Vinny Jones' character Big Chris in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels would have summed up 2006 for me quite nicely.
"It's been emotional".
Going back to January, it started on quite a high. The family conspired to surprise my Sister (Vicky) and Dad (who share the same day for a Birthday) for a Birthday party. On the 7th of January we pulled it off, My mother, myself and the other sister (Sue) chucked quite an impressive party. Dad and Vicky hadn't a clue it was coming and a great time was had by all! Yup, things couldn't get better than this.
But they could get a good deal worse. Just 10 days later on the 17th of January, following a long illness my dear old Mum passed away in her sleep.
A few days later my Birthday just happened. No big celebration, though I did try to enjoy it, as Mother wouldn't have approved of me being miserable.
The funeral was lead by Father Darren Smith. A man who managed to sum up my mothers life very well indeed. His service was touching and inspiring to us family members. And there were a good few family members and friends there. There was standing room only at the back. Mum would have approved, she always liked a get together.
A few weeks later I find out that I'm going to be a Dad! Bloomin' heck! Talk about the ups and downs of life. Even the news of parenthood was an emotionally polar experience. Elation followed by the sadness that my mother, who would have been overjoyed at the news, never got to know.
So then obviously, at a time when I need a tad of security, I lose my contract. I had been working as an IT contractor taking on short-term contracts. The money is a tad better than permanent work but then you have to expect some time out of contract. However, this contract was due to run for another 6 months when the company pulled the plug on the entire project.
Oh well, got another contract! This one with Fujitsu Telecomms. Seemed quite interesting work. However, not long after starting this contract I'm offered a permanent position with a company in Coventry who develop biometric software for industry and government. At least, that's what I'm told!
So I leave the well paid and fairly stable contract for the security of a permanent job. After all, I have a nipper on the way and my priorities have changed a little. Start the job and I'm fed some rubbish about the company being financially secure (what a relief, that's why I've joined the company) and they intend to grow by a factor of 100 by the end of the year as they have 26 multi million pound orders with governments around the world. Landed on my feet or what?
So when the first payday comes along, I pop across to the HR department (the HR department of one admin assistant) and enquire about my wage slip. I'm told that it should be with me soon as the MD is thinking of paying us today.
Errr, what?
Surely, I enquire, that there is no need to think. Indeed, the transfer should have been made a couple of days ago to ensure that the money would be in my account today. Sadly not. Not only did the company not pay me for a further 10 days, they didn't have the decency to let me know it would be late. And so it went on over the coming months. The company made promises that they would pay us on time, and if it didn't they'd let us know with plenty of notice. They kept neither.
I had to go through the depression of watching my team, BCFC get relegated. Salt was rubbed into the wound when BCFC didn't drop the prices of their Season Tickets, despite increasing the price nearly 50% on promotion. We were an expensive premiership side to watch, I cannot justify to my family the same prices for Championship Football so didn't renew. I sort of feel a bit lost now, better that than being left with the feeling that my loyalty is being exploited by a club who should know better.
In July, I cycled from John O'Groats to Lands End with my Old Man, My brother-in-law and my brother-in-law to be. A friend of the family drove a van in support of the trip. We made the trip in my mothers name and collected sponsorship for charities that my Mum supported. Look at the Sheila’s Wheelers website for more details.
The new job still wasn't paying on time, so I said to my wife (Lisa) that I'd start looking for a job before they tell me they can't afford me anymore. They got in first. I suppose the only pleasant thought I have about that company is that they'll soon be bankrupt and not be ruining any more lives with promises they simply can't keep.
Don't get me wrong, the company ain't all that bad and had I been told the risks up front instead of lies of security I might have entered into the job with more realistic expectations. Or I would have at least had the option of gambling my mortgage on the job, rather than the company gambling with my mortgage.
Started the job hunt and applied for a contract with Capgemini. I mentioned that I was looking for permanent work and was offered one. So not a long and hard slog through the job market, but certainly an inconvenience. However, I feel as though I've landed on my feet a touch and was probably done a favour by the last company dumping me at the right time.
Before my start date was finalised, Lisa was admitted to hospital with the intention of inducement of our first nipper. So fatherhood is coming whether I'm ready or not!
Thomas was born at 04:10 on the 28th of October, weighing in at 8lb 6oz
He was eventually delivered by emergency c-section, after putting his poor Mother through hell! He's growing fine and I'm settling into parenthood more each day. Who'da guessed, I seem to be an adult!
Some more good news, as I write this, Blues are top of the league, promotion back to the Premiership?
Christmas is now just around the corner, a new year approaches. It's the first of both that my old Mum won't be here to celebrate with us. However, I will enjoy it them both on her behalf as Mum always looked for an excuse to have a glass of wine and enjoy the company of friends and family. We'll wet her grandson’s head with a glass of port that she liked, looking back to the good times we had with her past, and honour her by doing our best to raise her grandson as a good man, full of life, full of happiness.
Beyond my life, some world events are still as shocking.
The unjust war in Iraq goes on.
The Sudan is still being allowed to implode as though Rwanda never happened.
Trade Justice is still to be achieved in spite of government promises. Money still seems to be more important than people as far as government and corporations are concerned.
We are winning the war against the environment. Our ecology just hasn’t the weaponry to defend itself against the constant onslaught of pollution and over consumption.
Extreme terrorist groups that pretend to follow Islam pose a greater threat and the peace loving Muslim people of the world still seem to be the scapegoat by the rest of the world, or at least by the tabloid editors.
Thatcher still lives and Nick Griffin hasn’t contracted some freakish skin disorder, turning him black and getting his head kicked in by his own thugs when he is mistaken for a “ sponging Muslim, Asylum Seeker”, the label that BNP policy seems to apply to all of those with a skin tone darker than an anaemic ghost. A very anaemic ghost. Perhaps this is the greatest injustice that Britain has seen, but it is to come. It’s just a matter of time to before the BNP collapses under the weight of it’s own hate and hypocrisy.
On the other hand, there is much to allow us a glimmer of hope for our future.
Cycling as a means of transport is on the increase.
Fair Trade is consistently on the rise.
Organic and ethically farmed produce is increasingly in demand.
Opposition for the Iraq war is growing.
And the most inspiring aspect of the above is that this comes from the people. This hasn’t been imposed by government. Government will respond with policies to aid the above, but that is reactive. The real action comes from the people. And it shows the people care. There is hope.
The New Tory leader is a cliché of popularity who’s character wouldn’t be out of place in an episode of Drop The Dead Donkey, ensuring that the party shouldn’t be elected in to power in the next election. Sadly, this means that the government who abused the trust of our squaddies and murdered hundreds of thousands of innocent people, including women and children may benefit from this. And lets be honest, New Labour and New Tory are essentially the same thing. So the challenge for the coming years, just how do we elect an alternative government? And with no alternative, do we really live in a democracy?
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