Above us only sky

So, I was babysitting Young Ben on Friday and bought him a Dinosaur book (you are never too young for Dinosaurs)

All the usual suspects were in there...the Stegosaurus, the Triceratops, the Diplidocus and Young Ben's personal favourite the Tyrannosaurus Rex (or Marc Bolan as we like to call him).

The old T. Rex was a particularly fierce character but I often wondered how he managed to tie his shoe-laces with that long body and those little short arms

Surprisingly in the book there was no mention of the Idontthinkhesaurus nor the IwasborninMaysoI'maTaurus (actually I am a Leo but that doesn't work quite so well)

Anyway, this week we have reached the 80s in the brief history of my world. This was a decade dominated by the birth of my three sons and sadly, the death of my mum

Here are my lists for the 80s

World Events

1. John Lennon shot dead in 1980. As someone who grew up listening to the music of The Beatles this had a huge impact on me
2. The Falklands War in 1982...I believe the vast majority of people in our country had no idea where The Falklands were until 1982
3. The Chernobyl Disaster in 1986...it is doubtful we will ever know the true cost of this 'nuclear accident'
4. The Lockerbie Bombing in 1988. ...259 passengers and 11 residents were killed when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Scottish soil. I remember this vividly as our family were flying out to Australia for a holiday the following week
5. The Fall of The Berlin Wall in 1989
    As prompted by that Hollywood Legend Ronnie Reagan two years earlier    

" There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

Sporting Icons

1. Maradona....at the 1986 World Cup Maradona almost single-handedly defeated England. After a slightly dubious first goal Diego ran over half the length of the pitch beating several England players en route to scoring what is probably still the greatest World Cup Goal ever seen
2. Carl Lewis...outstanding American track and field athlete who won the 100 Metres Gold Medal at both the 1984 and 1988 Olympics and between 1984 and 1996 won the Long Jump Gold Medal at 4 consecutive Olympics
3. Mike Tyson...love him or hate him in the 80s there was no getting away from 'the baddest man on the planet'
4. Hulk Hogan....'Hulkamania' was big in our house in the 80s
5. Allan Wells....a Scotsman who was the fastest man in the world in 1980 when he won the 100 Metres Gold Medal at the Moscow Olympics (even if the Americans were in the huff because Russia invaded Afghanistan. Irony is a wonderful thing)

Movies

1. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982)....looking forward to watching this again with Young Ben when he is old enough
2. Once Upon A Time In America (1984)...epic movie starring Robert De Niro and James Woods
3. Airplane (1980).....Surely you can't be serious?...Yes, I am and don't call me Shirley
4. Scarface (1983)...Pacino at his manic best..."Say hello to my little friend!"
5. When Harry Met Sally (1989)...I just love Meg Ryan and this was when Billy Crystal was still funny

Music

1. Super Trouper...Abba (1980)....number 1 when my first son was born
2. House Of Fun...Madness (1982)...number 1 when my second son was born
3. The Final Countdown...Europe (1986)...you guessed it...number 1 when my third son was born
4. Dignity..Deacon Blue (1987)....a family sing-along favourite
And I'll sail her up the west coast
Through villages and towns
I'll be on my holidays
They'll be doing their rounds
They'll ask me how I got her I'll say
I saved my money
They'll say isn't she pretty
That ship called Dignity
5. Tinseltown In The Rain...The Blue Nile (1984)...a classic from the vastly underrated Glasgow band

Personal Events

1/2/3.....No real surprises here as I have to go for the births of my three sons. Truly life changing events
4. The death of my mum in 1987. My dad lived for a further 20 years but was never quite the same man after my mum died. I think that almost certainly also applies to my brothers and I
5. To finish on a more positive note, I saw Springsteen live for the first time in 1985 at St James' Park in Newcastle. Probably the best concert I have ever seen

That's it for the 80s. Next week on to the 90s when I forgot to have my mid-life crisis. Maybe I'll just have an old age one instead