I still remember times when I was fascinated by the stories of sea wolves, their adventures and long and dangerous cruises. I always wanted to be a captain leading a ship through all the storms to a safe harbour. I had to do something to make my dreams come true.

When I was 12 I was spending my summer holidays with my family in Reading. They had a beautiful little cottage just off the shore of Thames. One day I asked my cousin Matt (who was my idol then) to take me on a trip by boat. He agreed. His mate, Paul, joined us in our escapade. They were rowing and I was staring, admiring how strong they were, dreaming about my career on sea. Suddenly the weather changed, grey clouds appeared and strong wind was blowing from all around.

Boys panicked and started to row in opposite directions. They shouted at each other, waved with rows and suddenly a boat listed, and I felt the river taking me down into its depth. I tried to stick out but something was keeping me in place, below the water. The slimy bunch of water grass or something tried to hold me tight. I waved my hands and in meantime I saw my whole short life passing in pictures in my head. Then I felt someone's hands grabing my arms and taking up.

I saw Matt. He was like a saviour. I was terrified, shaking and all I wanted was to put my feet back on the ground, and even better - lay in bed.

After this trip I changed my mind - becoming a captain wasn't my priority anymore. 10 year had to pass before I went to the water again.

Now I am a cab driver. I live in Clapham in a cosy house with a beautiful large garden. My family loves to spend time there. But after all these years I realised I still liked the idea of being a captain. Maybe it seems stupid but I couldn't do anything about it. This thought was so strong and importunate that I couldn't get rid of it. But a bright idea appeared in my mind - my kids loved Pirates of the Caribbean. Maybe I could do something for them then and on the same occasion... And my neighbour mentioned something about his plans to clear his garden. Although my garden was quite clean - it had grass all over the area and few plants in a flower bed in the corner - it lacked something.

My dreams started to surface from the fog. Along with my neighbour we started to do a research on gardening ideas, landscaping and design. Clapham Gardeners came, took measurements, listened carefully to my unusual ideas and gave me some hints. Decking - it was the answer! And after few weeks I became a Captain. You may ask - how, why, what it has in common with decking? Am I dreaming? Yes, I'm dreaming my childhood dream now. They built a raised three level decking for me, shaped it properly, fitted balustrades. They also erected a quarter deck. I provided a steering wheel and some ropes.

It was amazing! A real quite big boat appeared in my garden! A new beautifully shaped and gravelled space became our island. My kids were so happy - jumping and shouting all the time. They eagerly became my crew and I put my cap on and we started our cruise. My neighbour stared at me with a hint of concern about my psychic capabilities but I didn't care. He had cleared garden with his traditional decking space with a table, chairs and small leds in it. And I had my own deck and adventures ahead.