Girls in Hats

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Girls dressing up in the same hat.

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Peace Once More.

Next stop, Question Time...

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Winning The Lottery

What would you do if you won the Lottery?

That's a question TW often asks, and it's probably one of her family'sfavourite topics of conversation. She'd probably be a very good Lotto winner, spending lavishly but sensibly, not frittering it away.

We could always do with more cash - it would be nice not to worry about how much is left in the bank from the 5th of the month onwards - but it seems to me we're in a constant state of anticipation, waiting for The Next Big Thing.

I'm probably more guilty of this than most; I'm an unashamed neophile. I love The New. At work we are moving from Lotus Notes to Outlook, and I can't wait. A New Toy to play with! What amazing new opportunities will it provide? I'm also applying for a six month secondment as a Project Manager - that'll be another New Thing, if I'm successful. I'll be working in a New team, with New people, on New issues. How delightful! And then, after six months, I can take my Newly-learnt skills back to my old role and look at it anew - I'm trembling with anticipation!
TTFN.

Girls 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

i.e., at Brighton Sealife Centre.

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Girls in a Glade

A day out at Mills Wood...

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Brainbloodvolume

So, I bought Ned's Atomic Dustbin's third album from Amazon Marketplace, for close to £2.50, including P+P.

It's very noisy.

I've not listened to the whole thing yet, but maybe this was a purchase too far for me...

TTFN.

Sleeping Girls in Repose

A relaxed Sunday, and The Girlz are asleep on the sofa...

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Mudhoney

You probably know by now, I managed to check out Mudhoney at Concorde II in Brighton, on Tues 5th October 2010. When I checked the Concorde website and saw tickets were still available, I knew I had to go.

They rocked.

Seriously, from the first strum of the guitars, from the first beat of the drums, they were on the money. They tapped in to a visceral, raw groove which got my attention. They had a take on rock n' roll which pulled me in, even though they were playing tunes I don't think I'd heard before. Of course I recognised "Touch Me I'm Sick", and I identified "Sweet Young Thing (Ain't Sweet No More)" as the lyrics were pretty clear. The rest was a joyous rock noise which I loved.

I probably had one or two beers too many, and the McDonalds meal probably didn't help, but I was feeling a bit dicky by the end. I was glad to get home. Maybe I'm getting too old for this...

I can still track down some Mudhoney back-catalogue, though, and enjoy it in the comfortable surroundings of the dining room, or more likely my Sennheisers on the way to work (!).

TTFN.

Loss of Child Benefit

Its not such a big deal, in my view. True, it doesn't impact me - I'd have to earn a bit more than I do now - but I support TW and three children on my wage. TW has a couple of pounds coming in from her Phoenix and Micro-Scooter sales, but it's not enough to worry the taxman.

If I earned enough to pay the higher rate of income tax, we'd be rock steady. Currently we rely on the child benefit, but that's because I spend a lot on booze and TW spends a lot on food. We could trim our sails if required (and I am trying to do that...!). It'd be nice to be in the position a lot of my friends find themselves:
"Child benefit? We bank it for his future", so it's not used for its intended purpose.

One point made on the radio last night was that if a household had a higher tax rate payer and a stay-at-home Mum, they would be impacted, but the next-door DITKYs (Double Income Two Kids) both paying lower rate tax would be unaffected.
The interviewee responded that maybe the DITKYs should, as a unit, be paying some higher rate tax on their income. At the moment tax is an individual affair, and so the marker was set as it was. There will be winners and losers at the margin, as there always is with tax changes.

So let's not make it a universal benefit, let's target it at those who need it most - which is still me, for the time being. Phew!
TTFN.

So, then: Ed Miliband - eh?

What a bizarre choice. I'm not sure what else to say.
Surely, when choosing a political leader and a potential national premier, you want someone who's not likely to get carded buying Hooch or Thunderbird at Sainsburys? Of course, he'd get his older brother to buy it, but that's beside the point.
As a floating voter (I'd still class myself thus), Ed Miliband is not going to attract me to the Labour Party as the solution to all our ills.

I watched him on the Andrew Marr show this morning and he came across at times like a VIth Form debating contestant - petulant, querulous, unsure. I may be reflecting back incorrectly, and I realise that AM's questioning - "What would *YOU* do?" was a bit unfair after only 24hrs in post. However, since he put Labour's policies together, he should have an idea. It's not like he doesn't know what was left in the kitty.

So it could be oblivion for Labour. We'll see. TTFN.

Girls in a Pub

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Bye Bye Sky Sports

Just cancelled Sky Sports, and they made no attempt to keep me - no half-price offers, no free three months, what's going on? Maybe they're all hungover...?
TTFN.

Aah, the Weekend...

So, here we are then. TW still in bed, me in my PJs downstairs with the girls, watching Tiny Pop. We were watching Grease but the disc is cocked and keeps skipping - a trip to Amazon for a replacement might be in order. £3 with free postage? Bargainous.

I know what'll happen - TW will wake up, burst into life and dictate the pace of the day. We're off to a christening, or a 'naming ceremony' later today. That might be fun - I shall drive and so not drink. Probably for the best...

Looking forward to bacon sandwiches though - it's getting to be a Sunday tradition. Nice.

TTFN.

Hattie Amuses Herself

by blowing zurbits on my tummy - where'd she learn that?

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Camping It Up

So, this was our week, our annual camping expedition to Dorset.
Unfortunately, it rained. It rained a lot. We arrived in the rain on Sunday, and got the tent up in a break.

Sunday night we spent mostly awake, checking the tent's integrity and listening to the torrential downpour.

On Monday we took the steam train from Norden to Swanage, and the kids played on the beach in the sun. We had fish and chips, and then ran for the train to get back to the campsite. Lion was asleep before the end of the train ride.

Tuesday was spent in Weymouth, on the beach again, the kids loved it. TW went swimming in the sea with Tiger.

Wednesday we decided to come home. It was raining and the rain was set in. So we left a day early. That was a bit of a shame.

It was a good break. We went with friends, and they enjoyed it. We'll try again next year...
TTFN.

