GOOD TIMES
This is my "pleasure page" and covers cars, football, travel and computing.
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Cars
You don't need to read much of the page which covers my childhood to realise that my love of cars started very early on. I am happiest when I am travelling in
them. The latest designs fascinate me although my favourite era is the 1960s, especially the swooping shapes of sportscars from that period. However my
addiction covers everything with wheels and an engine!
Like all junkies I need my fix and it is provided by watching motor racing on most weekends during summer at the Oulton Park and Anglesey circuits. I went with
my father as a kid - we shared many happy days together - and then my long suffering mother took over after he died. The sights and sounds of this sport give
me a huge thrill!
It may seem strange that cars rate so highly in my affections when I don't have enough control over my muscles to be able to drive them. Certainly when the
school governor introduced me to my first computer when I was 15, I tried to be "sensible" and concentrated on this new device which I could use as well as
anybody else.
For a few months I read books on Information Technology and taught myself the BASIC programming language from a manual. Using the knowledge gained
from this studying I wrote a game that enabled me to play Black Jack on the PC. But it all seemed so dry.
I began to feel as though something was missing from my life. This was compounded as my father had died earlier in the year so I had no one to share my
enthusiasm for motoring with. These feelings prompted me to begin subscribing to car magazines. It was great to read articles written by like-minded people.
Nigel Roebuck's recollections of Gilles Villeneuve in his weekly Autosport column were especially enthralling. The great Canadian is my all time hero. His skill
enabled him to drive his Ferrari flat out even though it was very difficult to control due to its very powerful engine overwhelming its primitive chassis. In many
respects he became a role model as I thought of myself pushing my own "badly-handling vehicle" (ie my crippled body) beyond its limits... and enjoying the
experience hugely!
Another driver who was able to redefine the performance of his car was Nigel Mansell and it was brilliant to meet him in 1991 when he was at the peak of his
powers.
Having read so many articles about motor racing, I began to wonder if I could make a living writing about the subject. In my late teens, when I had no
responsibilities or commitments (aka "nothing to lose") I decided to give it a go. I started submitting reports of race meetings to the local newspaper. The articles
were published - it was great to see my words in print - although being such a small organisation they couldn't afford to pay me a penny.
I continued my college course in computers while I tried to forge a career in motoring journalism. A few years later I had became an IT Professional in which area
I was able to be 100% effective. From this I became increasingly aware of my inadequacies as a sports reporter - specifically the mobility restrictions and an
inability to interview anyone due to my speech impediment. I would have needed someone to assist me greatly if I were to fulfil the role properly whereas in the
world of computers I was operating on equal terms to my colleagues.
Having faced up to these harsh realities I abandoned my journalistic aspirations and no longer submitted copy to be published. All that writing experience did not
go to waste as undoubtedly it assisted me in producing the reports on Mainframe Performance which are currently a key part of my job.
...but then amazing things started to happen to my journalistic aspirations after I set up this website! See “update” tab.
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Football
If I inherited my interest in cars from my father then it was my mother's side of the family who introduced me to football. My dad hated it!
Although my mum took me to see our local Third Division club for a few seasons when I was a child, I chiefly became an armchair follower of Liverpool FC as
they were the most successful team when I was growing up.
In those days facilities for wheelchair users at football grounds were pretty much non-existent so I never dreamt I would go and see the legends in person.
However by 1998 a number of disabled enclosures had been introduced at Liverpool's Anfield home and I was able to make use of one of these areas when my
cousin Ade offered to take me to a game.
It was fantastic! A completely different experience to watching it on TV - much more involving. The pace and athleticism of the players is something that you have
to be there to appreciate. To be swept along on a tide of emotion with 40,000+ other fans is incredible.
Fortunately there are a large number of football fans amongst my circle of family and friends and I am able to arrange an escort for every home game for which I
can get tickets. However they are becoming harder to obtain as the demand for places from disabled people increases.
While the 1990's saw much less success for Liverpool than the club had become used to they have qualified for a number of major Cup Finals in the early years
of the 21st Century.
Ade offered to take me to the first of these at the impressive Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. He didn't need to ask me twice! Having seen so many Finals on TV it
was out of this world to experience such a big event first hand. As this trip was successful we have been to nearly all the Finals in which Liverpool have
appeared in since then.
By far the greatest footballing experience, one of the best of my life in fact, took place in Istanbul. This was the 2005 European Champions' League Final which
turned out to be one of the games that history will never forget - Ade, his brother Ian and I were all there to witness it first-hand.
Having been out-played by the great AC Milan in the first half, Liverpool came back from 3 - 0 down to draw the match and win one of the most important
trophies in world football on penalties. The fact that we had to travel to the otherside of Europe to see this meant it was an unforgettable epic adventure.
Just look how happy we were afterwards!
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Travel
Having a job means my mum and I can afford to travel and see the world, a far cry from when I was unemployed and rarely went out of the house.
I tend not to do things by halves... our first foray abroad was to see my mum's brother in Sydney!
Since then we have added New York, Canada, Paris, Singapore and South Africa - amongst others - to our list of destinations. Our stay in the Canadian Rockies
was the most memorable holiday. The scenery was fantastic. It included a trip up a glacier on the largest bus I have ever seen (pictured below) and finished with
a train journey through the mountains from Banff to Vancouver in a carriage which had a glass-domed roof.
In total we have visited Sydney 3 times. In 2005 we enjoyed Christmas over there. Away from the harsh UK winter, eating Christmas dinner with my Ozzie
cousins was a novel experience.
Travelling by air is surprisingly easy, the airports and airlines are well drilled in coping with people with mobility issues. The only drama we've experienced was
on the return journey of our first visit to Australia. My wheelchair ended up in Heathrow when we returned to Manchester! The airport loaned me a 'chair while my
own was trucked up from London.
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Computers
At school many teachers said computing was the way forward for me. This triggered nightmare images of an adulthood where I was confined to a room with a
bed and a PC. I pictured a scenario in which the only contact with the outside world would be through the computer screen.
This situation has never materialised. If anything the reverse is true. Computers have enabled me to go out to work and get to know a whole host of folks I would
never have otherwise met.
Via the internet I keep intouch with family, friends and motorsport contacts thanks to email and FaceBook. I have contact over the web with numerous people
each day (often to arrange to meet up and enjoy some quality time). Looking back to the 1980's, particularly the period between finishing my education and
starting employment, I can see that I existed very much in isolation. It's a shame the World Wide Web had not been invented then.
I have also been able to derive a strong sense of self worth from all this hi tech machinery. The first time I completed a major programming assignment, the end
user sent me an e-mail expressing delight at how my efforts had made their job much easier. The message made me feel strange, for a moment I didn't
understand why. But then I realised, after years of relying on other people to help me, I had never before been able to do something which benefitted someone
else. It was a fantastic feeling!
