Minestrone or a Box of Chocolates?

This past couple of weeks has seen my head visit many dimensions as I've "blogged" my way through nostalgic defining moments, the, present day, frustration at my inability to master the barbel of The Kentish R.Stour, to the insane concept of recording my life's journey, in book form - and the associated shrapnel (Steve Gale's unexpected praise being the icing on the cake!) ending with the, utter relief, which comes from a medical "all clear" for Bev; some crazy places I've visited and that's for sure.
This "life story" stuff has led me down some rather extraordinary side roads - I am discovering much about the influences, and myself, as I attempt to unravel fact from fiction - such is the mess that forms my memories. I've always maintained that it was my love of natural history which shaped my being and made me who I am today? Looking back would suggest that there was an equal partner in all this - that being my choice of work! Factories are not for everyone, and that's completely understandable, but they are where I am most comfortable - my territory; where I am able to earn a living and can hold my own. It didn't matter if the business was owned by Kodak (UK) Ltd, Unilever or Fujifilm SIS - I am comfortable in these environs; shop floor banter being part and parcel. Yeah, of course I'm different, I'm a long-haired twat, wearing wooden jewellery, interested in birds, moths and fishing - no! page three isn't important - I've got Bev at home so why would I need to fantasise about a woman younger than my daughter? I couldn't give a toss for the merits of Manchester City and their spending power - I am, and always will be, a QPR supporter so that stuff doesn't come into my world.
These are places where I have spent more time than anywhere else - my experiences being of equal merit to any I've had in other arenas.
Please don't make the mistake of thinking "Well, it no surprise you're factory fodder - being a thick, un-educated goon" Oh no! I left school with a hat-full of qualifications which were soon added to by my time at college - I am, by trade, a medical laboratory technician - starting out life at The Lister Institute of  Preventative Medicine, Dagger Lane, Elstree. A fantastic, worthwhile, career but a world inhabited by deluded tossers; so not for me. If a bloke is a c*nt then tell him - can't do that in the twee environment of laboratory employment - on the factory floor it's almost a term of endearment.
I suppose this is why my blogging sometimes causes offence, where none is meant. I write this stuff as I see it (as I would say it to anyone within my work experience) and, if folk are not of this background, then it will appear a little rough/aggressive. I can't say that I'm sorry; for to do so would be that I would be sorry for being me? Perhaps there should be a warning on my blog header - "might cause offence if you're a little precious?"

Taken from a boat whilst enjoying a holiday in Turkey - one of those jet-ski and booze experiences!

I will leave you with a couple of images, of Audouin's Gull - probably the best looking gull in the western palearctic? A portrait and a simple image - I know which one, I prefer, to convey the message of wonderment at the beauty of our natural history - not every one else will agree, and in that simple fact is the definition of enjoyment. It's very much an individual thing.

 

Sat on a coastal rock, in Menorca, October 2010.
This image says everything, I want, about why I enjoy being outdoors