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Daredevil: Shadowland

Gotta say, am loving the new Daredevil arc. There's a bunch of titles included, and most of them are great. Moon Knight is a bit odd, but I shall re-read it.

I'm planning to stock up on back-issues, I hope that doesn't prove too expensive...

TTFN.

Windy Worthing Seafront

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The girls, having braved the elements to reach the fabled 'Sea Lane Cafe'...

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Torchgate

Day 4. Laugh it up, foot fetishists...

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Weekend Away

Our child-free hidey-hole...
Good IPA, good food, good beds!

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Worst Day in Parenting Evah

So, am embarrassed to say, I had my worst day in five years as a parent yesterday.

TW and The Girls had returned from a week's camping on Friday evening, so yesterday morning was given over to sorting and tidying. In my view, the house was in a fairly presentable state before they got home, and they arrived like a tornado, turning the house upside down within seconds.

So on Saturday, we organised. We tried to involve Tiger and Lion, asking them to put stuff in certain places. They either studiously ignored us, or resolutely responded 'NO'.

'Darling, can you take this sleeping bag upstairs and put it in our room, please?'

'NO.'

And so the day was set for niggles.

Then we went to a certain supermarket that rhymes with 'Nesco', where they cried, complained of being hungry, or thirsty, or tired, or not tired, or needing a wee. I had to take Lion out of the store and sit with her in the car for twenty minutes or so while she cried. It was a really exhausting, nerve-jangling outing, and I intend never to go to Durrington's Tesco store ever again.

But we survived, and got home and had lunch. Then the girls went out to play, which basically meant they stood in front of a neighbour's house, shouting 'J!', hoping to be invited in. J wasn't there, so basically they were looking like stalkers. We called them in several times and told them not to do that, but they persisted so I called them in and told them that was it.

So they then played upstairs, and this was when I lost my rag completely.

I went up to see what they were up to, and they had emptied a toiletries basket. Not such a big deal, I asked them to put all the stuff away and returned downstairs.

I went back upstairs a few minutes later to check they had tidied up, and found them smeared in Sudocrem. Tiger's hands were covered, and Lion's legs. It was all over their clothes and the carpet.

I saw red.

I raged at them, picked Lion up and threw her in to the bathroom, almost literally, and started hosing them down. Thankfully TW, who had been asleep, came up and sent me downstairs.

Away from the girls, I was sweating, my heart was racing, the adrenaline was up, I was in a bad way. I guess the day of needling and sniping and frustration all came together in that one situation.

I was disappointed - I expected them to know better, I guess. Certainly Tiger, who was five this Summer, who tried to blame it all on Lion. I could have quite happily put them all up for adoption yesterday.

Still, today's a new day, so let's hope for an improvement.

TTFN.

Consumerism

I'm struck by the fact that life seems to be one long consuming experience.

I've been consuming a lot of alcohol and a lot of information off the Internet this week, and I don't feel my life is any the better for it.

That's a bit of a sobering thought (no pun intended).

I am glad The Girls are back, though. They fill my life, even if they do turn the house into a complete cesspit.

TTFN.


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A Fine Harvest

The only carrot we managed to grow, after Amy's grandmother thought the rest were weeds and uprooted them. Bless.

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10 Reasons to Stop Apologizing for Your Online Life - The Conversation - Harvard Business Review

#thankyoujesus for irl and online friends. Couldn't live w/o either.

Laptop down. It's IRL Face Time!

it was so cool meeting you irl! :)

IRL: In Real Life. It's used as shorthand all over the Internet, to distinguish what happens online from what happens offline.

And it's a lie.

If we still refer to the offline world as "real life," it's only a sign of deep denial — or unwarranted shame — about what reality looks like in the 21st century.

The Internet's impact on our daily lives, experiences and relationships is real. Our world is deeply affected by networks. From the moment you wake up to news that was gathered online to the minute you fall asleep listening to a podcast, the Internet shapes how you experience the world around you. From the lunch date you make with your BFF ("r u free 4 lunch 2day?") to the colleagues your company recruited online, the Internet shapes who you interact with. And from the boss who fills you in on a Twitter rumor to the kid who fills you in on her Facebook activities, the Internet shapes how you interact with them.

And yet many of us feel like we don't have a lot of choices about the role of the Internet in our lives. We spend more and more time online, but feel less and less connected. We resent our Blackberries but feel terrified if we end up somewhere with no cell phone coverage. We may have occasional moments of delight when we find an online video of Shiba Inu puppies (awww......) but they're overshadowed by the relentlessness and vacuity of an online world in which teens can be literally bullied to death.

Still, the fact that life online can occasionally surprise and delight us points us towards the truth: it's not the Internet itself that leads to pathologies like cyber-bullying, spam and identity theft. Rather it's our decision — individually and collectively — to separate the Internet from the context, norms and experience that guide human behavior. It's our decision to engage in online interaction as if it were fundamentally different from offline conversation. It's our decision to label the Internet as something — anything! — other than real life.

There's no denying the differences between life online and off. In our online lives we shake off the limitations of our physical selves, perhaps even our names and consciences, too. What remains are the fundamentals: human beings, human conversations, human communities. To say that "reality" includes only offline beings, offline conversations and offline communities is to say that face-to-face matters more than human-to-human.

It's time to start living in 21st century reality: a reality that is both on- and offline. Acknowledge online life as real, and the Internet's transformative potential opens up:

1. When you commit to being your real self online, you discover parts of yourself you never dared to share offline.

2. When you visualize the real person you're about to e-mail or tweet, you bring human qualities of attention and empathy to your online communications.

3. When you take the idea of online presence literally, you can experience your online disembodiment as a journey into your mind rather than out of your body.

4. When you treat your Facebook connections as real friends instead of "friends", you stop worrying about how many you have and focus on how well you treat them.

5. When you take your Flickr photos, YouTube videos and blog posts seriously as real art, you reclaim creative expression as your birthright.

6. When you focus on creating real meaning with your time online, your online footprint makes a deeper impression.

7. When you treat your online attention as a real resource, you invest your attention in the sites that reflect your values, helping those sites grow.

8. When you spend your online time on what really matters to you, you experience your time online as an authentic reflection of your values.

9. When you embrace online conversations as real, you imbue them with the power to change how you and others think and feel.

