On Wednesday 23rd October 2002, I woke up thinking Oh No I am 30 today. I went down stairs; my mum put balloons and a banner outside the window. That was a nice surprise.“ohh no everyone will know I am 30 now” I thought in horror.

We went shopping to buy a DVD player! I ordered a DVD player with 102 DVDs for only £199! Bargain!! I am wondering if I can watch all the 102 DVD’s before my next birthday. After ordering my DVD player (with 102 dvds!!) we went to Frankie and Benny’s Italian restaurant. I had some kind of chicken dish, I can’t remember the name but it was very nice. In the evening I went on Bev Rd with the ex-members from scouts. No! , we didn’t wear our uniforms. I was drinking like a fish. Later on the night we went to Haworth pub, they decided to take me out my chair and give me 30 bumps and then put ice cubes down my pants. Ouch! I was so intoxicated I could not eat my dinner the next day. I vowed to never touch a drop of alcohol again.

On Friday, I went on Bev Rd again with the members from Phab. I was drinking but not like a fish this time. We had a good night. It was really busy in the Mainbrace pub; I decided to go to the toilet but the toilet was at the other side of the pub. I think some people will have sore feet due to my wheels. Oops!, sorry people. Most people moved to aside for me. A bit like Moses and the red sea.

On Saturday, I went round town with the lads. The 1st pub (Three Kings Scott) people were queuing to get into it. I thought oh no this is a bad meeting point. Neil and I were waiting 15 minutes to get into the wheelchair entrance as they couldn’t hear the doorbell and the bouncer at the main entrance saw us waiting but he couldn’t do anything as he was alone on the door. When they finally opened the doors the woman apologized to me. Even the bouncer came to see me afterwards and apologized to me. I thought that was nice. I could tell he was scared of me!! We went in a few more pubs and lost some people on the way. We went in Lloyd’s pub; this unknown woman thought I was called Trevor who did an YTS with her. She was really good looking so I was pretending to be Trevor. I got a kiss out of it. Now I want to be him! Ohh baby! Surely there cant be 2 people like me? In the next pub someone was calling me Chris; who was a DJ in Bass house pub. I was thinking how can I be an DJ if I can’t pick up an CD! Unless they have seen my CD trick with my headpointer! Or was it because I cannot talk properly therefore I can see the connection as you cant understand DJ’s too! They even gave me some money for a pint. Thanks. I thought what’s going on surely there can’t be 3 people like me?

At the end of the night, Neil was taking me home, it was pouring down. We were on this cobbled road and a taxi was coming behind us so Neil started to run with me. Guess what happened? My chair fell over and I landed in a puddle. I was strapped in my chair so Neil was trying to lift the chair and me together but he couldn’t. The taxi driver just watches us struggling. After about 10 seconds someone came to help us. I didn’t hurt myself. We decided to walk home, as the taxi rank was a mile long queue. So we was walking home in the heavy rain and trying to flag a taxi down. We walked halfway home before a scouser appeared out of nowhere called Jim. He said I’ll get you a taxi, so he put his hand out and the 1st taxi stopped for him. Jim helped us in the taxi but he wouldn’t get in it at first before we swayed him! He was really great man, he was telling us jokes. We said we don’t want any money from him but he insisted paying the whole fayre. Was it because we looked like two drowned rats? That’s how I cerebrated my 30th birthday.

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