Chris Marshall

How Broken Is Britain

Chris Marshall — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 09:53:25 +0000

I thought my blogging days were over, and they may well be! This site started out as a blog covering Apple Computers, Applications and Accessories, then I moved away from technology and wrote about Life as an Expat, and when we moved back from Spain to the UK I started to look at the differences, focussed on animal welfare and our pets. COVID-19 followed and I wrote a little about that, and then I started playing cricket so that became the main theme.

Family took priority in 2025, I put the cricket on hold, started playing golf again (and yes I did consider writing about that), took up Long Distance Shooting (a topic I would love to document one day but not whilst I hold a FAC) and lost any desire to write.

As we move into 2026 life for myself, and Sands, is very different as we start on what the current trend would call “the next chapter of our journey” but in reality is about adapting to life as we get older!

It is this adaption and the experiences of 2025 that have rekindled (possibly) a desire to write again, and as 2025 introduced me to so many things that are broken in this country I thought I would dip my toe in that pool ….. and yes I expect to get a shed load of criticism (hopefully constructive but no breath being held), maybe some empathy and hopefully some engaging debate and sharing of experiences.

Photo Credit: Steve Caplin from the Guardian Article “Is Britain Really Broken”

Vegan Year Three

Chris Marshall — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 04:20:00 +0000

Fell of the fruit barrow towards the end of 2025 as it was just too difficult to stay focussed in being vegan (as from now Plant Based) with everything that was going on ….. hospitals and garage shops are not great places to find plant based food!

2025 was a year of enforced change and whilst the crap isn’t all finished with, I start the year in a far more stable position …. if not quite a lot fatter and unfitter.

2026 starts with the usual Dry January (my 39th) and quite a list of things to get sorted out:

Quarter One: I need to lose a lot of weight and get a lot fitter. I need to decide if I am going to return to playing cricket, get back down the Driving Range, and focus on the Long Range Shooting (which was a highlight of 2025). I will remain primarily Plant Based but I can’t take the pressure of being 100% as there is still quite a lot of 2025 crap to sort as well as the above list.

Quarter Two: In reality I think the residue from 2025 will take six (6) months to sort out, I will know what I am doing about playing Cricket again, and life should slow down a little. This is important because for me to be 100% Plant Based I need the time and motivation to put (a lot) more effort into cooking and preparing food. There is little I miss when eating Plant Based, but I find it hard to find equivalent foods to the once lifestyle makes it easier to eat.

That’s the theme for 2026 really …. TRY HARDER and in order to do that I need calmer life and to create more time.

Dry January #39

Chris Marshall — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 04:10:00 +0000

Here I go again ….. my 39th consecutive Dry January. I have said many times that not drinking is easy enough, but increasingly losing weight and getting fitter have become harder over the years, so once again the no drinking has to be the catalyst for a three month attempt to lose quite a lot of weight and get fitter.

2025 has been a pretty crap year for a variety of reasons that I will not go into.

2026 will be a year of adjustment and resetting, which will start with health and fitness, both of which have been neglected throughout the year, but particularly in the last six (6) months.

Remembering Mori

Chris Marshall — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 13:16:43 +0000

It is sixteen (16) days since we said goodbye to Moreno aka Mori, and it has certainly been a strange time not having the little fella with us BUT we now have all his memorial stuff in place which you can see below.

We do this for all the animals, although he did get a few specials as you would expect.

The day after we said goodbye we had two rainbows over the cottage. Couldn’t have been a more fitting goodbye for such a special cat. I am not religious but if there was one thing I would ask for it would be a place where all animals could go that was human free to be safe and enjoy themselves.

His RIP date and farewell paw are tattooed on my arm along with all the the other animals we adopted in Spain.

A special thank you for an amazing 6868 days he spent with us

His ashes with hs name tag secured with the wool Orla loved to play with, and a photo of him having fun!

With his old friends.

His plaque on the memorial wall. Slightly smaller font as his name was longer than the others – just shows how special he was.

