I continue to let go of things that no longer have a happy influence on my life, like a balloonist chucks out ballast as he rises into the sky.

Three specific issues have quietly been resolved through letting go recently.

One was drawing a line under my dad’s financial affairs. For me this was admitting that they were left in a mess, we’ve done as much to sort them out as possible ( when I really shouldn’t have got involved ), out of care for my late-father (who quite frankly left us with aforementioned mess) and that a year on WE ARE NOT LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS FINANCES! Any one who thinks either me or mother are, can go talk to our solicitor 😛

Remember the mess in the Garden, i.e. the popped capstones and buried concrete that I whined on about in my Spring update post ? Well I’ve politely but firmly dismissed the Numpty Builders. After being lied to point blank over what was happening by Head Numpty Builder, I decided that despite it incurring a small cost (in the scheme of things) that I’d rather hire a local builder to do the work. Although rain has stopped play over the last couple weeks, as soon as the sun shines its going to get fixed and hopefully by mid summer we’ll be sat out in the garden fully enjoying it 🙂

Some times you don’t necessarily get to choose the timing of things, but just have to gracefully get on with it. Fortunately I had seen this one coming a good six months in advance, so everything was prepared for one of D101’s writers to say that he no longer wanted me to publish his book. Frankly he’s been playing a passive aggressive game of control with me since just before its publication and that increased after it came out as he felt that I wasn’t doing enough to promote his book. If you look back at my blog entries the last couple of years have been very strained for me and he was lucky the book got out at all!  Suffice to say I’m actually happy at this ending and it really makes me value more the friends who graciously help to various degrees with D101 Games.

I’m expecting this process to continue, as blocks and debris get cleared.  Some will be planned and some will pop up as a initially unpleasant surprise!  But its all good in the end and taking me to a higher place 🙂

My mother in law, Elaine, has got the all clear on her Breast Cancer. Apparently she’s got regular check ups and some meds for short term future, but after two operations there’s no cancer left.

This brings to the end the shadow that we’ve been under since March (see Once again ‘interesting’ times loom high on the horizon ).

Hurrah 🙂

This little chap has been with us just under a week now. He’s settled in with ease, as if he’s always been here.

Just been cleaning up some files from PC when I found this my father’s Eulogy. Written by my mother, myself and my brother George which was read out just over a year ago at his funeral at Sunderland Crematorium. Why I’m I posting it here? Well as a sort of closure for myself and also should any of dad’s friends from various points of his life wonder what happened to him.

Derek Newport 1941-2012

“Derek was born in Norfolk to Edna and Fred Newport and lived in the village of Hockwold Cum Wilton with his brothers Robert, David, and sister Catherine. He had a countryside childhood, working on farms during the summer and playing football with his brothers.

Derek was physically strong person with a vital personality. He was a keen cyclist all his life and prior to going to college was Nolfolk County sprint champion on several occasions. He was a supporter of Norwich City Football club, and on one occasion while he was at college went as far as cycling from Manchester to Liverpool to watch them play at Anfield. He enjoyed following sport all his life and in particular athletics. He took great pleasure when his son George ran for Tynedale Harriers and Northumberland at a junior level travelling the county supporting him.

He had a keen intellect. He went to Thetford Grammar School, where he developed a keen interest in history, which passed onto his son Paul along with a clear understanding of the fundamentals of maths and Science. In the late 1950s he went to Salford Technical College (now The University of Salford) to study Electrical Engineering, and was inspired by some of the early pioneers of modern electronics and technology who taught him. He worked with some of the early computers and he passed this inspiration on to Paul who now works in Computing. It was during this period that he met his future wife, Olive.

After graduating he had a career as a Sales Engineer, negotiating multi-million pound contracts for British Engineering Firms such as Marconi, Hawker Sydney and Rolls Royce, travelling to Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Far East. Derek was especially fond of Thailand, and loved the friendly and relaxed atmosphere of the country. He briefly visited during his working life but went there on holiday after his retirement taking time to visit old friends he had made on business as well as exploring the country more fully.

He had a good tenor voice and a great love of a wide variety of music, in particular jazz. He enjoyed singing and was a member of Hexham Male Voice choir for many years. He took part in a performance at the Sage in 2010.

Despite separating from Olive, in the early 2000s, he remained very supportive of her, Paul and George. He helped to make Paul’s wedding to Rachel in 2006 a harmonious and happy day. Shortly after he became a proud grandfather in 2007 when Evelyn was born to Paul and Rachel and again in 2009 when they had Henry. He admired both children’s strong spirit, and was especially looking forward to teaching Henry how to play football.

He spent the last years of his life in Collingwood Court in Marlborough Park. Here he made many good friends. Derek served on the resident’s committee and he was particularly proud that of the improvements that he and his fellow committee members were able to make during the time he was on it. Paul was especially touched when Derek’s neighbour Bobby said of him “He always has time for anyone, is a complete gentleman and has done so much for others as a committee member”.

He will be greatly missed by all of us.”

