I met my friend Alex around 15 years ago, it was summer school, to introduce us into high school life the school offered a free summer school around 2002, There was this little guy who made everyone laugh and never stopped talking and I thaught to myself this guys strange I'll stay away, not realiseing that I was just as strange. Sort of didn't know where to fit in and kind of the same as me. Eventually September came around and high school began. We were assigned forms and there this little strange boy was again. We became best friends on the strangest of occasions an argument (I'll leave it at that Jackie) and from there we became best friends a kind of dumb and dumber type moment.

We realised as friends we were abit different to the other kids we liked rock n roll, skateboarding and our choice of clothes we different ( A comfy pair of vans he got me in America). We followed skateboarding and eventualy started snowboarding at halifax dry ski slope, we where taught by a girl named rachal (who we secretly fancied) all we would ever do was ride our skateboards and go snowboarding.

I rember sleepovers at each other's houses and then going snowboarding the next day and for a short while going to scouts , we'd get up to all sorts at each other's houses. I rember the time when Alex showed me Bens scooter and he pretended to drive it in the garage we took it off its stand but weren't strong enough to put the stand back down, so we just left it (sorry Ben)

When we were around 14 we went to Spain to Simons vila, we weren't intrested in much other than the go-cart track and spent a fortune there, we bought friendship necklaces which I still have the remains of. We played cards on the deck and had a great time.

throughout school we made sure we were in the same class for everything and sat next to each other forming the perfect double act, often copying each other's work and presenting it as a sort of " jedward package type deal" at one point I rember a parents evening in where both our perents, me and Alex had our chat together usually about how "there so nice when there not together" and " they egg each other on and cause trouble" personally I can blame alex for this. I remember when Alex would come back from an operation and had a note to leave class five minutes early, subsicqently this turned into into 10 minutes and he needed me to help him. I remember highshool flying by but those two years at sixth form lasting forever we studied applied arts we never went to any other lesson but this and would spend our time in the in the technicians workshop. We worked on all sorts together the one I remember was a grafiti mural we both did I sprayed Sadam Husain and he sprayed the Statue of Liberty we ten joined them with a rainbow. I remember coming in one morning and Alex turning up with his car keys and a huge grin "I passed" he said and the first thing we did was scive off and go to McDonald's.

when we where around 17 he bought a Mini a black austin Mayfair c660 aba, the guy delivered the thing and I remember pulling up on my moped and this bloke turning up with it on a trailer and leaving it on the road, jackie parked it on the drive and we sat inside it wondering what everything did (the choke) and from there on that little black car became his obsession, we had some great times in that car I rember him breaking his thumb snowboarding and driving back down the motorway with me changing gear and him steering, I remember going for our dinner at McDonald's and the car being too low for the drive though and most importantly listening to the streets, I remember having so much fun working on cars when the time came that I finally passed and needed a car he took me to see his uncle who had a car for sale, we got there and the thing was salmon pink. We did a sort of dumb and dumber test drive, he floored my soon to be new car into first then floored it backwards in reverse and put the handbrake on and we laughed he then came up with the bright idea that we should make it more "manly" because the salmon pink just wasn't working so we decided to paint it the same colour as a tank at saxons with help from all our friends we then painted the roof of the car on Jackie and Craig's drive with the kitchen door wide open (sorry) . I remember having so much fun in our cars it was good driving in the same car together but even more magical driving about with each other on our own in separate cars. We would stop and take pictures every time we found something cool, we would go on random adventures at stupid o'clock we heard that the northern lights could be seen from North Yorkshire at the tan hill pub, it was a no brainer to go so we did we jumped in the car at 11:30 and got to the pub at 2:am (which was surprisingly busy and open) had a pint and left, sadly we didn't get to see the aurora:(

Because of snowboarding we had some amazing adventures we could shut the world off and just ride our boards, Alex never let CF get in the way of this we literally stood on top of mountains and looked down on the world below. Their where know words that could describe the breath taking views we would see and all the time he had his strong face on and just cracked on. Sadly we didn't get to get away again we would have loved to have drove to snowbombing but just never got round to it and I would have very much liked to have taken him to Sarajevo Bosnia because as well as snowboarding we had a love for abandoned buildings. I will allways know Alex for the times we had adventuring wether it's a trip to get ice-cream or standing on top of the ALPS.
I don't really know how to finish my life story's with Alex as personally I don't think they have finished, I will carry on adventuring and try my hardest not to grow up and forever Alex will always be a part of that as I know that there is no one else on this planet that I could replace him. I am so glad I got to catch up with him in york the week before we sat on the river while naynah and Cainy were cash machine and just stared and smiled at the beauty of the river, I then saw 2 angry looking geese and pushed him towards them laughing while he called me a nobhead :) Alex is the strongest person I know growing up with him I became so numb to all the meds and equipment he needed but because of his strength he never showed weakness and was a true fighter.
I know that he will always be with me in spirit and will look down on us all no matter what and telling me that the spirit of adventure and memories and good times we shared will live on,
I only hope your next adventure will be as pleasurable as the past 15 years. xx