Completed: Leave a job you hate

Image courtesy of Green farms.co.uk

Task number: 59.

Leave a job you hate.

Date: Summer 1996.

Location: Brookland, Kent, UK.

Attendees: About 10 other poor saps that were trying to make some money over the Summer holidays!

The One & only job I think I’ve ever left. I’ve always been pretty good with holding down jobs over the years. Even part-time Ones to help me get through college & University, but this was different.

We’ve all been there. Pot washing in kitchens, retail shop assistant, waiter, barman. I even had a spell, washing & sweeping up hair in a hair dressers. This was grim, but it couldn’t compare to the worst job I’ve ever had.

I was 14 & this was another One of those part-time gap fillers to bring in a little extra cash over the summer holidays. I grew up in the country, so agriculture was all around us & my step-dad worked at a local farm about 3 miles down the road from where we lived.

After he came home One day & said that there was some summer work going down the farm, I jumped at the chance. I had no idea what a potato grader was at the time, but it sounded like the perfect job.

All I had to do was stand at a conveyer belt & grade Potatoes. This basically meant sorting big from small, quality from rotten & Red from White. What could be simpler, I asked myself. The grader was also a mobile unit, so it meant that we would be working outside in the middle of the British summer – Perfect!

My step-dad warned me that this job is not as easy as you might think. Not because it was terribly difficult. In fact it was the complete opposite. It is the most mind numbing job you can possibly do.I remember my step-dads words before I went in for my first day “I’ll be surprised if you get through a week!”. I took this as a challenge & being a strong willed person, I was determined to way surpass this. After all, it was money in my pocket.

I knew I was going to struggle mid way through the first day. Potato after potato went past & although it is easy to offset the boredom by letting your mind drift, the sad realization that this is as good as it is going to get for the rest of the day is hard work. I started clock watching about 11 o’clock. 3 hours into the job it was not a good sign. But I’ll get through it I thought. It will be lunch-time soon. We broke for lunch at around 12.30. I think that was the longest hour & half I have ever experienced.

It was a scorching hot day, which didn’t help & by the time I had finished my shift I was exuasted. I had to get up & do this all again tomorrow. I wouldn’t have minded so much if the pay was alright, but to top it off I was working for what I think amounted to about 13 Pounds a day at the time. Jobs on the farm are rarely well paid, but I was going to stick this out. I had nothing else in the pipeline to make money & I was sure it couldn’t get any worse.

It did! The job stayed the same, but my mind didn’t. It was slowly beginning to break in the worst possible way. I don’t know if you can get repetitive strain disorder of the mind, but this was where I felt I was going. All I’d seen the night before was Potatoes & I could swear that clock was now going backwards.

The farmer would come round every so often to check that everything was going o.k. & being the new kid on the block, I was scrupulously watched. I had to ensure that my pace was consistent & that I didn’t miss anything when he was around. His money was on the line here & there was no way he was going to let me throw away anything that was potential profit. Switching from a daydream to total concentration is difficult believe me.

I got home on the second night feeling absolutely destroyed. My body was drained, as I’d been stood on my feet all day, but the thing that was most suffering was my mind. It felt like it had literally turned to mush. I couldn’t do it. I physically couldn’t do it. I couldn’t go back there, where I was sure it would take just another 24 hours to finally break me.

I’m sure many of you will be reading this thinking it can’t be that bad. One of my favourite topics of conversation throughout adulthood has been peoples worst jobs & I have heard some horror stories. I remember reading a book Once that was title “Britain’s worst jobs”. I think number One was Seaman tester. I don’t think my experience was that bad, but I defy anybody to tell me that this is not up there.

The worst job I have ever had came to an end when I finally picked up the phone to the boss & told him I wouldn’t be coming in the next day. I didn’t tell him why, but I think he knew when he said “No problem, it’s not for everyone”.

Completed: Live out of a van

Task number: 97.

Live out of a van.

Date: 7^th September – 28^th September 2011.

Location: New Zealand.

