For Clare

As promised a shot of the Arbouretum looking down two sets of steps towards the statue of a lion, presented to the city in 1872 by Mr F Clarke. The lion statue has many happy memories for me as I remember my granddad taking us here when I was little. We played around the lion, and I seem to recall him even recording a story called George and the Lion on tape for us to listen to. He was a strong, proud and stubborn man who sadly passed away in February 2008. However in continuation of my stop start series on influences from around my city, I present to you a lion. Called George probably. Maybe he knows Tufty from yesterday, they knock about in the same park.

I have included a couple of closer shots of George and one looking from the lion up to where this shot is taken. If you can be arsed please check out my flickr thingy.

Another life changing moment for me in this park occured around 11am on June 21st 2002. It was a Friday. I had been in the pub since 6.45am watching the England v Brazil World Cup Quarter final. It was the first World Cup I'd seen with my mate Lee (we've watched the opening England game of every tournament since) and we'd packed away a good ten pints before 11am (or as I like to refer to it 'breakfast time'). We went in the Arbo (as it's affctionately known) and Lee rolled an extremely long roll up that tasted funny ;-) no idea what it might have been. I woke up two hours later with my face pressed into bird poo, sick all over me and no sign of Lee at all. Apparently I'd 'pulled a whitey' and passed out. Lee just left me out of acute embarrassment and a desire to smoke his half in his own house.

In 2003 the Arbo underwent a £1m regeneration, which appears to have included (and I kid you not) lockable gates, blast cleaning the handful of gargoyles and throwing the rubbish away. They try as hard as they can to keep the smackheads, down and outs and weed smoking early morning drinkiers out, and by the looks of it today its working. £1m well spent keeping scum out a park. It'd have worked better if they'd just put a Job Centre there, you never see Albanians or proper Heroin Addicts near one of those places.

I read through my words yesterday and was quite impressed. I don't actually intend most of what I write to be funny, I guess it's the Jack (Dee not Daniels) in me.

So I have a moan today but I can't really go into it much. I'm feel I'm having a tough time at work often being made to feel 12 instead of 32. I always felt maybe I'd make a living writing or doing something within the world of football, and instead I sit here day after day just letting everything pass me by. I really feel it's time for that big change. Someone from upstairs (I don't mean literally, I mean the good Lord Allah, or Cowell or whatever he is called) gave me a sign yesterday, the estate agents have mail dropped everyone on our street asking for houses they might be able to buy. You know what? £105,000 and my four bedroom semi detached house with new (2 years) kitchen and big gardens front and back is yours. Or theirs. It might come as a three bed with my Mum still stubbornly occupying her space, but as long as the pounds are in my bank I'll be happy.

So there we go, light on jokes today. I've acquired a few favourites over the last seven days (four which I'm chuffed with) as well as two spells on the spotlight page. I'm fairly sure my photography isn't that good, but again just like yesterday I say thanks. I know it's all a bit twee and hippy isn't it, but lets face it I once smoked dope in a park before I'd eaten a bite. On a work day to!!!

Reminds me of this song, although I am clearly not a pimp. If I was I'd be Getting High Off My Own Supply!!

One serious bit, I see they have made an arrest in the Jo Yates murder investigation. I hope for all her family and friends they have the offender and deal with him in the strictest way possible. For me in a world of DNA testing that should be swinging from a rope suspended twelve feet in the air. But thats just me.