looking back on 2004

[Qwyplain Dhark]

so what have been you high and low spots?

me.. well

a certain afternoon out brings warm memories ( like weeing down your leg)
and the young lady would like to go again

ace cafe run to brighton fun


the rain not so good this year

[Jonnyfp]

me...
getting lost.

[Gypsy]

i have had a great year,

got engaged to doro
done many many rallies
left BT after 16 years

and loads to look forward to next year..

life is good :D

[Otter]

Quite a few good things but the highlight of the year happened on May 18th at 04:40 - the birth of my second son (http://www.paganotter.org.uk/crevan/index.html).

[Mrs Reject]

What a year, moved down here (well technically just before 2004 started), started uni, changed our whole lives - just upped sticks and buggered off into the unknown.
It's all been great, better than we thought and we've rallied, partied and as Auntie b would say - run down some buggers on the way :)

[ForestFred]

Got drunk .fell over, threw up ,met some great people. Must do it all again next year :D

[Bosun]

been a great year for me.. highs too many really
forum party in may surreal at end of evening
made lotsa new friends this year

and next years looking good already

[Dougie]

Very few highs,mostly very deep lows,which I will not share with you cos I don't want to depress anyone.(too much)
At least I've still got Fran,the cats,the bike,the flat and a job,even though it is total scheisse!

[Zeek]

Me too Dougie :( BUT things are looking up at long fuggin last.....so heres to a good 2005

[Dougie]

Too right Zeek,for ALL of us here!

[mr.chaz]

2004 has been the best year I have had for a long , long time.

Farm sold , house bought. 100% of freedom to do as I choose.

The highlight has been everytime I throw my leg over the bike and head off with the boys for a rally or party. Even though I take the piss out of them all and try and stab them or set fire to them at 3am in the morning - they are still my family when we are on the road.

One low point - losing the person who made me what I am today. ( yep... she's got a lot to answer for eh?)

but... 2004 was just a practice year - things are really gonna swing in 2005! :)

[Jonnyfp]

In fact i got lost more than once.

[krammer]

new bike, daughter passing driving test at 17 and a half, amsterdam, portugal, some excellent weed. lows, school seige in beslam, iraq, dubya getting re-elected, beer price rise.

[Doro]

erm


can't think of any low points

had some stressful times, mainly wif work, my kids and the house


so the rest was excellent

main high points....

getting engaged

meeting new friends at rallies, (specially the folk on here) reading Tiny's letter in 100% cos it was so sweet of him to remember us like that, seeing our 'engagement photo' in BSH, and hoping we helped cheer certain folk up by being so sloppy and in lurve hee hee


but, wait until 2005, house will be finished, I'm turning 40, we're getting wed, my new trike will be on the road, gypsy will have his new career, golly so much planned already :D

oh, and winning that face mask off Dracken...me? I never win stuff lol


(have won stuff exactly 3 times in my life, and yes I do enter draws and comps etc)

[Freak]

2004, phew what a year.
Finally got me chop finished in May (1yr 2mths later than planned)
Covered about 6000 rally miles on it since including Faro,
(not all without incident :eek: )
Had a great time everywhere I've been
and after 15 years of saying 'I wont join a club' I joined a club
Best thing I ever did although it has brought about a bit of
a strange reaction from what I thought were me closest mates.
Turns out they weren't that close.

Oh yeah.....and I joined this 'ere Forum :D

[BikerGran]

Lows - well it wasn't exactly great hearing the leg was still broke after 14 months.... :(

Highs - getting to a fair few rallies and other events this year and meeting lots of lovely people, in spite of me leg....... :) , becoming a triker, joining this forum..... no surely that can't be a high point? Must be the drugs an the red wine....... :eek:

[bill?]

forum party in may surreal can't argue with that.That was the first time I've ever camped at the side of a car park.:D and there's still a large part of the night I can't remember.

lows- work
highs- getting back into going to rallys

[STEViE]

UPPERS - Got me bike back, can't really top that.

The Soggy Rottum Boys done their first proper gig - short tho it may have been

My missis says I can go to Faro next year, an' that gives me even more reasons to love her dearly

I played loads of rallies this year

Our club rally doubled the number of folks comin' this year (182)

An' my kids are feckin' great


DOWNERS - There have been some, tho I'm not gonna dwell on 'em. I lost some mates, I know I'll see 'em again, an' then we'll party.


