Luke And Stig On Everest

Hey I have discovered "Paint.NET", its a free program that lets you edit pictures and just look what I have done to Luke and Stig, I have altered the photo so they are now sat on a wall and in the background is the himalayas.

Arnt I Clever?

I didnt have a bad weekend, we bought a new tent for our Holiday in July which was a 12 man with 3 bedrooms and over 2 metres tall so no more crawling about for me.

It was reduced from £230 to £115 at Argos so having budgeted £200 I bought another 500GB removable drive to add to my server to store all the photos and DVDs I keep producing, I now have over 1 1/2 Terabytes of storage space which I am using about 30% of, but must of my data is duplicated.

Next week is the Spring Bank week which we plan to spend a few nights camping at this lovely place we selected whilst out for a walk on Sunday, we also have go to erect that new tent to make sure we are profficient in putting it up and to make sure no bits are missing.

We might also be going on a day trip to the East Coast on Sunday and I have no doubt we will find plenty of other things to do, we were going to be going off on holiday camping but after putting petrol in my disel powered Christine the repair bill cost me a crippling £300.

Talking of Christine, I have got the day off tommorow to take her in for a service..

Oh yes and I have completed my final third part of the Bowling Trilogy which you can see here...

I took JMD to AA as per usual last night and the person sharing looked a dead ringer for the 1980's popstar Debbie Gibson, someone shared back that alcoholics love pain.
She was radiating grattitude after 22 months of sobriety, but the general consensus was that grattitude fades with time and that is why alcoholics relapse so they can reappreciate the grattitude of early sobriety, I dont think I agree with that.
I remember I needed quite a quantity of alcohol in my later years to lift me first out of the deep depression that too much previous drink had left me, I then needed more to lift me out of myself to get that alcoholic high...
HOwever this quantity required was very close to the amount that would send me into blackout or oblivion when I would pass out and release my bladder, the tiny bit of "talkative and enjoyment" became ever narrower until it became non existent and I just got drunk to pass out and escape from being me for a few hours.
Now that was a horrible, horrible place to be and a place I dont want to go back to even to experience the initial honeymoon period of sobriety again.
Anyway yesterday I was so busy I didnt get chance to post and tommorow Ill be having the day off to take Christine for a checkup so Ill see you again on Thursday.

Oh No Not More Bowling - The Mans Obsessed

Following with the Crown Green Bowling obsession I have got at the moment I have done a video of our 3rd Match at a place called Cowcliffe, which is where my dad, Wonderwood spent his childhood.
I will be doing the 3rd video of our 4th match tonight, I have also finished The Bowling Telegraph off yesterday and gave that out at our Bowling Practise session which we are going to be doing every Thursday night.
Today I have just completed The Bradley Telegraph Issue No6 ready to annoy everyone with over the weekend and have eaten my fish butty.
I just cant believe how fast time is moving, you know when I was younger time seemed to flow so slowly but as you get older it seems to increase its pace.
At the Lost World our leader Dolph has gone to Italy for his holiday and Little Miss Helpful has been on the phone again about the Cardboard sleeves which have been delivered to Flintstones Park instead of The Lost World.
No bowling this weekend so I guess it will be back to visiting up town, only thing is I dont want to spend much money, I might even look round for a new tent ready for our Holidays in the second week of July.
I have just had a laugh, A bloke has been in for some samples and he needs to go on to the yard, our manager said I had to find him some PPE so I came back with a high viz jacket, a bump cap, a pair of goggles, a set of ear muffs and a pair of gloves.
Alf said did I ever act seriously?
See you all on Monday

Crown Green Bowls

Since joining my new bowling team after six years of not playing Crown Green Bowls I have lost both my matches, the first I lost 21/13 the second I lost 21/10 so you could say I need lots more practise which is where Ill be going tonight.
With all my camera footage I have posted on youtube a video of our first two matches and am in the process of putting together vids for matches 3 and 4.
The game of Crown Green bowls evolved from "Lawn Bowls" or Flat Green Bowling and takes place mainly in the North of England where there are loads of clubs who compete and consists mainly of older men although there are some younger players, like my friend "The Knight Rider".
Of course I have made a little here of our results and my newsletters so far and its a great place to take my dad who is suffering from Parkinsons Disease and is therefore mostly housebound, its also a great way for me of meeting lots of new people and is therefore a great social outlet.
I have taken Luke and Stig with me for the last 4 weeks and they enjoy playing football with the other players kids on adjecent fields.
I used to bowl for my old employees, Sellers, about 10 years ago but I was mostly p*ssed back then and it all came to an abrupt end when I was made redundant and fell out with the bowling team because no one would give me a lift to the venues.
I dont know how many people are familiar with Crown Green Bowls but the matches are between teams of 12, and usually there are 4 matches on the green simultaneously.
The bowls are a special spheroid shape which depending on which way you play them (finger or thumb) the bowl will follow a curved trajectory influenced also by the slope from the crown.
The winner of the previous match throws the jack, which is a smaller version of the bowl with a standard shape and then follows it with his first bowl, the oponent then throws his first bowl, then the leader throws his second followed by the opponent.
The closest bowls to the jack win one point, if the same person has two of his bowls closer to the jack than both the oponents he wins two points.
It really is a game of skill, you need to get the trajectory of the bowl right and the force you deliver it and not just that, if say you have two bowls nerarest the jack your oponent can knock them both out of the way with his second bowl, which is what happened to me a lot in my last match.
Anyway I hope you enjoyed that, it was a change from the advertised post but I just think I needed a new hobby.
Oh yes and I have rediscovered my old forum where I used to post in my first year about my recovery, its a great place to go for advise and I am glad its still going, if you want to take a peek its here at http://forums.delphiforums.com/aamolly/messages

