Just a man in a shed!

Good morning!

Well, this is different for me, this week it is my turn to write about what working at the shed in the fens means for me.

I set all the team the challenge to write something so it's only fair (not like yesterday's unloading in the rain Ill point out!) that I do it. The girls all said well you write every day so it will be easy (yes I do write the blog but that's not the same as writing about me), I have gone through very similar emotions as they did, what to write and how it will come across, started, stopped, deleted and started again. Yes I have done lots of writing, lives on facebook, public speaking but that is very different to this. 

So here goes..

Firstly, who am I? I’m just a bloke that started at Drayton School in Banbury, probably described as a little odd who even back then wanted to achieve something in life, had absolutely no idea what, but then went on a journey of work experiences, good and bad until Fenspirits. I pretty much kept myself in the background at Fenspirits until St Patricks Day 3 years ago, I am not a fan of trying to write what I mean (ironic right now I know!) I much prefer saying it, so at the start of the pandemic I found it far easier to go live and tell people what we were doing instead of trying to write it. 

I never wanted fame, I’m not driven by fortune either, I simply wanted to help people at a very difficult time for everyone. Many people thought I was mad, probably still do, and yes maybe I am but hey ho, I’m still here and still at it. 

I’m someone that constantly learns, I learn from pretty much everything and every interaction or I certainly try to. Every day for me is work in progress, that applies to my time in the shed. 

I am very fortunate to have an incredible team which you have read about, but someone has to lead, someone has to take responsibility and that someone is me. I have a clear vision for what I want to achieve with Fenspirits, I always have had and my team believes in me and my vision and works with me to get there. Will we get there? Who knows, it doesn’t really matter, what matters is we have a bloody good go and we enjoy ourselves along the way. 

People often say, its ok for you Ant, you have this, or you do that etc which from the outside I understand, however the reality is very different. There are thousands of things I don’t have or can’t do and that's ok, it took me a long time to get to that point though. I never grew up with a talent, not good at art, can’t sing for shit, not very good at sport, all the things that you see that you want to be good at but I never was. I came to a point where I realised what I was good at, was being dogged, determined and bloody stubborn! That's in my genes. I could apply these to working hard, the one thing I could control and be good at was working bloody hard. So that's what I try to do, work hard, be dogged, determined and consistant.

I wanted my team to write so I could use this to show the readers that we are a team, I get a lot of praise and recognition from people, which I have learnt to accept, that's still work in progress and probably always will be, cannot stand arrogance, but I cannot achieve my goals and vision without a good team around me and I have a bloody good one. 

I have down days, I have moments that I want to just lock the door and walk away, same as everybody else does, but the girls always seem to know what I need at that time, whether it's just being quiet while I go on a rant, which is never at them, or a tissue to dry my eyes, a cup of coffee, a pat on the arm (thats Karen, Katie and Michelles version of a hug) or a fist bump from Gema which is the closest she and I will ever get to a hug. They just know what I need. If it wasn’t for them I probably would have quit.

But I won’t quit, because I have a purpose, I have dreams, ambitions and goals to achieve and that's exactly what I plan on doing and I have the team to help me get there.

Something I always try to put across, I am just a man in a shed that happens to make alcohol, I really am, we are all dealing with our own issues and I am no different, I’m just a stubborn proud grandad who refuses to give up.

I didn’t get to celebrate mothers day as mum was swanning around the caribbean so will be celebrating it with her this Sunday, as a little test to make sure she reads to the end, can you ask John to book a table somewhere nice for dinner please?

So phew, I wrote it, tomorrow will be back to normal on the blog, if you would like more from me and my views on stuff let me know, now I’ve got this one out the way, I can write from me on a Tuesday.

Have a good day

Ant x