Falklands to become the Malvinas

We have seen a great cut back in our armed forces budget. The troops live in shit houses and they are not looked after by the state if injured, but it's left to charities.
Post stress disorder isn't recognised to a long term support.
Most of us know that if Russia started a war, we have NO chance whatsoever.
We can't even defend the UK, which is why the USA is very concerned.
Our friendship with the USA is based on military strength.

Now I read today that there are secret moves to cut it further.
So logically, there is absolutely no way we can defend the Falklands when it will be invaded.
I say 'when', because it is going to happen, it's just a matter of when.

I predict that by 2021, Argentina will invade and then we will go to the UN (which is useless) and try to legally get the Falklands back.

The likely outcome is that the natives will have to move to the Shetlands or somewhere and the Argentinians will dig for Oil and not find any, only for the Falklands to become an empty island!

2017 & 2018

2016 has not been a good year.
For me numerous family illnesses, which are still being investigated.
My own health has not been too brilliant.

So what can I expect in 2017.
Surprisingly, I am quite upbeat about it for a few reasons.

Horoscopes are looking good for the Capricorn.
I don't think much can go worse in 2017.
My business idea is picking up, but a lot of work still needs to be done.
The development should be finished by the end of 2017, so that it can be marketed.
So far there has been interest from a few charities and that's before the core users.

I see Brexit as being an asset rather than a liability for a number of reasons I won't go into.

Those who have known me a while, also know that I have premonitions every so often. They become quite vivid and I can't get them out of my head. Now is that time.
In 2018, I can feel and convinced that I will become a multi-millionaire.
Yes you may feel I am 'Delboy', but this is so strong a feeling I can't question it.
whether its with my new business or a Lottery win I don't know, but there is a strong aura around me.

My Teenage years2

My first job was with the British Bank of the Middle East which is now HSBC in Abchurch Lane London.
I played for the bank 2nd team in football and it meant that I travelled around a bit at weekends, with grounds in South London like Beckenham or west London.
My colleague from Work Andy was a ladies man. He was from Barbados and was a light caribbean skin. He had long hair. anyway, he was another I spent most of my time with. He had a good fashion sense and a good dancer. Women used to flock around him.
I remember one Saturday and it was too foggy to get home from Beckenham, so he asked If I wanted to stay with him at his Dads house in East Croydon. When we got to his house no one was home and his parents had separated. The house was freezing with no heating and it was a bear house.
Andy introduced me to McDonalds which was in 1971. I wasn't sure about it then and I hate it today.
I think I stayed at the bank for about 2 years. The idea was for me to go into the docks at 18. However, I had aspirations and wanted to do banking.
During my teenage years I had some lovely girls, but I didn't always treat them right.
I am not sure if this was part of growing up, but I would like to see some f the girls today to see how they turned out and their lives.
Throughout my life and since I was 16, there is one girl who has always been around on and off. Val Whitchurch. She is like a sister to me, but again, she doesn't call, although I did get a Xmas card this year from her. Val and her family will always be dear to me. I went out with Val twice, but we argued too much from what I can remember. She went off to Australia to live for 2 years. Her Mother rang and told me that she wanted to come home, but neither her nor her Mother had the money to get her a flight. So I organised a party and donations to get her home and she has stayed in the UK since, apart from holidays. I do miss her!
I went out with girls from work and another girl was Janet. Lovely girl but I didn't treat her nicely either. I mean I dumped her abruptly when she didn't want to. Most girls I went out with, I treated nice and I didn't have a high sex drive, which may have been because I was sterile since I was 10-11 years old due to Mumps, Measles and Jaundice. I like women's company, but at the same time I feel I have missed out. I always wanted to get married to a foreigner. I had this fascination for foreign women, I think because of my love of geography and travelling. At this period it wasn't really acceptable to marry foreigners and especially black women.
I did have a French girlfriend on holiday once who didn't speak English, but I could speak a little French- very exotic. The problem was she was chaperoned by her grandmother! Anyway, she was from Lille and I thought I would go there one day, but I haven't made it yet.
So back to the UK!
My teenage years meant for a career I went to banks and worked in Treasury back office. Eventually I cam across the Trading room and knew form the first time in their I wanted to be a trader. So this was my aim.
I also went to night school and took the Bankers Exams. I did ok. As usual I failed English but passed with flying colours for Economics. This confirmed that I was a good Economist and analyst, which then led me to politics in my own way.
I lived at home with my parents until I was 23 years old. To this day I rue the fact that I didn't do more for them and I feel guilty. I miss my parents very much and after Dad passed away found that I was alone and couldn't talk to anyone else about personal problems, which is the same today.

