Hi there. My name’s Phil Reeder and I would like to welcome you to my Blog.
For those of you who have found this Blog by accident and are finding understanding it just a little bit confusing you should know that it was specially created with only one purpose in mind. That being to support my autobiography entitled “From Coalminer to Astronaut – A Life Less Ordinary” which I have just published via Amazon’s Kindle Direct service.
It is my hope that after looking at the pictures you see here, and reading some of the deliberately cryptic text that goes with the pictures, that you will consider going out and buying the book as the story within the book will help you to make sense of the pictures within the Blog.
For those of you who have gone out and brought my book after it was published, and then found your way here via the links at the end of various chapters within the book, then it is my hope that the pictures you see here will help to bring the written words within the book into even clearer clarity.
I really would have liked to have been able to feature in the book itself all the pictures you see here, but for various technical reasons that was simply not possible, so I hope that this Blog compensates for that fact and that you enjoy what you have read and then enjoy what you see here.
If someone were to ask me about my life so far I would have to say this:-
“Phil Reeder – Been there, done that, got the tee-shirts”.
Coal Miner, Train Driver, Freelance Photographer, Film Maker, Glider Pilot (well nearly), Scuba Diver, Martial Artist, Creative Designer, Charity Fund Raiser, Horse Rider, Show Jumper, College Student, UK Further Education Worker, Anthropomorphic Model Maker, Japanese Animation Fan, Convention Co-Organiser, Gladiator Contender (once again nearly), Exhibition Co-organiser, Marketing Director, Photo Journalist, CGI Artist, Writer, Astronaut Trainee, Blogger and finally (so far) Author – and that’s just the good stuff.
I went looking for all of the above, and I found them. Then there’s the list of interesting things that I did not go looking for. Things which instead came looking for me.
Have you ever read about anyone who fell into a very deep mine shaft and survived? If you read my book you will do.
Have you ever read about anyone who had an armed police escort to an International Airport Long-stay Car Park? Yep you guessed it.
And last – but certainly not least.
Have you ever read about anyone who had his brakes fail whilst trying to stop at a set of traffic lights, and was then smashed into by a brand new Mercedes Benz, with personalised number plates which just happened to belong to the local newspaper? If you read my book you will hear all about that as well.
And trust me there’s lots, lots more tales to tell.
From the very first moment of my life, from the very moment of my birth I have had a life which I like to think has been less than ordinary – and its not over yet.
Things just seem to happen, either for me or to me. Call it fate, call it Karma, call it what you like and I have to wonder, what’s just around the corner, waiting for me to go looking for it, or for it to come looking for me.
For reference if it is a little unclear within the main section of the Blog a letter “C” before a number under a picture means Chapter. The word “Pic” refers to picture so the very first picture in the main section of the Blog is entitled C1 Pic 01 or Chapter 1 Picture 01. I hope that makes sense.
For those of you who have found this Blog by accident and not via the book it is my hope that what you see here inspires you to want to know the full story behind the pictures and motivates you to want to go out and buy the book. It is my hope that should you decide to buy my book that you enjoy what you read and enjoy looking at the pictures which I hope will bring even more life to the words I have written.
A word on editing. I have come to realise that there is huge difference between reading a book, writing a book and then editing a book. I could have written the book, rewritten the book and then edited it at least a dozen different ways, and still tell exactly the same story.
So when does the editing end? For me it was when I made the decision that this book, which has taken over three years to write for various reasons, must be published by a given date or it was never going to get published at all and just therefore become an eternal editing project.
So, with that all said lets get on with the show:-
fromcoalminertoastronaut 