January & February 2017
We heralded the new year by sifting through the ashes of the last one.
But there was some good news from the get-go: my mum and dad got to meet their adorable brand new granddaughter, Isla.
I went the footy with my mate Paul and we battered Man City 4-0…
I attended my first (but by no means my last) anti-Brexit rally.
I spent a day at nearby Alder Hey children’s hospital entertaining Matilda, Lorna’s daughter, who was undergoing a blood transfusion.
Had a couple of great nights out in Liverpool, one of which was with my friend Lance who I met many many moons ago when was CouchSurfing in South Korea.
And I also got a shed load of work done finished off my book! This scribble…
Became these info cards… (with the correct info, I hope!)
And Vicki, the diamond that she is, helped me create the “board game” for the cover of Man of the World.
The pull of going back to Jinja was tempered by my wish to spend as much time as possible with my dad before his dementia got so bad that he would forget who I am.
I knew that one way or another, I’d be spending most of 2017 at home in Liverpool. A more long-term solution to the question of who was going to look after the island was needed. To that end, my mate Carl, who you might recognise from Jinja Island Blog entries such as “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” and “Nuts In May“, said he might well be up for looking after the island long term this year with his lovely wife Marcela. He was back in the UK working a contract job until the summer, so he dropped in for a visit. Naturally, I took him on a tour of all things scouse.
Speaking of Scouse, Global Scouse Day was fast approaching. I made the executive decision to say in Liverpool until the beginning of March. Good job I did, as the next match I went to was Everton vs Sunderland on February 25th and we smashed them 2-0. I swear, if I went to every match we’d win the League every year without fail.
Later that Saturday, I had me a bit of an impromptu birthday bash upstairs at the Jacaranda.
The next day I met up with my friends Graeme, Steph and Raven downstairs at the Heebie Jeebies to shoot the cover of Man of the World.
Graeme took the photos…
And this is the famous shot, used on the cover of the book…
The following Tuesday was Global Scouse Day proper. It was a seriously awesome day: Laura and I kicked off the day with a “Scouse Crawl” around the city centre, followed by us judging “Scouse Off: The Professionals” held at the London Carriage Works restaurant on Hope Street. We then joined the DJs and competition winners from Capital FM who were also doing a Scouse Crawl, before ending up in the secret bar above Salt Dog Slims for the Global Scouse Day Cocktail Competition.
What a great way to say goodbye winter, hello spring.
Meanwhile, Jinja Island demanded my presence. All had not been going according to plan.
