Ten Years

Ten years ago today, I was flying back from Vegas to their home in Arkansas with my two friends. I was still employed by the Ministry of Defence, although that would be coming to an end in September. I had been on paid vacation since the end of June, and I was having the time of my life. I was, also, 40 years old, soon to be unemployed and had a mortgage to pay. And I suppose the other thing was that I had no idea what I was going to do next. Or wanted to do next.

In fact I have gone through my life not knowing what I wanted to do with my life, other than being a train driver, which I have done very little about, so that I have made bombs, found sub-sea volcanoes and put up windfarms quite a series of mistakes, rather than unfortunate events. At times, I have had the time of my life, visiting some of the most remote areas on earth. And Leeds. Meeting and working with some really great and interesting people. And again others who you would not want to speak to on a bus let alone be stuck with for eight weeks on a small survey ship, yes, I am talking about you.

And then I found Jools, or she found me. Or we found each other. Doesn't matter which. I moved to Kent. Started working offshore. Was grumpy. Earned lots on money. Sold my house. She sold her house. We bought the ugly house on the cliffs. I got headhunted. Moved to another company. That went bust. Was unemployed. Worked in boxes. Left that. Wind farms!!!!

And that is it, ten years in short. And there was beer deliveries, a chemical delivery driver, unemployment. Cats. Cats. Cats.

But once I got out of the survey industry, I became happier, learned to love life, stop worrying and rediscover photography and all that. There may have been football, and orchids and churches and trains and cats and cats. Lots of cats.

For those of you who were here from the start: thank you. For those that have joined in along the way: thank you too.

Lets march on together into the future and discover universal love, acceptance and live very happily ever after.