Adam Bird - My Personal Blog

On Friday you will be celebrating your very first birthday, and Mummy and Daddy thought that it would be a really good idea to write and let you know all about your first year as we didn't think that you would remember much about it when you grew up! You certainly have had an eventful first year! More weddings than a "Hello" magazine, exotic travels to the tropics, a visit to the hospital, a visit to the London to see where Princess Diana lived and more falls than your average circus clown. Not only have you been here, there and everywhere, you even moved house when you were eleven months old! You used to live in a flat on the Overcliffe by the escalator at Asda , but Nanny and Bampy said that they didn't like there house anymore and wanted to move so they said we could live there instead! Seeing you grow up over your first twelve months was really exciting for Mummy and Daddy and we would often tell each other stories of things that you have done. When you first ...

I hadn't realised it had been so long, but my last blog was on the 21st November, when I wrote about preparations for the move. It now seems so long ago! Having now been in the house for the past three weeks, we appear to be settled and overly familiar with our new( ish ) surroundings. The move, despite a microwave falling from the van and rolling halfway to Woodlands Park went without hitch. Such was the efficiency of the whole operation we were in the British Legion Club in Gillingham for 1.30 in time for a couple of very well earned pints. By the time I had got home after the game, the boxes had all been unpacked, furniture placed and as a visitor you would never have known we had just moved in. All that remained was the discovery of Oliver eating the fake coal from the new fireplace which was also all around his face and newly washed pyjamas! With the move coming so close to Christmas and Oliver's birthday plans we haven't really managed to find time for a house warmin...

It has been a while coming, but this weekend will see us finally moving home. When we spoke about the possibility of moving back to my parents house back in May or June of this year it was something that came about out of the blue and caught Stephanie and I by surprise. At first it seemed like a brilliant idea, and having talked it through we decided that it was the best and most logical way forward for us. More than anything, it was an opportunity we couldn't turn down. We started the Tower Homes selling process just prior to going to Mexico, around the same time that Mum and Dad moved to their new home. Selling through Tower, although great if they can find you a buyer is a frustrating time if they can't, which unfortunately was the case for us. From the end of September, beginning of October we have been working at the new house in order to get things ready for us when we finally get there. In converting Craig's old room into a nursery and adding some colour to to the wa...

I am a Gillingham Fan, first and foremost. But I am a massive follower of football, and so take note of all the goings on around the footballing globe, from non-league to more recently MSL (and yes, because of Mr Beckham's influence). I had therefore, obviously heard about the idea of a group of people putting a website together and coming up with the idea of getting enough "supporters" together to buy a club and run it. Being a web thing, you would have thought that would have been right up my street being a bit of a geek (according to most). However, reading various articles around the footballing blogosphere , it became clearer in my own mind what a crazy idea this really was. I shall not go into depth here, but you can read more from the horses mouth by visiting myfootballclub.co.uk However crazy I thought the idea was, I was never for it, or particularly against it, as it was always in my mind that some random team would be the eventual guineas pigs and I could...

Today me and my cousin Indigo went shopping with Nanny Tracey! Here is a photo of us!

Another collection of Gillingham related YouTube Videos for you to enjoy! Firstly, the season when we went from really, really rubbish to record breakingly good! Then, a few years later, after the heartbreak of Manchester City, we finally did it - made it to the Championship! Two years prior to being really, really bad, we were much worse. In fact, we nearly went out of the league full stop. Here is the match that saved us - which is the first time I have seen this, being in Spain at the time! I remember listening to the world service for the results - our lives before the web! This was, my all time favourite Gillingham game prior to our playoff exploits! Was the whole reason I got my Harvey Lim online moniker! Before my time the Sunderland playoff exploits, but again YouTube has helped fill some Gillingham related gaps! The Rainham End looks mental when the goals go in! After all the highlight, why am I including last season? Well we actually scored some pretty good goals! Spot the be...

