2022

All finished finally

…well with work and school anyway!

The prep we always go through trying to make Christmas Day begins, now Mommy has finished work until January, where we will buy more food than we could possibly eat and wrap the tons of gifts from us and the American family that arrives from Amazon, most of which are for the children.

We have a trip to the supermarket early tomorrow planned and we intend to do the Middlewich Walk with the Vicar and his family too but I see most of the next two days spent worrying about Sunday

…and then it’ll be gone

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Reagans teeth

It needs mentioning that Reagan has 3 of 4 rear molers that did not form properly and the dentist referred us to an orthodontist who recommended braces but referred her on to Leighton Hospital because before braces can be fitted they need room to move so the plan is to have 4 rear molers removed under general anesthetic and today was an appointment to see a consultant and get her scheduled in

Her mouth hygiene is good but her mouth health not so much but she really doesn’t complain about the sores in her mouth, she tells you about them but rarely complains. This wouldn’t cure those but the teeth are the other thing that are not quite right in her mouth so getting one of the two sorted is a start.

The doctors cannot tell us why she suffers from mouth sores but in the back of my mind maybe getting the teeth sorted might help or cure the sores…? Well fingers crossed!

So possibly 13th January 2023 she might get her operation and if it happens braces fitted a couple of weeks later. She’s chosen her “last meal” which I am proud to say is Daddy’s homemade burgers with curly fries. She might be nervous but today she didn’t show it I think she’s ready to get it done and be on the otherside of it, maybe that might be different on the day we’ll have to see.

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Work done for 2022 – RIP

Finished work tonight until January 3rd so a nice 2 week break to enjoy, we just need Mommy to finish on Thursday so we can all relax. I will be able to help get us ready for Christmas over the next couple of days even though it’s always incredible how much preparation there is for two days of Christmas but a lot of it is trying to make sure the kids have a great one. I’m looking forward to the break and maybe getting out to my shed to do a bit more to it who knows…?

Today started with the sad news that Terry Hall had passed away aged 63 a person who was a huge part of my life as lead singer of one of my favourite bands of all time, The Specials. The self titled first album released in 1979 I probably first heard in 1981 as a 11 year old after hearing Too Much Too Young, Gangsters and Rat Race etc at the under 18s disco and dancing my feet off to them. I remember getting a tape of both their studio albums and hearing Do Nothing a song I absolutely loved but until that moment didn’t realise it was by the Specials (you have to remember at that time unless you owned the music the only time you heard a song was on the radio, on TV or at the disco) I bought A Message to you Rudy from Tower Records in London and a 12″ version Ghost Town 2 songs I think are absolute classics! Since then their whole back catalogue has been in my playlist everyday.

Back then it was never in my wildest dreams that I would ever see them live but in 2009 me and my mate Foz travelled down to Coventry’s Ricoh arena to see the 30th Anniversary tour barring Jerry Dammers saw The Specials play most of their songs, which we were both in awe of and again danced all night, which will always be one of my best nights ever. Even more so now that they will never play again after Terry’s passing, but I know their music will remain on my daily playlist just great music from a great band.

R.I.P Mr Terry Hall

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Girly time

As a treat to make up for not liking football enough to want to watch the Broncos back in November, Reagan went to London for a couple of days for some Mommy time. A bit of rain didn’t dampen their spirits and a walk through London’s Christmas lights a meal and The Snowman ballet in the Westend was a great start.

The next day Canary Wharf shopping and a visit to Dior and Ice Skating with Sushi for lunch would be pretty much a perfect day for Reagan and she seemed pretty happy on her return with a Dior lip gloss an item off her list to Santa this year. She loved Ice Skating and loved telling me all about it tonight, Mommy on the other hand did not!

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400 Days What now…?

While cravings may flare briefly at the edge of my consciousness from time to time, my alcohol habit is dead and gone; I can sit comfortably with friends watching them drink lager, bitter or wine as I nurse a coke or sparkling water. My sense of what is “normal” drinking has shifted on its axis. When I think back to the amount of booze I used to consume in one sitting I find it a little bit horrifying and not at all appealing.

I’ve done all that work, I’ve got rid of all those triggers and associations and my brain no longer equates fun with alcohol, why would I want to go back to drinking, it makes no sense. I just think about where I was and who I am now….who would I rather be?

Right now? It’s the stone-cold sober version of me.

If I ever drink again, it will only be after a great deal of careful soul-searching and reflection about whether it is a smart decision, will one glass of red wine with a steak undo the months and months of hard work for what is effectively nothing?

My life is now in my control, I can have a drink whenever I want, but think it’s important to reflect and remember where I was a year ago, can I drink in moderation can I unlearn a lifetime’s unconscious habits?

