My Eulogy

Greetings to each and every one of you, in a rather unfortunate turn of events I am no longer here, but on the flip side I was granted the time to prepare my own eulogy for just such an event, and for those that know me and my ability to waffle DON'T WORRY… This won't take long 

I guess while i sit here writing this I'm supposed to be filled with moments of reflection, memories, feelings and nostalgia, but I am not. Instead, I am filled with thoughts of gratitude and relief. Gratitude that you are all here to see me on my way and relief that I am finally allowed some peace. That having been said there's still one last story to tell. My story….

Chapter 1

Born and up to 13

Well I suppose the at the beginning would be the most apt place to start my tale, I came into existence at Kettering General Hospital on the 30th of April 1987, it was 15°c, Windy and raining heavily! (it's amazing what you can google these days!)

I recall little bits of my childhood, mainly memories of getting told off for playing with my food, squabbling with my older sister Sarah, or the one occasion I decided to pee in my Lego bucket. (I never did manage to get those Lego bricks unstuck after I did that!) But I remember we moved houses a few times around the Desborough area, I don't recall having many friends at the time, but one thing I was blissfully furnished with was a damn good imagination. I enjoyed reading a lot! I remember Tetley's Tea Bags had a promotion on where you'd buy the large pack and received a free Roald Dahl book, these books set me off! By the time I was 11 I had finished with Dahl and had read 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, The Hobbit, The Chronicles of Narnia and was attempting The Lord of the Rings. I could escape the world and be off on adventures. My Favourite book of all time though was Peter Pan, I wanted to be the boy that never grew up! (and I never did!) I'd say I had a humble but happy childhood.

I think though looking back my life didn't really begin until I was 13 then my parents went their separate ways and I stayed with my Dad, who would end up marrying Louise, a wonderful lady I would later call my mum. I didn't see much of my sister Sarah after that for a few years, but we'd bump into each other later on in the tale. It can't have been easy for Louise taking on a 13-year-old boy, and I know I was not the sweetest of angels either, but she looked after me and always tried her best to steer me on the right path. She would find me a place in Kibworth High School and then onto Robert Smyth in Market Harborough, but I didn't want to go to school and learn boring things, I wanted to get out there, get stuck in, make my mark on the world!

Chapter 2

Getting Stuck into a Career

Living now in Church Langton, I managed to secure myself a pot washing job at the Langton Arms. I was taken under the wing of the then landlady Vikki Dakin (nee Bird) and James Ball the Chef. I loved it there, the atmosphere of a busy kitchen, the teamwork, the variety of different ingredients being used, I couldn't get enough of it. I very quickly became more focused on working nights at the pub after school than on school itself. I recall the late Friday nights when I was allowed a pint of Shandy and a cheeky game of cards (Shhh! don't tell my Dad, I've managed to keep it secret from him all these years!). By the time I was 14 I was helping with the food prep, making plenty of mistakes along the way, apparently, you're not supposed to cut cauliflower into cubes, and putting food UNDER a microwave does NOT keep it warm! But by 15, it was time to get serious and choose a career. Dad wanted me to have stability, so he took me to the Armed Forces Careers Office where I would go on to pass my aptitude tests and join the Royal Air Force as a chef! The Military straightened me out for sure! During my time of service, I lived mainly in Scotland though I did travel around a fair amount. I made a great many friends, some of whom I'm kept in regular contact with. I think my favourite posting was Gibraltar, and my proudest moment was to be chosen to work at Chequers, the Prime Ministers home residence.

It is not in doing what you like, but in liking what you do that is the secret of happiness, and I loved to cook! Cooking made me happy, however after four and a half years it was time to move on from the forces and further my education, my career lead me to Bermuda where I would help open a 5* hotel with the next level of fine dining. Once my 1-year visa expired, I went off to Norway for six months and then back to the UK. I continued to work in various pubs and restaurants in Leicestershire until I was taken ill at 27, that would mark the end of my culinary career. I aspired later in life to become a lecturer in my field, and through my CV, I was accepted into university; however time and health put paid to that dream for me too. I spent a lot of my final years doing as much charity work as I could to help children and took up the post as the Vice-Chair of the South Leicester Sea Cadets. I had a lot of fun in this position working alongside some wonderful people. I would go on to be a bit of a tinkerer in my little workshop, fixing broken things and making new things for people. Even though my health was diminishing, I still took great enjoyment out of life!

Chapter 3

Health

Well, what can I say about my health, I guess we all know how it ended up otherwise you'd not all be here listening to this tale, but briefly at the age of 27 I was diagnosed with Leukaemia. I would go on to receive a bone marrow transplant from my sister Sarah, something I was eternally grateful for although she never knew how much so. I would then go on to fight, and fight I bloody well did for the next 5 years, through every single issue that sprang up. No one could ever EVER say I gave up, even to my last breath. In the end my lungs gave out and I became that very punchline of the old classic joke "so what did he die of?" answer "lack of oxygen."

I was never one for self-praise but towards the end I looked back on everything and comfortably felt proud of myself, and allowed myself to be at peace with the fact that I was tired and ready to go on my next adventure into the unknown. As the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett said: "I didn't think of it as dying, more like leaving early to avoid the rush."

Chapter 4 Friends and Family

I never married nor had children of my own, I have a small family, but we are very close, and I would like to take a pause in my story to acknowledge my Dad, Mum, Sarah and her children Reece and Bryony, and my Nan and Grandad who helped keep me sane in my darkest hours, I didn't spend as much time with you as I should have, but I did love you all deeply.

I have made some very strong friendships and close relationships with a great many people, I'll not be able to name them all here, or we'll be rolling into the next poor sods time slot, but you know who you are and how much of an impact you made in my life, especially towards the end. I was never short of people in my life, in this area I was truly blessed. It was always ingrained in my core to be a helper, a problem solver, a fixer, to the point where my happiest memories were of the smiles on peoples faces or seeing the impact my efforts had achieved and I truly feel those efforts were bounced back to me tenfold with all of your love and appreciation, the fact you are all here now speaks volumes. (obviously writing this pre-death I'm going on the assumption you've flocked here in your masses, imagine if there are only a few people, AWKWARD lol)

Chapter 5

My Greatest achievement

Some people would look back on their lives and think of all of their achievements and accolades "I achieved a distinction in my degree", "I climbed Mount Everest" or "I Swam with a Tasselled Wobblegong" (a species of carpet shark) but for me, no. Sure I saw a few countries, ran from bottom to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar and once demolished two 14 inch deep pan pizzas in one sitting. But in reality, my greatest achievement was having all my friends, all of you! Everyone I met along my journey that helped to enrich my life in some way or another. To give me the best life I could have. When you've been on a journey like mine, towards the end you tend to realise who is important and who is not, who is with you and who isn't, who cares and who doesn't. And I can honestly say now at the end of things; I chose well. You all are my greatest achievement. Soppy I know right?

Chapter 6

Thanks

Well this I guess is my time to sign off this one last story, I will never say "goodbye" because "goodbye" means going away and going away means forgetting. So instead, to you all I say my best farewell until next time! Much love to you and thank you!
Pete.

PostScript.
Now go and have a bloody good party, Shots are on me!


A quote from Peter Pan:

Peter was not quite like other boys, but he was afraid at last. A tremor ran through him, like a shudder passing over the sea; but on the sea one shudder follows another till there are hundreds of them, and Peter felt just the one. Next moment he was standing erect on the rock again, with that smile on his face and a drum beating within him. It was saying, "To die will be an awfully big
adventure."