DIY in the Bird family, as a rule does not come naturally. I remember my Gramps decorating more than one room for us when were kids, if not it was his friend ' Simo '. Dad's philosophy was always to get somebody in, whilst my Mum would always go ahead and do it anyway as it was always too expensive to get someone in professionally. When we painted the flat it was always a simple affair as the walls were brand new and so along with the ceilings and woodwork required no attention. All was required was for either Stephanie or I to paint! Painting is fairly simple as far as DIY goes, and we didn't come across too many problems. I did attempt to put up some shelving prior to Oliver's room becoming the nursery and as a result drilled into possibly the only place in the whole flat that was undrillable due to some kryptonite , or equally Impenetrable material being placed behind the plasterboard. Decorating the new house therefore is a somewhat higher level of DIY ...

It has been a long time since 24 season 6 finished, and I still haven't had the boxset yet, instead deciding to wait until Christmas. However, on one of my recent web treks I come across the countdown for season 7 trailer, which will be released in a week's (from now) time! Click here for the link! What makes this link even more interesting is that it gives you a very sneak synopsis of series 7 - CTU disbanded, set in Washington and the biggest shock for Jack is the return of an old friend whom he thought was dead.... If it is who I am 99% certain it is, then season 7 cannot come quick enough!!!!

Gillingham face a long trip north this Saturday as they head to Carlisle, where last season they fell to a 5-0 defeat. It has not always been an unhappy hunting ground, as this video from the YouTube archives shows! *Note, that the first goal, is a typical Gillingham effort, which is one of the main reasons Priestfield attracts such numbers on a bi-weekly basis. If your reading this from Facebook, you can click here instead to watch this clip.

A lot of talk around the blogosphere over the past few days has been about Rugby vs Football and the merits of either/or. Being a massive football fan and not that interested in Rugby you would have thought that I would have stuck my flag firmly onto the football side of the argument. The English Rugby team deserve all the plaudits that they are getting at the moment and in doing so highlight everything that is good about Rugby and everything that is bad about football. This video from YouTube sums it up perfectly. Based on such overwhelming evidence us football fans can hardly disagree that there are some fundamental flaws with the current state of the game. However, here is another video, courtesy of YouTube to remind us why we fell in love with the beautiful game in the first place.

I have been without an internet connection at home now for nearly a week, and it really feels as if I am missing something vital from my life - it is a really sad state of affairs, but what would we do without the internet on a permanent basis? For those waiting for Oliver's Year in the Life photographs they will be uploaded just as soon as Sky deliver me my new router, which we are unlikely to be able to pick up until Saturday! In the meantime I can still blog from work, which is a little bit of a relief seeing as the new house has started to take vital importance in our lives right now. Having been empty now for six weeks, and with our holiday and other things cropping up we haven't been able to get as 'involved' as we would like. There has also been a little bit of breathing space required to let Tower Homes market the property and let them find us a buyer, which in all honesty has been a complete disaster. Considering that three properties have been sold over the p...

On October 1st 2006, a little (and slightly venomous ) old lady reversed into the front of my car whilst coming out of her drive. Despite the fact that I had seen her coming and stopped to let her see me! Not particularly terrible in terms of damage or personal injury, but it was just so avoidable which makes it so damn annoying! We are still awaiting the final outcome between the two insurance companies, so I probably cannot say too much, and I certain will refrain for expressing some of my more colorful views about this particular lady on the web! However, fast forward exactly one year to October 1st 2007 and low and behold, Stephanie, sitting in traffic, hearing a horrible screeching of tyres whilst sitting in traffic on the Wainscott Bypass looks in her rear view mirror and sees a white van heading straight towards her. Knowing that impact is imminent she braces herself and grabs hold of the steering wheel. The van swerves but still hits, quite hard, sending her forward into the...

Having been back from Mexico now for 10 days, posted Oliver's blog and three photo albums, I am still managing to find enthusiasm to write more words about our two week stay in Cozumel. As I mentioned previously in Oliver's blog, we couldn't have wished for a better behaved baby, and as a result Steph and I were able to enjoy our holiday without stress or strain, really making the holiday what it was, along with the fantastic friends and family whom we travelled with! We stayed at the Iberostar Cozumel, which is the best hotel I have ever stayed at on a package holiday. The vast hotel grounds and beautiful beach side setting gave it the 'paradise' ambiance that John and Nadine wanted for the perfect location for their perfect wedding. However, one negative, certainly for us, but not for those who are not keen to explore was the hotels location geographically. Cozumel itself is a fairly small island, with one road that circumnavigates it, and would take you an h...