10. When you talk honestly about the real joys and frustrations of the Internet, you can stop apologizing for your life online.

If this sounds like the kind of reality you want to live in, I've got great news: you can move in today. All it takes is the decision to treat your online existence seriously, honestly and attentively, and you will find that the Internet is RLT: Real Life Too.

Alexandra Samuel provides insight and resources for working with social media on her blog at alexandrasamuel.com and on Twitter as awsamuel. She is the Director of the Social Interactive Media Centre at Emily Carr University, and the co-founder of Social Signal, a Vancouver-based social media agency.

via blogs.hbr.org

Food for thought...

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A Good Weekend

So, heading back to work on a grey & dull Monday a.m. But we had a good weekend.
I left a bit early on Friday, about 15:45, and TW picked me up at Worthing. We drove around aimlessly for a bit, and got home about 17:00. I went to meet M & P to see what needed watering on the allotment. Bought some wine on the way home, and that was Friday.
On Saturday we went to Lindfield school fair, so that TW could sell her wares, and so that we could see A & A and their brood. 'Twas a lovely day, TW did okay, and we came home at about three-ish. She wanted to go for a dip in the sea, so called I & H. H was up for it, so I stayed with I and our combined brood and played in the paddling pool.

Can I just say that, on probably the hottest & sunniest day of the year, none of the kids got sunburn? I'm quite pleased about that.

Then we drank loads and had a BBQ at I & H's. We walked home and drank some more.

I had a lie-in on Sunday morning, but was still hungover. We watched a bit of Cricket Writers on TV (thank you Sky!) and then picked up the car. After lunch we went swimming, where [the youngest] loved it. First off, she couldn't hold on tightly enough, but once she was used to it, she was squirming out of our arms, trying to get into the water by herself !
I watered the allotment and then TW had a massage. By the time she got home I was nearly asleep, so that was bedtime.


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Universal Free School Meals

Just listening to TiP, and thinking that universal free school meal entitlement is a lovely idea, but not really something that should be instituted in the real world.
Labour MPs on Wednesday were using the cancellation of the program as a stick with which to beat the Tories. If the scheme was implemented in full, how would they justify giving free school meals to the children of investment bankers and GPs at a time when the public deficit is ~£150bn?
Labour's approach seems to me to be taking on the role of provider of everything, in return for taking everything, and that way lies communism.
The way they refer to 'money being taken out of the economy' when public spending programs are cut indicates they believe the road to prosperity lies in taking and spending our money. I believe the private sector is where wealth and new money is generated. If all we had was the public sector, sooner or later the money would dry up.
So, those who can afford school meals, or prepare packed lunches for their offspring, should. No school meals are being taken away from the less well-off, the fact is that the scheme isn't being extended. And that means the funds which would have been used there can be used more effectively elsewhere.

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Don't Do It Kids - the perils of excess

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These pics taken this afternoon. A dire warning about the after-effects of bacchanalian hedonism....

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Three Men in a Boat...

Fun Times at Tilgate Park...

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This picture was taken during the day while we were treating the girls to a day out. Then, after pizza last night, they became the most unmanageable trolls ever. Shame to end such a nice day with pointless tantrums.

Kids in Tent

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Recent Events

You might have noticed there's been an election recently (in the UK). It was a good opportunity to blog, which I missed. Thoughts are:

• It's a shame the Lib Dems didn't realise their potential (again)
• People wanted to vote against Labour, but they don't want to vote Tory.

The visceral reaction against the Lib-Con coalition is unnecessary.

Both sides want power. Both sides have priorities. In order to come to an agreement, you have to negotiate. That'll mean that both parties (Con & Lib Dem) have to trade their priorities.

In my view, the current anti-govt. feeling is completely media-driven. Anyone with any political savvy knows that these guys (and they are mostly guys) retire to the bar and congratulate each other on a battle well fought after a day's hard debating on the green chairs.

I believe the current coalition has a >50% chance of enduring.

I don't believe that's contraversial, that's just pragmatic.

In my view, I believe the LibDems have a good chance of curbing the Tories' capitalistic tendencies, and they have a chance to 'prettify' the Tory policy. Dave might be 'wetter' than the right wing ever thought...

Wouldn't that be a thing?

TTFN.

The Wall that Rob & Dad built

That wasn't there this morning...

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Back Home Again

Hattie learning the finer points of C++

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Fun in Park

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ECB warns free-to-air TV ruling threatens Test grounds and counties | Sport | The Observer

ECB warns free-to-air TV ruling threatens Test grounds and counties | Sport | The Observer

But if people can't watch it for free, people will no longer be interested in cricket as a national sport. How much is that worth?

Ten and eleven year-olds won't be clamouring to play it, dads won't be pressured into taking their kids to local grounds, there won't be any fresh talent. How soon until that adds up to £137m?

Bob Crow

Is it just me, or was his reaction to losing in court today completely inappropriate?

Talking about fights and losing the first round, and there being 15, etc., etc.?

It seems to me he is more than keen to have a strike.

But really, who benefits from a strike? If you want a couple of days off, book holiday.

Tch.

TTFN.

MPs Above The Law?

So I see the three MPs & one peer are claiming parliamentary privilege? Isn't that what got them into trouble in the first place?

To BBC or not to BBC?

So, David Mitchell today in the Observer wrote about the BBC and how great it is.
I agree, I think the BBC is worth the licence fee, and I found it quite amusing to read the 350+ comments below the article.
I am disappointed that they are planning to cut 6music, as I was looking forward to that as a treat when analogue is switched off.
If we, as a nation, want quality broadcasting, we'll have to pay for it. Those who accuse the BBC of left-leaning liberal bias are a frightening bunch, but luckily they have their own ghetto in which to lurk (I'm referring to the Biased BBC forum - pop over and have a look, if you fancy a good scare). They watch the BBC, they just don't want to pay for it, and they don't see the need to have any Labour or LibDem representation on BBCQT.
I do think the BBC could cut down a bit - maybe their publishing arm could be trimmed. Who needs CBeebies or Gardeners World magazine?
Having said that, I am gutted that they've pulled the Celebdaq site. I played that daily. Oh well.
If the Tories do get in, and decide to do something, I hope they ask us. And I hope the BBC Trust decides not to can 6music. Who else provides a service like that?


