Over and out from the best man x

Well, well, well Alan...

I hope you've enjoyed reading through your life and I hope it has reminded you of the golden years. I have certainly enjoyed putting it together mate.

ALAN LISHMAN - THIS IS YOUR LIFE. GO GET MARRIED! This is where my chapter ends and Belinda Shannon and soon to be Lishman takes over the Lishman archives (and she's much more organised thna me I think!)


Muchos Lovos baby - you're a legend!

love n hugs

Pete xxx

Sister sledge

Brothers and sisters,

Here's a message from ya big sis ahead of the big day.

Hello Alan,

I just wanted to wish you luck ahead of your big day. It's been great coming over to see your life here in Sydney and I will be very proud when you walk down the aisle on Saturday.

Have a great life with your beautiful bride Belinda. We can't wait to have you back over in Preston next time,

Love Joanne and George (and the kids) xxx


Wonderful brotherly and sisterly scenes ma-aaaaaaaaaaaate. Thanks so much Joanne xx

Mum's the word

Eeeeee byyyyyyy gum,

It's time to take a jump back in time my son. Here's a lovely message from someone who knows a fair bit about your childhood. It's ya mam!

Hello Alan,

Well, I have memories galore from the past and watching you grow up but Pete asked me to put one which really stands out for his blog. So here it is....

I'll never forget one amazing day which came after the shock and trauma of your accident at the tender age of 12 months which was difficult for everybody - but especially you.

This treasured memory came days after your operation when you had already spent some time in hospital when we came to visit you and - having never walked before - I walked in and you looked at me and out of nowhere started walking towards me with your arms wide open and looking so proud of yourself. Incredibly you had learnt to walk yourself with a little help of the nurses. I was overjoyed and you were pleased as punch!

Well, from one big day to another. I wish you and Belinda a long and very happy life together,

All my love,

Mum

xx

Wow Mr Al,
I think I am going to have to get this blog sponsored by Kleenex to deal with the tears it's caused me and probably you over the last 42 days. Now that really does sum you up as a person. Learning to walk yourself. You've always been a fighter mate and you've been through some tough times but always come back a stronger man for it. I'll never forget the worry we all had when your dad moved to the great football pitch in the sky but boy was I chuffed when you proved us all wrong by becoming a man. I have no idea why anyone worried so much.

You've accomplished so much since then mate and i am sure your dad is incredibly proud of what you've achieved. In fact I am sure he's been the angel that's watched over you to help you get where you are now. Doubtless he's also having a free ride in the Aston Martin's and Bentleys and soon-to-be Ferraris you've been driving over the last few years.

Love ya xx

Penning your story

Aye karumba Monsieur Lishman,

It's amazing how timeth does fly is it noteth? One second we're six weeks before your wedding and with a flick of Greenwich mean time's grandeth switch we're the day before the wedding of the year and one of the biggest days in your life. Who's getting married again? eh? YOOOOOOOOOU! Eeeeeeeek!

Well, at this late stage, who better to dust down those last minute nerves than Miss Belinda Penning - an absolute Goliath of a friend (I speak purely in friendship terms here because she's a god damn beautiful woman too) for you since you switched hemisperes and left English pastures to dock in Sydney Harbour. Take it away Belinda....

Alan,

What to say.....I can still remember the first time I saw you, at Sydney Airport fresh off a 24 hours Korean airlines flight. It was a stinking hot summers day and you had on a hideous polyester football shirt.Skinny, pasty, Northern lad and I remember thinking "good God what has she bought home, that football shirt has definately got to go!"

The next 10 years went by in a flash,- Happy greetings at the airport followed all too quickly with tearful goodbyes.- mornings at Nelison Park and then Cascades, cricket and the couch in the afternoon. (I think I just described my perfect day)- rushing to deposit cash in the bank in Sydney so you could acess money instantely in London- living together at Jensen Ave and Watsons Bay- Christmas in Byron- my first live football game, and what an absolute cracker that was. Only time I've seen you cheer for your adopted home land. "Aloisi"!!!!!- you've seen me through a few boyfriends and one major heart break!