Whilst we wanted him to have exactly the same as all the others, he was special and he loved sitting in front of the log burner in the winter

With his Saidi (Mum), Oscar (First Real Friend after Orla) and Fleur (who adored him). An early photo of him on the roof in Spain, just as we did for Fleur.

I wear a dog tag with the names of the ones we have lost

Never Forgotten – Always Loved

Click on link for all his Photos and Videos

Click on link to read all his Blog Posts

RIP Moreno aka Mori

Chris Marshall — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 12:32:12 +0000

Just said goodbye to the most amazing cat EVER, Moreno aka Mori. Aged 19 years, 14 months, and 20 days he spent 6868 of those days making our lives better, and the lives of so many cats and dogs that Sands and I have helped because of him.

That is 6867 brilliant days, 1 sad day and a lifetime of love – not bad going my friend!

And the numbers don’t stop there:

1 million miles delivering over 12,000 cats and dogs to their new homes
Over 3,700 cats re-homed through our project in Spain and Sands ongoing involvement with Cats Protection.

At home he has been a Son, Grandad, Uncle, Boyfriend and Friend to his mother Saidi (RIP), Orla (RIP), Oscar (RIP), Fleur (RIP), Dusky, Oscar, Teo (RIP), Tigra, Sophie (RIP), Tobi, Marti, Tito, Hollie (RIP), Dinky, Cody, Ferdi, Evie, Millie, Xavi and the last one we will adopt Macie.

A lot of cats and dogs have Mori to thank, and in many ways the luckiest is Macie as we said we wouldn’t adopt anyone that hadn’t met Moreno and although she only had a couple of months with him and didn’t see him in his prime (and what a prime it was) she sensed how important he was and always showed him total respect.

We will miss everything about him: the meowing demanding food, water or a snuggle. The way he would tell us to clean the litter tray after he had been the toilet, the midnight snacks on the bed, the feisty way he would let visitors know he was the boss, the way he would let us know it was winter and he wanted the log burner lighting.

This is an hour after we adopted him. Our first snuggle together. Today I wrapped him in the same shirt as we drove to the Vets, and he lay in my arms, wrapped in the shirt as we said our goodbyes and I thanked him one last time for being simply the best.

Never Forgotten – Always Loved

Click on link for all his Photos and Videos

Click on link to read all his Blog Posts

Happy Birthday Teo (RIP)

Chris Marshall — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 04:59:00 +0000

Teo would have been sixteen (16) today and how I wish he was here to share that goofy grin and love of life with us. He asked so little, gave so much, and enjoyed his life with us so much. My first dog, he had a huge impact on my life and I will always thank him for that!

Never Forgotten – Forever Loved

every sTEp On every day

Happy Anniversary Oscar (RIP)

Chris Marshall — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 04:55:00 +0000

Sixteen (16) years ago today we adopted Oscar. No longer with us physically he lives on in the wealth of memories he left, the joy he gave us, and the love he had for his family. A special boy who lived a special life and is missed every day.

Never Forgotten – Forever Loved

Happy Anniversary Hollie (RIP)

Chris Marshall — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 04:46:00 +0000

Seven (7) years ago Hollie came to live with us, and certainly changed our lives for the better. You could not have wished for a sweeter, happier dog, and whilst she had had a pretty tough life with at least 6 years in a rescue, she bore no grudges or held no demons. Loved life to the full, and was loved every day that we had her.

Never Forgotten – Forever Loved

Happy Birthday Charmin

Chris Marshall — Sat, 01 Feb 2025 04:59:00 +0000

Charmin (my parents cat) is thirteen today. He continues to be a total star keeping them both company, especially mum as her illness worsens. One of the best things that could have happened to them when they adopted him, and one of the best things for me about being back in the UK is that I see him every week!

Remembering Fleur (RIP)

Chris Marshall — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 04:53:00 +0000

It is a year today that we said goodbye to Fleur. I miss her daily, especially at night when she used to curl up next to me in bed and paw away until I let her under the duvet. But she left a LOT of memories which make me smile and be thankful for the time we had with her.

Never Forgotten – Forever Loved