Attendees: Yvonne Weatherlake, Rae Peters, Andy Lopez, Jack Lopez.

Some of you may dispute this, but my response is that technically I did live out of a van & it was for a decent period of time. Trust me, it was long enough & as close as I want to get to being a hippie!

2011 meant the Rugby World Cup was back in New Zealand for the first time since its inauguration in 1987. My girlfriend, myself & a couple of friends are big Rugby fans & with One of our friends being Kiwi, we’d vowed years ago to go & stay with her family.

The reason I’m so adamant that this was technically living out of a van is because ewe did exactly that. We were there for 3 weeks & toured around the north of New Zealand in a camper van owned by our friend’s sister. An amazing experience that allowed us to experience some awe-inspiring sights, as well as watch the Rugby, of course.

We went as far north as the north islands, visiting the very first western settlement & the oldest pub in New Zealand. Russell was originally a Whaling station, with nothing else, but a pub, a place to repair your ship & some prostitutes!

After stops in Rotarua & Waitomoe, the southern most tip of our journey was lake Taupo. Originally a glacier, it is now a huge basin of fresh water that resembles more of a sea than a lake.

An amazing time had by all & an experience I will never forget.

Completed: Get something named after you

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Task number: 94.

Get something named after you.

Date: 24^th December 2011.

Location: East Guldeford, East Sussex, UK.

Attendees: Yvonne Weatherlake, Belita Pilcher, Allan Pilcher.

I’d love to say that I’ve achieved so much in my life that someone saw fit to name something of historical significance after me, like a building or even a park bench, but no. This was purely as a result of this book.

It was a Christmas present I’d requested & it didn’t even turn out to be that in the end! I knew it was a task in the book to get something named after you & after finding out that you could actually name a star; I sent the link to my girlfriend. She duly ordered it & waited to give it to me as a Christmas present. Unfortunately, after ordering a lot of presents myself, I assumed it was addressed to me & opened it not realizing.

Still, I got it, she named it & I’m pleased to say that it is ticked off the list. The star was named SMP280881. My initials & the date I was born. Not very original, I know, but I think it sounds scientific.

Completed: Run a marathon

My proud mother & me both supporting RP Fighting Blindness
www.rpfightingblindness.org.uk

Task number: 86.

Run a marathon.

Date: 14^th April 2011.

Location: London, UK.

Attendees: Yvonne Weatherlake, Joe Berry, Aimmie Scorer, Rae Peters, Andy Lopez, Jack Lopez, Sophie Pilcher, Rory Creavin, Belita Pilcher.

I’d advise anyone to try this, but remember it takes a huge amount of commitment, determination & time. & That is just the fundraising!

I had always wanted to run the marathon, ever since I was a little kid & had applied 4 times, but not been successful. When you apply to take part in the race, you are entered into a ballot. If your name is lucky enough to be called, you are in. But after the 4^th rejection in a row, I decided to take another option. I decided to run for a charity. If you run for a Charity, you are given a so-called “Golden ticket”. This means that you don’t have to go through the ballot procedure & are entered straight into the race. However, there is a catch.

In return for your Golden ticket you must raise a certain amount for the charity. This varies from One to another, but mine, RP Fighting Blindness wanted a minimum of 2,225 Pounds. The training began in earnest, but the fundraising would take a little more planning. As well as setting up a website, begging friends & family, I organized a series of events aimed at pulling in the cash I needed. The first was a video games night, based at a friend’s house, near Amsterdam. We charged 20 Euros entry & Two Euros per game. It was a tournament style format, with points for 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd in each game. This meant the more games you entered, the more chance you stood of winning the “coveted” Video games night trophy. It was a great success & we raised 250 Euros. We even got in my local paper, back in the UK!

The Second was a bring & buy sale that I had at work. I asked everyone to bring in anything they wanted to donate, from CD’s & DVD’s to clothes & we sold it in the sale. Another fantastic result & we raised about 400 Euros.

