My Reef (at least for a morning)

I woke in time for the sunrise.  It was beautiful.  The camera doesn’t do it justice.

 Slowly, the light spread across the sky and the beach came to life.  Not a soul in sight.  I’m going for a swim, I thought.  I didn’t have a snorkel or scuba gear.  Just my usual goggles and trunks.  I left my phone behind, grabbed a towel, went down barefoot.  I haven’t brought flip-flops.  Every bit counts when your luggage is at the limit.  The stones hurt my feet; the sciatica nagged, but I knew swimming would help.  Every step was uncomfortable, until I hit the sand.  

Then it started to drizzle.  No, I’m going anyway.  I stashed my towel, dipped a toe in.  It was a little cold, but definitely bearable; a lot better than the Mersey, I guessed.  With each step deeper, I felt better.  Water up to my shoulders, goggles on, off I went.  Breaststroke first, calm and steady.  Not much to see at first. I was hoping this wasn’t another example of people destroying a natural habitat.  Then a translucent fish; beautiful.  It’s friend appeared. I ensured I kept up steady breathing.  In the Royal Navy, a PTI once spotted that I didn’t really know how to swim properly.  He fixed that: forty minutes on breathing alone, then technique.  Since then the water’s felt like home.  I swam towards the cliff face.  A dozen striped fish, yellow, black, white, silver - stunning.  Then two even more beautiful, and a whole shoal right beside them.  I drifted near the rocks, staying still.  Fish were everywhere now. 

Then it hit me.  This is a tropical reef.  

I looked around; no one. Yesterday it had been packed with snorkellers, divers, kids, and influencers.  This morning, it was mine.  I swam on, hovered near a shoal of tiny translucent fish.  I stayed still and suddenly I was surrounded; right in the eye of a whirlpool of fish.  They weren’t afraid.  Then a flash above, tiny bodies scattering from some unseen predator and there I was still and peaceful, thinking, this is serenity.  Crystal clear and quiet.  Maybe on a future trip, I’ll look for a coral reef.  

I skipped a party beach I was invited to last night.  I came for this instead and it was absolutely the right call.  For nearly two hours, it was my private reef.  Eventually, I floated back and walked up the shore.  Beautiful music was playing. The bar had just opened. I asked about breakfast and promised myself scrambled eggs.  After a shower, I decided to write this.  

I haven’t blogged in years, but maybe this is the first of many, because this morning, Monday, 17th August 2026, it was my reef.

Coming soon:

My publisher was in touch the other day, having finally got back from sea and managed to dot the 'I's and cross the 'T's, I've been informed that earliest the book will be out is April 2017 - more likely June 2017. It's a while to wait, but this process does take time, as I'm finding out, but, to be honest, I'm still buzzing that I'm going to be a published author. 

Anyway, having completed all my amendments I am left with time on my hands. This is the first time in my adult life that I have been able to finish work and actually relax. I'm reading books, blogs, watching films, playing computer games, or just scrolling through facebook, and I'm loving it.  

Me and Nat have also just booked a two week holiday in Amoudara, Heraklion Area, of Crete.  I love Greece, from the mythology, to the philosophy (currently re-reading Plato's 'The Last Day's of Socrates'), to the computer game 'Master of Olympus: Zeus', where you build your own ancient Greek cities, all the way to Willy Russell's 'Shirley Valentine'.  Going to 'Shirley's' Mykonos is definitely on mine and Nat's bucketlist, as is seeing every Greek island we can get to, but how beautiful is this, please?  

  

It's one of the few advantages of working like a dog, I now have the money to book things like this, whilst simultaneously saving for my future.  

I've also booked this boss gig: 

   

This weekend, after tomorrow's 24 hour duty (consisting of another store-ship and three three-hour-stints of gun sentry) Nat is coming up to see me (first time we've seen each other, in person, in six months) at the base for a few days.  In fact, it'll be ten days together, here and in Liverpool, interrupted only by another 24 hour duty on Tuesday.  However, I have secured October, in its entirety, for leave, and I'm predicting a fair amount of time off in September and November too.  

Coming soon: an Everton match (or ten!), a boss night out, a trip to the pictures, a gig, an adventure climbing Snowdon, a reunion with my band, a friend's wedding, and finally, fulfilling a lifelong ambition to see Billy Connolly live, something I never thought I'd be able to do, and we're seeing him in Liverpool! Sound that!

