I want to dedicate today's blog post to the men in my life my Dad, my Grandad, my late Grandad and my brother.
First thing we need to get out of the way. Yes my Dad does look like Nigel Mansell and really loves to be reminded of this!
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| My brother met Nigel Mansell in Disneyworld Florida you know |
Secondly he is generally awesome. We're very similar (well I'm still working on the mostache) and carry the Richardson obsessive gene, although I have so far resisted playing golf! One of my earliest childhood memories (aside from having my paper bag eaten by a goat at a petting zoo) is us sitting watching a bat feeding at sunset on a campsite in the south of France. I must have been about 4 but I can remember it as if it was yesterday.
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| Circa 2007 |
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| Chris & Dad with Dad's infamous Hawaiian shirt on my 18th birthday. Dad bought the shirt when we were at the market because it was so terrible. It has since been worn to various family functions and also to a posh dinner dance. I like to nag Dad into wearing it at least a couple of times a year! |
We both love music and share quite similar tastes, most things with a guitar! When I first got into rock music Dad played me loads of cool stuff and I credit him with my love of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin & Deep Purple et all. I get my plane geeking obsession from him, he's taken me to airshows since I was really young. In fact I can clearly remember being at Medway Hockey Festival and him pointing out a Tornado flying off in the distance to me (they're still my favorite plane!). We're off to Farnborough Airshow next month and are both really excited as the F35 is flying for the first time! According to Mum it's impossible to watch war films or programmes with Dad or me as we often find something that's inaccurate or wrong and feel compelled to comment on it.
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| Of course not all airshows are blessed with good weather, here we are at Shoreham 2010 in the rain |
We have a very similar sense of humour and Dad introduced me to Monty Python, we quote it pretty frequently! Dad does however have the habit of spoiling my bunnies Estelle & Esme, he can often be found feeding them dandelions or gatecrashing when I have them out for a cuddle! He denys it but he is very much wrapped around their paws!
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| Stealing Esme |
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| In conversation with Estelle |
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| Christmas 2002, Dad with his normal festive face |
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| Me, Dad & Chris in the South Of France 1996 |
Grandad Roy is Mum's Dad. He served in the Fleet Air Arm at the end of the war and there is a fantastic story of him firing up the engines of a Sea Fury on deck just as an officer that he disliked was walking past and blowing his hat into the sea!
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| Grandad being made to pose with mine and Chris' cuddly toys Xmas 95 |
Grandad used to look after me and Chris on Saturdays when Mum and Dad were playing hockey, taking us for walks along the seafront or to the park (being careful to walk the route that avoided the town hall clock whose bell I was scared of). Every Saturday we would have pizza (Chris) & ploughman's (me) for lunch followed up with a Club biscuit, and yes I still treat myself to one occasionally.
Mum delights in telling me the story of when I was a toddler at Grandad's when one Saturday afternoon, for no apparent reason, I picked up a plant from a pot that I had ignored until that point and threw it at Grandad! Apparently she, Grandma & Grandad were all laughing too much to tell me off. I'm glad to say I've suffered no more plant rage incidents since! There was also an incident when Grandad made the mistake of asking me what I wanted for my birthday ...... 10 minutes later I was still going.
Grandad passed away in 2011 and I still really, really miss him. I miss Saturday afternoons watching Final Score on the BBC (Grandad was a massive Arsenal fan) and the hilarious impression he did of the dog from the Churchill insurance advert ("oh no no no no no"). At his funeral the vicar read Mum & Uncle Ken's piece that they had prepared and it said that he was so happy that I was getting better and starting to enjoy life again. Since I've gotten ill again I keep hold of that and try to work through each day because that's what he would want.
Grandad Frank is Dad's Dad and he also served at the end of the war in the navy. He has loads of really interesting stories about life in the navy and the places he saw and people he met, Grandma tries to tell him not to tell them but I adore hearing them. He used to keep me, Chris and our cousins Nick & Tim amused for hours with stories he'd made up, even inserting 'advert breaks' asking if we'd had our Weetabix.
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| Grandad & Grandma on a day out in 2005 |
Grandad is a fantastic painter and drawer. He's had paintings sold all over the world and I have one he painted of a Tornado and of a WW2 airbase to take with me when I move out. He gave me a brilliant piece of advice that I still use when drawing "concentrate on one bit at a time and the rest will draw itself". Like Grandad Roy he is also football mad, following Brighton & Hove Albion and Eastbourne Borough.
Although Father's day doesn't traditionally cover siblings I wanted to write about my lil bro Chris, better known as Monkey! I'm not sure what started me calling him Monkey but I have done for years now and it's stuck with Mum, Dad and Helen adopting it too. I have to make sure if I'm calling him and his friends are here that I call him Chris and not Monkey, although I do sometimes forget sorry Monk, I mean Chris.
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| Showing his disapproval of my Spice Girls top |
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| First day at school! |
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| What a mess! |
Chris is 4 years younger than me but we've always been close. I think when I was younger I saw him as some kind of pet :p but as we've gotten older I can genuinely say that along with Helen he is my best friend. I can't think of many other people who would assist me at 1am with a pair of pliers up my nose after a nose-stud related incident!
We used to have very similar music taste, I took Chris to his first gig Feeder at the Brighton Centre in 2006, he will also deny it but I took him to see My Chemical Romance in 2007, and yes I have photographic evidence!
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| Accidental band shirt co-ordination circa 2007 |
We've also been to see Metallica at Wembley & Iron Maiden at Twickenham.
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| Watching Iron Maiden |
I also helped him celebrate his 18th with a trip to see Muse at the O2 -
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| He found the O2 Hip Hop bar |
Due to the combined efforts of Chris & Helen I am now also a big Formula 1 fan. I really enjoy the races and even the getting up early for races on the other side of the world (especially when Chris makes me tea!).
I'm lucky that I get on well with Chris's fiancee Vana. She's absolutely lovely and they make a really great couple.
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| Ahhhhhh |
Chris is also an AMAZING photographer, he's given me the photo bug too and I really hope to get as good as him one day. I love it when me, him and Vana take our cameras out for a trip and comparing shots when we get home. Please check out Chris's photos here -
https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisr91/ as they are truely brilliant but he doesn't believe me!
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| Out taking some photos last summer |
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| Amazing photo by Chris |
I love you all
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