A long while ago when I was an Explorer (Scouts for 14 to 18 year olds) and my Dad was our troop leader, the whole scout group would congregate once a year in the Summer which we called our Group Gathering. There was this one night when me, Dad and some other guys drove to Johns Lee Wood to set up everything before all the kids and parents arrival the following day.

That night, it was just me and dad to guard the camp. Our camp fire was lit, we both relax, I pulled out my guitar, and a few little woodland creatures dropped by to listen in. To this day, Dad claims this one of the best memories between us two.



Several years later, and it was Christmas Shopping Season '08, and a light bulb appeared above my head and switched itself on. I assumed it was to do with the fact that I came up with a brainwave of making a canvas for Dad. And so, I quickly doodled, coloured and rendered a pic to commemorate this memory and have a canvas printer in town finish the job off for £45 ready for wrapping.

Christmas Eve, I was due to see Dad that evening, but before I could even lay my hands on the wrapping paper, Mum suggests I varnish it so it would last longer, for the fact that my parents used to sell paintings. What she failed to realise was this was a print, not a painting, but I assumed at the time she knew what she was doing. We began varnishing it in the morning, but by late afternoon it hadn't dried up. Mum got upset, and sent one of my sisters to buy another copy.

In the end she came back in time, we had it wrapped and went over to Dads place and when I presented Dad's present, he seemed very impressed.