Author Archive

Gig marathon! Seven days, nine bands, three gigs

Monday, August 24th, 2009 Posted in Personal Lives | No Comments »

Well what a week… it might not be Glastonbury, but it’s not bad for a little village in the Holme Valley (and Sheffield!). How about going back to the 90s for a week and seeing three of the most influential bands of the decade, two of which were on the doorstep and the other the biggest band in the world, The Charlatans, The New Beautiful South and U2!

The Picturedrome in Holmfirth played host to both The Charlatans and The New Beautiful South within seven days of each other, and offered the chance for many die-hard fans to get close and personal with the maestros of alternative music in this intimate venue. Very rarely do you find a venue that has so much character, excellent acoustics – not to mention access to a bar from every angle!

To check out what other acts are coming up at this wonderful venue, visit www.picturedrome.net/music_events.htm

And to round the week off and on my first visit to Don Valley, what can I say… the biggest band in the world once again in their prime, playing to a sell out crowd! It takes me back to my first ever gig, of course U2 but in Roundhay Park alongside 85,000 others for the ZOO TV tour, way back in ‘93! The gig was amazing, a real mix of golden oldies mixed in with some fantastic new songs that made for a night to remember. The only downside, as there are to these kind of gigs, was the drive home. Two hours back to sunny Huddersfield – one of which was spent in the car park waiting to move! None the less, a very, very memorable night!

Anyway, to summarise, a few beers were imbibed, a lot of songs sung and many voices lost over what I can only explain as a memorable week!

D-Day for the Mont-ster

Thursday, May 21st, 2009 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Last Saturday was make-or-break time for Monty as we enrolled the help of Barking Mad Mal, a canine behaviour expert and ex-police dog trainer, to give us the skills to readdress the balance and show Monty who’s really in charge!

Long nights of relentless barking and general ‘bad’ behaviour had taken its toll on Anna and I so we decided to put an end to it – and give Monty a happier, stress-free life!

Malcolm informed us that Monty thinks that he is the alpha male or pack leader – a role that dogs can assume if they aren’t given clear boundaries and routine.

We’re currently on day four of Monty’s rehabilitation, and there are already positive signs of improvement. Not only have we seen a reduction in the amount of barking, he’s eating his food properly and staying off the sofas – which is a first!

If you have a dog with behaviour issues, I’d thoroughly recommend using Mal – he’s a lovely guy, takes the time to understand the dog’s issues and gives you a written plan to follow in order to give you a happier hound!

Check him out at www.barkingmadmal.co.uk

Snowed in!

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Sitting here on a very snowy Tuesday lunchtime, lost as I can’t get to the office. The wonders of modern technology however, allowing me to communicate with the outside world so I am not totally cut off. Approximately 12 inches of snow fell over the last 24 hours and our lane is totally in-accessible, even for a Tesco delivery van!

Today has given me a snippet of a window to reflect on 2009 so far. January has been a bumper month, with a host of new clients coming on board and some major projects underway. Don’t want to speak too soon…but credit crunch, what credit crunch!!! Just hope that the run will continue into the coming months.

In all seriousness, the CC has hit many of us including some big high-street names, but it seems that if you pick your client base carefully and stick with them, you can ride these bad times out. My biggest concern is how long it will last and how much money we will all end up owing if the government gets its way!

Anyway, on a lighter note, Monty is not enjoying the snow, as he can only just stand up in places, but has a new found love – his ball! Driving us both totally mad as all he wants to do is play fetch! Here are some more picts for the scrap book.

DC blog issue 2

Thursday, November 13th, 2008 Posted in Personal Lives, Work | No Comments »

Just found a milli-second to myself in-between taking over the design world to look at our blog – shit, everyone seems to have been busy scribing but me! Didn’t realise how long it was since my first blog entry, so quite a bit of catching up to do!

Allsorts have been going on in the world of ‘DC’ and here is just a snippet!

Work is practically taking over my life at the moment and I find myself working until the early hours, just to write this blog entry. Keep it coming please, it is nice to be busy given the state of the economy! I must say it is a pleasure to work with such great clients and colleagues alike, only problem is, there just simply isn’t enough hours in the day!

Our creative team are doing a sterling job at the moment, juggling the heavy work load as well as putting together the new Brigade Support catalogue, ODDs newsletter and various other promo materials in their spare time! Keep it up guys.

On a lighter note, the rugby season is fully underway and my team is on top form, winning 8 out of 8! We should be top of our league, but no doubt someone somewhere is pulling the proverbial wool over our eyes! Still waiting for the serious rain to hit us on a Saturday afternoon as playing rugger in glorious sunshine doesn’t seem right. A distinct contradiction to the cricket season we just had, every game played in the pissing wet rain! Come on God, sort it out!

Went to an Oktoberfest event at the club the other week, my god, that stuff is strong! The wife had to pick me up at 11pm as hick-ups had got the better of me. Nothing to do with the 100 stines!

Looking forward to a few beers on Saturday as we watch England stuff the Aussies (AGAIN!). If anyone fancies watching a spectacle of rugby, you are more than welcome down at Lockwood Park, the home of rugby union in Huddersfield. Visit www.huddersfieldrugby.com for more info.

On the home front, my family is finally living in a fully functioning house once again after having had a new kitchen installed. How so much dust and dirt can be generated from such a small room I will never know! Endless painting and re-painting where the builders have moved something is finally over!

Monty is nearly 1 years old and huge plans are in place for the doggy party to end all parties. Watch this space for pictures of the big event in my next blog!!! He has definitely grown, but should be at full size now. Started on ‘big dog’ food and is also enjoying his new daytime home in the Merc boot with oodles of space and his favourite hot water bottle!

All for now, need my 2 hours sleep!

Ta ta.

Slam Dunc

Monday, September 1st, 2008 Posted in Personal Lives | No Comments »

I think this is the first blog I have ever been involved in apart from Facebook, but I only ever look at that once a blue moon, so I am a little unsure as what to put here.

My life is quite manic with many commitments outside of work including my wife (Anna) and dog (Monty) and various sporting activities. It is always hard to find the time and work / home balance that allows me to do everything I want all the time. I would like to think that I am a fairly organised person and have a relatively stringent routine, but even that doesn’t help fit everything in!

I want to use my blog to create a picture of my life outside of work as most of you that know me in work will already know what I am like. As a Gemini I have two sides to my personality which vary immensely and it is the other that I wish to share with my blog.

I will be regularly updating photos of my sporting activities, escapades, monty growing up and home life that will hopefully paint a varied picture.

I will also use this to moan about various things, probably sporting based as I release my frustration over England’s poor performances! Your comments are very welcome too!

Here is a summary of what interests I have;

Monty, Rugby Union (not League!), Cricket, Golf, squash, shooting, Tetleys bitter, Marlboro Reds, cars, music (U2, The Beautiful South, REM, Crowded House plus many, many others), travel, Big Cats and fine dining. I am also a keen supporter of the NSPCC and RSPCA along with many other charities and sponsor two snow leopards in Nepal!