My 42nd Birthday

My wonderful Louize informed me that we were going to Paris for my 42nd birthday. I had already booked a few days off work prior to us going away but I had no idea where we were going or what she had in mind for me. 

We had a wonderful time in Paris taking in the amazing views & visiting some beautiful places including Notre Dame & The Eiffel Tower.

This was a wonderful birthday which I will never forget, thank you Louize x

Premier League

This seasons league race is warming up very nicely. Liverpool have played above themselves all season & continue to be impressive & that takes alot to say coming from an avid Man.City fan like myself. Man.Utd are currently 7th & have been very weak in there defence of there league title they won last year. I don't think David Moyes will be the manager for much longer (you heard it first here). Arsenal are doing there usual of playing great football throughout the season then starting to play poorly at the final stages of the season. The race for the title will be between Man.City, Chelsea & Liverpool. With 8 games left, only 2 points seperate the top three. I will keep you updated as to events and how the title is decided.

Kohler Cup Semi Final & 3 Man Team Quarter Finals

On Monday 17th March I reached the semi final of the Kohler Cup. It is a tournament I have won several times in the past & it would be great to win it again! The semi final draw takes place on Monday 7th April so I will update you with that & my progress. Since my move to The Moor Club in January, I have consistently improved & feel happy being in a team with great team spirit. There a good set of lads there who are keen to win. Also, this Thursday we are playing in the quarter final of the 3 man team k.o.so I will also update you with our progress in this competition too. In the last round we were over 90 points behind with me going on last to play my two frames & I won comfortably by over 140 points ensuring our passage into the quarters.

Brandon's 11th Birthday

On Monday 17th it was Brandon's 11th Birthday. We had already planned that we would go to our favourite place to eat on his birthday, Pizza Hut!

We had both had very little to eat up to heading off there so we were both ready for a feast. We had a platter to share for starters followed by a Meat Feast with cheesy bites. It was delicious washed down with two glasses of Pepsi.

We then headed off to Grandmas so Brandon could open his presents. He had a great day and was very happy.

FA Cup 5th round

In the week, I purchased two tickets for Brandon & I to go and watch our beloved Manchester City host Chelsea in the 5th round of the FA Cup at The Etihad. This was part of a surprise towards his birthday which was two days after the match. We parked close to the stadium and headed off on foot. Getting closer Brandon still had no idea where we were going until he noticed dozens of people with City clothing on walking close to us then he smiled knowingly.

Upon arrival we collected our tickets then headed for some grub then into the stadium. We were lucky to be seated in the large leather seating area for the day.

City won with ease 2/0 and now face Wigan Athletic in the quarter final.

Valentines Night

My wonderful Louize booked us a table for valentines day in the evening at Kro Bar. Louize had Mussels in white wine sauce for starters followed by Risotto with peas & mushrooms with Panacotta for dessert. I had the Mussels followed by Rib Eye Steak with cheesecake to finish. We shared a nice bottle of Rośe with our meal. 

3 Man Team Knockout

Last Thursday the 3 man team started in The Manchester Snooker League with all first round matches taking place at The Pyramid in Dukinfield. We were drawn against a team based there. This particular competition each player plays two frames each. When it was my turn to play last we found ourselves 109 points behind plus I was giving a start each frame. I play really well and restricted my opponent to around 40 points only over two frames whilst I constructed two breaks over 40 and a further two over 30 seeing us safely through into the next round...

Hitman Hattons Gym

I have recently joined Ricky Hattons gym in Hyde to try and get myself in some kind of healthy shape. I put several extra pounds on over Christmas and am not one thats known for doing exercise so now is the time for a change. I am averaging two visits a week and thus far I am really enjoying my times there. After a workout I like to chill in the sauna for around 30 minutes with a shower to follow. Keep it up...

Cross-country & Showcase

On Saturday February 1st I collected Brandon around 9am and we headed off to East Cheshire Harriers Club as he was participating in a cross country competition that involved some of Tamesides local schools. He finished around 80th out of over 150 starters and I was very pleased with his efforts and performance. Later that afternoon, we headed off to The Showcase cinema at Belle Vue to watch Frozen. It was an animated film about two sisters who fell out with one having a curse over her but a happy ending was to be had.

A Question of Sport

On Wednesday 29th, Louize & I went to Media City at Salford Quays to watch "A Question of Sport". What a great nights entertainment we had, Michael Vaughan was the stand in captain for Matt Dawson who's wife was to give birth at any time. We were there for the fourth and final rehearsal of the day which lasted around 90 minutes. Afterwards, we went to Pizza Express at The Lowry for a nice treat, I had a pizza with a fried egg in the middle and Louize had a pizza with salad in the middle of it.