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England Win Second ODI Shocker [Cricket]

So, thanks to bad luck and an upset stomach, I was home yesterday to watch the 2nd ODI against Bangladesh.
It was a pretty dreary affair, Bangla batted first and scored 260, which was a fair score. I missed that innings as I was asleep, catching up on the sleep I missed Monday night, due to spending most of my time on the loo rather than asleep!
So, I joined the action with England in bat. Kieswetter was out second ball a he nicked one to first slip. He'd done the same with the first delivery, they just weren't expecting it. Cook set off steadily and scored 60. Pietersen was out for 18, and Sky made a big fuss about how it was a slow left-arm spinner - again! Colly, who should have steadied the ship, was out for 7, and then Eoin Morgan and Prior were on. They went slowly and matched Bangla's run-rate (5.2), but Prior put on 42 before losing his wicket. Bresnan and Swann fell quickly and the RRR was climbing, and then it got good. Morgan let loose in the last four overs to win the game with a couple of deliveries and two wickets to spare. An excellent innings of 110 not out saved England.

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Miliband the Hair-Splitter

This clip starts at exactly the right point. Miliband allows that Binyam Mohamed was subject to inhumane treatment, but doesn't accept inhumane treatment = torture. Apparently a court is investigating whether Mohamed suffered torture. If he suffered intentional repeated inhumane treatment over two years, what specifically would make that torture, in a way that Miliband would agree?

Coming on top of the 'Campbell on Marr fiasco', things are beginning to smell funny...

TTFN

Alastair Campbell cries (nearly)

I watched this last week and couldn't believe my eyes. I thought it was a mickey-take. This is the guy, after all, who dug a pin into his palm during the Hutton enquiry because he was so angry at being questioned. And now we're supposed to believe he's 'overwhelmed' after six years of stonewalling journos, manipulating news and dictating Labour policy?

That's a bit much to take. Maybe he saw it work for Peter Andre on Sky News and thought he'd try it? I don't know, but it's one of the more bizarre things I've seen recently...

TTFN.

The Church

The Church should just shut up. If they decide they don't want to treat people with equality, they should just zip it and carry on as they always have.
I always thought the Church was based on principles of inclusiveness. Mary Magdelene was a prostitute, wasn't she? And the Apostles were all farmers and fishermen. Didn't Jesus preach love for one's fellow man. And now the established Church is pleading with lawmakers not to have 'the gays' forced on them.
I know things change as you go on, but that's a terrible volte-face.
Perhaps next they can make a case for bringing back witch-hunting and the Inquisition?


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National TV Awards

What a travesty that was. I wasn't concentrating on the show 100%, which was probably for the best.
There were several things hideous about it, and I shall enumerate them here:
1. The venue. It was the O2 arena, if I'm not mistaken. It was too large, and bizarre.
2. The presenter. Dermot O'Leary, as much as I like him, couldn't pull it off. He needed to be 'bigger'.
3. The guests. Jedward. With Vanilla Ice. Normally that would be 'nuff said. But I feel I have to add that I have watched some of Vanilla Ice's recent performances on YouTube, and when he does that song, I get goosebumps. I would go and see Vanilla Ice to hear him perform that song. But now he's compromised himself (even more than he has already, you might say) and my nostalgic regard for The Iceman has turned to ambivalence.
4. The acceptance speeches. With the exception, of course, of Stephen Fry. That bloke off Corrie was excruciating, and D. Tennant was poor.

I played Wolfenstein instead.

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Bill McLaren, a fixture of our national sporting life, passes away aged 86 | Sport | guardian.co.uk

Bill McLaren, a fixture of our national sporting life, passes away aged 86

Sad news. The Six Nations was never the same once he stopped commentating. The man had such a voice, it was like going back to a familiar pub year after year. RIP.

Another Test Series Ends (S.A. vs. ENG)

So, that was another nail-biting series. Drew 1-1 with South Africa, the test side ranked #2 in the world. It was a bit unconvincing - when South Africa won, they whupped our ass. When we won, it was by the skin of our teeth.

Still, we held our own - for the most part - and frustrated Graeme Smith and his cohorts. Not bad for a team ranked #5 and playing more games than anyone else. I'm not surprised Strauss is being rested for Bangladesh.

Still, Cook as captain? I'm not sure that's a good idea, but I don't know the guy. He strikes me as very young, but he's been V-C for a year, so must have the support of the team... Glad to see Carberry is getting a look-in. I hope he acquits himself well, I have high hopes.

I think we have all the elements we need for a world-class team, we just need the pieces to click into place. With Strauss, Colly and KP as batsmen, supported by Prior, Swann & Broad, we should be scoring 400+ in every innings. And with Jimmy, Swann and Broad in attack, we should be taking wickets much more cheaply than we are doing. I'm sure we'll have some good games during the summer, and I'm off for a rest until then (I wish)...

ENG vs. SA Revisited

So, who can we blame for England’s close shave at Newlands? | The Nurdler

Excellent piece from The Nurdler, advising that we can expect more of the same if we are to be world-beaters. I'm off to buy some spare pants...

The Great Escape, Part III

England save yet another thriller | South Africa v England, 3rd Test, Cape Town, 5th day Report | Cricket News | Cricinfo.com

So, England managed to do it again. They batted all day to draw the match, in the same way they did in Cardiff vs AUS and at Centurion vs. SA. in the first match of the series.

England are showing an admirable stickability at the crease, and a refusal to lose. I am pleased that we have now beaten AUS in the Ashes and at worst we are going to draw this series in SA. What we need to do, in my opinion, is turn that refusal to accept defeat into a hunger for victory. Our bowling attack was the best in 2009, with Swann at 2, Broad at 3 and Anderson at 5.

I am firmly of the opinion that we can be top of the tables, with little change. We need our openers to do a better job, play as if they like it, and be confident that the middle order can hold things up if wickets fall quickly.