To be continued....

Best mates

I am not an easy person to know! My wife of 28 years can confirm this. I feel thst not many people understand me, including my family.
Since I have been qualified as a life coach for High Level Autism I think I now know why.
On top of my East End upbringing I believe I have more than most people, the traits of Aspergers.
We all have it one way or another, but mine is a little higher.
This is why I have found it hard to make long term friends. Those that I have, understand me or just turn deaf ears and blind eyes, to which I am grateful.
What hurts me most is a friend I had since I was 5 years old until 21 years old.
Paul and I were inseparable in numerous ways.
We went out in our teenage years to clubs, parties and pubs. We chatted up girls together.
We used to go to night clubs and Paul would always be on the look out for girls and to be honest, many girls found him attractive. At the bar he would say ' look! those girls are looking at us' and I would say ' let's go and have a chat' he would reply ' No lets wait and make sure'.
Either one of 2 things happened- some other guys would beat us, or I would go and dance on my own (Disco days). I would go through a dance routine I had and I found girls would come up to me and ask to dance with me. Mainly because no other pratt was dancing!But hey! I was different and didn't care.
Thinking back I would mainly call Paul and arrange things, so I shouldn't have been surprised when he pissed off.
We both played football, but Paul was considered better than me. He was at Chelsea and West Ham. After he didn't make it he went to USA to the first MLS league, where he played for the Philadelphia Stoners. I will come back to this.
Paul took me along to Chelsea training and eventually I was training during the summer with the youth team, with Paul. Maybe to make up numbers, but I loved it and the trainers were nice east end guys.
Paul decided to go into acting.
I remember that we both went to Kennington for auditions for a famous choreographer. He wanted me to go for dancing and he was going for singing.
Anyway, we showed up and it all seemed chaotic and unorganised. What it gave me was time to look around. I saw guys in ballet gear and all looked gay. After a while I said to Paul, 'there is no way I was getting into a leotard, so fuck this!' Off I went.
I can't remember if he stayed, but I certainly didn't.
Anyway, we had so many laughs and we ended up mixing with the same people as I inevitably mixed with Paul's school friends at the YMCA, where I did alot of football and gym exercising.
So you get the gist of our friendship. Even my parents treated Paul like another son.

Anyway, when he was 21 he decided to go to the USA and play in the new MLS league. He apparently did ok and was a bit of a celeb. He also tried his hand at acting there or shall we say being and extra.
Many times I would lose contact with him, as did his Mother, who asked me to track him down on a few occasions. This was before mobiles. Sometimes it took we 3-4 weeks to get him on the phone, so no idea what he was tied up with.
At this time I was able to connect his Mother with him using the bank telephone system, so it saved her money.
Eventually, Paul returned from the USA. We had a few calls, but he had changed and didn't want to see me much.
Since this time I have had a few Facebook contacts with him, but his replies have been short. With School reunions you don't know if he will show. My son went to his soccer school and I thought that this might resurrect our friendship, but no, as soon as the school stopped or my son didn't go I have had no contact at all. This must have been 6 years ago.
I think that has had a huge impact on me, which is one reason why I am not very social. I don't trust people anymore and to be honest I view people as acquaintances only.

Friends that I have had for many years are:
Karen and David In York. We have known each other for 37 years. I can call any time and they are lovely. What is odd, is that they come to London, but don't meet with my wife and I. We are expected to go to York.