Salford Quays & The Masters Final

On Sunday after taking Brandon back home, Louize & I headed off to Salford Quays to have a stroll, get some fresh air & feed the birds. We like the outdoors & try to get a walk in as often as we can. Later we headed to The Lowry Outlet to have a browse where we bought some bits from The Cadbury Shop! Later we headed home and grabbed some tea before I settled down to watch the final of The Masters where I watched another masterclass performed by Ronnie O'Sullivan where he demolished Mark Selby 10-4 to win his fifth Masters crown. The guy is a genius.

Hyde United Football Club

After 41 years of living in Hyde and Gee Cross, I thought it was about time I made the effort to go to watch my home town football club Hyde United. When I collected Brandon I asked him if he would like to go and he said yes so at 230pm we headed off there. We bought a match program along with hot dogs & chips & we had a good time. Sadly, Hyde Utd. lost 6-2 but we still enjoyed ourselves. Afterwards we went to Romeros to grab a pizza each before heading off to my mums to eat them and catch up with the snooker, The Masters was currently ongoing, a competition for the top 16 in the world.

Louize's Birthday

On Wednesday it was Louize's birthday. I surprised her by taking her away on a surprise trip to Chester where I had booked a room for us at The Queen Hotel, a luxurious 4* accomodation. Before setting off on our adventure, we called in at The Kro Bar for our breakfast where it is always relaxed and bright there with a nice atmosphere. All fed and watered we set off down the M60 for Louize's surprise, i had an inclination that she had already guessed where we were going, shes clever like that... Upon our arrival, we were greeted by friendly staff and were given our room number which was on the top floor! The room had a Kingsize bed & the bathroom was really spacious and very modern with a huge shower. We had a nap for a while before heading off downstairs for a three coarse meal which was included in our stay. Louize had Seabass for her main I had Braised Steak which i have to say was one of the nicest pieces of Steak I have ever had, it was delicious. Louize also enjoyed her meal very much, then we headed off to finish our wine in the lounge. Happy Birthday Louize x On the Thursday, we headed off down to the restaurant for our breakfast which was buffet style which again was delicious with a wide variety on offer. After this we checked out of the hotel & headed off into Chester town centre to do a spot of shopping and have a cuppa before heading home.

Eventful Night

Had breaks of 48 & 36 during a practice frame tonight before winning my match giving 35 start!

What made it even better was watching Man.City stuff West Ham 6/0 in the first leg of the Carling Cup. If Utd.do scrape through to the final I predict we will hammer them 5/0.

My dearest Louize is considering putting in an application for the managers job which I'm sure will be vacated soon at Old Trafford.

Another loss for Man.Utd

Yes with me being a massive Man.City fan, it is with great delight that tonight i report to you that Man.Utd have lost there third consecutive game in a row to bottom of the Premier League Sunderland 2/1 in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi final. After all the years of heart ache us City fans have suffered, it is now time for the other half of Manchester to suffer the pain. Long may it continue. I predict Moyes to be sacked by mid March.

The Lion King

I asked a stranger to take this photo of Louize & I before we watched The Lion King at The Lyceum Theatre on our final night of our stay in London in November 2013.

Long awaited return

This is my long-awaited return after after an absence of three years. Life has been so hectic since i last posted here. In 2013, I met the most amazing woman i have ever met in my life, my dear Louize. She is so special in everyway and we get along like we have known each other for years. In July 2013 we went on our first holiday together to Lisbon the capital city of Portugal. We had an amazing time and also managed to stay for three nights in a Yurt in Coimbra which is North of Lisbon. This was an amazing experience which you should try sometime, we had a wonderful time. Next we had a mini break in London for 3 days where we visited many of the cities museums and famous places and buildings including Buckingham Palace. We are going away for one night for Louize's birthday on the 15th of this month but its a surprise so i can't reveal any details here just yet so i will update about it when we come home. My snooker career is still active and i recently won The Moor Club Christmas Handicap 2013 with a first prize of £50 and a hamper which i have to say was filled with lots of good foods and drinks. The annual Inter-League competition is fast approaching which usually starts in January and is run by Mike Thorpe at The Moor Club where i am now a resident player there along with keeping my commitments ongoing at The No.71 Club in Stalybridge on a Wednesday evening. Also, The Manchester Open will be starting in January/February which is also an annual tournament a participate in. Two players i have known for over 20 years made a pleasant return into the league this season after all those years away and they are a breathe of fresh air and have given me a new appetite for the game. Brandon is 11 in February and is growing up very fast. He is doing very well with his schooling and also enjoying his sports which he is doing very well with also which pleases me endlessly. Our beloved Manchester City are doing very well and we are going watching them against Cardiff at The Etihad on the 18th. We are playing Barcelona in the K.O. stages of The Champions League in February, but after our amazing win against the reigning champions Bayern Munich in the final group games, we shouldn't fear anyone. I will be updating my blog on a more frequent basis from now on regarding what is going on in my life. Thank you for reading, Mark.

Pong - Well Done U competition winner (+playlist)