It was a very well appointed garage, with en-suite facilities and broadband internet access via a CATV cable under the garage door.  Pip had even vacuumed it out (to get rid of the spiders), installed a bookcase and put a bit of carpet down to make it more homely.

Having spent a few nights becoming accustomed to my new life, we decided to visit a friend of Pip’s who at the time was living in Watford.  I was somewhat nervous as this was to be our first ‘public appearance’ and the first time that I had met ‘Bear’.  However, I needn’t have worried as the Ursine One was a superb host who made me feel very welcome.  After an evening of pure raconteurism, my sides ached from laughing so much and all too soon it was time to go back to the delights of a garage in October.

The following morning I awoke to aching ribs, not caused as you may think by the draughts whistling under the garage door, but rather as a result of using muscles that hadn’t been used in years … it would seem that laughter is indeed the best medicine.  I decided to send a text message to Bear, thanking him for the previous evening and for my aching ribs.  He duly replied …

… ‘No worries.  Respect to the garage pixies.’

And thus the Garage Pixies were born, with Pip adopting the moniker of GP#0 and me becoming GP#1.

Since that day ‘Garage Pixie’ status has been awarded to a select few that have endured, sorry, enjoyed, the delights that can be offered by spending a night or two in a garage.  Their reasons for doing so have been varied and often noble; some have chosen to spare others from the sound of snoring at a party, whilst others have slept with their bikes to protect them against thieves and n’er-do-wells.  Whatever their motivation, whatever their circumstances, they have demonstrated that they have the strength of character deserving of the Garage Pixie title.

Inspired to set up a WordPress account in December 2009 after following this blog for a while, it’s taken me this long to finally bring myself to set fingers to keyboard.  This raises a few questions I feel …

Why so long? I’m not sure, but I think I’ve had a sense of not having anything sufficiently interesting or thought-provoking to say, after all who would be interested in my ramblings?  However, through reading other blogs I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not all about being controversial, thought-provoking, political or profound; just much pleasure, knowledge and interest can be gained from just reading about someone’s day – a little adventure here, an anecdote there, a moan, whatever.  It’s interesting to see how others view life’s inexorable passage, and sometimes it’s really nice to find out you’re not the only one who has weird, wonderful or downright strange things happen to you.

Is anyone going to read it? I don’t know, I don’t really mind if they do or don’t.  I think I’m just going to enjoy writing and cataloging the ups, downs and sideways of what is, in the main, a pretty ordinary life interspersed with ‘adventures’.  If nothing else it may liberate my creative side which has been hidden away for far too long.

What will I write about? Hhhhmmm, no idea!  Let’s see where this journey takes us shall we!

And so, with those few thoughts I commit my first post to public scrutiny