Pietersen needs to temper his approach and get into a groove where he's regularly getting 40s and 50s. Cook and Bell, although they both play well, need to turn that class into runs more frequently. Although Cook is quietly coming on - I read that he and Strauss have the third highest opening partnership aggregate scores.

So the parts are all there, they just need to click into place. I would like us to have been tested against India this year, but tests against Bangladesh and Pakistan should keep our eye in...

TTFN.

Snow in Worthing

What's happened to my lovely mild Worthing? The snow is coming down hard with no sign of stopping - look at those clouds...

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Unthinkable? England become the world's best cricketers

From the Guardian

I've been thinking that with a run of luck and self-belief, England are on the way to a massive improvement. I don't think it'll be showy, and I don't think it'll be an even run. I think we'll probably suffer massive defeats and set backs, but we could get to mid-2011 and suddenly realise we're within touching distance of being (officially) the best team in the world. We'll look back and think 'how did we get here?', and we'll point to the South Africa ODI victories and the test victories as where we really started to gain momentum. Holding our own against the Aussies in the Ashes (ranked 3rd) and South Africa (ranked 2nd) is a pretty good platform for world domination.

Or could I be reading too much into a few fortunate results? ;-D

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Graeme Swann No3 and Stuart Broad No7 in ICC world rankings

Graeme Swann has plenty to smile about. Photograph: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad have climbed to their highest ever positions in the ICC player rankings after helping England to beat South Africa by an innings and 98 runs in the second Test in Durban.

The off-spinner Swann took five for 54, including the wicket of Dale Steyn that secured victory at Kingsmead, and is third in the Test rankings behind Steyn and Australia's Mitchell Johnson.

Broad, the hero of the Ashes-clinching victory over Australia at The Oval in the summer, took four for 43 and is ranked seventh. Swann has taken 14 wickets in the current series, Broad nine.

There are no Englishmen in the top 10 of the batting rankings – Kevin Pietersen is 12th.

Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship bowling rankings

1 Dale Steyn (South Africa) 823pts

2 Mitchell Johnson (Australia) 809

3 Graeme Swann (England) 756

4 Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) 752

5 Mohammad Asif (Pakistan) 720

6 Harbhajan Singh (India) 712

7 Stuart Broad (England) 697

8 Makhaya Ntini (South Africa) 685

9 Stuart Clark (Australia) 682

10 Shane Bond (New Zealand) 676

Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship batting rankings

1 Gautam Gambhir (India) 877pts

2 Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) 836

3 Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) 835

4 Virender Sehwag (India) 804

5 Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan) 793

6 Michael Clarke (Australia) 7827

7 Younus Khan (Pakistan) 769

8 Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies) 765

9= Jacques Kallis (South Africa) 763

9= Ross Taylor (New Zealand) 763

via guardian.co.uk

Good work Swanny and Broad. Your 2010 resolutions should be to get on the batting top ten lists as well... :-D

Posted via web from Rob Thorley's Posterous Site

Happy New Year

I hope you are all well and saw in the New Year in appropriate style. TW & I were tucked up warmly in bed, and asleep, at least until the barrage of fireworks was released over Worthing.

New Year's resolutions:

• Drink less
• Weigh less
• Watch a test match at Sussex
• Carry out maintenance (on the house, the car, etc.), when it's due
• blog more regularly
• watch less telly

So not too much then...

Present to Self

House Tornado + The Fat Skier by Throwing Muses. Throwing Muses were knocking at the door left open by Pixies, another band from the East Coast of U.S.A. They were also signed by 4AD and their demo was deemed to be so good it was released 'as is' (The Fat Skier), as was Pixies' Come On Pilgrim. Now I need to find a dark room in which I can lie down and listen to this all the way through without interruption...

Posted via web from Rob Thorley's Posterous Site

Dec 27 2009

Tilly and Hattie being sisterly.

Posted via web from Rob Thorley's Posterous Site

Hattie

Hattie pensive during breakfast

Posted via web from Rob Thorley's Posterous Site

True Blood

Watching the final ep of the first series.  I'm v. impressed by the whole thing.  I tried watching 'Lost', but that fell away.  TB had a pace from the beginning that sucked me in.  I've got Flash Forward on tape to watch and I've got the feeling I shall bum that off after three eps.  Never mind.  If I lose interest, it'll free up space on the HD.

Posted via email from Rob Thorley's Posterous Site

Tester Email

Just testing this email channel.  Apparently the subject matter becomes the blog title, and the text is the body.  Let's find out...

Posted via email from Rob Thorley's Posterous Site

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Just watched this film. Starred Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer. Absolutely excellent. I had got halfway through, but had been watching in installments and couldn't follow the plot. This is worth re-watching, it's a beautiful, knowing film noir. Well done Rob & Val.

Out & About in Icy Worthing

Posted via web from Rob Thorley's Posterous Site

Girls in Snow

Posted via web from robthorley's posterous

Lulu in Snow

Got to get the kids out in the snow...

Posted via web from robthorley's posterous

Snow in the Garden

The garden this morning. Guess I won't be seeding the lawn today...!

Posted via web from robthorley's posterous

Washed out by Wave

Well, I'm really cheesed off.
I was given a Google Wave account a week or so ago and felt like I was one of the chosen ones. Then I find out Wave is not compatible with normal email, the blog apps don't work, and the only people I can wave to are the ones I invite.
I know folks dig the collaborative aspect, and I know this is the USP. But Google must've known that people would want to upgrade from Gmail to Wave, and the fact that you can't integrate is a dissatisfier. v. poor Google! v. poor

Google Wave has arrived!

I received my invitation to use Google Wave last night. I was chuffed! I've been playing with it for most of the day, in between firefighting, putting the world to rights, and a spot of light childcare.
Unfortunately there are several serious drawbacks to Wave. Firstly, I have no-one to wave to. I've identified people I want to wave to, but invitations won't be sent out immediately.
Secondly, it's sooo Beta, it needs weekly updates at least. No way to empty the trash? That's just wrong-headed.
Thirdly, work has already firewalled Wave, so I shan't be accessing it during work hours or on my work laptop. This is a real shame, as I can see a lot of benefit in this. In addition, it can replace Facebook and Twitter for keeping in touch socially too.
I'm sure I'll get it eventually though - never mind...

