2013 A YEAR OF QUIET OPTIMISM & POSITIVITY

Greetings all & welcome to my first blog post of 2013 - i must confess i started writing this post in the small hours of new years eve...Anyway its now 2013 as you read and i'm guessing most of you will be nursing hangovers from hell...You'll get no sympathy from me, been there, drunk the barrel dry and suffered the self same thing on many a new years day...However i do hope you had a great night seeing in the new year and like myself your heart and mind is filled with aspirations for the coming months.

As you can see above i've chosen a photograph i took some months ago to head this post...i just feel its a perfect way to look towards new horizons while keeping the lessons learned in 2012 and looking out to the new year and horizons only God truly knows are in store for us...I also know many of you reading have no connection with God and i won't be bible bashing or preaching what you should or shouldn't think..All i know is i truly believe in God and i know God is in my heart and mind for the rest of my days and i give thanks and prayers for all that God is to me.

So as we ease into our new year i'd like to express my sincerest thanks to all those i've met and made friends with during 2012 as well as thanking those who've been on this journey with me since the day i was born..I hope and pray you'll all stick with me as i continue my journey though life in 2013 as i'll try my very best to do the same for you...Yes there will be crossed words fallings out and differences..Thats life and sometimes in life these things cannot be repaired...its very rare for adults to fall out for life but it does happen and it happens over the silliest of things that in the big scale of things in life are pointless and petty...Lets hope there's as little as possible of this in the coming months...Best just step back, forgive, forget and move on together as one.....HE SAYS LOL - No seriously i do try my best when issues like this land on my plate...Its never easy to submit when you're as stubborn and outspoken as me, but given time i buckle and unless its something that has hurt me deeply or one of my loved ones you can safely say you're on an even keel with me and forgiveness will come with a smile and a kind word.

Now onto family matters & firstly i'd like to dedicate the above song to my wife Jayne who has been a constant source of strength to me and our daughter...She truly is an amazing woman and someone i wouldn't swap for anything or anybody on this earth and i honestly and truly mean that...We've had our ups and downs like most couples have...i confess she's driven me up the wall at times and i've thought our days together were coming to an end...However we've battled on and with the help of others and a little give and take we've become stronger..I'd say the key to our marriage and the happiness it brings is we allow each other space...We both have our own interests and we both allow each other to pursue those supporting each other along the way..Might not work for everyone but it works a treat for us...Yes we have common interests and yes we enjoy those as a couple and as a family...Nowt better in our minds than a day out up to north norfolk for fish & chips, a paddle in the sea and the joy of spending a family day together....Many challenges lie ahead for us we know, but we will face those as and when and on a personal note with my venture into the music industry i know it's going to be tough for us all at times...On the flip side of that i also know that if at any time my family are not 100% happy with what i'm doing, i'll readily put a halt to it all and pursue a different venture.....Same applies to the music business i'm taking baby steps into...If it all vanishes in front of my eyes and for instance the band i'm currently working alongside split up, its no big deal to me, i'm ready for whatever and although it may hit me hard should it come i've learned that these things do happen and there is always a fair reason behind them happening.

Time to wish each and every person who reads this blog post a truly awesome 2013 filled with much positivity love health and happiness, Coupled with the minimum amount of stress heartache distress and pain any human being deserves...Good luck to you all on your journeys through 2013 and please spare the odd pound, dollar or euro to those less fortunate in this world...every little bit does count and even if its just an hour or two doing something positive to help a charity or someone in need, please please find it in your heart to do it and do it well....That's all folks, i've nothing else to add so ill leave you with lots of POSITIVE VIBES AND HOPE THAT 2013 IS A SPECIAL YEAR FOR YOU....GOOD LUCK.

Positives & Negatives - What A Year In The Life Of A Monkeyhanger In Norfolk

Oki doki here i go again with another blog...This time its just me summing up my feelings and experiences on this rollercoaster through 2012.

