The Final Chapter

The budding of a rose
The conceiving of a human seed
A life that is born
Is such a wonderful miracle indeed

What is life all about?
No matter what you may feel or believe
To live life to it’s fullest
Is what we should all try to achieve

Follow the path you truly desire
Enjoy your life the way you feel
For at the end of it all
A legacy you will leave

To touch the lives of those you share
To tread the paths with those you meet
Share a love for all to cherish
Tread your path with your own two feet

As you travel through life
Many journeys you will take
Seek the path you truly desire
Rely on the choices that you make

For at the end of it all
Maybe there could be a life after
Live your life to its fullest
Just be happy when you reach your Final Chapter

(Mark A. Jones 11th December 2007)

The Finer Things in Life

Relaxing back at the Apartment during my Skiathos holiday. This was the first night which was spent demolishing a complementary bottle of red wine. I do like a good wine, savouring those finer pleasantries as one unwinds and reflects on the day passed, and contemplating the events to unfold over my holiday period.

Home is 15oo miles away and seems just a distant memory that holds my everyday life events. Soon to return to normality, but for now its time to unfold and recharge the batteries, cheers!

Filming!

There they go with Julie Walters on board to film another scene. Wish I'd hired a speed boat now so I could have followed them!

Mama Mia!

Keep an eye out for this boat in the forthcoming film 'Mama Mia' (proposed release July 2008). This is the very pier where we watched them filming a scene with Julie Walters. It was searing heat of 46 degrees celsius!

Notice my halo!

Is this a Runway?

This is the tiny runway we had to land on and take off from! When arriving and circling the small island of Skiathos the Pilot alerted my attention to the tiny runway. I could see it as we approached it to land on.......I thought we would never stop on such a small runway....my heart was in my mouth! Taking off we had to take a detour to refuel on the Greek mainland (Thessaloniki), we had to do this because the pilot said that we couldn't take off from such a small runway with full fuel tanks!!!! It's the smallest runway I've ever been on and it was quite an experience.....i thought we were going to end up in the sea!!

My Holiday 2007 (Skiathos Greece)

The very first morning! A great shot of the rising sun as it shines it's rays into our apartment. Our view was fantastic! We stayed in Megali Amos just a 5 minute walk from the busy Skiathos Town. Skiathos Town is situated just over the hill toward the rising sun. A pretty little town with an Old Port and a New Port. The filming of the Movie 'Mama Mia' was taking place in the old Port. We went to watch them filming in blazing heat. Julie Walters was being made up ready for her part. Tom Hanks was producing and we just missed him by 5 minutes! I was gutted!

The weather was fabulous but we did have 2 days of rain........needed to cool us down!

We stayed in an apartment block with a fantastic pool and bar area, the hosts Ramona, Achilles, and Lorenzo were brilliant!

The only downfall of having a holiday is that you have to come home!

Elvis - 30th Anniversary!

Extraordinary! To still be as popular now as when he was alive! There is only and will only ever be ONE Elvis!

It's 30 years since he passed away but he keep's rocking on! Now that is truly amazing! A unique talent with an exceptional voice!

My favourite Elvis song: If I Can Dream (a fantastic performance and powerful voice peformed during the '68 Comeback Special!)

My favourite Elvis performance: '68 Comeback Special (makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck!)

Elvis may have left the building but he still rocks it!!

If I Can Dream
(Brown)

There must be lights burning brighter somewhere

Got to be birds flying higher in a sky more blue

If I can dream of a better land

Where all my brothers walk hand in hand

Tell me why, oh why, oh why can't my dream come true

There must be peace and understanding sometime

Strong winds of promise that will blow away

All the doubt and fear

If I can dream of a warmer sun

Where hope keeps shining on everyone

Tell me why, oh why, oh why won't that sun appear

We're lost in a cloud

With too much rain

We're trapped in a world

That's troubled with pain

But as long as a man

Has the strength to dream

He can redeem his soul and fly

Deep in my heart there's a trembling question

Still I am sure that the answer gonna come somehow

Out there in the dark, there's a beckoning candle

And while I can think, while I can talk

While I can stand, while I can walk

While I can dream, please let my dream

Come true, right now

Let it come true right now

Oh yeah

When The Snows Came!

This is a scene during February of this year. We were hit by a downfall of snow. The heaviest we've had for a number of years! I took a walk up the mountain forrestry just 10 minutes walk from my home. The views of the valley covered in a blanket of white were awesome! I took a little tumble down one of the slopes on the way home, a human bob sleigh!