Writing this blog has cheered me up.  Potentially I'm at sea for the best part of a year, in 2017, so I'm making the most of all the free time I have.  If you're not enjoying life, re-assess it.  I truly despise my job at times, but i'm using it instrumentally to get to where I want to be in life.  'Time on goes slow and time off just goes', as one of my Sub-Surface Meditations states (watch this space), so I made a decision to enjoy every second I can, while I can.  Life is for living, so live. 

Work Hard: Play Harder.

'It is easier to go down a hill than up..but the view is better from the top.'

Thanks Gemma for those top words.

I've tried to resist the urge to give in and I'm still resisting that urge.  Most people who know me well, know that from day one of joining the 'Senior Service', on a full time basis, I knew that the Royal Navy was not for me.  Nonetheless, I didn't even have the money to get home from HMS Raleigh, let alone the financial stability to pay off my debts.

Although, relatively speaking, I didn't owe much.  It's not like I had a mortgage and a great big Wonga loan with interest increasing by the day.  Yet, I had an overdraft of a couple of grand (which I had been living off for seven years), a few hundred on my credit card, and, most importantly, I owed a fair bit to the people I loved.  Do I regret owing the money?  Yes and no.  I am a lucky guy in the sense that I have had a brilliant life.  My Grandad told me, 'Don't grow up too quickly: enjoy being young while you can.'  That I did, I've been to festival after festival, gig after gig, god knows how many Everton matches, and an innumerable number of nights and days out.  Not to mention the money spent on rehearsals and recordings with my bands.  None of this I regret, as I have always hated letting opportunities pass me by and have tended to regret them if I had.  Quite ironically, joining the Navy has seen me let opportunity after opportunity pass me by: The FA Cup Semi-Final, League Cup Semi-Final, Tony Bellow's boxing match at Goodison (where he became the World Champ), Download Festival (again) and that's just a bit of what I've missed this year alone.  Yet, I have paid off my debts and for the first time in my life I'm in a financially sound position.

Those who know me know that money means fuckall to me.  You can't take it with you and the love of it is why the world is so fucked up.  Yet, I am currently a slave to it.  I have plans and those plans cost money.  I'm a sensible person and I know I need to build a future.  I have a date in my head: 2020.  That's when I'll leave the Navy.  That's when I'll really start enjoying myself again.  That's when me and Nat can see a fair bit of the world and hopefully settle down and get a mortgage the year after.

We've already seen a fair bit of it together: Ireland, Mexico, Greece, and Australia, as well as many places in the UK, where we've enjoyed more than a few pub-crawls.  She gave me a card a year or two ago saying, 'To my Boyfriend and Best-friend' and that hit home.  I'm a really lucky guy in the sense I have so many amazing friends.  Another line from Gemma, 'Don't worry about people in your past, there's a reason they didn't make it into your future' strikes a chord.  I have surrounded myself with amazing people and ignored the toxic.  Natalie is my best friend amongst many of the best friends a person could ask for.  They're our friends and we love you all to bits.

This is what makes it hard to be in 'The Forces'.  The problem with having the best family, the best friends, the best girlfriend, support the best football team, and come from the best city in the world, is that it is so hard to say goodbye, and as a Navigation Officer once said to me, 'The thing that unites everybody in the Forces is that everybody is always trying to get home.'

Hopefully, all this will be worth it in the end.  Although I know I could be a local Councillor, a teacher, and a researcher, with the ability to go to the games and gigs I want, as well as being in a kickass band, I know I wouldn't have the money to build a future and see the world.  I need that deposit money and the financial means to go the places I want to go.

I've just attended a ceremony in Edinburgh (an astonishingly beautiful city), with my mum and dad, where I finally received my Duke of Edinburgh Gold award.  Now me and my dad want to do the 'once in a lifetime' Diamond Award together, to raise money for local charities: my next goal - climbing Snowdon with 'me ahl fella'.  Thank you to everybody who has helped me with everything I have achieved throughout my short yet colourful life, so far.  I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.  NIL SATIS NISI OPTIMUM.  I'm sure I'll enjoy the view better from the top of the hill.