This time last year as most will know, a call came out from the chairman of Great Yarmouth Town FC to help the club he'd naively taken on in the summer of 2011 - Now i could slaughter him with vicious words along with manager Mike Derbyshire but i won't...I've done all that and more and to be honest it was a waste of energy, just as GYTFC is...Yes we as a family did our bit to save the club and without our appeal through twitter and social networks, i'm sure the club would have gone to the wall...However the club survived and progress was being made slowly but surely.

One year on and after numerous headaches and heartaches i've now stepped away from the club i've loved with a deep deep passion all the time i've been here in Great Yarmouth...i've made it known to all i won't be back and it really is the end...However you never know what the future holds and i'll say this...If i'm to return i'll return as chairman of the football club and i'll take the club as far as is humanly possible because the potential is there and with the right people in place GYTFC can move onwards and upwards...under the current regime its going nowhere...NUFF SAID.

Moving on to family life...Its been a tough old year for us here at monkeyhanger mansions...money has been very tight as it has for most...we've had to sacrifice a hell of a lot this past year and thankfully we've scraped through...Jayne has had to take on full time work or face losing her job, awful position for her but she's adapted well and now thoroughly loves her work and working in a very good team that were awarded for their hard work and dedication to customer service..Quite an honour and something i know Jayne was very proud to receive...its also great that Victoria has progressed well at school and too received awards for her work and a special award from the bishop of thetford for her work in religious studies...one very happy child & 2 very proud parents...As for me in catering, its been a bit of a naff year..all was looking great in the summer working up at Caldecott Hall & plans were in place to progress the business through the winter months...Sadly due to what i can only call naive management and the failure to fully dedicate to the business and not money money money and greed it all went tits up, the bomb went off and yours truly decided after 27 years in kitchens that enough was enough and the boots went in the bin signalling an end to my time in catering...Yes it hurt to walk away from something i was truly passionate about and something thats been part of my life for so long.

Now for a few plusses...Anyone who really knows me knows i'm plain crazy about my music..Reggae, Soul, Jazz....all kinds of stuff but mainly REGGAE...The music has always been there for me, good times, bad times, sad times and when i've felt at my lowest points its done something to me, its lifted me, kept me positive and brought me back up with a smile on my face.

You all know from my previous blog how through music there was the most amazing night in London in november...Thankfully i've calmed down since then after all the highs and i've learned so much..I now know it was my destiny to be in London on that weekend, i know GOD had plans for me and through the music and the gathering of truly beautiful people i met it was then that GOD came through and through his messenger he passed the energy and fire to me to go out and do my best for the music, my family, my community & beyond...I made my promise and i intend to stick to it no matter what.....Getting back home after our trip i was what can only be described as an emotional wreck...i have never ever been so overcome by emotion in my life..it scared me because i seriously thought i was losing my mind...All the love coming our way as a family from those in and around the music business was overwhelming and very humbling...Anyway here i am with the world once again at my fingertips - i have an awesome support network of friends, a band waiting to burst onto the music scene in a big way in 2013 and its one scary scary thing to think what might happen...BUT IT WILL AND ITS GONNA BE BIG BIG FUN.

Not long now till 2013 & better times i'm sure...i won't make any wishes or set any goals..i'm just gonna plod  on and see what comes...Besides i got my biggest wish and i'll treasure that moment and the friendship built from that with those i don't need to mention because they and you know who i'm talking about...One thing you'll always get from me is honesty & loyalty and as long as you don't cross or try to hurt me or my nearest and dearest i'll do anything for anyone & i'll do it efficiently and selflessly.

Only remains for me to wish each and every person who reads this blog post a very merry christmas & an awesome 2013 filled with more positives than negatives....Last word goes to Audrey Scott as it did last year on new years eve when i said goodbye to 2011 & hello to 2012 on Facebook.....THIS IS AND WILL ALWAYS BE THE BEST LOVERS ROCK/REGGAE SONG IN THE WORLD EVER & TO HAVE THE GREAT SONGSTRESS SING IT ON THAT SPECIAL NIGHT AND SING IT FOR ME IS TRULY HUMBLING AND I GIVE THANKS TO ALL WHO MADE THAT SPECIAL MEMORY POSSIBLE........GOD BLESS X