- Posted using BlogPress on the move.

66 - The New Retirement Age?

I am aware that I will have to work until I'm 68 before I retire. I don't see what the issue is with bringing that date forward, so that older people than me will have to work longer. It's not like the Tories are saying, 'from tomorrow you must all work like dogs until you die'. They've given seven years' warning. That's enough time to make preparation. Bring it on.

Silly Season Starts - it's the Lib Dem Conference!

The Lib Dems are frustrating. They're obviously nice intelligent people, and their hearts are in the right place. But I don't know if I can vote for them.

My question is whether they believe in a larger or a smaller state. I guess I'm beginning to become conservative, but the LibDems have some interesting ideas.

1. Scrap the £250 child trust fund. This is a good idea. We don't need it, and the money can be used to improve primary education. If everyone is given £250, then everyone starts from the same position, so there is no advantage for the less well-off.

2. Income tax to start at £10k. Another good idea, as those on lower incomes pay proportionately more tax. The trouble here is that this would be funded by a tax on houses worth more than £1m. But the LibDems don't know how they will value the houses (from here). Will they use Rightmove? Maybe I should buy some shares... My deeper concern is that these £1M+ houses are assets, and just because you have an expensive asset doesn't mean you have corresponding cash flow. I've got an iPhone, but I also have an overdraft and other monthly debts. If I had a house worth £1M I would have to sell it. So this measure would discourage people from buying expensive houses.

I guess we'll have to read more to find out exactly what their plans are... But it's a good start to the conference season.

Ashes Victory!

Well, what to say that hasn't been said? I think we owe the win to Broad's blitz on the Friday afternoon, and Australia's strange decision to not play a spinner. This has been an up and down series, and as Strauss said, when England were bad, they were abysmal, and when they were good, they were good enough. I've sat and watched in amazement as wickets fell like dominos, and LBWs were not given. Some single events have decided matches, and it wasn't as cut & dried at the end as some people have suggested - I certainly wasn't confident it was all over as I left the house on Sunday morning. Still, the Ashes have changed hands again, which indicates an even contest in my opinion. My view was that if England managed to hold position at the start of the final test, we had a chance of winning. I always thought we could do it, and am pleased to have been proven right.

Now it's time to say goodbye to Sky Sports, because it costs too much and I don't get as much out of it as I would like, what with three chillun an' all...

TTFN.

Street Chat

Overheard tonight: "she may be a cunt and a dickhead, but how many times have I beaten her up? I've got respect for her."

What is the world coming to?

Taste of Ashes in my Mouth

Well. Well, well, well. I am shocked and appalled by the turn of events in Headingley over the last two days. I am expecting this horrible experience to be brought to a swift end by some appalling batting (by England) and some sublime bowling (by Australia).

We've done okay so far, we've matched Australia stride for stride: we won a match, then batted for a draw. Australia batted for a draw (which we should have denied them). And now we've just collapsed as a batting unit and bowled woefully. Shocking. It's like there's a different team out there.

Is it down to the absence of KP and Flintoff? Can that really be it?

Half-Days and Time-keeping

I took a half-day yesterday from work, with the original intention of going camping yesterday afternoon for an extended weekend. As it was, I had a call with Australia at 07:00 (after a 21:00 call the previous evening), and didn't finish in the office until 13:15. So by that point I had worked four and a half hours. Then when I got home I joined another call from 14:30 to 15:15, bring my work hours for the day to five and a quarter. There are some days I work less than this when I'm putting in a 'full day'.
Still, I got lots done, so that's okay. And you can probably guess we didn't go camping yesterday. We are planning to go today, as long as it's fine. There's no point going for two days just to get wet.

Going back to the work thing, we are so busy at the moment it is untrue. There have been two rounds of redundancies at work so far (one at end '08, one just completing), and our department wasn't impacted, so it's not like we have three people doing five people's jobs. It's just really busy. And the company have decided in order to maintain liquidity, they are going to stop paying into our pension funds for eighteen months. So we are working our socks off, having been given a pay cut. It's a crazy world.
TTFN.

Go, the Sussex

Sussex have made it through to the Friends Provident Final, the 50-over version of the game. Good work fellas. Shame the international match between West Indies and India was rained off. Gayle was out first ball, near enough.
'Twas a busy weekend of weeding. I wish I'd taken before and after photos, as the grasses were of almost biblical bulrush proportion. I took two loads of grass to the dump, and that amounted to two binloads each time. God, I sweated! Watched X2 as well, all the way through - that's a good film, but so long! I was willing it to end, eventually...
Night night.

Catch-Up

Can't believe it's been so long!
Have had Daughter #3, 'Gunk-Eye' (will probably come up with a new name soon).
Have enjoyed the weather - it's been lovely recently.
Have had my pension payments stopped by work, due to 'the economic downturn' - 'but our people are our most valuable asset'. Doesn't add up, if you ask me.
Went to see Sussex play the Australians at the end of June - a very enjoyable few days.
Went to Goodwood Festival of Speed yesterday - very noisy and hot - a good way to start the weekend.
Really busy at work. Not enough time to do what I want at home. Shouldn't really be doing this - am off to get dressed and garden. Those weeds need sorting out.
TTFN.

Slight Sadness

I'm a bit deflated at the mo, as The Company (the one I work for) has decided to only award me a 1.68% pay rise this year. I know that a lot of people have not received a payrise this year, and some 'executives' have even taken paycuts, but it's still a slap in the face, especially as I don't think I've been as busy since I joined the team. And rail prices have risen by 8% this year, which is a real kick in the teeth. Still, in 2009 rail prices will probably have to decrease, as deflation is on the cards. So actually a payrise of 1.68% may actually turn out to be more like a rise of 3%.
There you go, I'm getting more cheerful already!
TTFN.