As far as I'm concerned it's been a good year.

Tony B. Liar, can you say the same, YOU W@NKER

[Lone-Wolf]

Wotcha.

I promised myself a 'year long holiday' - so I quit work in January :)

Time to start looking for work again now. Ah well, it was a good holiday.

[Mrs Reject]

Very few highs,mostly very deep lows,which I will not share with you cos I don't want to depress anyone.(too much)
At least I've still got Fran,the cats,the bike,the flat and a job,even though it is total scheisse!

Now we all want to know what your lows were!!! In a caring, sharing sort of way and we promise we won't get too depressed:(

[Dougie]

Well,y'asked for it!
The job is putting us under an enormous amount of stress,we're both civil servants and we have something like 20% redundancies hanging over us,and the area inspector is a total cnut.He is refusing to authorise Christmas leave until the 17th and even then there's no guarantee we'll get what we want.How the hell are you supposed to make travelling arrangements?The morale is worse than I've ever seen,and I've been there 16 years.Both of us are too old to get another job easily so we're stuck with it.
The stress is playing merry hell with our health,neither of us has felt well since our NZ holiday near 2 years ago,and I've had a very painful back since last December,but that is slowly improving,and at least I don't need an operation.
We've had some family problems,as Fran's posted elsewhere on here,her sister suffers from clinical depression,so that can be a serious sorce of grief.
Cashflow has also been a problem,while it's nothing really serious (thank Christ!) it's still another worry.
All we really want is a wee bittie good luck rather than the continual kicks in the teeth we've been getting for the last couple of years.I know that to some folk out there our probs will be minor,Freak's pal for example (good luck to him for his recovery),but the cumulative effect is pretty demoralising,y'know?
Anyway,you DID ask!

[mr.chaz]

Well,y'asked for it!
The job is putting us under an enormous amount of stress,we're both civil servants and we have something like 20% redundancies hanging over us,and the area inspector is a total cnut.He is refusing to authorise Christmas leave until the 17th and even then there's no guarantee we'll get what we want.How the hell are you supposed to make travelling arrangements?The morale is worse than I've ever seen,and I've been there 16 years.Both of us are too old to get another job easily so we're stuck with it.
The stress is playing merry hell with our health,neither of us has felt well since our NZ holiday near 2 years ago,and I've had a very painful back since last December,but that is slowly improving,and at least I don't need an operation.
We've had some family problems,as Fran's posted elsewhere on here,her sister suffers from clinical depression,so that can be a serious sorce of grief.
Cashflow has also been a problem,while it's nothing really serious (thank Christ!) it's still another worry.
All we really want is a wee bittie good luck rather than the continual kicks in the teeth we've been getting for the last couple of years.I know that to some folk out there our probs will be minor,Freak's pal for example (good luck to him for his recovery),but the cumulative effect is pretty demoralising,y'know?
Anyway,you DID ask!


Tough times don't last forever.......but tough people do!!!!!!!
everything turns around sooner or later , if you hang in long enough. ;)

[Dougie]

Tough times don't last forever.......but tough people do!!!!!!!
everything turns around sooner or later , if you hang in long enough. ;)
Cheers m8!Well,we've got something to look forward to,March 2007 we're away back to NZ,for three weeks this time,renting a camper van and just trundling around again.If it's anything like our last visit it'll be a gas!

[Mrs Reject]

Sorry to hear about it dudes! However........it's never too late to change your life around and you are never too old, you surely can't be much older than me?
Me and Mitch have had no end of major career changes and I'm 42 now and here I am doing a degree in Podiatry so's we can set up our own business.
Mitch started off as a labourer with virtually no education but worked his own way through college to become a Mac Operator/designer and I started off as a penniless single mum but went on to be an air hostess (got fired for insubordination), staff nurse, insurance claims assessor and now podiatrist. We moved out of a stupidly expensive area to a cheap area where we could get a nice house and would have gone to Wales if we hadn't found anything here.
The reason we did all this last year is because we were forever being made redundant and we feared we wouldn't be able to survive unless we found steady jobs. Also my last boss was such a bunny boiler I felt I'd have a breakdown if I didn't get out of the place.
You CAN do something else easily, just a matter of staying positive and looking around until you find something that sounds attractive. Retraining is ok too, means there isn't as much money about but we're surviving ok and there are no end of grants and bursaries available.
Think of the New Year as the year you are going to change your lives, decide what to do and do it and don't be afraid of upheaval - we did it and we've never been happier!!!!