KD

: P

Things are going very well. Boss mates, boss family, beautiful girlfriend. Nearing the end of the Ph.D (The most stressful thing I've ever done in my life and I've still got over half of it to write in less than a year, doesn't bare thinking about) Navy's going well. Life is good. :D

Swings and roundabouts

Last night I went to bed with the world at my feet, and I today I woke up to hear some very bad news. It sort of put things into perspective for me, and reminded me that life is far, far too short.

I feel like I have another year and a half to go before my 'life' can begin. Seventeen years of none stop education sort of takes it out of you, and I've got another year and half to go. I wanted to leave uni in my first year, but persevered. Then again, they say you don't appreciate it until It's over. I understood that when I got my degree, but now I'm sort of back to feeling how I did in my first year. Moreover, I have now been in the Navy for over a year and still have not passed out. I feel I was ready six months ago! Injured for August, September cancelled, roll on October. I do always say look on the bright side, and try to practice what I preach, but sometimes things just take the piss!

I know life's just a lesson but fucking hell I've passed enough tests haven't I? Well come on 'calm down and carry on' only about a year and half, and a few more to go.

I am also once again becoming acutely aware that the nice guy seems to continuously finish last. I'm sick of it. When I acted like a complete and utter prick, who genuinely had little regard for how his actions hurt others, thing's where going so well, when I changed and tried to be nice, I just keep getting hurt. On that point though, I WILL NOT BUDGE! No "Nice guys finish last" is just something dicks say, to justify being dicks. Still, College was a long time ago.

I know I have an amazing family and some brilliant friends, and I have a lot to be grateful for in terms of the John Lennon Memorial Fund, but I did work quite hard to get hold of the latter. I suppose that's an example of the nice guy finishing first, but still, I guess I just feel a bit down. Roll on Sonisphere!

"I wanna be a billionaire so freakin bad"

O.K. a bit misleading, just a really cool song. This is my first blog in a long time, and much has happened. Gone through the motions as we do, but things are good, things are very good. Had an absolutely brilliant day on my birthday with my awesome friends and family, taught my first seminars, learned some really cool tunes on guitar today, in general getting back into music, physically fit again, (after being out with injury), Navy is going well, PhD is coming along very nicely, been asked to give a talk on Liverpool's political history to some tour guides and being paid for it, the blues are playing well, Labour did well in the local elections, and I'm looking forward to a holiday away with pals and Sonisphere festival!! :D

On the note of elections, it seems that every election campaign I get behind, i.e. work for, the candidate wins. I have a 100% record so far. 2010 Joe Benton (elected and increased his majority), Bill Esterson (Won newly created marginal, Tories were favourite), 2011 was behind Maev and Bob's campaigns in the uni election and they both became student officers (Maev became President) and Diane Roberts won Manor ward, (first time Labour has had that seat since 1991) Of course the main work is done by others, I think I may merely be a 'good luck charm' of sorts :P

Anyway in a nutshell, very happy atm and things are looking up, this is very much down to my awesome friends and family. Cheers guys ^_^ KD xxx

'Life's been good to me so far..'

KD is absolutely loving life. I truly believe I am one of the luckiest little bastards in the UK atm. Officially a Royal Naval Reservist, an Aim higher Associate (one of the last), and of course doing this ridiculously amazing topic for my FUNDED! Phd. I have heard quite a few times 'that sounds like an awesome topic' or 'I wish I had done something like that'. Love it!! Also having the best family in the world is a real fucking bonus. As is irreplaceable friends, to say I love you guys would be an understatement. Of course the 'Monday Crew' has departed, but upon graduation my Dad told me to talk to people as if it was the last time I would see them, as people always seem to go their own ways. In fact, I have met and spoke to all of them subsequently and this kid like jubilation runs through my body when I see them. You made University for me people, and I adore you for it.

I am also currently somewhat of a media darling. Having featured in the Liverpool Echo, Daily Post, Daily Star and been on Granada Reports, BBC North West Tonight and now the One Show! we are getting noticed for leading the way against this evil lib-con coalition. They make me sick! Anyway, not to put a dampener on things, I also received some lovely and kind words from various students and lecturers calling me the expert and soon to be authority on my topic. Music is also going very well, my writers spark has come back. To reaffirm I love life.

Only wish the Everton boys would pull their sock up :?