So its officially still winter, despite  almost spring like conditions last weekend. The small Newtlet family is currently hammered by colds and related illnesses. The good lady Rachel is currently asleep pumped full of antibiotics to combat tonsillitis. Our Henry, usually a climbing blur of motion, sits quietly on the sofa and Evie is somewhat fragile  after a bout of the latest.  Myself I’ve managed not to have a day off since last September. Its weird I’m suffering the physical effects of the various ‘breathing diseases’ as I call them, in fact I reckon I’ve had a cold pretty constantly since last September, which was the last time I had any time off work. In fact this was when I decided I wasn’t going to have any more time off work – which has been the case. Proof of mind over matter, or at least bloody mindness 😉

So in between falling asleep and brief bouts of fever, I’ve been quietly getting on with things. Not so much that you can measure ‘achievements’ but mainly doing the work to put things in place. Its a seasonal thing. Winter is a time  for introspection and planning. Spring planting, Summer growing and plans coming to fruition. Autumn the harvest. Rinse, repeat.

I’m looking forward to 2013, with a small amount of excitement and trepidation in equal measure.2012 has been a game of two halves. Real suckage upto about May/June, followed by a period of recovery over the summer, and then a steady rise and regeneration over the last part of the year. I now end the year much much wiser and dare I say it ‘realised’ than at the beginning.

The best thing about this is that I’m back in the driving seat of my life 🙂 The worst thing is realising that I’ve spent the best part of my 41 years fulfilling the wishes and dreams of other people (mainly the path set down of bettering my self according to my parents middle class expectations).  From here on in its up to me to find my own way, while still remaining harmonious with those around me.  2012 was enough of a training ground on that front so with a bit of sensitivity it should be really easy to achieve this 🙂

A small hint (excuse me if this gets a bit ‘metaphysical’) about what 2012/2013 is about as far I as I perceive it at this current time. We have entered the Aeon of Horus well and truly. Subtly behind the scenes things are rearranging themselves. Information moves from other dimensions into this one, changing from immaterial thought forms to the physical, Learn to tune in and work with this flow to your and other’s advantage. Recognise there is no US or THEM, and those who seek to divide the One that is the Many have already lost. They are like a chicken without a head, squawking and desperately trying to impose their twisted vision upon the world in the dying moments of their attempt of Total Control. They employ methods that in the current Aeon will simply become less and less effective.

Remember be Awesome to one another, and make this Reality full of Win 🙂

Well this little old blog has once again moved home. First from LiveJournal ( which I joined as an early adopter in 1999, and is now a sad ghost of its former self ), then via its first self hosted WordPress incarnation at the web host I’ve just moved from ( a typical story of a small man operation whose customer service suffered when it grew beyond that) to my current host ( a much more robust hosting company with excellent dedicated technical support, but for which I’m paying a pretty penny).

Its nice that despite all these technical ups and downs the blog has endured over ten years 🙂

Ok looking back at my blog posts here (newtus.co.uk if you are reading this via feed or Facebook) there’s a noticeable thinning out since 2008.  I’ve recently realised that life has been repeatly bashing me over the head for the last five years or so. I think its called ‘growing up’ 🙂

The big news of course is that we are now back in Castle Newport on the top of the hill overlooking sunny Royton town, part of the Oldham metropolitan district.  The builders , after being confronted about when they would finish before Christmas (“you said four months when I asked you at our first meeting and then before Christmas back in October, its before Christmas now”. ) got their act together and finished their building work in Feb, and we got the house fit to move in (decorators and carpeting) by early April. There’s still outstanding work that is only just getting finished (garden lights and a fireplace) and the whole thing is a tale in itself ( a cautionary one). Lets just say we hired the Building company to do the extension building and project manage all the subcontractors, and while they get a B+ for the building ( a complex and big job which doubled the size of our house ) they get a definite F for the project management size of things. Both Rachel and my next door neighbour Marie say they need a woman to tell them what to do, which is a damning statement indeed 😛

The build put me under allot of pressure, as well as the ongoing pressure of looking after Evie & Henry, but I was taken to breaking point and beyond when my dad was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer (well if you will be a daft bugger and chain smoke for 30+ years) in February and died on 2nd April this year. His funeral was in late April, Easter got in the way, and then sorting out his estate (or rather letting go of the responsibility – since his estate was insolvent) took us surviving Newport’s up to June (I think, details are a bit hazy). Again I may write more fully about this, but summing up it was a brief (in the scheme of how these things can be) and brutal five months. I’m over the harsh debilitating effects of his death,  nothing could have prepared me for the extreme physical weakness and tiredness, the angry outbursts and general scatterbrain that I was in the immediate aftermath. Didn’t help that this carcrash happened as we were moving back in and settling in.  I’m completely fine about it now, which is weird in itself. It’s like it has happened in  a parallel universe most of the time, and all I need to do is ring Dad up and have a chat about the Olympics or the last of the builders nonsense cos I’ve  been a bad son and not rung him in ages. Then I realise I can’t (well I could but mum’s got his mobile and that would freak her out 😉 ) .  It will hit me at Christmas.

Its not all been doom and gloom. Conpulsion a gaming convention in Edinburgh over Easter was a great break from the doom and gloom back in April and things distinctly picked up in the summer that really is only  just coming to an  end here.  Highlights, which I will give time to and do proper blog posts about, have been a family trip to Euro Disney ( I MET TIGGER!!), Continuum gaming convention, our two week holiday in West Norfolk (no sniggering at the back there, moi family comes from there ) and a camping weekend  just gone. Settling into the house has been a big priority, and somewhat disrupted by all the holidaying 🙂  The new house itself is awesome, although sometimes a bit confusing ( where the frack do we put all our tupperware – but we have tons of kitchen cupboards ),  and we now have the family home (and then some) that me and Rachel (ok Rachel mainly) have been planning for the last ten years or so.

Now its time to see where the adventure takes us next 🙂