My view and thoughts on everything!

Season’s Greetings from the Land Down Under! I hope that you were all on Santa’s ‘nice list’ and had a great Christmas Day with family and loved ones.   I thought it would be a good idea to tell you what it is like to experience Christmas here in Australia. Despite the obvious, (the weather) there isn't too much that is different between what Christmas is like in the UK and here in Oz. In fact, unsurprisingly, it is virtually the same! For example, all the major department stores put up snowy Christmas scenes in their store windows. This includes fake snow in the shop windows, carol singers, a portly Santa and so on. It can be quite surreal to walk into a department store and see these 'winter images' when the temperature is 35C and sweat is dripping from your brow! All around Australia, major cities and towns will erect Christmas trees decorated with baubles, angels and tinsel etc. I have to admit that this can look strange when you are in the tropical part of A

Following Ebbsfleet United, or indeed any English football team, in Australia is quite an experience.   For starters, there is the obvious time zone issue.   What this means is that living in Sydney (as I do) the time zone difference can vary from 9 – 11 hours depending on the time of the year.   For those of you who are wondering, Sydney is currently 11 hours ahead of the UK. Then there is the lack of football coverage here that you take for granted back in Blighty.   The top English and European teams get a lot of coverage in Australia, but outside of that you will not find out much about say, a Crewe Alexandra or even our beloved Ebbsfleet.   Nowadays, this is less of an issue due to a wonderful thing called the “internet”.   If you haven’t heard about it then please check it out!   This has been a major boost for all ex-pats living not just in Australia but around this amazing world of ours. However, if you go back not too many years the earliest that you would have found o

Every now and then I like to check up on my blog statistics to see where my readers are located when they came across my wonderful (ahem) blog.  Currently, just over 50% of my readers are, not surprisingly, from Australia.  My second biggest market is the US, followed by the UK in third place and Egypt in fourth position (thanks Amira!). I also like to review what word searches readers used to get to my blog.  Naturally some of them make sense whilst others certainly don't! I do get a chuckle from some of them I have to admit. So, without further a do, here are some 'word searches' that caught my attention: "showering in a moon boot" - regular readers will know I posted a few blogs about my Achilles injury which required an operation and the wearing of a moon boot.  However, why you would want to shower in one is beyond me! It sounds like a sexual fetish thing.  Maybe the boyfriend said "I'll shower in a moon boot, whilst you shower with me in a plas

It is the early hours of the morning and you wake up in a cold sweat. What has caused you to wake up.  Was it a bad dream? Was it the coffee you had at midnight? or maybe you remembered that you had forgotten to return your Justin Bieber biography (very small book) to the library.  In fact, the truth is none of these.  The giveaway is the severe stomach cramps. Immediately you know that you are in for a roller coaster ride over the next few hours. I recently experienced the above, except the Justin Bieber book, and as you can imagine it was a pretty painful experience! (as reading the Bieber book would have been). I knew straightaway, whilst sprinting quicker than Asafa Powell to the bathroom, that it was food poisoning.  As I was enjoying a newly found love affair with the toilet I put on my Sherlock Holmes hat to work out what had caused me to have been inflicted so badly. Was it: The barbecue of the previous night.  I had eaten lamb and chicken, with coleslaw and a potato sal

Recently something dawned on me.  It was one of those moments when it feels like time has stopped and a thought out of the blue hits you like a bolt of lightning.  Thankfully for me I was not struck by lightning and I still continue to have many thoughts. What was it that happened? Read on... The other day my oldest daughter brought home a prayer box from school.  The idea being that the child takes it home and sets up a praying area in a part of the home.  It is to encourage, I guess, praying time for the family. Now I should say that my daughter goes to a Catholic School (hence the prayer box) but we are not Catholic. Anyway, we opened the prayer box, took out the cross, candle and mat and set it up in a bedroom.  On the day we had to take prayer box to school I inadvertently put our netbook next to it. It was then I had the thought.  In this high technological age it is now the computer that is the modern day equivalent of the prayer box, or dare I say it God. Every day we use

The words “breathless and enthusiastic” came to mind when I was putting together an introduction for my next interview. In fact, I soon discovered that this person has achieved and contributed so much to our society that it is amazing that she is still only in her early twenties. But then again Samah Hadid is already an extraordinary person in today’s multicultural Australia; and is someone whose views I respect greatly. Here is a glimpse of some of Samah’s achievements to date: • An active member of the Muslim Women’s Association since the age of 15. • A 2010 Australian Youth representative to the United Nations. • The first Australian to complete a minority rights fellowship to the UN office of the High Commission for Human Rights. • A Youth Representative on the Australian National Commission for UNESCO. • A member of Amnesty International's Diversity Steering Committee. • An Action Partner for Oxfam International Youth Partnerships. • A participant to the Prime