Mistresses

So, managed to catch up with eps I & II of Mistresses series 2 last night. Very good telly. But how blimmin' far-fetched is it?
You've got the Irish bird, stuck in a loveless marriage, child by another father born into the marriage, going off and having random anonymous sex on what appears to be a nightly basis, in a posh hotel that must be costing a bomb. Firstly, if you start spending that sort of cash, you'll have none left. Then, secondly, your partner would notice. And thirdly, if your life is that rubbish, DO something. But she is fit, though.
Then you've got Sarah Parish, who is also fit. She was a star in Cutting It and is a great actress. She gets a young bit of man-meat and then is letched at by an old college boyfriend. How many people (not just sexy mature ladies) get involved in a love triangle? Surely the answer is 'v. few'.
Next up - Trudi, who is with a bloke who appears to be available at any point during the day, but still earns enough to be regularly paying out £3,000 to an unknown beneficiary. And he argues with strange & unexplained ladies in houses throughout the locale. Unfortunately Trudi appears to be on a losing streak.
And finally there's Jessica, obviously very attractive but not my pair of socks, who is now married to a randy sod who is going to break her heart - despite the fact that she wants to be seen as a free spirit, she wants the marriage to work.

It's all complete poppycock, but a great way to spend an hour a week.

Windies Part II

So, from zeroes to heroes - possibly. I missed the last part of today's play, as TW was recording ANTM and MasterChef, but it looks like Swann got 5-57. And that's after we got 566-9 declared yesterday. My fear early today was that the match would end in a draw, with the WI 1st innings incomplete. If we can bat like that, surely they can do the same? But apparently not.
If we can pull a win out of this one, that would set the series up quite nicely.
TTFN.

53 All Out - A Sad Day?

Okay, it's taken me a while to get around to this. I've read a bit, thought a bit, been a bit sad, and been quite pessimistic. Which (I feel) is unlike me.
Let's start by looking forward to the Ashes. I've watched with interest as Australia have lost to South Africa, and made life difficult for themselves against the Kiwis. In my opinion, if Australia lose on Friday, they will be stung in defeat and they will come fully-armed for the Ashes. If they don't come as a broken force, we will be in trouble. Even with a home advantage, I don't believe we will have the hunger necessary to win a test series against Australia.

Now let's look at England today. Who needs to be replaced? Mostly, the batsmen. Strauss, Cook, and Bell all need to go. Obviously Shah will replace Bell. A certain Rob Key could replace Strauss, and A.N. Other could replace A.N. Cook. But, you cry, what about the captaincy? Give it back to Pietersen, is the obvious answer. Someone in India reckons he is worth $1.55MM, and the captaincy for three weeks of a six-week season. Yet ECB have hung him out to dry. He may be an egomaniac, I don't care. What is good for Pietersen as England captain is good for the England team. KP wants to win? The team need wins. If KP drags the team dragging and screaming to winning ways, so be it. If it looks like the ECB are using KP, so be it. At this time, right now, a win is a win is a win.

Why did England lose, and get all out for 51? Several factors: working backwards:

• IPL auction - $1.55MM for KP & Freddie is going to impact on all psyches involved.
• Change of coach - Andy Flower may have been involved in the coaching team, but do the players see him as a leader
• Change of captain - I may regret this. Strauss may be a grower. However, I think KP showed he was thinking outside the box. He got Harmison back. He wanted Vaughan back for his strategic planning. He wanted to WIN. Strauss is a competent leader, but he is a fill-in, he's not inspirational. He's a care-taker captain.

I'm concerned that we are going to get mugged by the Windies here. Gayle is cited as being much matured. Sulaiman Benn has been a surprise. Taylor and Powell are on top of their game and I sweat every time Chanderpaul comes to the crease.
Can you single out English individuals in the same way? KP, as a batsman. Freddie is efficient but not killer. Monty the same. Harmison can be devastating, but not on every occasion.
Best wishes to the England team, but I'm calling a loss in the Windies.
TTFN (sadly).

More Cricket...

...up at 06:00 this morning to watch AUS vs NZ first ODI. Surprised to see Aus 50 for 5, but they improved to 180 all out. NZ aren't much better, 41 from 42 required to win. Will they do it? Quite an interesting game. No big boundaries, but evenly-balanced.
Superbowl XLIII tonight - my money's on the AZ Cardinals - quite literally. I've got colleagues who work in Phoenix, so I allowed myself a £2 wager at 5-1. Break out the Cristal!
TTFN.

Children can be a real test...

Geez. As I'm writing this, Monkey is screaming on the stairs that she wants a cuddle. I've only been reading to her for 35 minutes, and trying to get her to go to sleep for the last 20 minutes. Finally she's retired. What's it going to be like when we have three?

Scan News - Hot Off The Press !!!

Twenty week scan today - it's (most likely) a girl. "No dangly bits", said the sonographer. Thank the Lord, a lucky escape for me - no need to show an interest in soccer. And more reason to build a little batchelor pad / warm shed in the back garden.
Actually I'm very pleased. I wonder what we'll name her?
TTFN.

HNY 09

Happy New Year all. Just watching Celeb BB. The year can only get better.

Kids

Jeez, kids are tough. I can't imagine what things are going to be like when #3 turns up in May.
TTFN.

It's Nearly All Over

So the end of 2008 is almost upon us. It's been a good year. Kiddie #3 is nearly with us - well, in May, anyway. I've moved jobs, getting the payrise, and learned more about the new role. Unfortunately, I am now 37, but I got some good presents, and I have yet to experience my birthday facial.
I can't believe it's only two weeks until Christmas...
TTFN.

Dear Martin Johnson...

Any chance of a win this afternoon?
TTFN.

Oh Gee, KP

I thought your motto was "bat". And if you were in any doubt, "pause, think, and then bat". And if it looked like a bowling-friendly wicket, "pause, think, pause again, and then bat".
I hope the next six games are better.
TTFN.

Movember

So, I've agreed to grow a moustache for Movember. It's for a prostate cancer charity. TW isn't too happy - she don't like hairy upper lips. But if I can raise some cash for charidee, I will.
TTFN.

Brand & Ross

I know I'm late on this, but were resignations appropriate?
Was intervention by the PM necessary?
And how much has Voluptua's career benefitted?
If I were in any way paranoid, I'd be suggesting a conspiracy of some kind.
TTFN.

Wedding Past

So, The Wedding was excellent. Set off to perfection by my reading, natch.
TTFN.

Forthcoming Wedding

So, lil Sis is getting married this weekend. I've just had my hair cut in anticipation. I'm also going to read - from the Song of Solomon. Good work.
TTFN.