[mr.chaz]

[QUOTE= but went on to be an air hostess (got fired for insubordination), [/QUOTE]

Okay.... prove it.
Tell me where the escape doors are situated?
and what happens with a loss of cabin pressure?
and whose mask do you put on first?
and where's the lifevests stashed?

I thought so! :p

[Dougie]

Mrs R,I hear what you're saying.There's not really a lot we can do about Fran's sister,we help when we can,but it can be difficult and frustrating.The cashflow problems will get sorted in about a year or so (hopefully) but it's a pain at the moment,we've had to put off a few things,but we'll get round it.As for the job,yes,it is a total bastard,but it does have a couple advantages,however small.One is flexitime (very handy),another is 30 days paid leave (although it's taken me 16 years to earn that) but the best is a good sized lump sum and pension on retiral.As I said earlier our problems probably seem small to some folk,and I know there are many,many people out there worse off than us.Mind you,there are also many that just seem to sail through life with no hassle,caring not a jot.All we want is a share of thier luck.Oh aye,and £10000000 to be going on with! :D
We'll get by,we always do.It was probably my back nippin' like hell that made me bitch,mucho apologies to all for my wingeing!

[Mrs Reject]

[QUOTE= but went on to be an air hostess (got fired for insubordination),

Okay.... prove it.
Tell me where the escape doors are situated?
and what happens with a loss of cabin pressure?
and whose mask do you put on first?
and where's the lifevests stashed?

I thought so! :p[/QUOTE]

I can do better than that - I have a photo of me in the Dan-Air uniform!!!I'll find it and get Mitch to scan it - so there!!! You have to remember it was 20 years ago and I didn't look like I do now (i.e I was thin) :p

[Mrs Reject]

Mrs R,I hear what you're saying.There's not really a lot we can do about Fran's sister,we help when we can,but it can be difficult and frustrating.The cashflow problems will get sorted in about a year or so (hopefully) but it's a pain at the moment,we've had to put off a few things,but we'll get round it.As for the job,yes,it is a total bastard,but it does have a couple advantages,however small.One is flexitime (very handy),another is 30 days paid leave (although it's taken me 16 years to earn that) but the best is a good sized lump sum and pension on retiral.As I said earlier our problems probably seem small to some folk,and I know there are many,many people out there worse off than us.Mind you,there are also many that just seem to sail through life with no hassle,caring not a jot.All we want is a share of thier luck.Oh aye,and £10000000 to be going on with! :D
We'll get by,we always do.It was probably my back nippin' like hell that made me bitch,mucho apologies to all for my wingeing!

It's not whingeing, all these things put together can make your life unbearable. Me and Mitch have a bit of a gung ho attitude, we just ditch everything if it threatens to spoil our happiness and move on! :)
There is nothing you can do for someone else's depression other than be quietly supportive in the background. my mum has suffered from depression all her life with the odd spell 'inside' and I've realised I can't cure her, now we've moved away from her our relationship has improved and I don't feel responsible for her day to day happiness any more! Similarly Fran will not be able to cure her sister and she is not responsible for her happiness.
Some of the guys on my course make me feel sad, one of them is a divorced lady of 60 - ff's. She's doing the course because she can't afford to retire until she is 70 +.

[Miss Demeanour]

so what have been you high and low spots?



I'll let you know when the year has ended - I've got a few more things to happen yet - the outcomes of which might be interesting...

[Mitch]

[QUOTE= but went on to be an air hostess (got fired for insubordination),

Okay.... prove it.
Tell me where the escape doors are situated?
and what happens with a loss of cabin pressure?
and whose mask do you put on first?
and where's the lifevests stashed?

I thought so! :p[/QUOTE]

Don't say she didn't warn you!!! :D

[Mitch]

have you spotted her yet?

Nah, didn't think so, so here's a close up! :D :D :D

Yeah, I know, she's wearing blue eye shadow for feck's sake!!!!!

[mr.chaz]

The safety exits are located...
here, (points left)
here (points right)
and....
here. ( motions to back of the plane)

I was the young lady sat on the front row , until I had the change.
:D

[Santa]

I know I shouldn't, and I just KNOW I'll pay for it next time we meet - BUT -

Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

[Sir Ewok]

Good things this year:

Going to Bangkok to see my adopted family (Babs's daughter adopted me as her Dad in Africa)
Meeting you guys at The Forum party in Oxfordshire (Little did I know that I would be running my ex back and forth when her husband had a double by-pass)
Got my son a job, back with me, even though he'd been let go on medical grounds by the same company several years ago.