As well as running a book on what people thought my finishing time would be, I saved the best until last. Nike kindly donated some signed football shirts & equipment for an auction & raffle in which we raised 900 Euros.

As well as this, Nike ran a scheme, which meant that as I was an employee, whatever money was donated by other employees, via the Nike Just Giving website they would match.

I was also lucky that I was able to be flexible with my job & train in the day whenever we were quiet work. It started with just a couple of short runs, on the treadmill, but after Christmas it got serious.
Again, I was lucky enough to be in Australia during the holidays, so it meant that my first half marathon was in a lovely warm climate. But, that couldn’t last. Let me tell you running 25 kilometres in minus temperatures is not fun. The following January I had to head out with snow on the ground. 3 weeks before the Marathon I had reached my peak distance. I ran 30k & after that it was short runs for a week before virtually nothing the week before. For those of you who don’t run & are thinking surely not doing any training in the weeks leading up to a challenge is strange, you’ll be interested to hear that this is how the professionals do it & the advise doctors give to all first time runners. Your body needs time recover.

My girlfriend & I went over to London the Friday before the Marathon & stayed with friends to make a weekend of it. I had been detoxing Two weeks before, with no alcohol & plenty of water. Trust me, meeting up with friends & resisting the temptation to have a few drinks when you haven’t seen them in a while is harder than you think, but I got through it, picked up my number on the Saturday & headed to the start point at Greenwich park for 10 o’clock on the Sunday morning. My girlfriend & my friend Joe came down with me & helped to find where I needed to be & get prepared with the Vaseline & Energy drinks. The thing that stuck in my mind though was the absolute deluge of Bananas that littered the streets. It just shows you that there can be all the modern equipment & nutrient suppliments you can possibly imagine, but there is still a place for mother nature’s bounty.

Again, people often ask me, what it was like. I say it’s hard to say. I had looked forward to a lifetime experience, taking in all the sights & taking in the atmosphere, but it is hard to when you have to concentrate so hard on what you need to do. It was a beautiful sunny day. Slightly too warm for running, but fantastic for spectating. I had so much support from the people on the sidelines, offering me drinks & pushing me on, but taking in the sights is the last thing on your mind. My favourite memory though is running down the mall, after turning past Buckingham Palace & feeling the tremendous sense of achievement when I crossed that finishing line. I had just run 26.2 miles! Family & friends were waiting for me in Green Park & I met up with them a short while later. We had a glass of Champagne & it was a pretty special moment.

It took me 4 hours & 18 minutes & I ended up raising over 5,000 Euros. I have a lot of people to thank for this though. My long suffering girlfriend Yvonne, my mum, who raised so much money from kind donations from her friends & family, Nike & my close friends, who I really depended on for support & the generous donations that I fleeced them of in One way or another!

Completed: Spend Christmas on the beach

Task number: 80.

Spend Christmas on the beach.

Date: December 2008 – January 2009.

Location: Bon Beach, Melbourne, Australia.

Attendees: Yvonne Weatherlake, Steph Weatherlake, Victoria Weatherlake, Mark Littler.

I’ll admit I was very nervous of this when it was first proposed. Still, my girlfriends sister & partner had moved to Australia the previous year & we had made an agreement shortly after we started to get serious that rather than try & frantically dart between families every Christmas, we would alternate in years & this year it was her family’s turn.

I was a big fan of Christmas for all sorts of reasons, but mainly tradition. It might be a strange logic, but Christmas with sunshine for me just couldn’t work. It’s just not right if it’s not blowing a gale or pouring down with rain. I was going to miss all sorts of things. The Christmas TV, the decorations, but most of all, I guess, my family.  I had a rather sad feeling as I saw all the Christmas trees going up & everybody dressing up warm, getting ready for the Winter festivities, when I would be spending Christmas day in 30 degree heat. How wrong I would be!

I imagine that it might be different in other cultures, such as Asia where it’s not really tradition to celebration a rather western idea, but the holidays in Australia are truly ace & I would advise everyone thinking about going to oz to think about it.

