The past is a foreign country...........

Background Story for Boboff

Well, for those that are interested I thought I might outline a bit about me, where I am from, who I am, that sort of thing.

I am not really sure or comfortable or really content with sharing too much information on a Public Blog, as it is just that public. But this stares looking aggressively and non plused at the face of me wanting to be held up as the most funny and clever writer since Dickens. So it is with that mind I will try and draft a little bit of background.

To understand me as I would wish an employer or father of a girlfriend to understand me....

Born in 1970 in Plymouth, moved to Bristol at 14 and Bath when 18. Following A-Levels and a failed attempt to fly Jets in the RAF, started training as a Certified Accountant in a rural practice. Made good progress in accountancy examinations and qualified in 1992 with all first time passes. Spent another 2 years in practice then joined a Salmon Smokery as Administration Manager. Oversaw rapid financial growth in the business, putting in place various systems and procedures, covering not only Financial controls, including Profit Related pay and writing bespoke software for marginal costing, profitability, cash flow and production planning, but also Investors in People, Food Hygiene and quality practices to British Retail Consortium standard.

In 1995 was promoted to Finance Director and took a lead role in a number of acquisitions in London, Cornwall, and Devon. In 1997 took the Managing Director role of a Food Gift Business in Ivybridge in Devon and oversaw the complete redevelopment of the business and premises, achieving Investors in People, and other training awards, as well as gaining business and technical approval from Tesco, Safeway, Debenhams, BHS, Sainsbury’s and many other large national wholesalers. Spearheaded research and development into various aspects of Heat processing of Bottled food products.

Married to Mrs B 1999, DD born in 2000, DS in 2002.

During the period from 1995 I also developed over 15 rental units privately, being a selection of bedsits, flats, and houses. Fortunately all but 3 were sold before the recent downturn in the market.

In 2004 the Salmon Smokery lost a large account and was closed in a structured manner. With the loss of a £10 million turnover business from the group, and the loss of motivation from the owner, I was instrumental in executing a Merger with a similar sized Food business in Bridport. At this point I became a shareholder. Following 2 years growing the combined business, including a further acquisition in Grimsby, and also an 18 month stint running a Pub in Stoke, in Plymouth, we moved to Gunnislake in 2005.

2006 saw a real down turn in business and the merged business was not going to be sustainable moving forward, so the business was taken over by the Bridport based company. A year of working for someone again, and my wife being accepted into University, to train as a nurse, meant in 2007 I gave up work, to be a full time carer, and adopt the “good life” on our 11 acre small holding. To date we have had Pigs, Chickens, Quail and Turkey.

In 2008 I started as Governor of the kids school, and took on a voluntary role as a treasurer of a learning centre which housed a Pre-School and a Chidlrens Centre. I also started working from home for a Food Wholesaler in Cornwall as an accountant.

In 2010 Mr B qualified as a Nurse and began working in a local Hospital.

During 2012 I finished my term as a governor and resigned from my role with the Wholesaler to concentrate on planting a Forest Garden at home. At this time I also volunteered to be a treasurer for a local group promoting food grown locally.

I have now been a stay at home Dad for five and a half years and I learnt an enormous amount about what is important in life other than work.

Me as I really am.............

I am a bit of a depressive actually and I struggle with self confidence, self belief and being frankly fucking fed up. I drink too much, smoke, and I am overweight.

Being a Fat Ginger Four eyed twat with Freckles is kind of my life's work!

I am constantly thinking and trying to change my life to some Utopian view of what I should be, and then failing.

This is what I should be.

Woke up this morning and I felt that all in my life was fantastic. Everything I wanted I had, and I had a very clear idea of what it was I wanted to do for the rest of my time, and it would make me really happy every day. I would not drink anymore.