Tony and Leslie, we have know from Saudi days, so about 27 years. We see them about 6 -8 times a year.

Rob and Leslie who live our street. Mainly my wife's friends, but I am there in the background. We have known them for about 13 years. They have helped my wife many times and she is very close to them. I guess as I have been away alot abroad working, not so much. I still appreciate their friendship.

Rob and Sandra, we use to live opposite for about 6-9 months, but as we are in the same town I see Rob a fair amount. Sandra is from my home town Dagenham and Rob is from my wife's area of Harold hill. Rob and I just wind each other up and have a friendship, where I have stopped speaking to him for a few months and then I go back to him and he just accepts it, after telling me the error of my ways!

Thats' it for my close friends.
What I will say is that those I have as close friends are few, but dear to me!

My Teenage years

For some reason, when I went to secondary school, I chose to go somewhere else and away from my friends. It meant going to school by bus. It wasn't a good named school and the first days were full of dodges from getting beaten or tortured by existing boys. It was a school split into Boys and Girls sections.
Anyway I did ok and enjoyed my time there reasonably well.
I was good at sport, so I was left alone because of this. We had the usual groups of morons who thought they were tough and caused trouble.
I had a few fights at school and could handle myself pretty well.
I wasn't brilliant in the academic area, mainly because if I asked questions in class, I was called a disruptive person and was punished with standing in front of the class, standing outside the class, having to hold or wear things on my head etc.
We had one teacher Mr Jarvis who i think liked me and at the same time kept punishing me. It got to a point where he upset the pupils that we got together as he drove out one day and we crowded around his car and then turned it on its side.
Triptons school for boys was known as a lower level school and full of louts!
Things I remember:
1. Cross country runs. when the sports teacher wanted tea or a rest we had to go on a 3 mile run along the pavements, around an industrial area and then back to school. I hated it.
2. Drama was run by a young guy and the bullies tortured him for our class. However, he was the first person who gave up teaching us drama and started to teach us computer language. This was my first encounter and stoked my interest in computer technology.
3. We had a craft teacher who taught us modelling clay. When he disappeared into the storage room we would throw clay balls which put holes in the storage partition. One day he was locked in his storage cupboard and we all walked out.
4. I always played for the school football team, which I enjoyed. I always thought I had a chance to make a professional.
5. Because fashion wasn't my thing, I did get ribbed a few times for my clothes.
6. The bullies pressurised a plump boy to fight me. I suggested he didn't as I would hurt him. His name was Stephen Poynton. We used to get along ok. Anyway he tried the fight, I hit him twice and he didn't get up again for another punch. poor guy.
7. I had a couple of friends who for some reason turned against me. Top this day i don't know why. We were friends for years. Anyway one night after school I was set upon by 4 boys. There was a crowd. Anyway, I gave what I could against 4 and it ended when one boy had me in a headlock and was strangling me. At this point the bullies took over and pulverised the 4 boys. However, I did see one boy that I got stuck into with a face full of blood. The bullies didn't bother me and were nice to me anyway after this as I stuck to my guns.
We did meet up with girls from school and I had a few girlfriends from there. all very innocent then of course.

Football and work was a big thing for me.
I played for several teams like Dagenham Docks, Loughton Town, trained with Chelsea, Dagenham and Rainham Town. I was injured from a Dagenham docks match at 17. The balls weren't as light as they are now and I was a winger for the dockers. After some rain the ball was heavy, but I took a shot from the halfway line and scored, but I had torn my thigh muscle and I never recuperated from this, so was often an injury for me.

At 16 I started work at the British bank of the Middle East as an archiver. I was biding time before I was 18 to move into the docks that my dad wanted me to do.
This was my first real introduction of fashion helped by my colleague Andy. I played for the football team as well which meant I spend a fair amount of Saturdays in the South of London and North of London at Bank sports grounds.
At this age I started drinking and got absolutely ill on Bicardi and coke and since this day i have never really drunk very much.
After a couple of years and I took my banking exams, I couldn't get a promotion or move departments to learn more, so I started to move banks and get promotions that way.