When I try to describe it I always use the phrase “It’s exactly the same as being at home, except you can leave the back door open. Simply because traditions, celebrations, everything is the same except the weather. That is One thing I don’t miss. The fabled perception of Britain’s Christmas wonderland for anyone outside the UK is simply not true. Most of the time, British weather at Christmas is grim & mainly consists of drizzly rain & cold wind. The fact that I kept seeing models of Father Christmas when I was in my shorts & t-shirt soon faded away.

We started Christmas day with exactly the same traditions we start every Christmas day. The rummaging of stockings, the glass of Bucks-fizz & opening of presents. I hasten to say that Christmas morning is the ONLY time of the year that you have Two things before you even got dressed, by the way & that is Chocolate & Alcohol. Lunch was slightly different. BBQ Chicken & salad, but then I’m not a big fan of the grand Christmas lunch anyway & it was nice to have something different, meaning the ditching of the annual Sprout tasting. Another “tradition” that everybody seems to indulge in at this time of year for absolutely no reason than “It’s Christmas!” apparently. The next bit is the best bit. I like my sleep, but the other favourite British past time at Christmas of eating too much & passing out in front of the telly for the rest of the afternoon is something I’ve never been able to get into. Although the alternative of “The tray game” or Charades still makes sleeping seem energetic in my book. In Australia, the best way to spend Christmas afternoon is to head up the beach. Whether it’s flying the kite you got as a present that morning, playing a spot of Cricket or Football on the sand or just sitting back & taking in the day is so much more than cooped up in doors. Boxing day is all about the test. The Aussies love their Cricket & Boxing day is fantastic just to sit down with a few “Tinnies", in the sunshine & take in the atmosphere.

I’ve been lucky enough to do it again since & it was just as special. I’d gladly do it again & I’d recommend it to anyone thinking of trying something different. You’ll love it.

Completed: Drink a vintage wine

Task number: 78.

Drink a vintage wine.

Date :1^st April 2011.

Location: The Vintage wine bar, Hilversum, Netherlands.

Attendees: Yvonne Weatherlake.

I’m going to say this before it sounds like I’m showing off. A lot of people think a vintage wine has to be either old or expensive or both. This is not the case. The phrase vintage simply means that it was a good year for that grape. The conditions were considered just right to create the best possible taste. This can be anything from a dry arid summer to a frost ridden winter.

I have tried quite a few vintage wines in my time & I wouldn’t consider One better than the other, just because it was vintage, but I’ve never kept a record. After all, it’s wet isn’t it? So, after this task first presented itself I knew I’d had quite a few of these already & I knew I would have quite a few more before I finally kept the label & placed that achieved star in the book.

One Saturday afternoon, last summer my girlfriend & I were at a loose end, so we decided to venture down to a newly opened wine just around the corner from where we live. Pretty much the only thing they sold was vintage wine, so something told me that this time I might strike it lucky with this task.

I choose an Austrian Red. It was only a few years old, but it was still vintage & none the les very tasty. I’d love to describe the aromatic & delicate flavours of tobacco & Chocolate, but I’d feel like a ponce & you wouldn’t appreciate it anyway!

Completed: Take part in a Police lineup

Task number: 60.

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Take part in a Police lineup.

Date: 1^st April 1997.

Location: Hastings Police station, Hastings, East Sussex, UK.

Attendees: The suspect & 8 other young students desperate for a quick buck!

One of the stranger tasks in this book, although it is with a wry smile that I can say that I actually did take part in this more than Once, many moons ago.

Whenever it comes up in conversation, people ask how did you end up doing that. Well, the answer is purely by chance. I was at college at the time, sitting with my friends in the canteen, when a Policeman approached me. Before he even opened his mouth, I started to wrack my brains. What had I done in the 6 months? I’d never been in trouble with the law before, but I think it probably is the first reaction of any 16-year-old boy in Hastings when a copper is stood in front of them. “How tall are you?” He asked. I stood up. “Age?”.  Where was this going? He surely wasn’t going to bang me up for being average height? “Would you mind taking part in a Police identity parade?” he said, his hands clearly in close proximity to his truncheon, on the off chance I might say no. Of course I said yes & it ended up becoming a regular source of income for me. Every couple of weeks I would pop up to the cop shop after college & stand in front of a mirror, whilst a witness would scour through on the other side.