Has my sober stint taught me anything has it changed the rest of my life, has my relationship with alcohol changed forever?

I think it has…!

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No lights so Tenpin

We were all set for our annual visit to Dunham Massey to see their Christmas lights, but 2 hours before our appointment, Mommy got an email cancelling our booking due to “icey conditions”

So after getting over the anger (because it had warmed up and was now raining so why cancel it?) and the disappointment of the rebooking being after Christmas we needed a plan for tonight so we quickly decided on a cheeky Nandos and tenpin bowling in Stoke.

Well after a lot of “smack talk” from Mommy Reagan and Lincoln I did my talking in the alley!

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Schools out

Both schools broke for the holidays today and that meant party and films for Lincoln and early finish for Reagan

Lincoln had a party and Christmas dinner at school and like all good parents we asked him about it “Did you have pigs in blankets?” “No just pigs!” LoL He is 11 years old and was disappointed that the school would only show U rated movies and he and his mates worked out all the best Christmas movies are PG so their choices were the Muppets Christmas Carol or The Nativity, him and Calib chose the former. He seems so happy and definitely laid back and easy going which I hope he got from me.

Reagan wants to be grown up so bad, she arranged to go out for coffee to celebrate Christmas break but her plan was hijacked by a girl called Jess who up until 2 weeks ago was her and Elouise’s mate but after a sleepover at her house, apparently she “ghosted” the girls and this is normally what happens…I am not sure I understand I just want Reagan to be happy and wish I could give her the knowledge that comes with experience but all I can do is guide but she relies on Mommy for that. My advice was carry on with your plans and enjoy yourselves so they walked to Starbucks after school finished at 12:30 where they had lunch and by all accounts did enjoy it, before calling Mommy to be picked up and brought home before dark.

Both Reagan and Lincoln are growing up and Christmas is changing and even if they don’t believe they daren’t admit it out loud I can only hope the magic remains in all our hearts because the alternative sucks…

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But baby it’s cold outside!

Started with a sore throat yesterday but wasn’t sure I hadn’t been slightly sick in the back of my throat during the night caused by indigestion but when it didn’t go away and is still here this morning it meant I am ill again? I am not ill often and never usually for this long if this is the same virus, if it isn’t how unlucky am I to be ill again!

It has been VERY cold since last week its -5? outside at the moment and we saw -8? last night and the night before. Yesterday we woke to a cold house which was strange and very annoying when I realised our brand new boiler had a fault (227 locking fault) and a bit of Googling told us we needed an engineer. I asked my plumber mates on WhatsApp and they suggested frozen condenser pupe and a kettle full of boiling water would thaw it. While pouring said water Jamie started cooking her breakfast and realised we didn’t have any gas, so back to WhatsApp and the next possible cause was a frozen regulator on top of the gas meter and a hairdryer would thaw this.

So there I was stood in the freezing cold with a hairdryer thawing the gas meter and hey presto gas back on and the boiler kicked in. It is easy to fix anything if you know what’s wrong and an hour and a half later and more knowledge gained problem solved.

Hopefully our heating keeps going because the cold weather is hanging around just like my sore throat unfortunately

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15th MySpace’aversary

I wrote in to BBC Radio 2 last night and asked Ken Bruce for a dedication to mark the 15th anniversary of Jamie and me meeting on MySpace and it was read out

Ken could I get a dedication on The Love Song 14/12/2022

Could you wish my wife Jamie Forster a happy MySpace’aversary, we met 14 December 2007 on MySpace and although she lived 4500 miles away in Denver, Colorado we hit it off straightaway, so much so she moved to Middlewich to start a new life exactly one year later (14/12/2008) We are now married and have 2 children Raegan and Lincoln and I would just like to tell them all I love them very much.

Thanks Ken

Alan Forster, Middlewich, Cheshire

BBC Radio 2
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No one knows…

I just watched a documentary on the life of #88 DT and how Demarius Thomas lived his whole life as a team player giving so much to others on and off the field and how loved he was but died alone just after retiring in 2021. No one knows when their times up so you have to try and live everyday like it’s your last, although we rarely ever do?

My dad called to night to inform us that Pat my uncle Neil’s wife has been given three months to live after being diagnosed with cancer but hadn’t told anyone for mo the allowing it ravage every part of her body effectively allowing it to kill her? Apparently she had a bad back a few months ago and was told she had cancer of the spine but told everyone it was a slipped disc, and gradually over the next few months the because more and more sick until today when she was finally rushed into Leighton where the truth and the consequences were revealed.

I love my life right now but I know it could change at anytime so while it’s good enjoy it and strive to maintain happiness as my life journey. We know there are always tough times ahead but we also know we can probably cope with most things if we are together and healthy so it is important to look after ourselves and stay healthy.

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