To be continued.....

Upbringing and family

I have happy memories of growing up. An east end family from London. Dad was a docker and Mum was a seemstress. We had structure and discipline drummed into us.
Dad in those days was fairly often on strike as with the dockers and unions in those days. When times were hard, Dad would try and get other work like decorating and Mum would work longer hours to make ends meet, working from home.
Although never poor, as such, I do remember that fashion was never promoted, besides I was onlt interested in wearing a football kit.
I remember my first was from my cousin Tony. It was a Norwich short sleeved shirt, Green shorts and my first football boots were made of leather and had hard toes and leather studs!
Anyway, Mum and Dad kept us wanting for nothing.
Dad was quite strict but fair and Mum was always caring.
In my younger years Dad would come home some nights drunk, when he went out with his friends in the East end. This included people linked with the Krays, but Dad kept away from them as far as I know.
Mum would keep the home and the family ticking over.
On Saturdays, Dad would take us visiting the families in Wapping and Stepney. Our Nans would always send us home with something. Nanny Jones it would be sweets, paper, pens, Bagels and some jewish food from Blooms in Aldgate. Nanny Smith was a widow and would send us home with Bread pudding. Some evenings we would go and see Uncles and Aunts.
On Sundays we would get visitors showing up without warning. For supper we would have salad, Prawns in vinegar and pepper, cold meats. In those days we just dished up what we had.

My Elder sister:
Is 7 years older , so we weren't really close, being a gap plus being male and female!
What can I remember:
Playing Beatles LP's and singing and playing air guitar in the front room
I think my sister's first Love breaking up. I think his name was Vince who I think had Red hair.
Bringing home her current husband when I was 11 and he converted me to a Spurs fan.
I had her hand down red bike.
Her marriage and I was one of the Ushers.

My Younger sister:
Only 2 years younger, obviously, we were a little more closer.
I remember that we were page boy and flower girl at my uncle and aunts wedding.
She was very moody and would spend hours in her room and stomp around.
I guess we played together, but this is a bit patchy.
We shared a bedroom in our younger years until my brother and myself shared a room together.

Younger brother:
My brother is 7 years younger, but we did play together, where I looked after him.
We would play football and generally up to no good.
I remember that he was a sick person for a while getting the Croop alot. This meant he had to use a steam bowl and inhale to help open his airways. Today it's helped with an inhaler.
There were a couple of panics with him.
The Croop meant he went to hospital a couple of times. The panic was caused by us losing a brother beforehand, so Mum spoiled him a little.
The second panic was him tripping over the fire hearth and hitting his lip on the coal bucket and slitting his lip. Of course it was bad, but he got over it.
The third was at Secondary School. My Mum came home one day to find him at home in agony. He had injured himself at football at school and the teacher brought him home and left him.
The result was that he had pulled his ball joint out of the socket and ripped his muscle.
This meant months of therapy and weeks off school. He was helped as he saw the West Ham physio, as it was the schools fault.
I guess when I left home at 23, we kind of lost touch. I have tried to stay in touch, but he went eventually to New York and then San Francisco, which is my fault. I convinced him to go into banking from Fords.

Anyway, my sisters and brother do stay in touch and try to see each other as best we can. This gives testament to our happy upbringing and family values that Mum and Dad gave us.

I miss my Mum and Dad terribly. Dad was always there to listen to me and offer advice, something like when I was going to live with a girl at Heathrow. Dad hovered in the lounge door or in the kitchen. He would say ' Don't be an idiot, I have had more girls than hot dinners, and you are making a mistake' I didn't go!!

Will Trump make it?

My take is the following:
I have never seen so much animosity to a President elect with riots and protests.

I think Trump will either be assassinated or will be impeached and will not stay in office if he gets that far.

The Vice President seems to be unstable and I can't see him taking over.

Which then leave Clinton to take over and the country goes back to some normality, whatever that is.

Not ideal, but USA chose this.

The college vote will need to be changed!