I know what you’re thinking, so I’ll answer the questions that everyone asks me when I explain the story of “how I ended up doing that”. Yes, you wear your regular clothes. No, you don’t hold a board with a number on it up in front of you. Yes, you get top see the suspect. No, you don’t get to find out whether the witness identified the suspect or not, so no, I don’t know if they picked me out.

Completed: Score the winning goal/try/basket

Image courtesy of Rye United football club

Task number: 55.

Score the winning goal/try/basket.

1^st April 1992.

Location: The Salts recreation ground, East Sussex, UK.

Attendees: My dad & the rest of the Rye United under 11’s football team.

Another football story, I’m afraid. It was the end of another season. We had had another of our usual campaigns.  Starting with much promise, dreaming of that first ever title win, drifting around mid table obscurity after 5 or 6 games & staying there for most of the season. The end of this One however, was slightly different. Suddenly a game from the end of it, we found ourselves sitting 5^th, 2 points from 4^th & the holy grail of the playoffs.

We had to play the team sitting above us. A win would send us through. Now, I have to say it wasn’t exactly a tense game, as we ended up winning 4-1, but I’d like to think the goal I scored was crucial.

We were 3-1 up. We’d played well all game, but from the 70^th minute, we’d been under the most intense pressure you can imagine. The other team had hit the post the crossbar & the other post at least twice. We’d barely had got out of our half for the last 20 minutes.

Then the moment came. I was playing right back. I shouldn’t have been in the position I was in, but our whole team were back defending for their lives & I just happened to be a metre a head of the rest & a yard quicker than everybody else.

The ball was cleared to the Left & I ran on the opposite flank to with the guy with the ball. He crossed the ball in the 18 yard box & I volleyed it into the top corner.

As I said, it may not have been the spectacular strike in the last minute that nailed an outstanding performance, but it did kill the game & we went through. I have scored & in fact saved goals that have won games, but this is the One I will never forget. I will never forget the feeling at the end of that game, which is what, I think this list is all about. Life experiences.

Completed: Milk a cow

Task number: 47.

Milk a cow.

Date: June 1992.

Location: A children’s farm, somewhere in the West Country, UK.

Attendees: Belita Pilcher, Allan pilcher, Sophie Pilcher.

We were on holiday at the time. They were doing a demonstration & asked for volunteers. I’d love to say that this was a strangely interesting activity, but sorry, no. This is exactly as you would imagine – mildly amusing, but ultimately boring.

I grew up on a farm & had milked several cows before & after this incident via the modern day method. Much more efficient & user friendly.

Completed: Scuba dive

Image courtesy of allied schools.org

Task number: 46.

Scuba dive.

Date: 28^th August 1996.

Location: Stowe school, Buckinghamshire, UK.

Attendees: My uncle Ray & instructor.

O.k., so most people’s idea of scuba diving is normally in a clear, Blue sea, surrounded by tropical fish & Coral.  Unfortunately, this wasn’t so in my case, but I still did it! In fact it was completely the opposite. It was in a swimming pool.

My uncle used work at a well-known public school & in the holidays, on a couple of occasions I went to say with him. I used to love going there. There was so much to do. Anything from fishing to assault courses. It just so happened that he knew a scuba diving instructor, who offered to give me a lesson. It was my 14th birthday & was, in fact probably the best birthday of my childhood.

Breathing under water is a very surreal experience. Before you start, you expect the mouthpiece to either push air down your lungs or you’d have suck the air out. It does take a bit of getting used to, but eventually you can just breathe normally. I had to stop after about half an hour though. The pressure becomes quite intense.

