Starting a life only five years after the end of the second world war, was very different from the high tech age of today. With the smoke and smells of heavy industry, I learned quickly that life would never be easy, especially after our family break up. Although I made some bad decisions in my life, the most important one, to leave behind the dirt and grime of Yorkshire and join the navy, was a life changer for me. It started me on a very different adventure, for which I am forever grateful. This is the story of my early life, from 1950 to 1975; it gives my personal view of what I consider to be my irresponsible days, in fact a 9000 day adventure.