Fire Bull UK

Goodbyes  October was the month where I and my partner said goodbye to work, friends and family before setting off on our trip to Australia.  Work gave me a lovely little send off with some Aussie themed desk decorations and lunch. Will miss a lot of the finance team and look forward to catching up when finally returning. Obviously getting a game of darts in.  We had a leaving doo which was frighteningly heavy going, causing a 2 day hangover, as well as eating out with different family members and friends almost every night over the last 2 weeks in the UK. Operation 12 stone for 2025 is well and truly dead with project 14 stone on the horizon, at the time of writing!  The hardest goodbye was with the family dog. I got in as many good walks and treats as I could but the sad eyes at the end was like he knew I was going, and didn’t know when I was coming back. He’s got me through some of my worst times and leaving him hurts. At least he’s off on holiday ...

The month started off with me being best man at one of my best mates from school's wedding. A few beers the night before preceded the big day that started off with torrential downpours. As any bride rightly would be, she was worried about the outdoor ceremony being spoilt/moved indoors, but thankfully the skies managed to do a 180 by the time of the ceremony which was overseen by bright sunshine. The only stumbling block was the groom's emotions, who couldn't stop himself being a blubbery mess. He's always said he wears his heart on his sleeve, proved throughout the day. The whole day went smoothly. The entrées and Pimm's were delightful, speeches were received in good humour without anyone being offended. Even the groom nailed the dance after 10 pints of Guinness which was a shock to all there! Change is Upon Us Later in the month, my biggest personal event (besides Charlton Millwall) was resigning from a company I have been at for 3 and a half year...

August was over in a flash which is a big shame with the nights drawing in and the end of the summer. I finally had the splint removed from my finger in August and 2 weeks on , it's hasn't healed anywhere near as much as I would've liked. There's still plenty of scar tissue, with the strength and flexibility no where near where I would've expected 2 months on from injuring the finger. I might have to go back to the hospital if there isn't further progress during September. Despite this I did return to sports, playing in a charity football tournament and one game of cricket. The tournament and the return of the football league has reignited my interested in football somewhat, but no regrets for not playing the start of the season before heading to Aus. The cricket game confirmed I am nowhere near the level to play anymore of the season with only a few games left. There has been no further updates since the acquisition. It looks like there will not be an...

The month started with a stag to Dublin. It was a small group with a few of the boys not knowing each other, but it didn't take long to click at all with the stag's outfits to break the ice and our shared love for Guinness, apart from James! As cliché as it is, the Guinness factory was most of the boy's highlight from the trip. The bar there included traditional Irish Dancing (the dancers made a few jaws drop in the crowd), a live band whose rendition of foggy dew will never be beaten in my mind, and some interactive drum bashing. Even James enjoyed it there, despite gagging on a freebie! It's incredible how many excellent pubs and bars there are within a small area, particularly when thinking about all the pubs that have closed down in my local area in recent years. The Dubliners were all welcoming and happy to have a natter. It probably helped that the Stag was wearing an electric dog collar, so maybe they all went on the charm offensive to get hold of the remo...

A busy June and July has seen this post come late, but due to the lack of activity on the UK Lean Fire Reddit weekly updates thread, I thought why not engage in some productivity and throw something on there myself. June's spending was pretty crazy, including a wild night after a great T20 cricket game between Kent and Surrey, as well as a last minute trip away. With planning to be out of Europe next summer, my diminishing youth and FOMO, I booked a 4 day trip to Split. Flights and the Hostel were cheap enough, but I was shocked at the price of pretty much everything in Split (excuse my ignorance). It is a lovely place with some amazing architecture, food, beaches and weather (got some great burn lines whilst there), but the frugal in me was beaten and defeat was accepted. The Gravitas hostel was lovely with some nice people staying there. Big Brisbane Lad Chris (sporting an incredible farmers tan) being my 3 day bestie. Hoping to meet him down under when I'm there....

April was followed up by another great month in May. Whilst there were no holidays away, the 2 bank holidays meant that there was enough fun to be had.  Football As usual I will start off on the football front, but this will not be the case going forward!  I managed to get back for my final game of the season after my holiday. We lost (who cares by this point) but it was nice to have our final night out with the boys before I pack it up.  Ironically my final match of the season was against a lot of my teammates on a Saturday. Bragging rights were up for grab and maybe more needle in the game than was expected. Love the boys but there are one or two who believe they’re too good for our team on Saturday, so there was no way I wanted to allow that ego to extend any further by allowing them to lay a smackdown on us. Thankfully age overcome beauty with the Brexit tactics on top of some good football being played. Up the old boys!  Onto the professional football...