The experience was part of a birthday to remember. This kicked the day off & was followed by a trip to the nearby Silverstone racetrack to watch former formula One driver, Ralph Schumacher testing, before a spot of shopping in the afternoon & on to the cinema. Rounding the day off with a Chinese – Perfect!

Completed: Hit your targets

Task number: 42.

Hit your targets.

Date: 25^th November 2011.

Location: Amsterdam, 
Netherlands.

Attendees: Sophie Picher, Yvonne Weatherlake, Rory Creavin.

A very fun night & One I would highly recommend. My sister & her partner came over for her 25^th birthday &she wanted to do something different. We were very dubious when we first visited the venue. A back street basement, well off the beaten track, with quite a few undesirables hanging around. He questioned whether we should just cancel & go somewhere else. We were glad we didn’t though.

It involves literally firing a real gun at a target 25 feet away. We opted for a package. This meant that we got to a selection of guns from a 25 calibre rifle to a revolver, finishing with the Dirty Harry gun itself. Very cool!

Completed: Be friends with your ex

Task number: 41.

Be friends with your ex.

Date: NA.

Location: NA.

Attendees: NA.

I’m not going to name names here, but suffice to say that I'm on speaking terms with more than One. I can thank Facebook for the confirmation of that. Not that we’ve stayed in touch, but that’s all I have to that on the matter except to sat that I'm told they are happy and harbour no bitterness!

Completed: Design your own cocktail

Task number: 34.

Design your own cocktail.

Date: 16^th March 2008.

Location: Rochester, Kent, UK.

Attendees: Yvonne Weatherlake.

Easter 2008. The coldest Easter I can remember. I was living & working in Holland at the time, but my girlfriend was still in the UK. I’d come back to see her for the holidays. The problem was that it was freezing! The ground was covered in snow & if it wasn’t pouring with rain, it was blowing an arctic gale. Not the best time for a family outing.

We still had drinks cabinet full of booze from Christmas & with a limited amount of things to do, we decided to spend the afternoon attempting this task. Hours & hours we spent trying to come up with the perfect recipe. It was really hard work, believe me! We finally settled on:

1.     A shot of Whiskey.

2.     A shot of Tia Maria.

3.     5 parts Ginger beer.

4.     3 parts Pineapple juice.

Topped with a twist of Lime & served in a Champagne flute.

Admittedly, we were pretty merry by the end of the day. My girlfriend thought our new creation tasted like the worst cocktail she’d ever had. I thought it was a thing of beauty & it is only a matter of time before it makes its way to only the most exclusive bars all over London.

Completed: Meet your idol

Mr Hasslehoff is about to meet Sean Pankhurst

Task number: 29.

Meet your idol.

Date: 16^th September 2006.

Location: Bluewater shopping centre, Kent, UK.

Attendees: Yvonne Weatherlake, DAVID HASSLEHOFF.

I’m guessing some people will agree that this is a pretty cool feat, whilst others will laugh. However, the fact is that growing up this guy was the coolest person on the planet. I was the biggest Knight rider fan & just wanted to be Michael Knight. They say that you should never meet your idols, but I had vowed to some day cross paths with Mr Hasslehoff & shake his hand.

Now, a shopping centre is not the sort of place you imagine meeting your idol, I know. As a child, I had imagined it would be somewhere on set. Speeding through the desert, as we headed off with KITT on another adventure. As an adult, I at least expected it to be vaguely showbiz. Unfortunately it was at a book signing. Hasslehoff would give you 2 minutes if you spent 18 quid on his new book, “Making waves” available in all good book stores, by the way. The meeting was brief, but still, my dream was fulfilled. I shook his hand. He asked me how I was doing, etc. & it was done. The meeting of ways between David & Sean. I even had a signed book as a memento.

You may wonder why the photos are a little blurry. The simple answer to this is that David is still into the ladies. Apart from the fact that the camera had decided that it wasn’t going to work at the exact moment that we wanted to take the photo, the entire time my girlfriend was trying to take the photo, David Hasslehoff was winking at her. I’m not sure I should be perturbed or proud!

