy Birthday to you!

There is a lot to be said for being satisfied. I should know as I don't think I ever was when I was married but, since you walked into my life I haven't wanted anyone else.

There is also a lot to be said for being happy - which I am. As you have a lot to do with that I should say thank you.

Happy Birthday to you (you know who you are!).

This song used to make me think of you but, having read the lyrics it probably shouldn't. However, it is still a top tune and I still like these words (even if the others aren't quite appropriate):

"Country girl take my hand
Lead me through this diseased land
I am tired i am weak i am worn
I have stole i have sinned
Oh my soul is unclean
Country girl got to keep on keeping on
You gotta keep on keepin' on
You gotta keep on keepin' strong
You gotta keep on keepin' on"

Here is the whole thing - just for you!

To facebook friend or not? That is the question!

I have mentioned before that in a previous life, back when I was married, I was a foster carer. My ex-wife and I fostered a number of teenagers, mainly girls but also a few lads. Most of the kids we looked after made the decision not to keep in touch when they left care (a decision I fully understood, and respected as, unfortunately, people misunderstand the reasons why kids are in care and they can be stereotyped). However, just recently I have been contacted by two girls that I looked after (when I say girls I guess they must be 22 now) requesting that we become facebook friends. They were the two girls I mentioned in this post. For the purposes of this post I shall call them A & B.

I was initially contacted by A just before Christmas. A had been taken into care as a 3 year old and had numerous foster placements until she landed with us as a 14 year old where she remained until she left care at 18. A had been taken into care as a result of horrific physical abuse at the hands of her mother - a self confessed devil worshipper. I made the decision to ignore this request. Wrongly, or rightly, I always felt that A, if she ever had her own children, would continue the circle of abuse and I didn't feel any great desire to re-connect with her.

During mid January I was contacted by B. Like A, B had been taken into care at a young age due to abuse and, like A, she had moved around various placements until she landed with us as a 14 year old where she remained until she left care at 18. When B first entered our care I was warned to be careful as she hated men. I never saw this hatred. It was true that, initially, B preferred the company of my ex-wife but, having known the reasons why B was taken into care, I fully understood her mistrust of males. Given time B and I grew attached (upon leaving care she told her social worker that I was the first male that she had ever learnt to trust - which I know shouldn't be a cause for celebration, but it brought a tear to my eye!). B had a dream to serve in the Royal Navy and I tried to help her fulfil that ambition. She attended the local sea cadets and I helped her with her studies. It was a pleasure watching B grow into a confident young lady. I continued to receive feedback on B's progress and I would be happy re-connecting with her.

However, I find myself unsure what to do as it seems unfair to "friend" B and ignore A.

What do you think?

Real men don't wear protection!

I absolutely love this:

I adore this:

I can enjoy this:

I can even lose myself watching this for hours:

But, for the life of me I cannot understand, or enjoy, this:

Too much too young

Last week I turned 38. On Friday night I went out for a lot of few drinks with my mates - it was a great night. During the course of the evening a number of thoughts went through my mind. As I have said before I am, nothing if not, a mixed bag of contradictions. Here are a selection of the thoughts that went through my head last Friday:

1) (As we were walking towards the pubs) I'm not going in there - it's an old man's pub!
2) (As we walked past the old man's pub) I'm not going in there - it's full of kids!
3) (As we entered the pub full of kids) Christ, I'm old enough to be the father of most of these kids!
4) (As we walked though the pub full of kids) Let's sit next to those old blokes - they'll make us look young!
5) (As Patrick, who I haven't seen in 10 years, walked up to me) Blimey, you've aged Patrick!.
6) (In reply to Patrick) F~@k off, you cheeky git! I don't look any older then I did 10 years ago!
7) Cover yourself up girl - you'll catch your death wearing that!
8) You been borrowing clothes from your Grandad again Simon?
9) I'm told old for this!
10) I'm too young for this!

Then I realised - I'm neither too old, nor too young. I'm middle aged!