It's a peaceful place, while walking through the forrest there was a sense of freedom and one with nature! I felt as though I could have stayed there forever! This is where I take many walks, strolling along with mother nature as my guide!

Who Are You?

Who am I? Who are you?
To know - will we ever do?
We know the present, and the past; but
The future yet has not been cast!
Who do I know?
Me, you, the seed yet to grow?
Our children's great-grandchildren; who will they be?
Offspring that we shall never see!
But you, they may get to know:
Captured in time, in a photo!
What will it be like: For them I mean?
Their lives, their hopes, and their dreams!
Will you be me, in years to come?
The energy in you, could there be some?
Of me, in you, to carry my life on;
Or does it all end when my life is done?

Mark (12/10/05)

An Enigma?

This skin, this flesh, this blood and bones,
Is that I - Mr Jones?
Is it I, or something else?
A spirit. A soul. Energy. Or just a sense?
A sense of perception; am I real? Or,
Just an illusion that can feel?
Do we really know who we are?
In time, in space, or from afar?
Afar, in our minds, maybe we know; but
Are blinded when we begin to grow!
To find the truth do we look too deep?
The secrets may lie within our keep!
Are they meant to be found? Or,
Are they meant to evolve? -
A question, we may never solve!!

Mark (12/10/05)

The 'Boys' (Men now!)

I have to say I have quite lived my life to the full. I am happy where I am today, and I am glad I am acquainted with such a special group of friends. Friends I have known for 25 years (some for nearly 40 years!).

When I turned 16 years of age I didn't know what would develop over the next 25 years of my life. Between the ages of 14 to 16 I had a long term girlfriend. My first real girlfriend (no I didn't date rubber dolls before her!). One month before my 16th birthday my girlfriend dumped me - I was totally devastated (well, just for a month at least!). For it was one month later I met with a couple of guys who would change my life forever.

It started with just the 3 of us (Palmer, Roy, and Me), but quickly grew to over 25 within the next 6 months. We were all into the same music, Rockabilly. We dressed the part - rolled up jeans, tee shirts, leather biker jackets, and Jeeper Creeper shoes, and combed back hair.

They were all a great set of boys, we were out to have as much fun as possible - wine, women, and song, you might say. We kept our antics within the law (well at least we never got caught!). We liked to go to our local dance and 'Bop' the night away, then crawl home! I have many stories to tell, many that I will be posting on this blog. Happy times and some not so happy times! So keep an eye out for some great stories!

This is a picture of some of my closest mates. It was taken last year in my mate's living room (Biffo) just day's after he died at the age of 39. It was his wish that we have a party in his house the night before his funeral - and what a night it was!

Here's to you boys! ~raises a glass~

A Tribute to a Great Friend

It has been one year that my mate passed away. I would like to post this as a tribute to him, he was such a special friend. His name was (still is) Biffo. I knew him for 25 years and I was so glad that he was part of my life for all those years. He battled cancer for 9 years, but he never complained. He wanted us to joke about it, so we did. We told him that if he started a band we could call him 'Kid Cancer and the White Cells', it made him laugh and that was the way he always wanted it!

Biffo loved his Rockabilly music, he lived for it! He had a huge record collection and he always dressed the part. He had the best quiff of us all. There were approximately 20 of us in the 'gang' and he was one of the 'main' boys. We always had such a laugh! I could tell some stories, in fact I may write a book about our lives. If any of you have seen the film 'Grease', 'Lemon Popsicle', or 'The Wanderers', then that's the way our lives were!

Biffo struggled during his last week. The boys and I visited him in hospital daily during that last week. We would stay for hours at his bedside. We would play his favourite music and tell our stories of our past. I could see that there was some response coming from Bif, he would try to open his eyes, and he would move his fingers. He knew we were there and it seemed to make him very happy.

We gave him a great send off. We dressed in jeans and tee shirts at the funeral, those were his wishes. We draped the American Confederate flag over his coffin and we played 3 rockabilly tracks. Do you know what the first track was? 'Well Now Dig This'! It's what he wanted - just his sense of humour! I wrote a poem and read it out in the service - that was really hard! I buried it with him when we lowered him down.

We all miss him dearly. Would love to have him back even for just one more day!

The picture shows a few of my best mates. From left to right: Biffo, Me, Lee, and Nyrion. This photo was taken in 2004 at a Stray Cats concert in Brixton, London.

R.I.P Biffo