Happy Bithday Stan

Cx

Just one more reason to like Frankie Dettori ...

... he was just on Desert Island Discs and chose Faithless 'Insomnia' as one of his choices. Don't think I've ever heard it played on Radio 4 before. Poor Sue Lawley.

Cx

Happy Birthday Eric,

Did you know that when I search for your name on my phone it suggests 'Epic'

Cx

That was the year that was.

MilkyNZ’s blog got me thinking about the highs and lows of 2005.

With a complete lack of originality here are mine.

Lows

January.

A very difficult month. I found the tsunami work I did very taxing. Not just because the subject matter was difficult but because I was segregated from my team. I didn’t realise until January how much I rely on the casual de-briefs we have after trying incidents. After one particularly bad day I recall meeting up with the team for a social. My specific aim that evening was to get drunk as quickly as possible to forget the day I’d had. It’s the one & only occasion that I have felt I needed a drink and it gave me a little more sympathy with people whose life puts them in that position on a daily basis.

It was in the early hours of the morning on the 19th that I got the phone call from Andy telling me Milky had been stabbed.

I was happy to see the end of January.

Hurting someone unintentionally with a lack of forethought when I thought I was doing them a favour. I learned a valuable lesson about how I would do it next time. The injured party had the maturity to draw it to my attention and the good grace to forgive me.

Without doubt the most frightening thing to happen to me during 2005 was when I was dragged, courtesy of a bolting horse, across a main road, directly in front of a BMW & a Metro. Only heroic braking on the part of the Metro driver enables me to type this. I was still having flashbacks 3 days later.

Being bullied by a Chief Inspector.

Enough said about that at the time.



Highs

February : Hearing that the detritus who stabbed Milky had been arrested.

August : Holiday to the Lakes, walking Scafell Pike & seeing a red squirrel.

September : A clear mammogram for Mummeh.

November : Girls night in. The first time we had all been together in over a year. Nothing beats a girls night in for the tremendous camaraderie & sense of well-being.

December : Galloping up the Derby start on CB without stirrups (unintentional) & staying on board.

Seeing The Natural History Museum, the building impressed me as much as the exhibits.

Hearing that Eric had passed Part 1 of his exams.

‘Postsecret’

Learning to trust a straightforward person.

My 'best of' weren't all released in 2005, it's just that's when I discovered/enjoyed them.

Best book : 'A Primate's Memoir' - Robert Sapolsky : Very well written, the first time I have found myself beginning to understand why someone would think vivisection is acceptable. I still dont, but the author explains his reasons in compelling fashion.

Best single : Gorillaz -'Dare'

Best album : Stereophonics - 'Language, S5x, Violence. Other ? This was Summer.

Best radio : Radio 4's coverage of the Edinburgh Fringe

Best film seen on DVD - Training Day. Ever think you're having a bad day ? Not as bad as the poor sod in this.

Best film seen in the cinema - Star Wars : Revenge of the Sith - At last George Lucas rewards all his 1977 fans with the film we deserved. The audience didn't breathe during the first 15 minutes & it turned out that Hayden Christensen could act after all.

Most eagerly awaited but ultimately disappointing : The Lions tour of NZ - pitiful. Thank goodness I support both sides :)

Resolutions.

I have only two & one depends on some research Mummeh is doing at the moment. If things work out we may be taking a very special holiday together. I don’t want to say much more in case it doesn’t work out.

The second is simple : Don't push cotton buds in too far.

Cx