My momento

Completed: Sky Dive

Task number: 28.

Sky dive.

Date: 27^th August 2011.

Location: Headcorn aerodrome, Kent, UK.

Attendees: Sophie Pilcher, Rory Creavin.

This has to be it. This has to be One of the biggest experiences on this list for me. An amazing, life changing experience that left me with all kinds of emotions & memories. Funnily enough, it was something I thought I’d never want to try let alone actually do!

It all came about when I was thinking about I would do for my 30^th birthday. Friends & I had discussed various different things, but nothing really seemed to feel like it was big enough to mark such a life milestone. I wanted something spectacular. Something I’d never forget. After all, you’re only 30 Once. I decided to Google “Life experiences”.  Then there it was. Everywhere I looked the word “Skydive” came up.

I started to think about it. I could do it at a place local to my mums. Then it occurred to me. My sister & I have had some great life experiences together already & are very close. What better way to mark such an occasion than to do this with my sister. Well, that’s what I said to myself. I think it was probably more the fact that I never actually expected her to say yes! Unfortunately for me she did say yes & we decided this was it. In a moment of madness, we agreed & I booked it online. The only comfort was that it was 3 months away. That soon came round!

Another early start. We had to be at the airfield for 8.30am. Luckily (well, I say luckily) for us the weather was fairly sunny & the wind was light. We went in for our safety briefing & then waited for our names to be called over the tonoy. We knew that One other group would be going before us, so we could relax for a while until their names were called.

The names were called & we watched as the first group boarded the plane & headed skywards. It seemed to take forever. The plane, circling & circling. It was torture. Had something gone wrong? Was that going to happen to us? There was a gasp on the ground as we could see the first spec of colour pop out of the plane. It was a fantastic sight. One after the other we saw these little dots fluttering in the sky. That was when it hit me. The next little dot to appear in the sky was likely to be us.

We kitted up & headed to this scarily unsafe looking heap of metal that would take us to the point of no return. We were jumping tandem, with an instructor & had decided to get a crew to record our potential last moments on earth, so after doing a couple of interviews & shaking hands with the men who would be taking care of our lives for the next hour or so, we boarded. They don’t hang about. As soon as the last person was in, we were off. Now, I’ve been in a few planes in my time, but never One that climbs at such a fast rate of knots. It felt like we were almost at a right angle! Within minutes, the ground was very far away & that feeling of forever the last group had felt was fast beginning to play a huge part in this trip too. Just when I thought we must be close to the altitude we needed to jump from, my instructor showed me his gauge. We were only half way!

Then we got clearance from ground control & climbed the final 6,500 feet we needed to. This was it. The door opened & the first people prepared to jump. I could see they were experienced & were jumping on their own, but nothing prepared me for this. The first One stood at the door & just went. It was like they diving into a swimming pool. One by One they went, until my instructor shouted in my ear “here we go” & we shuffled forward. My heart still starts to race as I think about it now, but we were ready & after making our way to the edge of the door, I got myself into the position we practiced, hands crossed across my chest & head back.  “1,2,3!”.

Fuuuuuuuuuu! First we tumbled & the first chute went to slow us down & we were in free fall. I’d always wondered how this would feel. You know when you ride a rollercoaster, your stomach turns when you head down a sudden drop. Would this be the case all the way down or would it level out? The answer is yes, it levels out. As soon as you hit terminal velocity, the feeling of falling goes & you feel like you’re floating. The fact that that you’re hurtling towards the ground at 140 miles an hour is the furthest thing from your mind. I was loving it!

After around 15-20 seconds, the parachute opens & you feel the jolt as it pulls you back up into the sky. To be honest, I think this was the most scary moment of the whole experience. You are a few thousand feet after the ground still, with only a harness you keep you from plummeting to your death. Stupid, I know, given that I’d already fallen something like 6,000 feet. Funny how the mind works. Although it didn’t help that the instructor didn’t tell me that he was going to adjust the straps to allow me to control the chute & my heart jumped into my mouth as I dropped slightly.