Life At The End Of The Rainbow

We are halfway through the week already and next week I have got Wednesday off to take Christine III for her coutesy 3 months check and the week after I have got all week off.
I have started thinking up things for my next newsletter "The Bradley Telegraph Issue No6", but I dont need another Bowling Telegraph because we aint got a match now till end of May.
I might do a bit of a youtube video for our bowling match with all the footage I have collected so far.
So that is some things I can do when I get bored sat here at my despatch desk waiting for the odd wagon to turn up, this week is unbelievably quiet, I have been told that due to the credit crunch no one can get mortgages, therefore no one is buying new houses and in turn no bricks are being bought. We have once again gone past 18 million in our yard and thats after moving one million to another yard.
The Photo I have included today is what used to be a the bottom of the rainbow for me, was it really that bad all them years ago, you know sometimes now when I look back I miss the feelings of never knowing what was going to happen when I took a drink, that feeling of the unknown, like an adventure, I didnt know after the can touched my lips where I was going to wake up.
I remember in my early days of drink when we would all be dressed up ready for the night, it would be so exciting, and I cannot say in retrospect we didnt have fun because we did, its just over the years alcohol which used to give freely started to take more and more of my life from me.
What used to be excitement became grey reality, my world became smaller and smaller until it was just me and the huge committee in my head, by then I could guarantee once drink passed through my lips it was a one way ticket to oblivion and then I would be guaranteed to wake up having pissed myself and feeling like the world had ended, gasping with rabid thirst for more alcohol just to enable my brain to function.
Today is good, tommorow well Ill wait till then and the memories of yesterday keep me from repeating them, yes lifes ok now

Slimming Aids

Oswald Cobblepot was told by the health ladies who visited that he needs to loose lots of weight and they have put him in touch with the Silver Slimming Tablets which loose your weight with instant results.
When he came in this morning he wasnt half the man he was yesterday, now he has been asked by Silver Slimmers to promote their product...
ONLY JOKING ILL TAKE IT OFF
Sorry just got a beating off Oswald who aint happy I just put this poster on the wall above his desk.
Yes its Tuesday morning and I was accompanied to the AA again last night with JMD who still insists on smoking a "spliff" before he goes which makes him a bit well silly, after a harrowing story by someone who got into the AA in his early 20s after a rapid descent into a hellish existence, I still dont think that JMD realises how serious people take their illness.
I know I am powerless to change him but I wish myself he wouldnt treat it as a "laugh" but I got to give him credit that he hasnt drunk anything since November last year, but whereas I maybe went to the last bus stop before alighting the bus he went right into the depot before being thrown off.
His liver is in a real bad way and he does look very ill, but he refuses to take the program seriously, still all I can do is keep taking him with me, maybe it will somehow grow on him.
Its another glorious day again here in Yorkshire, The UK, not as warm as yesterday but pleasant, I am feeling quite tired just lately but at the same time very much at peace with myself.

Three Peaks 2008 - Out Now!!

I finally finished my 3 Peaks special story on Friday, which was why I didnt post, its now available if you click here

Well its been a great weekend, the first weekend of really hot weather this year, and you could tell in the office this morning that everyones moods were lifted by the sun.

On Saturday we were bowling at Kirkheaton which is at top of the hill overlooking our village, I lost for the second week in a row this time with 21/10 anyway now we have got official practise sessions at Primrose Hill on a Thursday night and I have got personal coaching by the Knight Rider Friday night, plus we aint got another match now for 3 weeks I got plenty of time to improve.

I have updated my Bowling site here with the new scores.

