Alone

I am in tonight it's been two nights on the trot, but this is what has saved us as a team from getting burnt out. It's been a long summer but because we have shared the load none of us is to tired. I like teams, I like being part of a team, and I know it's good for me. I also really love my own space, I like to be on my own, and I enjoy travelling alone.

When I was 18 after I had committed a little robbery and my photo fit was in the paper, I dodged of to France on my own with a strange notion of joining the French foreign legion. However I was young and impulsive and when I got to Paris realised I couldn't speak French (actually I knew this before I left) and that there headquarters was in Marseille. So I went to Charles De Gaulle airport hung out for the night with a strange Iranian guy who was trapped in the terminal, I bought him some food and he taught me how to play poker. The Tom Hanks film terminal was based on him. Then for my first ever flight I flew to Amsterdam. All the time no one knew I had left England.

I spent a few days in Amsterdam smoking some great dope; Lebanese red was a particular favourite of mine, very smooth. I didn't bump in to anyone from YWAM.

Eventually after about 48 hours I ran out of money. So thinking on my feet I went to a police station and told them I had been robbed. The only thing they could do for me was to deport me. So I got sent to Hook de Holland were I spent the night sleeping in a bus shelter and the next morning was deported by boat back to England. I got marched onto the boat in cuffs and then just let loose, the boat apparently was British territory. I had rolled up some dope and put it inside a biro pen, very small amount, but I remember getting extremely paranoid and kicking myself for being such a plum and trying to smuggle £.00 worth of dope back to England. Hardly hard core.

Anyway I managed it.

When I got home I spent a few days mooching about on the streets, it was December, but none of my friends would put me up, due to the photo fit, it wasn't a very good likeness, but they were also paranoid. So one night standing at a bus shelter I decided to hand myself in to the police, it was 1.30am and I was freezing my nuts off. My thinking was that in prison I would have a bed, warmth and food.

A police car stopped near the bus shelter I went up tapped on the window, confessed to the robbery and the police man said "you better hop in then" no starsky and hutch style arrest, very English.

1988 - 89 first Christmas in prison.

I might write some more of this stuff but only if you think it's interesting???