After another few minutes taking in more of the views over the Kent countryside we finally made it to the ground, swinging in just off target & getting myself tangled in my sisters parachute as I did. It was pure ecstasy. We’d faced the fear & felt the adrenaline & now we were safely back on planet earth. An experience that just won’t let us forget. & we did it together as brother & sister.

Completed: Bungee jump

Task number: 26.

Bungee jump.

Date: 17^th September 2011.

Location: Auckland harbour bridge, Auckland, New Zealand.

Attendees: It should’ve been my girlfriend, but a heavy night before meant that she was too hung over!

I did this during our 3 week holiday of New Zealand for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. I booked it before we left in a moment of madness, knowing that if I’d left it until we got there, I would’ve chickened out!

There was a group of us that went up to the bridge. Ireland were playing Australia, in Auckland that night, so there was a large Irish contingent. We had a long walk to the jump point. We had to get to a small pod located about half way along. I knew roughly where it was, as we’d sailed past it a few days before, during a fishing trip, but with the adrenaline pumping through my veins, it felt a lot longer.

When the group got up to the pod, we were given a small safety briefing & it was on to the first person. They have to adjust your bungee line according to weight, heaviest to lightest, so I was about half way down the order.  I watched some pretty burly guys desperately trying to hide the fear by laughing & joking. Then screaming for their lives as they went over the edge.

They put you in a chair at first to strap you up. You feel like you’re on death row, as your feet are tied together & you watch the person front of you launch themselves. Then it was my turn. I had to shuffle on to a plank, where they would hook the bungee cord on & I would do my photos before the jump. I remember those fatal words “3,2,1, BUNGEE!” & I went.

It was a lot easier than I thought & I think it’s mind over matter, but it still get the adrenaline pumping.  The guy kitting you up holds on you as you shuffle your way out so that you don’t fall off & I’m sure he gave me a little nudge to help me on my way. Different people, with different weights mean that in order to get the full experience of dipping your head in the water at the bottom, they have to adjust the bungee cord person by person. The guy before me got his head & shoulders dipped in, so they reeled the cord in for my go. I missed the water by 1 inch, but it didn’t matter. I’d done it!

Completed: Realise your childhood dream

Task number: 8.

Realise your childhood dream.

Date: 4^th July 2007.

Location: Hilversum, Netherlands.

Attendees: Unfortunately this was something I had to do on my own at first!

From the age of 7 I have wanted to design football kits. In fact the very first time I was introduced to the sport.

My mum thought it would be a good idea to take me along to the local football team & I ended up playing for the local town as a lot of boys of that age do. My dad would regale tales of when he used to play for the Chelsea youth team & I think he secretly hoped that I might pick up where he left off. He soon forgot that hope when he saw me play! But to be perfectly honest, becoming a professional footballer was not the reason why I had developed such a passion for the game. I had another fascination.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed & still enjoy a kick about, but I remember stepping on to a pitch & being more interested in what the other team were wearing than how we were going to approach tactics. The colours, the fit, the fabrics, my eyes would light up.

I spent much of my childhood, either playing football or drawing football kits.  I started by just copying the kits that teams were already wearing. My Primary school teacher would let me have the last half an hour on a Thursday afternoon to show the class my latest creations & they would have to guess what team it was.

By Secondary school I was designing kits & in 1994 I produced my first collection. A mock catalogue for the World Cup. I was determined & at 14 I went to see the school careers adviser. With slightly raised eye bows, she explained what I had to do, but advised that I should look at other careers in case this didn’t work out.

My first mock catalogue. Created for the 1994 World Cup

It was a long, hard road. 2 years at college, 3 years at university & a 5 year Design career, working in fashion & other sports. But on the 4^th July 2007 I finally achieved my dream. I was a Gameday Designer for Nike. People often say that it’s amazing that I knew what I wanted to do from some a young age & that I was so determined. I would say there was a certain determination, but also a lot of luck involved.