Thank you....so much....we are indebted.

So many people are being so kind as we depart offering us lifts, trips out , meals and well just plain human kindness even people we don't even know from abroad are all helping to make our transition abroad a little easier even friends on Facebook are all helping with the odd comment of support. I would like to name some of them.

Lachie, Mei & Kaylee

Thank you  so much for giving us so much of your time and offering so much good advice, not sure where we would be with out you if honest. And see you soon.

Tracy and Steve

Thank you so much for your time and love and helping in securing renters at a late stage and also your days out in the countryside never to be forgotten if honest, your time and friendship and kindness have been so heart felt by us and we are very grateful to have even met you both and become friends. x

Tezlivin and family

Thank you Tez for your friendship and support I will miss you dearly old friend, you have inspired me in many ways as an older man should I guess, I do hope you come out and visit and play more guitar, thank you so much for your invites to venues and making me play and letting me be on your CD which is still played in the car to this day. Really Thank you and I hope you come on out to see us. x

Malcolm and Ida 

Thank you Malcolm for letting us into your lives and letting me teach you the guitar (heh heh) ...and letting me play some gigs at the H&G alongside you, much like Tez I leave having been inspired by you to make something of my musical ramblings and hope to carry it all on in Malaysia, with thanks to you. I also expect to see you in Malaysia at some point in the future I really hope you make it out. I also expect to see an album in the not to distant future (no pressure then) ...oh I have found the trowels. xx

Rich Chip, Arete and family

Rich thanks for your buying my board and helping out, and Thank you for making that call that you did before departing for you holiday to say goodbye, means more than you may imagine my old friend, we lost touch way back when, hope we stay in touch and you visit SEA in the future and use our place as a base you'd be so welcome, stay in touch and don't be a stranger. Thanks.

Horse and Groom Pub Posse

They probably wont read this, but the lads down the H&G have been all so kind to me and I will miss them all dearly, there are some strange goings on and weird people down in that dungeon of a pub a social oddity for sure but it was the birth place of my open mic nights and so it has status and a place for me, the music on some nights was amazing and on others a curiosity, but this is where the magic is this is where real people are, wonderful people. Lastly Thanks to Andy and Nick who run it, always kind to me and of course it was the first venue I ever played (badly too) so to all at the Groom. Thanks.

Pat and Jeff

Thank you both for being friends whilst here in the Close you have always been there for us in so many ways even now at the end you are making sure our adventure goes without any problems in lending us your stuff, kindness defined is how I feel about you both. Jeff, I will miss you dearly, as I am sure you well know. Thanks for everything. xx

Ray and Val and immediate family

Thank you for supporting your daughters dream of travel and work and for trusting me in taking care of her whilst away, you have been very sure to send out the message that Stephanie should do this and she feels that with he backing of her parents it makes it so much easier to take on the challenge, now all you have to do is learn how to use Skype, because she will need you when out there she will need to see your faces from time to time, its a small effort with great rewards. So Thank you for the support. xx

Sarah and Scott

Thank you so much for supporting us and Stephanie through this new chapter and for lending us stuff and buying a car as yet not used and being great support, you have a wonderful new home and it was a delight helping you move in, we really want you to come out and see us so please look after yourselves and take care, we will miss you dearly until next time. xx

The Half Moon Thanks and bye......Mick see you soon.

Another stunning open mic venue I try to attend to upset the talent balance (lower it ha ha), This night is run by Mick Middleton, what a great host great all round guy and well he let me play when i had the balls to do so, its a hard venue to play because the talent is so high, essentially semi pro people waiting for their first signing attend here and for me to play its a privilege.

So Thank you Mike, and all of the people that I have enjoyed meeting there, some wonderful people even the bar staff are cool as.

Today myself and my best singer friend Tracy recorded a record in my house and tonight we got to play it live after just recording it, wow it is hard being up there but I am so proud of us both having the 'plums' to do it....what stars we were well done Tracy well done.

And so to the half moon and all that attend.............

Thanks so much.

Horse and Groom....Thanks and bye.

The Horse and Groom, the place where I first ever had the balls to try an open mic night on my own....way back when, I was poor and no one really was that impressed, but Andy stuck with me and let me play on and gave me as many tries as I needed to get better. Thanks to Andy and Nick....to be always fondly remembered I will miss the H&G for all its character and quirkiness I will miss you.

Al the characters, all the stars, all the brilliant musicians hiding away who come out on a Thursday night to show off, stunning really and none are heard on the radio....so sad, and then me making a racket with me looper, such good fun, such great characters, such nice friends all to be missed.

So I leave you H&G never to be forgotten, but to be replicated in Malaysia I hope....

Thank you to all of you have inspired me to many names to mention, but what a great venue and a great open mic.

Car-less....Tick Tock.

The car has gone....yep gone, I have no wheels....only peeps who love there wheels will understand the misery and damming consequences of losing ones wheels. im if honest a bit teary...after selling the car we went to catch a bus to get back to Derby but when the bus arrived he did not accept cash money!! so I could not board, can you believe that the driver was so apologetic, I said I was sorry too as I have not had to get buses for some time years in fact, (I looked at the passengers when saying this).

We have loved that car since its er well car birth we took her from the showroom through the glass walled entrance and it has never let us down, nothing on that car has ever broken ever...cant ask for more than that. We got £2500 for it cash from a lovely couple in Nottingham all paid in 20's....mmmm.

