Well i found the solution :
http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?t=588667I replaced the folder "article" in my custom template
/templates/templatename/html/com_content/article
I copy/pasted the original "article" files from one of Joomla's templates that come with install ( I used beez, but could likely use the article files from ja_purity or rhuk_milkyway)
There are three files in that folder (the path given above) and they include:
default.php
form.php
index.html
I simply replaced this folder in my template by copying the one in beez and putting it into my own. This enabled my front end editor. I had to clear cache and reload page and my issue solved. I hope this helps others too