Getting back on the net after my computer crash and chatting to you guys (must be mad)

Crap this year:

Having no trike and no money to fix it.

Babs going to Bangkok for two years, and having to come back within three months with Lilly on a medi-vac ( Problem was Cerebral Palsy, but very mild and not likely to get worse). Driving up and down to London several times on the week-end, just to get some time with them.

Being diagnosed with Post traumatic Stress disorder this year, over three years after the accident.

Being constantly in pain from nerve damage in leg (only thing that works is alcohol to get some sleep) hate pills.

Being constantly in debt, even though I am doing two full time jobs and the main job will probably be exported to China within the next two years.

Hey-Ho! This has all happened before and I have had some really sh*t years, but after a few, there is at least one where everything goes well, if not marvellous. Just hanging on for the turnaround........ ;)

[Mrs Reject]

I know I shouldn't, and I just KNOW I'll pay for it next time we meet - BUT -

Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

Just feck off right!!!! It was 1989 for fecks sake and the only reason we posted those pictures was coz Mr chaz had a problem believing I knew where the exits was!!!
Everyone wore blue eueshadow in the 80's (except Mitch) :D

[Rogue Monkey]

Today was a good day! :o

[Bosun]

In fact i got lost more than once.


cool rebel without a sense of direction

[Bosun]

have you spotted her yet?





spotting the rosey cheeked was easy.. i used to work to texas homecare in the 80's
we all had either red of blue gingham shirts

it was like attatck of the waltons
:eek:

[mr.chaz]

and the only reason we posted those pictures was coz Mr chaz had a problem believing I knew where the exits was!!!
:D

I had to tell you!
fer chrissssakes :p

[Bosun]

can't argue with that.That was the first time I've ever camped at the side of a car park.:D and there's still a large part of the night I can't remember.



surreal watching the girls go off in an ambulance at 1 and return at 7



and i never got the blondes name :(

[Jonnyfp]

That was grav in a wig i'm told.

[Bosun]

:eek: :eek: ewwwwww :eek:

[Friar Tuck]

Don't say she didn't warn you!!! :D
PHWOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stuff the Nursey Uniform! Have you still got the Air hosty Uniform? Huh?Huh? Huh? Well? Have You? Huh?

Drool! dribble, slobber! Slobber! Wahey! Mile High Club here we come!

[Dougie]

Ah but remember,being the 80s the uniforms would be man-made fabrics,the static would be enough to run a medium sized city!
ZZZZAPP!!!

[Friar Tuck]

I don't care! Drool! dribble! gibber! gibber!

[bill?]

That was grav in a wig i'm told.
Grav didn't get the wig until Frenchies bonfire night party

[krammer]

I don't care! Drool! dribble! gibber! gibber! gibbering, dribbling and drooling? you can paint a picture with words. :D admittedly its going to take several pints of weapons grade cider to remove that image from my brain. :D

[Bosun]

g several pints of weapons grade cider


now thats a nice phrase of tun

[Jonnyfp]

Grav didn't get the wig until Frenchies bonfire night party

I knew it!

[Creature]

personally its been the ****tiest year ive ever had !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Only 1 redeeming point was PAt N Rik admiting in print that me juice wrecked them :)

[Doro]

yer juice???


ooer creature that sounds.....erm.....dodgy

[Creature]

nope very palitable just like drinking pop - then it hits ya :)

[Friar Tuck]

No lows for me this year! Moved to Naarfolk! :) Got a nice easy job with little pressure! :p Got a new labrador from the Guide Dogs for the Blind! Poor little bugger had failed it's training for woofing at a stranger! Aint good for Guide Dogs woofing at strangers, apparently! Causes the blind owner to sh*t themselves cos they don't expect a woof! :D

Met you lot at the Forum Parties! :eek:

Let's hope next year is just as good!

Cheers

[Dougie]

Shouldn't laff,but Fran & I once saw a partially sighted fella being dragged down the street by his guide dog which had decided to chase a cat!God it was funny!Turned out this bloke used to mistreat his dog,so mebbe it thought 'Aaahh feck it!' :D