As most of you will know I love writing. I find it fairly easy, to be honest. It doesn't worry me if it is business, sport reporting, interviews or book writing, it seems to flow nicely. However, there is an aspect of my writing that must improve. If I had a report card it would be a D+. I am, of course, talking about poetry. I need to improve my poetic skills! Inspired by my good friend and great poet (Nes), I have decided its time to see if I can conquer my Achilles heel (no pun intended to myself). So here goes: Running Free Running, chasing dreams, chasing my future Sunshine all around, smiles, flowers blooming Grey clouds close in, pressing down and suffocating Can’t move, unable to chase the future The sun rises again, movement is slow the future is near The world turns round and round, again

The following is a blog of mine that has been posted on the "up the fleet" blog.... The first time I heard about MYFC was on a Friday night after a drinking session with friends in Sydney. Friday night drinks had become a ritual and it is a good way to catch up with friends and get ready for the weekend. This evening I picked up a free newspaper to keep me occupied during my 30 minute train journey home. This newspaper was full of the usual dross when I came across an interesting article. Apparently an organisation called My Football Club were going to take over ownership of what is now Ebbsfleet United. My heart skipped a beat. Being from Kent I had been to see the Fleet on numerous occasions over the years and certainly had a soft spot for them. I even pestered a friend of mine to send me a video of the Aston Villa FA Cup game! I knew I wanted to be a part of this venture. Would I be too late to become a member? I had to find out! I remember getting off the train and litera

As a number of my regular readers would know I recently ruptured my Achilles tendon and had to have an operation on it. Well, my ordeal with the scalpel wasn't over after that initial slice and dice meeting. Five weeks later, having watched Manchester City win the FA Cup final on television, I noticed a swelling where the stitches were. It started to get worse over the next few days. To cut a long story short, I had to have another operation to clean up the wound as it had been impacted by a staph infection. Naturally, at the time I was not a happy bunny as it was putting my rehab (not Amy Winehouse style) back to square one. This meant that I would be in a half cast for 10 days, using crutches before migrating to a moon boot (which in the past week I have stopped wearing). So what is it like going about your normal daily business whilst recovering from an Achilles operation? The answer is quite simple - it's bloody hard. In the early days, just going to the bathroom was an exp

One of the things that I wanted to do with my blog, dear reader, was to expand it in different directions, to boldly go where no-one has gone before (thanks Captain Kirk!). I have been wanting to undertake an interview with a person of interest for a long time now. Fortunately, all the planets aligned and I came across a person who fitted the bill for my first ever interview. Hopefully, it will be the first of many. Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly introduce to you Amira Aly, author of "The battle for Ma'at - book 1 Egypt the Uprising". I was introduced to Amira, fairly recently and can honestly say that she is one of the nicest people that your path could cross. Aside from that, Amira spins a great yarn based on fact and fiction. So without further a do, I give you my interview with Amira Aly! Q1 – Amira, you recently published your debut novel “Egypt the Uprising – Battle for Maat” which, I must say is a great read. What gave you the inspiration to write it? How lo

Just this once, I want to do something different. Normally I write a blog and try and make it a tad humerous. Normally I fail, but once in a while it comes off. Anyway, less digressing methinks. Recently, I had the pleasure of coming across a person who is really talented. I should thank Nes (aka Queen Nes) for introducing Amira to me. So a big thanks Nes!! The big thing about Amira is that she is now a fully fledged author and I really want to spread the word about her debut novel. What really hooked me initialy was the trailer for Amira's book. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVW66TLiElg If it grabs you, like it did me, then you can purchase the book called "Egypt The Uprising - Battle For Maat" at: https://www.ebookit.com/books/0000000695/Egypt-The-Uprising-The-Battle-for-Maat-Book-1.html I hope you enjoy this enthralling novel. Congratulations Amira!

"I would love to see new members from Cairo, Belo Horizonte, Wagga Wagga, Ulan Bator and even Bognor Regis" The following is my article that was published on the My Football Club website (MYFC). As background information, I was approached by a board member recently to do some articles on Ebbsfleet United, who have just won promotion back to the Blue Square Conference League (yay!). I have reproduced it as unless you are a member of MYFC, you will not be able to read it. If you want any further information about becoming a member then please email me through via this blog or via Twitter @main_man. Enjoy! The future is bright (I gotta wear shades – honest!) Phew, what a great season that was for Ebbsfleet United! Rewind back to last July and it did not look like the Fleet would have a team to run out onto Stonebridge Road for the first game. However, that expert magician Liam Daish put together a team of virtual strangers and made them into a powerhouse in the Blue Square S