Anyway that was like having my balls removed publicly I am a car driver I hate being without the freedom mobile and that for me now is the death knell .... my life here in the UK and Derby is over, even if I return to the UK at some point later down the line I will never live in Derby again....My/Our hope is we never return here hopefully retiring in some small humble way in Portugal a little land a little pad nothing too ostentatious.

One can dream.

Our house well we are half in as are the renters all of there stuff is in here (well half of it), all bills have been shut down and we got money back too nice, all goes in the Malaysian coffers. Our washing machine has gone to WM heaven so back to the launderette for the last week (mind you I might just ya know wear the same pants for a week and then chuck em) ....

The main problem were having is getting the weight right for our suitcases and the issue is I have decided in my wisdom to travel with my guitar and some electrical items and they are taking all the weight, by the time were finished I will be left wearing me budgie smuggler speedos and nothing else....(could be fun that). we only have 30kg each plus 7kg hand luggage but i have found the loop hole, they let you take a suitcase and laptop for free, my Suitcase will be huge....

Anyway on a more serious note it is only 4 days away from leaving our lives as we know them forever, and it is a big move this is not a holiday this is life changing and were not coming back for some time maybe never. It feels strange but kind of a relief as well, as in the UK you can sometimes get the feeling your competing with everyone all the time by what you own what car you drive and what job you have, I am tired of competing I guess i just want to be and for me that means being artistic in a musical and drawing capacity, I may be able to be the real me when over there and I really want to help others esp the kids. We will be living in such a place that what you do will not dictate to us how well we live and in that sense we are free to do as we want, what feels right and not what earns us the the most money....stuff yeh some stuff is good but too much stuff is really bad, I want people in my life not things, the way i used to live way back when.

Right im off house needs to be cleaned before we leave....tick tock.

I like to ride my Bicycle...i like to ride my bike...

Just before we go away and live in Malaysia for two years, I was given the chance to ride the newly built veladrome in Derby, next to the Football ground in Pride Park, its only a walk away from where I live and I have watched it being built.

So for £14 and £5 shoe hire your on the boards and ready to go. Now I am 46 and not the whipper snapper i once was but i gave it my all and kept up with everyone until he unleashed those remaining and said go as fast as you like for the last 5 minutes....whooosh off we went...I really went for it but the youngsters got the better of me, but what a blast what fun....you must do it if you get the chance...I insist.

some pics of the day...

What a wonderful surprise....!!

For two years we fostered a young boy, we were phoned up last week as he is aware of our pending trip abroad and he was requesting that he met up with us before we left. We were so happy he had wanted to see us before we went and so a day out was arranged.

Today was that day and we went off in the car and had a picnic that he had made himself for us!!! And in the picnic was all of our old favourites like olives and pork pie mmmmm (the best) and we sat by the canal near Shardlow, it was a perfect sunny day it could not have been better, we were all chatting crazily and reminiscing about all the fun times we had when we were living together. for us it was great to see him growing up into a splendid young man. While we were eating by the Canal his old Head Master from his old School Lakeside came by with his wife and said hello, what a surprise for all of us to be honest....

We then headed to the pub by the canal for a drink of orange and some apple pudding with custard, I love apples and custard and so this went down a treat.

It was as you'd expect it was very emotional, and he was clearly happy to see us but a little worried about maybe never seeing us again, but he had a new mobile phone and so took our numbers so he can stay in touch, all the numbers were tested and there we were sat chatting to each other on our phones right next to each other...?! could of just chatted directly I suppose but that's tech for ya.

We loved looking after J, and we hope we never lose touch because he is part of our large family and we are part of his larger family. I hope you like your bike, and I hope you like your lego and I hope you enjoyed your day with us...x.x

You may read this J, and if you do you need to know that you will always be loved by us and we always want to hear you stories and share in your ideas and dreams for the future and we would always endeavour to help you whenever we can, YOU are always welcome in our world....pop in when ever you like for a cup of tea...

It was wonderful to catch up, we are forever a family of three.

Minimalism....

yep - one spoon, one fork, one knife each now....one plate each, one bowl er between us I think, i can hear my own echo around the house, I keep thinking Stephanie is moaning but its just my voice coming back to me via the kitchen ha ha .... as an echo...

Nearly had enough of car boots now, people are starting to recognise our sorry arses as we are clearly struggling to sell the very last dregs of our cra...quality pucker gear !!, and people are I am sure only buying out of sympathy...one guy today spent about £10 on just utter carp...cause he likes us and our story bless him.

3 rooms are now out of bounds as we've sorted them painted them and shut the door as wed only dirty then again if let in, we are now also camped in the Living room on a sponge mattress bed with all our flight belongings around us its a sorry sight, so much so it is absolutely necessary to show the world how sad it all looks.

look...!

yes Stephanie that settee also has to go...up ya get...

Two new carpets upstairs next week to be fitted. Our house passed a landlords gas safety check valid for one year and we also have our EPC energy certificate which last ten years which is good as we may sell within that time frame, we hope to be a C grade house well see when it comes through. So all is going well and things seem to be coming together, we even sold our car in advance and took a small pre payment upfront and they wont get the car until the 10th of August so in a sense we have free car rental, just have to make sure we dont prang it ....

Now its just painting and more painiting and when that done a wee bit more painting probably over the areas we missed or made a mistake on.

laterz,.