I think it's safe to say we've help each other through many things in life and I can honestly say that I am lucky to have you.It has been a decade of love and laughter, lots of laughter because "I AM HILARIOUS" Looking forward to the next ten years, except the getting older bit!!

B xxx

A very sweet message Belinda, so thanks a million for that. Not sure about this supporting the Aussies malarky Mr Lishman. I guess I'll accept it because I also celebrated that goal. Great to have them at the World Cup. But don't go switching allegiances when it comes to cricket fella. Even if they are miles better than us!

Jeremy's beadle about

Ah yes.....and now I hand the floor to one of the king's of the stag do. Mr hardcore himself - Jeremy!


Ah yes....my favourite Lishman line....

Going back about maybe two years ago now when i still had the man boobs, myself and Alan made our biannual commitment to get fit, and having been a fully paid up member of fitness first for the previous six months (as was Alan) we decided to actually go inside one of their fine establishments. as we were finalising the details of the date we were inevitably going to cancel on each other, Miss Cleghorn overheard us and suggested "why not take a class", she does them all the time and thinks they are the best workouts you can do in the time... "in fact Belinda wants to do them as well why don't we all go together?"

now i'm not sure about Alan but i think i was blinkered at the thought of a room full of sweaty women dressed in lycra (i'm sure it didn't even cross his mind obviously), and working to my usual totally flawed, yet totally unarguable, logic i thought "lets face it if chicks can do it i'll piss it, even at 30 kilo's overweight" and i'm guessing that as Alan agreed to come he thought the same thing.
even when Vicky told us we were going to a class called Body attack (which should've been a big clue) i just thought they called it that to boost the ladies' esteem and real men like myself and alan would put them all to shame, in the land of blind and all that.

so we turn up, and i've gotta say i wasn't completely wrong, it was full of women in lycra (result)... but that was about all i did have right!
the music started, by the first chorus we'd both realised that we had no sense of rhythm, terrible co-ordination and were slightly less fit than Pavaroti (so can't wait to see the first dance). by the second chorus i'd coughed up a lung due to a pack a day habit since i was fifteen. at the end of the first tune when the instructor shouted "okay warm up over, a quick stretch and then we'll get into it" i think we'd both lost the will to live.
being the men that we thought we were we saw it through to the end, although i expect everyone that we kept bumping into wished we hadn't.
by the end our Grapevine had become balancing on one leg and swinging it from side to side, our star jumps were nothing more than us lifting our arms from by our sides to about three inches short of shoulder height.
at the end as i was searching round for my lung (and self respect) Alan stumbles towards me, with a face redder than kierans on the stag do, looks me in the eye and says, with the utmost conviction, something i hope he will say again with the same conviction at the end of his wedding day (but for completely different reasons)...
NEVER, (huff) EVER, (puff) EVER AGAIN!

funnily enough he gave the same line after getting knocked half unconscious and losing a filling by being thrown off an inflatable ring being dragged at about 40mph by a speedboat.

he's just a pussy if you ask me


Ah yes.....but I am sure he means a nice...erm...pussy...erm...cat...don't you Jez....Jez....Jez?!?!? I'll just get my coat....

Oceane's view

Bonjour Alain,

Well it wouldn't be a proper blog if we didn't go multilingual would, eh? So I introduce our first official international non-English mother tongue adversary who goes by the name of Oceane. Let rip babe.....

Salut Alan,

I guess our lives would never have crossed paths had Peter not intervened but I feel it a real honour to have been so involved in the build up to the wedding of the year. And to be there on the most important day of both of your lives will be brilliant.

Firstly thank you for your kind hospitality and for your fine Alain Prost-like driving skills around Sydneyside. Secondly I'd like to say you have a fine choice of lady - I think Belinda is very pretty and you two will look beautiful together as you walk down the aisle. I just hope Peter remembers the rings!

Anyway - have a great day and a wonderful life together. Maybe one day Peter will join you - that would certainly make Gill happy!

Bisous (French kisses - although not the type you English mean)

Oce x