In the bag!

I had a lovely evening out last night and met my long term friend Linc, who has decided to cycle everywhere, he turned up for dinner with his cycle helmet, his massive smile to light up any room and wait for it.....Trousers in a bag! Yup, that's now a thing! Put on your waterproof trousers, get off your bike and they fold back into a bag! This is why he is one of my closest friends, that and mud wrestling in LA, but that's another story sat in my book for another time!

We had dinner in our friends restaurant "Bar Remo" More showbiz deals and lunches have been conducted in this legendry Italian restaurant just off Oxford circus than probably any Italian in London, it's heart and passion is as big as showbiz in the 80's and a talent in dining to equal it!

Marco (Now the owner after his mum and dad) And his family are the definition of Italian and I love them very much, I could tell a hundred stories of trips to a place called Chertsey and waking up one Christmas morning at Marcos house and having a very funny conversation with his dad who is such a beautiful man, I mean picture the scene, it's 8am Christmas morning and the father of an extremely good looking Italian racing car driver sees another man leaving his only sons bedroom! Brilliant! If only Mr V had realised Marco wasn't even home yet!

I recently hooked back up with Marco and his family and took Roxy for Sunday lunch with his dad and his amazing mum, Elsa. After course three at lunch Roxy just looked at me with a face saying "Daddy when do we stop eating?" We left and my daughters first words "Can we see them again?" The institution of family and tradition lives on, both in Marco's family home and his restaurants...I'm very proud of him, a stone heavier but prouder all the same.

I got hammered on social media and TV following the Sir Philip Green/BHS story. After watching him on TV on the commons select committee coverage (And spilling his water, something I would so do) And hearing the words "I will make it right" I thought to myself I rekon he will. I tweeted about this and got "Slammed" Of course I did, as is so often in this world of social media, see a "something possibly negative" and go in for the attack. Way too easy in my book! I like to think outside the box and think "Just believe Ian that the right thing will be done!"

Actions always speak so much louder than words. Talk is so very very cheap!

Sir Philip is one of the most successful businessmen in my lifetime (And before you say anything I do not know him, I met him once for about 2 minutes!) He did not one illegal thing, but as we love to do in this country we seem to loath anyone successful!

I agree it probably isn't his finest hour but hang on a minute here he said that magical word "Sorry!" And put a load of cash back into the pension fund, let us remember one thing here, he did not have to do any of those two things! Nope neither! 

I may be putting my head on the PR chopping board here but I really hate anger at people at least trying to make a wrong right and I say again, by action not words!

Yes he's got a yacht, huge money, a lifestyle we all dream of but what's that got to do with anything - He's a successful business man, all power to him! He's paid back his mistake and more so made amends..Let's look at the beaviour of some of those MP'S going for his throat shall we?

Do I feel for the BHS workers God yes! Do I understand what it's like to be left with nothing, to lose everything?  Yes! Do I understand what it's like to be left with no hope? Yes! Let me explain where I'm coming from here. ..

I'd been evicted from my home, lost a business,  was standing outside Sainsburys at 8pm for the reduced food, I couldn't get a job for love nor money I had without question lost everything along with my spirit and drive ..I was at the lowest point of my life. Imagine not even being able to give your daughter spending money for her holiday?  Heartbreaking! Do I understand the empty feeling and lonely fear of worry and doubt? Do I understand loss? You've no idea!

Then this happened and it's just like the BHS story!

I got a call from my friend Simon Cowell. I had lost all direction and he sat me down in his office and gave me the map back to life. Did he need to? No! Did he have to? No! But he did and as I enter the third month of 2017 I'm now booking a holiday away with my daughter not scraping through my golf bag for a pound to buy something to eat. My friend Craig watched the tears fall down my face after the meeting, I had hope back...That's everything!

You see the haters will hate from a place of envy and jealously but two people reached out....Why oh why attack that? Why? I tell you why, because it's easy! I hate easy!

Sir Philip just did the same in my eyes and experience. They don't give those "Sir" things out for nothing and Roxy and I love "Topshop" trips, do I think "Oh the size of his yacht I'm paying for here?" No! I think "That smile on my kids face!" Oh and Beyoncé "Ivy park" stuff is actually pretty cool. In fact Rox made me chuckle the other day "Daddy if Beyonce has girl twins we could actually have a new "Destiny's child!"" That's my girl!

Sorry is a very easy word, sorry with action to make the wrong right is everything. Really it is!

To all those that "Slamned" me for trusting in the "Right thing will be done" Form an orderly que and ask yourself this "Did you just take a step out of the box and believe in someone's honour?"

Anyway, I'm off to book a holiday with my Roxy I hope you now can too BHS workers .

Sent from a pedlo in Croydon!

Thank you for reading. X