I saw this article on the SPAOTP football blog detailing the top 20 searches resulting in people visiting their site. Having done a little research, here is the top 20 searches in which resulted in people finding this small part of the internet world! 1. adam bird 2. adambird 3. adambird.co.uk 4. www.adambird.co.uk 5. adam bird"" 6. adam bird music 7. ebsfleet 8. first hatrick at the new wembley 9. adam bird football 10. adam's birds 11. adam+bird 12. charles w . chesnutt photos 13. diagram of wembley stadium 14. ebsfleet united fc 15. efe sodje and baby pictures 16. frannie collin legend 17. fueturventura 18. gillingham fc photos 19. how much does derek stillie united goalkeeper earn 20. is my unborn baby likely to be a boy or a girl

Mummy and Daddy wanted to say a big thank you for being such a good boy on your very first holiday! Daddy decided that he would write all about it so that you would be able to know exactly what you did and all of the things that you done. For out very first family holiday Mummy, Daddy and you flew to Mexico along with Nanny Pat, Grandad Colin, Auntie Carly, and your cousin Joshua. We were going to Mexico especially to see Uncle John get married to Auntie Nadine, so lots of other people came along too, including Bethany, Sue, Steve, Ken and his son Richard and millions and millions of John and Nadine's friends. Mummy and I were really worried about you and how you would handle spending ten hours on an aeroplane, but in the end we had nothing to worry about as you were a really good boy. We think that it must have all the excitement at flying for the very first time! We were really lucky with the plane, as it wasn't full so there were plenty of seats around for you to sit down an...

Last year Stephanie and I went to Fuerteventura for a week and I managed to write the longest blog in the world. I don't think that I will make the same mistake this year and instead will write some smaller ones retrospectively. The nine hour overnight flight from Mexico has hit the three of us for six! Poor Oliver has not made things any easier for either of us by waking up at midnight and wanting to play for two and a half hours! Despite our impassioned pleas we were unable to convice him otherwise, and so had to spend the time blowing raspberries and allsorts - rather halfheartedly it must be said! Now writing this at 3pm feels like midnight and that I really ought to go to bed. With so many photos to add and some stories to tell, it will probably be a little while until I feel a little less tired! The last time I was affected by jetlag was on my return from Las Vegas. I was in bed everynight for a week by 9pm, but doubt whether I will be able to afford that luxury this time aro...

Some girls have dreams of big white weddings, whilst some dream of big weddings in pink. Others have different dreams, of sun, of sea and a romantic union on a white sanded beach. 2007, year of the wedding sees Stephanie, Oliver and I attend our third wedding of the year, a completion of catalogue of weddings that will see all three girls having their dreams fulfilled. After Nicola's wonderful white wedding and my sister's amazing pink parade we are packing our suitcases and leaving for Mexico on a two week trip to paradise where we will witness Steph's brother John and his fiance Nadine become husband and wife. John and Nadine, long time partners are two peas in a pod. Both have a love for the exotic and are both sporty inclined. Enter John and Nadine's house and you will be sat petrified in the corner as two lizardy/iguanary creature type things sit looking at you licking their chops in anticipation of perhaps eating you for lunch or chewing upon a limb as a snack. Jo...

Stephanie and I are delighted to officially announce that we are selling up and moving! For those who don't know, we have very fortunately been offered the opportunity to buy my Mum and Dad's house, whom themselves are moving on to pastures new. As a result of this domestic upheaval, our flat for the past three years (nearly) is now up for sale. Our current property is part of a Part Rent/Part buy scheme, whereby we own part of our property whilst the other part is owned by a housing agency. We then pay a rent amount on the outstanding share. This scheme proved invaluable to Stephanie and I, as it gave us an affordable step onto the housing ladder, one which again we are entirely grateful for. Both Stephanie and I highly recommend this method of entering the housing market and are glad to be able to offer someone else a route to the aforementioned housing ladder. Property Details: - Lounge - Kitchen - fitted with beech effect wall and base units and cooker, spaces for fridge f...