Sunday was another hot sunny day and me, Luke and Stig plus the two dogs, Boley & Bodie, headed down to the river to cool off, on our travels to find a good camping spot for the Spring Bank holidays we discovered a huge block of polystyrene floating on the canal.

We then crossed the canal using the block of polystyrene and even Bodie took part, only Miss Boley would not climb abourt preferring to swim accross instead, these two ladies were out for a walk and I can only presume they were mum and daughter, the daughter remarked that it was good to see a dad playing out with his kids.

I have had lots of really weird dreams just lately as well, last night I was back at University and had all these exams to revise for, only it had been quite some time since I had looked at my notes and in a nutshell I aint got a clue, the dreamscape then changed to me being at work and my boss Dolph was complaining at me quite nastily for doing nothing all day.

I was in work nearly a hour early this morning, since I woke from the dream suddenly and thought I might as well just set off and show how dedicated I am with referance to the dream.

Its been a middle of the road Monday morning so far, not too busy, the ladies are all here to give us a medical, some employees get all the full monty but I just get an eye test, anyway its AA tonight again with JMD.

I Guess Im Rambling Again!

What day is it today? its WEdnesday, hey its been quite a busy morning so far but I have nearly caught up from having Tuesday afternoon off, its lovely weather just now, all the trees are full of blossom and it promises a good weekend.
All my DVDs that I did on Tuesday night have gone but I have got another £7 sponsor money after the event from wagon drivers I forgot to ask first time round, on my way home tonight Ill have to purchase some more blank DVDs and some more nicorette chewing gums as well.
I went for a walk in the woods last night with the dogs and it really brought my memory back to my drinking days, you know how Yoda reacts on the 2nd sequel of the prequel trilogy Revenge of The Sith when Palpatine orders execution of Order 66 and all the Jedis start getting killed.
That is how I was walking through the quarry last night with memories flooding back, but the experience was only fleeting.
I also had a strange dream last night that I was back at my old works Sellers and was walking through the machine shop with my old boss, I said I was looking for a new job because I was fed up with the carry on there.
He said you will be stuck here till you retire
I said to him, no I wont, this is just a dream, in the real dimension I have already moved on.
It was so vivid was the dream that I can still remember it.
I guess I got a strange mind havent I and judging from Madonnas new album with her fantastic lyrics to Hard Candy which is No1 everywhere now so has Madonna, I dont know who has yet bought (or downloaded) the album yet but my fave track is "Voices", but all the album is good, in fact its my favourite since Ray Of Light back in 1998, heres a list of Madonnas Albums with the released singles;
1 Madonna - The First Album 1983 8/10 Holiday, Borderline & Lucky Star
2 Like A Virgin 1984 7/10 Like A Virgin, Material Girl, Into The Groove, Angel & Dress You Up
3 True Blue 1986 9/10 Live To Tell, Papa Dont Preach, True Blue, Open Your Heart, La Isla Bonita
4 Whos That Girl 1987 7/10 Whos That Girl, Causing A Commotion & Look Of Love
C You Can Dance 1987 8/10 (Remix Album)
5 Like A Prayer 1989 10/10 Like A Prayer, Express Yourself, Cherish, Oh Father, Dear Jessie & Keep It Together
6 Im Breathless 1990 5/10 Vogue, Hanky Panky
C Immaculate Collection 1990 10/10 (Greatest Hits 1) includes Crazy For You (previously not available on a Madonna LP), Justify My Love, Rescue Me
7 Erotica 1992 8/10 Erotica, Deeper & Deeper, Bad Girl, Fever & Rain
8 Bedtime Stories 1994 7/10 Secret, Take A Bow, Bedtime Story, Human Nature
C Something To Remember 1995 8/10 (Ballads Collection) includes This Used To Be My Playground and Ill Remember (both previously unavailable on a Madonna Album) One More Chance & Youll See
9 Evita 1996 4/10 Dont Cry For Me Argentina, You must Love Me & Another Suitcase Another Hall
10 Ray Of Light 1998 10/10 Frozen, Ray Of Light, Drowned World, Power Of Goodbye & Nothing Really Matters
11 Music 2000 8/10 Music, Dont Tell Me & What It Feels Like For A Girl
C GHV2 2001 7/10 (Greatest Hits 2) Includes Beautiful Stranger (previously not available on a Madonna LP)
12 American Life 2003 6/10 American Life, Hollywood, Love Profusion
13 Confessions On A Dancefloor 2005 8/10 Hung Up, Sorry, Get Together & Jump
14 Hard Candy 2008 9/10 Four Minutes
All from memory, well I have got all the singles, picture discs etc and have been a collector since I left school, in fact Madonnas songs have been like a soundtrack to my life, each single release conjurs up memories, like her latest track on the Hard Candy LP called Voices says in its lyrics