"the day in question is not the world paper clip flicking championships either...and an Argentine whom I refuse to name (the pain lingers on)" May 14th will be a special day for a number of people in England, and also around the world. It will, hopefully, be a special day for me too. Before I go on, no, it's not my birthday. Mine is much later in the year. Send me a message if you want to know when it is, as I love getting presents on my big day! The day in question is also not the world paper clip flicking championships either. It is, however, the day of the FA Cup final between my beloved Manchester City and their opponents Stoke City. The reason why I am excited is not just because my team is in the final, and hopefully will win the cup, but because they hardly ever win anything! Let's take a look at the record books: Last Major Trophy win: 1976 League Cup v Newcastle United (who can forget Tueart's goal). Last League Title win: 1968 Last FA Cup win: 1969 So yo

"So what goals did I achieve? well to you, dear reader, they are probably not that special...to me they are akin to scoring a winning goal in an FA Cup final!" In my previous blog I described the event leading up to me retiring from playing my favourite sport - Football, or soccer as it is also known as. I mentioned in it that I had achieved all the goals that I set out to do. I even scored a few goals too. Not bad for a defender who occasionally played in midfield!! So what goals did I achieve? well to you, dear reader, they are probably not that special. However, to me they are akin to scoring the winning goal in an FA Cup final! So here goes... Winning trophies - I have won a number of 5 a side and indoor football trophies. Interestingly, in a work mixed football team we decided to put one of our female players in goal (she actually volunteered). That meant we had more males in the outfield. Consequently we never lost a game and were champs three years running. No

“a doctor who easily assessed that I had ruptured my Achilles Tendon. I asked her how it would be fixed. She answered with two dreaded words - "by operation" Last weekend was a watershed one for me. Even though I had no idea at the time, the soccer game that I played in would be the last of my illustrious career. Well, illustrious is probably a strong word to use for my deft skills. After all, I didn't play for England, never turned out for my beloved Manchester City or have driven a Lamborghini donated by a sponsor. Indeed my only transfer fee was 2.50 pounds from Dewdrop to Scorpions (and I paid that too!). However, despite this, in my own micro soccer world, I did achieve all the goals (excuse the pun) I set out to do when I was a youngster. Before I expand on that I should give a brief description of what happened at approximately 1.30pm on Saturday 9th April. The game started well for my team. We were 1-0 up early in the game and were starting to look good. I was als

“shopping for clothes normally revolves around the colour of your next shell suit...if you see a bus approach it with caution” I have been inspired by a good friend to write a ‘top ten’ blog. So I have chosen to write one about my hometown. Before I go on, I apologise if you are from Chatham in England and you take offence at my comments. Yes, I agree they should be harsher! Well here are my top ten reasons why Chatham is a great holiday destination: 1. It’s the original home of the Chav. The Chav is an extremely rare species of human being which is predominantly nocturnal. The Chav nornally travels in small groups, or clans, and can be seen heading for the Chippy, Chinese or Curry House on most nights. They generally have a snarl on their face and a fake gold chain around their neck. Night photography tours to see the Chavs are available to all tourists (note: personal injury insurance compulsory). 2. London, Paris, New York, Rome and now Chatham. All fashion houses in their own right

Well, having found some spare time (I think it was hiding under the lounge), I have decided to give my blogsite a well overdue spring clean. Gone is the picture of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as well as the Fish. Even though I found it fun to have them on the blog, and they were fun to feed as well, I decided to take down that app. Also missing is the 'song of the week' which often ended up being 'song of the month'! I have bought in the share it application so that you Tweeters out there (Hi Nes) and Facebookers can easily share the blogs. I may make a few more changes but for now that is it. I also think the style of blogs should change too. I will still stick with the humerous ones but will occassionally write some more serious type ones too. Stay tuned and remember, you can subscribe to my blogs too!! Cheers DNW

"Australia. Where the men are real men and the women are women - except perhaps during Mardi Gras" Aah yes. Australia. Where the men are real men and the women are women – except perhaps during Mardi Gras. It’s a tough bloke’s type of country, you know. We are tough. We work long hours, endure the hot baking sun and love that cold nectar running down our throat, and our beer guts, especially after a hard day’s yakka. Meanwhile our Sheila’s are all at home making dinner and looking after the brats, whilst watching a re-run of Neighbours on the television. This is very much a stereotypical view to some people of what Australia is really like. Just to clarify before I go on, we do not have Kangaroo’s hopping about in our backyard, and yes – we do have ‘shopping malls’. We do, however, like to throw a ‘shrimp on the barbie’. Well I have some news for you, dear reader. Australia is not a man’s country but is, deep breath, a woman’s country. What am I on about? Have I lost my marbl

A belated Happy New Year to all! Firstly, I must apologise for the lack of blogs recently. The reason for this is that I decided to take a longer than normal break from blogging. Seeing that Christmas and the New Year have just passed I took the opportunity to recharge my (Duracell, or is it Energiser) batteries! Well I am fully recharged and am looking to a good year full of blogs, warts 'n all! There will be a slight change to my blogging though. I will be occasionally undertaking joint blogs with a good friend of mine who lives in the UK. Stay tuned for more details very soon!