ENGINE LIGHTS TO VIKING FIGHTS

ightmares aren't always about monsters and darkness; sometimes, they're about an engine light flickering on for the fifth time. The last year we spent fighting with our old car felt like an endless cycle of breakdowns and stress, leaving me with a sense of dread that just won't go away. It’s seriously impacted my mental health, and it’s made me wonder: can you get PTSD from a faulty car? On the positive side, I've had more days off from work now, and I even had a great day out last weekend.

CYMRU, CELTS AND CARAVANS

ei Newydd is my favourite place on the planet. My time here is simply the best; it's where I find my deepest relaxation. And so, the eagerly awaited moment has arrived—it's time to be here again.

This visit is a special one, just Morticia, Magnus, and me.

1905.20 WOULD THE ROUNDHEADS LIKE COFFEE?

I've always taken an interest in history, especially local history. My family have been in the area I live in for generations. Another interest I have in in the supernatural. Quite often these interests collide in wonderful ways. There are stories all around us, one such story is in a building I pass every day on my way to work, and it's about to embark on a new and controversial chapter.

1903.05 BREATH OF FREYA

When I initially planned this post I thought that the forecast storm was going to be a lot more than what it was. The reason it got my attention was of course that they had named it after a Norse god and I have been doing quite a bit of reading about Norse mythology recently. Vikings have always interested me since I was a child but over the last few years I've been drawn towards the culture and art of what is one of the most intriguing periods of history.

1812.23 YULETIDE CHEER

Christmas has lost its way. There I said it. That's not to say all is lost, you must look at the whole celebration and how you view it. If you strip Christmas back it's supposed to be about gathering with those important to you. It's about the feast. It's about family.

1710.31 ARE DARK FORCES KILLING TRADITION?

It's that time of year again, it's Halloween. A time when kids go around knocking on doors dressed up in fancy dress (usually horror characters), when adults attend parties dressed as the very same. But it wasn't always quite like this...

1704.24 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY SPECCY

What was your first computer? If you're under 35 you probably wouldn't give much thought to when you were first introduced to a computer. If like me you're not a Millennial or a Baby Boomer then your first computer or even your first experience of a computer would have probably been a big event in your life. It certainly was for me.

1702.14 I LOVE YOU ££££ MUCH!

It's St. Valentine's Day today which means lovers all over the world will be celebrating this evening. But what are we exactly celebrating?

1701.20 BYE BYE GROSVENOR

Back in 1999 I married my Morticia. The day was perfect and as you may expect was one of the greatest days of my life (and I don't say that lightly). An important part of our day was the venues. Our reception venue was chosen after an intense search for a suitable place. 

1504.13 FAMILY CURSE

When I was off work injured one of the things I did to occupy my time was to do a little research into my family tree. All very interesting... to me maybe, I wouldn't want to bore anyone else with most of what I found.

One thing that became apparent was the confirmation of something I already suspected. The males in my family line (the ones that share my surname) don't seem to live past 65. The ones in my living memory all had poor lifestyle habits but what about the ones in the distant past?

My lifestyle is better that quite a lot of my family. I'm active (cycling a minimum of 100 km per week), I don't (and never have) smoke and I barely drink alcohol (maybe 3 pints a month). My diet has room for improvement but it's not horrendous. The main room for improvement in my opinion is sleep. My sleep pattern is poor and my sleep debt is running too high. I know this is partly due to my wife's condition and my duties as carer. Still I'm sure there's some improvements I can make.

On the news this morning BBC journalist Simon Jack was speaking about the high number of suicides amongst men in their forties and his experience (his father killed himself 25 years ago at age 44). It is subject of a Panorama programme tonight (should be on iPlayer afterwards). This resonated with me as in 2012 I suffered a breakdown which I still feel the invisible scars (more than the visible scars I sport from recent cycling injuries).

All in all I'm at a very dangerous time of life and it's very scary when you think about it.

Fatal silence: Why do so many fortysomething men kill themselves? - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-32231774

0905.03 BOMBS AWAY

Last night I went to a World War II evening of nostalgic entertainment hosted by the High Green Women's Institute. How may you ask did I end up attending such an event? Well, Morticia was invited by a family friend but was unable to attend due to her been away on a jolly (in Camden, London). So I took (dragged) Harley along.

I've always see myself as a student of history, soaking up as much as I can when I can, so to experience something like this was a chance to see for myself what my grandparents have told me about. The first half was a light am-dram style collection of dances and singing from local people most probably connected to the WI, the second part was a showcase of Judith Hibbert who's singing and light-hearted banter were a joy. Even Harlz loved the show!

Sometimes it's important to remember the past, especially something that is still in living memory of our grandparents, it's easy to dismiss as not relevant but I believe it is. How they lived and laughed, cried and sang is at least as important as the events (in fact probably more important).

If you ever find yourself in North Wales and are interested in the events of WWII then a visit to the Home Front Experience is a must.

By the way, I won the raffle as well - nice bottle of Champagne!

0903.15 REMEMBERING THE PAST

This week saw the 25th anniversary of the start of the miners' strike. At the time I was a 12 year old boy living in the small mining town of Killamarsh. My father wasn't a miner so I never went through the deprivation of some of my friends. I remember the protests, not quite understanding the bigger picture. I saw friends claiming free school meals and big community charity drives. The biggest thing I remember during this time was when the fair came to town, perhaps to raise the spirits of a community on it's arse. It was a few days where we all had good time, rides were cheap (10p a go I think) and the soundtrack was Wham! Good times amongst bad times.

The pit closed soon after and devastated the area, we left a few years later (because of my parents jobs) but the area still survives all be it without me, I still have friends there and have driven through a couple of times. One day I'll ride my bike over there and take in the places I remember and cherish.

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All this reminiscing got me into looking at old pictures of Sheffield, my home city (I've got loads of books). Naturally I moved onto tinternet to search more. I came across the filmreel of 'Sheffield, City on the Move', it was used in an edited form at the start of 'The Full Monty'. It's a little earlier than I remember but nothing much changed between those times and my childhood in the seventies.

I'm including links to each part (it's split into 4) to show the glory days of my home city and a recent showreel promoting the city today and how it's risen from the ashes of the 80s. If you have no connection with Sheffield you may find it dull but for anyone of my age it's a walk down memory lane (fuck me, I can't believe I just said that, 40 is much closer than I realised!).

City on the Move part 1

City on the Move part 2

City on the Move part 3

City on the Move part 4

Creative Sheffield