Ohai Nick! Ohai 2012!

Firstly, I am quite flattered by the number of people who have quizzed why I haven't done an update on my blog recently.  Secondly, my companion Nick, (whom I often spend many a dejected moment on Claire and Tim's balcony armed with our respective cigarettes, folornly looking at the warmth and merriment indoors) has previously bested my tales of . . . well, generally being an idiot and wanted them mentioned.  Alas, alcohol was consumed afterwards, and I can't remember much of it . . . something about Syphillis? Anyway, hello there Nick, and I set you your own challenge;

"If you wish to out-pathetic my blog, write yo' own!"

Well, the main source of my blog-neglect is due to the ever-encroaching date of March 4th, 2012; Lyla-Mae's first birthday.  Some of you know, some of you don't, but Lyla is Poppy's little daughter . . . and if you have me as a facebook friend, before Tuesday 27th December, you would have noticed that my Wall (no wait, my 'Timeline') was essentially marked as 'her' territory.  For Lyla's first birthday, I was writing her a little book called 'Volbert the Mole', and Poppy (a trained tattoo artist) was going to illustrate it.

Well, to cut a long story short, it looks like something of a pointless venture, as me and Poppy are no longer in touch with each other.

Poppy

So far, only two people know the whole story, my closest friends know the key point of the story, and I am sure everyone must realise by now, given how my wall used to look with nothing but Poppy posts, that we have had one pretty major "disagreement."  My grandmother always told me that, 'if I have nothing nice to say about someone, don't say anything', and so I will not say a word more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .but what a vile, descipable, manipulative and downright nasty creature she has turned out to be.

And so this sort of overshadowed the end of my 2011, a year of a great many changes for me.  I will look back at 2011 as the year that I lost the proverbial stabilisers of my life; the two most constant people in it were both my Grandma, and Grace.  In March, I lost my Grandma to cancer, and in April myself and Grace broke up.  

However, whilst 2011 ended in a rather bobbins manner, it's made me realise that I already have everything I need for a fantastic 2012 (cue the soppiness, and even a hint of bro-mance!) I have some truly awesome friends, and I doubt I can even name them all.  

Gareth - who brought in 2012 with an invisible bang (HAHAHA!) - almost deserves his own entire post on just how amazing he has been to me this year, and I can't express enough just how much I appreciate him (just don't tell him that).  Another person I owe so much to this year is my year sister Tina.  If I went on listing people, I'd be here all day (because all my friends are so awesome) but here is a quick summary;

Gareth - I have come to realise that I am most likely going to end up either married to him, or dying alongside him in a ridiculous and whimsical manner.

Tina - Couldn't have asked for a better big sister <3

Claire - Beautiful, funny, a hilarious laugh, and terrifyingly good at NHL.  Tim is one lucky chap.

Tim - He might get into a ridiculous number of fights, but he is a softie at heart ;)

Luke - Always the first person to ask how I am doing.

Jojo - She started out as my sworn nemesis, and ended up as my closest confidant.

Diane - Never afraid to hit me with the blunt stick when I'm being a foo'

Linda - Rapidly becoming my pointless adventure buddy. You medically need to come to Sheffield soon.

Jake - Put one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me on my wall when I was low :')

Matt - If I could organise three people to attend a dinner party of mine, it would be Ghenghis Khan, Vin Diesel, and Matt Weir; I appreciate the works of all three immensely.

Johnny - women advice extraordinaire.

Nicole -  I miss you, and the sense of relative calmness in which I now open links. 

Gracie - When I really really really needed someone I could talk to, you put all our spats behind us and phoned me, and I can't thank you enough for that.

It's upsetting that I was actually blowing a kiss in this picture . . . no wonder I'm single!

So yes, 2012 can only improve on how 2011 ended, and just two days in I can really appreciate that I am one hell of a lucky chap.  

In my next post, someone remind me to regail you with the tale of my interview at the Police station, since my last two posts have been a bit too 'deep'.

Oh, and as a final note, regardless of what has happened between me and Poppy, I am going to carry on with Lyla's book.  It is unlikely that she and myself will ever speak again, and I now have no way of contacting her, but I have put a lot of time and thought into making this present, and I'm not going to stop simply because someone else has decided to arse me around.