Where have I come back from?

Post 752421 by foammanmark on 2014-12-20 22:50:43

Look, I think I owe a bit of explanation about where I've been/what I've been up to. Since losing my best mate Zak, I have been walking 2-2.5 hours per day, and have lost over 1.5 stones, but that has meant hardly anytime on any forums. Car wise, I lost the plot, sold 2 of my Volvos which I'm starting to regret immensely, but hey, I did it so it has to be. Spent some time on UKSaabs.com, and minimal time on Alfaowners.com, but they don't rate at all to here imo. I still walk a lot, look after my Alfa 156, Saab 9-5 and C70, but I miss my Volvos. I have always been here in the background, but as I try and sort my C70 out, and I am also seriously looking for another estate Volvo, I have taken more of an interest in here. I plan to stay around anyhows............which I hope is OK. I am drinking, but sober by my standards......................

Post 752437 by Hound on 2014-12-20 23:14:53

It's nice to be somewhere where you feel you belong. I'm a newbie here but folks have been generous to me and made me feel amongst friends. I'm sure everyone is happy you're here. Congrats on the weight loss - it's usually a good thing!

Post 752438 by claymore on 2014-12-20 23:17:41

Nice to have you back mate :)

Post 752440 by foammanmark on 2014-12-20 23:19:48

I've always come back here after various issues that I've had in my personal life, and it has been a great place for me. In fact, all of my performance Volvos have been bought and sold from/to members on here, so that speaks volumes............... The weight loss is good, as I was hitting the wrong side of 18 stone, but it took losing my best dog Zak, to kick my arse.......

Post 752442 by BIG G on 2014-12-20 23:23:27

Glad ur finding ur way bk to "norm" mate :-)

Post 752445 by foammanmark on 2014-12-20 23:28:01

[QUOTE=BIG G;752442]Glad ur finding ur way bk to "norm" mate :-)[/QUOTE] Cheers G. I waited a few weeks after unexpectedly losing Zak, before I decided to buy another male golden retriever. I'm now the proud owner of Harvey, who is now nearly 8 months old. However, Zak is in my thoughts daily and will never be forgotten. Sounds silly about a dog I would imagine to some people, but he was so much more than just a dog.

Post 752448 by BIG G on 2014-12-20 23:32:06

Post 752451 by foammanmark on 2014-12-20 23:34:43

[QUOTE=BIG G;752448]Not silly at all! A bond is a bond whether human or animal. Prob in most cases dogs/animals more loyal than humans. Anyhoo going bit deep lol[/QUOTE] Exactly what I my Dad said when he heard my sad news. Sad really, but a dog is more loyal than most people.

Post 752468 by RichT4 on 2014-12-21 07:56:34

[QUOTE=foammanmark;752451]Exactly what I my Dad said when he heard my sad news. Sad really, but a dog is more loyal than most people.[/QUOTE] I had to give my dog away many years back, I miss her still. What you are going through isn't silly at all.

Post 752469 by Harvey on 2014-12-21 08:19:20

[QUOTE=foammanmark;752445]Cheers G. I waited a few weeks after unexpectedly losing Zak, before I decided to buy another male golden retriever. I'm now the proud owner of Harvey, who is now nearly 8 months old. However, Zak is in my thoughts daily and will never be forgotten. Sounds silly about a dog I would imagine to some people, but he was so much more than just a dog.[/QUOTE] Harvey great choice of name, A good friend of mine hads a guide dog when Blake was retired he just couldn't let him go, he had two at home Umber as his working dog & Blake who would still want to be his working dog even when he couldn't walk more than a 100 yards it was very sad to see both of them looking at each other knowing things cant go on but he just stayed in the house & garden in the end.

Post 752471 by stribo on 2014-12-21 08:32:46

Good to see you back more regularly Mark, now time for some drunken car buying. ;)

Post 752477 by Biff on 2014-12-21 09:01:16

Grief can move in mysterious ways mr foam man. It's horrible losing a dog, we lost Robbie my mums dog back in July aged 17 & it hurt just as much as losing a relative. We had him as a pup & he helped us through some hard times & bereavements. As for losing your volvo's, you need to sort your ££££ out mate, the saab needs to go to be replaced with a 5pot! It says a lot about the brand & forums that people keep coming back, I missed my saffy so much when I broke it, i knew I had to break it as the cons outweighed the pro's but it left a void in my life. My advice to you is take your time sourcing a replacement as a lot of rough & a few diamonds are still about. I believe it was fate that I got my fakeR in the end, she's lovely & dare I say it twice the car the saffy was. The forum as does every forum has its penis's but as you know you meet some cracking people through our love for the bricks. I struggle to get online nowerdays between walking my pooch, modifying our house & cleaning dirty nappies but I know it's not forever. I reckon you should get a teal v70/855 mark, you've had an itch for one for a while. Good to have you back, now crack on finding a car.... I'll keep them peeled for you!

Post 752481 by Ettienne on 2014-12-21 09:13:43

If your after something specific, I can let you know how many there are / hunt one down.

Post 752543 by foammanmark on 2014-12-21 20:01:13

[QUOTE=Biff;752477]Grief can move in mysterious ways mr foam man. It's horrible losing a dog, we lost Robbie my mums dog back in July aged 17 & it hurt just as much as losing a relative. We had him as a pup & he helped us through some hard times & bereavements. As for losing your volvo's, you need to sort your ££££ out mate, the saab needs to go to be replaced with a 5pot! It says a lot about the brand & forums that people keep coming back, I missed my saffy so much when I broke it, i knew I had to break it as the cons outweighed the pro's but it left a void in my life. My advice to you is take your time sourcing a replacement as a lot of rough & a few diamonds are still about. I believe it was fate that I got my fakeR in the end, she's lovely & dare I say it twice the car the saffy was. The forum as does every forum has its penis's but as you know you meet some cracking people through our love for the bricks. I struggle to get online nowerdays between walking my pooch, modifying our house & cleaning dirty nappies but I know it's not forever. I reckon you should get a teal v70/855 mark, you've had an itch for one for a while. Good to have you back, now crack on finding a car.... I'll keep them peeled for you![/QUOTE] It was the suddenness of it all Biff that really hit me. One day, eating and barking, next day 6 hours at the vets and about to suffer a major heart issue. Decision made as he just gave up. It made me realize that I need to spend more time walking the dogs, which also has the advantage of me losing weight.

Post 752561 by foammanmark on 2014-12-21 21:10:31

[QUOTE=Harvey;752469]Harvey great choice of name, A good friend of mine hads a guide dog when Blake was retired he just couldn't let him go, he had two at home Umber as his working dog & Blake who would still want to be his working dog even when he couldn't walk more than a 100 yards it was very sad to see both of them looking at each other knowing things cant go on but he just stayed in the house & garden in the end.[/QUOTE] My wife chose the puppy's name as she has always liked the name 'Harvey'. Our Son is called Nathan, which I suggested, otherwise he might have been another Harvey.