They say a week is a long time in football, but 94 days (at time of writing) since Gillinghams last league game has felt like an eternity. Every other year we have England's hype and failure to tide us over, but this year has been dull, absolutely nothing to keep us football fans remotely occupied. OK there was the Copa America, but the competition is so badly organised and matches repeated it hardly becomes watchable. In those 94 days we have seen some wholesale changes at the Gills, with Danny Spiller, Matty Jarvis, Michael Flynn, Frannie Collin, Brent Sancho, Danny Jackman , Leon Johnson, Luke Howell, Clint Easton and Ben Chorley all leaving the club. With so many player departures , including arguably our two best players (Jarvis and Flynn), I was slightly concerned that we would be struggling to field a starting XI this season, let alone a competitive one! Gillingham chairman Paul Scally came out and said that failure this season would not be an option and that the c...

Wow! What a day Jessica and James's wedding turned out to be! I knew that it was going to be a great day, but I never realised just how good it was going to be! First off, I owe my sister an apology. From her description of things, I had visions of Jessica and James's wedding being a dodgy version of Peter Andre and Jordan's! I will hold my hands firmly up in the air and say how wrong I was! The reality is, that all the things I raised my (rather excessive) eyebrows at all turned out to be really nice touches! For example love heart sweeties on all the tables, which added an air of romance to the proceedings (if there wasn't enough already)! Passing "I love you" messages and "email me" to the girl on the next table made pulling for single fellas a little bit easier! It must actually be said, the wedding very well nearly never happened! Jessica met Stephanie at the flat and together they walked into town to have their hair done. When they came back,...

Steadily creeping up on us, and here before we know it are the two 'weddings of the year'. The first one, this Saturday, will see our good friends Mark and Nicola become Mr and Mrs Pattision , followed by Jessica and James the following week. Mark and Nicola having been together for nearly as long as Stephanie and I have, and it is going to be a real pleasure watching them become husband and wife. I said it about Will and Olivia when they got engaged and it applies too with Mark and Nicola, some things are pre -destined and meant to be. For Jessica, she will be marrying James, her true knight in shining armour, who came along when she least expected it and has become a model husband in waiting and a father the girls can be proud to call Daddy. Mark and Nicola's wedding will offer Stephanie and I the first opportunity to see first hand one couple in our circle of friends get married, and over the next 18 months will be joined in holy matrimony by Mr and Mrs Buckby and Mr a...

After last weeks story about new footballing sensation Oliveria Birdinho, certain rumours have been flying around linking Oliveria with Arsenal FC. These rumours allegedly pertaining from both Grandma's whom claim to be Arsenal fans and are constantly attempting dirty tactics in an effort to wind up the male contingent of the Bird Family, in particular Oliveria's father Adam. Oliveria said (if he could) "to link me with Arsenal is a disgrace, I love my grandmothers dearly, they look after me, feed me, change me, but to suggest I would don the red shirts of Arsenal is nothing short of blasphemy". In an attempt to silence his mother, and mother in law and protect Oliveria's integrity, Adam today is releasing a computer generated image along with the following statement "please take a look at this picture, download it, print it and put it in your purse, because it is the first and last time Oliveria will ever appear in an Arsenal shirt!". Oliveria's gr...

At only six months old, footballing sensation Oliveria Birdinho has already turned out scintillating performances for three major football clubs. Oliveria, making his league debut for Gillingham (pictured below) at only four months old would have said, (if he could) "playing for Gillingham is something special, I am a third generation Gillingham fan and both my father and grandfather burst into tears when I walked out at Priestfield for the first time". After several barnstorming performances in Gillingham colours, it wasn't long before Oliveria was catching the eye of bigger clubs. Oliveria said, (if he could) "Swapping the Gills for Barcelona was a wrench, it tore my heart in two. My uncle Reaso is still not talking to me, but my agents, Buckby and Williamson engineered the move and the opportunity was too good to turn down". Oliveria found the going tough in the Catalan sunshine and explained to us (if he could) why the move went sour "My mum is really w...