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Hello.........

Here will appear the thoughts of Colin 2003

The events that I remember and bring back memories are:-

January - Amy is laid to rest. A short but dignified service. Thanks to all for their support over the last few difficult months. Now need to get back to some sort of normality in life.

Month 1 and it's been and gone. My birthday and I'm now the proud owner of a 300 watt sub woofer. Sounds good on my 6.1 system, makes the room shake rattle and roll, somewhat.

February - Life goes on and it's cold, and the snow's came and went.


	After the snow fell, I did venture into the garden but quickly retreated back indoors. No garden just a SWAMP.

March - I get another chance to be a manager, at ASDA. Onwards and upwards it would seem. I now have to complete a 10 week fast track course to enable me to be ASDA converted. Oh what fun.

The 5oth Birthday party for Sue gathers pace with Invites being sent out.

With the weather getting milder it's time to venture back into the swamp out back. Amazingly the swamp has retreated, leaving moss with patches of grass, but with a few days work it all begins to revert back. It's amazing the difference 4 weeks makes. From snow to shine.

The Latest in the Sunday meets takes place care of Dave and Pat at the Butterfly Hotel, Colchester.

April -


	And it is off on our latest weekend trip this time PARIS, once again with the Spicers Mob. Another great few days made even better by the weather. It didn't rain.


	It was Sue's 50th, and the partying began. The original idea of an event in a hall was changed to now 3 events. One for family and friends at home. One for the drama group at the Jade, Chinese restaurant. And the last at Newmarket races for Sue's work friends. A few pictures from the party. And a good time was had by all.

May - Passed my Asda assessment, so still onwards and upwards. Have now booked our summer hols, and it's off to Italy and a little bit of Venice in September. The garden has at last come out of it's winter retirement, all that decking now means less maintenance. The Southend air show takes place, so we use the facilities offered by the Southend flat for probably the last time. (It's up for sale)

And last but not least Gemma leaves College, and gets a job at the first attempt. Now why couldn't I have done that.

June - Off we go on a long weekend to Liskeard, Cornwall. To visit the Eden project and the lost gardens of Heligan. Plus a chance to see Sue's Sister Gwen. And for one the weather was not bad, although it did pour with rain on one occasion.

The visit to Eden was amazing, the domes each contain a different environment, with a new one in the pipeline. Well worth a visit, but to see all requires a little walking. We got there Ist thing, and where able to look around at the exhibits quite freely but by midday the crowds where growing. Take your camera you will need it.

Also visited the Lost Gardens of Heligan which is even more amazing - A jungle in the middle of Cornwall - But take your walking shoes you will need them.

Back home again and I get to drive a New Honda 2.4 Executive - I want one

July - Phew it's hot - The flat is sold just got to wait for the paperwork to be sorted.

As part of the Sunday Meets I organized something different, a chance to see the Proms, with a difference. The first Duxford Flying Proms. Staged at Duxford with World War 2 plane's flying to the tunes of the Dambuster's and others. Plus a firework display that went on for ever. Brill.... And just to make everyone feel at home I even organized pouring rain. It was wet...... BUT I STILL LOVED IT

From the program

The Flying Proms concert, performed by the English National Orchestra, will have something for everyone. Highlights include firm favourites such as Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance, Land of Hope and Glory, Rule Britannia and Jerusalem. Before dusk, some of the world's most historic aircraft will give breath-taking displays to appropriate and moving music, including the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's Lancaster displaying to Coates' Dambusters Theme, the legendary Spitfire and Hurricane to Ron Goodwin's Battle of Britain March and the elegant 1930s Hawker Nimrod performing to Elgar's Nimrod from his Enigma Variations. Concert goers will also be encouraged to "get in the mood" with a P-51 Mustang displaying to Glenn Miller's Pennsylvania 65000.

August - Oh dear did anything happen in August?

September - It's Holiday time and off to Italy for 2 fun packed weeks - I Hope - and it was -

October - So its of to the ASDA Store of learning at West Bridgford for 8 weeks.... Phewwww - To learn to be a manager, never did that before. Week by week story coming up.

Thursday and Friday, went to ASDA house in Leeds - Very Impressive modern building - Huge canteen serving all sorts of foods - Wish Cambridge had the same. Large intake of new recruits even larger number of "Grads"

Week 1 - Off to the Store of Learning, West Bridgford. A long hard slog with a number of long days completing modules. What have I let myself into!!!!! Hotel accommodation not bad, basic but roomy plus pub come restaurant next door - Millers - with some good meals to be had. Menu could be a little limiting after 8 weeks will need to branch out and find somewhere else. Have now become part of a small group of new interns - Phill - Sophie - Tom and Chona all very different, all a little bit crazy and all like a drink or 2! I should also mention Ingrid my mentor who has the somewhat daunting task of transforming a born and bred Telecoms manager into a Retail Manager - No easy task I think...

Week 2 - Another hard slog of a week with again some long days on modules, even a long day Friday!

Week 3 - 3 days at Retford, a store having a revamp, teaches me the in and outs of space flexing - never did that at NTL.

November -

Week 4 - Store gets in contact now wants me back by December start - That's now 6 weeks not 8, wish I knew that at the start, a lot more to learn than perhaps you would imagine.

Week 5 - Yet another week, but with difference - For no particular reason Thursday night became the last night party. I now have a liking for After Shock all 3 at once!!!!!!!!!

Week 6 - On my own all else have deserted me. HELP - what was 8 weeks away now is here and am I ready, not to sure.

After 6 weeks it's all over (yes in 6 rather than 8) - I passed my end validation - I'm now a fully (well sort of), trained member of the Cambridge ASDA management team.

December - Back to nights - Back to the real world - Got a lot to catch up on and not just at ASDA. What's it's Christmas time - What happened it seems only yesterday it was January.

My end thoughts for 2003

Another year been and gone, far to fast for my liking, need to slow down make the days years longer not shorter. Or perhaps it's just me. Is this a symptom of being over 50.

Like it or not I do think more about retiring, the one thing that has changed since turning 50. The problem is being able to afford to retire. I want to enjoy life in my retirement, due to the present financial climate investments continue to lose money so at present I shall keep earning the money - But I must admit retirement does seem to be becoming a better option these days.

My thought in general are mixed. The IRAQ war - Was it right or wrong. It was certainly right to remove Sadam Hussan, give the Iraq people a chance to enter the real world. It was the pretext that was wrong - WMD did they really exist - maybe not.

So what has changed this year, well for one thing I'm back as a manager and a trained manager at that, never been trained before to be that. One up for ASDA. Went away to be trained at ASDA Hyper Store in West Bridgeford - Nottingham. Somewhat larger than Cambridge and as mentioned in my diary above did meet a few "characters" shall we say. One thing I find difficult within ASDA is the blame culture - always need to blame someone, it is always someone else's fault.

During the year CmG Computers is going reasonably well, need a few more clients, double the profits each and every year and then who knows ?????? It is another option in life. And always keep your options open.

The year has been an interesting year, had one of the best holidays I,ve had for ages, probably the last with the "kids" On their own from now on. Off to Canada next year - hopefully plus somewhere else?

Xmas Greeting 2003

Ps Let me know your thoughts I can post them tooo

colin@colingroves.com
Best wishes Colin...