What would this future look like then? Well it would see me outside working hard, sweating, laughing, enjoying myself and being productive. Having time for people, loving my family and providing for them. I would be respected for what I did, and looked to for help and advice when needed. People would see that I was happy and contented with my lot. I would not engage in frivolous past times, such as facebook and games, but instead would read and educate myself in many different things. These would include self help, CBT, history, Horticulture and medicinal uses for herbs.

I would be fit and active, I would do sports and go to the gym. I would have pleasures outside which included swimming, cinema, theatre, travel, holidays, walks, photography.

I would be active in volunteering at school and in the community, this would involve Am Dram stuff, public speaking, debating, or even local politics.

I would spend time with counsellors, talking about things, and learning what it was that has motivated me in the past, and also what has led me to drink in the past. I would study this area of counselling and over time try and educate myself formally into this area.

I would have a great tidy garden, which was beautiful and productive. It would produce allot of fresh food for the house, the speciality kind of fresh fruit and veg. It would produce a good income from selling plants, seeds and cuttings, jams, chutneys and juices. It would hold space for accommodation of tents in the summer for extra income.

I would have a knowledge of Web sites, and how to design them, and would set up my own web site to promote the activities at Home.

I would have travel plans at least a year in advance which would actually happen, and would broaden my mind and increase my interests in other places.

I wouldn’t need a drink.

I would be happy and contented, fit and active, healthy and interesting, interested.

I would also learn to play music, read music, make music.

I would continue to develop cooking skills and house keeping skills.

I would start to formulate ideas for writing, start writing and eventually get published for writing either fiction, how to guides, or comedy of some form.

I would over time establish a teaching and counselling centre at Home which would marry counselling, country crafts, horticulture, green credentials, and self sufficiency and sustainability. This would be hands on and also offer cookery and preserving courses.

I would get help with all this and things would get bigger and better, I would then look at making the woods a community charity for development of Sustainable Forest Garden principles. This would mean access to funding

I would not drink, smoke, work for anyone else, feel like shit all the time. I would have energy and motivation, and I would not feel ill, and lethargic.

See the boy has a dream!

Trouble is that it is very hard, I can't be arsed most of the time, and things like kids and family and all that get in the way.

I think though that this should give you a pretty good idea of who I was, and what I want to be, and that, my friend is where we are now. I think really that I am an all rounder, good at most things, not brilliant at anything in particular.

Oh, that reminds me of a couple of things.

The first one was a comment made by one of those personality tests we had done as a Board of Directors back in the day, it was something like Boboff will make difficult decisions and then work his tits off to make sure that it works, to prove he made the right decision. You see that WAS me, I would make decisions all the time, it was what I was good at, but I would then work to the exclusion of happiness, family etc to make things a success. It was a balanced way of living.

Secondly, are you bored yet? I would be, but that's more to do with the undiagnosed ADHD I have. Well, might have, probably have, I just made coffee, oh look the suns out. Anyway, secondly, I once had a hand writing analysis done, and this is what it said.

"This is a quick thinking man, who thinks ahead, but whose thoughts can sometimes be muddled and inconsistent. This man has a tendency to feelings of depression at times. He is protective of inner feelings - a private man.

He is a high-flyer with energy and drive. He spends time on preparation, is patient and thorough. His energy is often released through physical exercise."

You see, it's either all crap, or we all want to believe that we are something better than perhaps we are.

So there you go, I want to continue to Blog, to put out there a little of what it's like to be me and live my life. To record in a way, "the journey"

Getting to 42 has been something really, I am a success by many measures, house, family, money, investment income, basically retired at 36. But by my own measure I still fall far short of the mark.  

I suppose this is a time where I could try and tell you why I am like I am and give it large about only getting two roast potatoes at a Bernie Inn in 1975, but do you know what? That really is just bollocks, and that is the main thing I have learnt in the time since stepping off of the tread mill.

L P Hartley got it just about right

"The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there"

 See Four Eyed Ginger Twat! ( well done to those who actually noticed, ITS AUBURN!!!!!)