Question Time

Dominic Grieve is not coming across very well. In fact, one might label him 'objectionable'. In the vernacular, he might be called a 'c**t'. Is he the new John Redwood?
TTFN.

Bail-outs

Was watching Newsnight last night, and an interview with Alistair Darling. The interviewer asked, in light of the bail-out for the banks, where were the bail-outs for the individual?
Has she not heard of social security? There's already a system in place to deal with people win lose their jobs. And it already costs billions. D'oh!

TTFN.

England Post a Win

So, England have won the first ODI vs. South Africa. I watched it in slow motion, thanks to Sky+ (tm), and I had a sense of dread as S.A. set off at a fair gallop in pursuit of 275. Luckily, we strangled them and cut off the runs. As they had 36 to score from the last three overs, I began to feel safe. Funny how a cricket match prompts a post... Camping update will be forthcoming.
TTFN.

Big Bottoms?

So, yesterday morning I got up, had a shower & went through to the bedroom to get changed. TW was up and in the shower, and Monkey & Tiger were milling about, doing whatever it is that nippers do, when Monkey piped up: "you've got a big bot-bot, Daddy." "Thanks", I muttered. There was a big explosion of laughter from the bathroom as TW heard this exchange. "Your Daddy doesn't have a big bot-bot", she told Monkey.

It's the small things that keep me sane & smiling.

TTFN.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

So, TW is off at a carboot sale, and I'm left holding the babies. Monkey & Tiger are dressed and fed, so score one for my 'mad' parenting skillz. Ma & Pa will be by in a bit, and we'll go and see TW and MiL. It's a lovely sunny day, but a bit windy.
Was at a party last night, & had a few drinks as per usual. Feeling a bit jaded this morning, but am planning a few days off the booze - at least until Weds. Only trouble is, TW is off to Brizzle on Tuesday, so I expect I will want a drink then. J is coming to decorate the front room, and possibly staying overnight, so we might get a few beers in... Life is a constant challenge, isn't it?
TTFN.

Reporting Splogs

So, I'm quite pleased today. Back in the day, when I was more circumspect about blogging, I used to have a 'Treb1971' blog account. I moved to this one, and then found out the previous one had been taken over by a splogger promoting alopecia remedies.
I reported the splog on Thursday and find out today it's been taken down. Unfortunately it's not available for new blogs, but I shall be keeping an eye on it.
TTFN.

Dr Horrible

You've not got long, but if you want to see a web-only superhero-based musical by Joss Whedon for free, check out Dr Horrible.
It may be too late, even now - if so, I apologise...
TTFN.

Longest Lasagne Evah?!?

So, on Sunday I suggested to Monkey that we might make chocolate crispies. She was given a kids' cookery book by her great-grandmother, and the chocolate crispies recipe looked simple enough that I would be able to make it.

TW persuaded me that as she was going to be busy Sunday afternoon, it might be a good idea to make dinner for that evening, as well as chocolate crispies. I wasn't very open to this, but looked at a lasagne recipe and thought I'd be able to knock it together.

At about 11:30 a.m., Sunday morning, Monkey & I headed off to Tesco, the Great Satan, to line up our ingredients. Cue much dashing to-and-fro, as I did not shop methodically, as I had no idea where anything was. Once that was all done, I decided to get petrol as well - TW had previously obtained a 5p per litre discount, which I put to good use. However, the petrol forecourt was really busy, and we didn't get home until 13:00 - by which time I was starving, and Monkey had tried to get sweets and Cbeebies magazines off me for 1 & 1/2 hours. Luckily, TW had already cooked us pizzas, so we gorged like nation heads at a G8 summit.

I sat and watched a bit of the cricket, which was beginning to fizzle out even then, letting my pizza subside slowly, like a congealed mass of toxic carbs. Which is exactly what it was.

At 14:30, I roused myself and went to look at the recipe more closely, and start my prep. Like all good chefs, I assembled my ingredients, and read through the recipe. I chopped the onion, cut up the bacon (that took a while), crushed the garlic, and was eventually ready to start puttinmg it all together. I think the prep took about 25 minutes.

Then Monkey & I softened the onions, garlic & bacon, and browned the mince and added the tomatoes. Another 20 mins? And then we left it to simmer & reduce - 40 mins.

We didn't start making the bechamel sauce until the ragu was completed, which is where I think we went wrong. Anyway, suffice to say, I spent two hours last Sunday making lasagne.

TW said it was the best she'd ever had. So it wasn't a complete waste of time.
TTFN.

TFC (Telegraph Fantasy Cricket) - Endgame

So, for the second year, I've enrolled in Telegraph Fantasy Cricket. And, for the second year, I'm languishing at about 16,000. Which is rubbish. So I've picked this week to try to improve my position. It's the start of the Pro-40, and I'm going to change my team daily, to ensure I get double points tomorrow, Weds, & Thursday. It feels a bit 'not quite in the spirit of the game', but sod it. I'm bored with mid-table anonymity. I was up to 301 on Celebdaq the other day, for goodness' sake!
TTFN.

An Interesting Start - England vs. S.A.

Hmm. I predicted, on Friday, albeit unwillingly, that this would end in a draw. If we found it easy to bat, I reasoned, the Saffas would love a bit of it. I should have had G Smith in my fantasy team, but I think he was too expensive. Instead I plumped for Amla, because that is truly an impressive beard. He's got his 50 up now, but was out for 6 in the first innings - shame.

Still, at least we haven't lost - yet.

TTFN.

Another Test Series Win

So, England won the second test series of the year against New Zealand. Anderson came good - which was a shame for my Fantasy Cricket side. Even more gutting was Vettori's non-appearance, especially as he was my trump player - d'oh! What are the odds on NZ coming back to win the ODI series?
TTFN.

London Zoo

So, that was a busy weekend! It started on Friday night with a bottle of wine (I know...). Then, with no rest for the wicked, we were all up at 6.30 on Saturday morning to catch an eight o'clock train to London. Almost like a normal weekday - TW did a good job of marshalling the troops & preparing lunches simultaneously. At Victoria we headed for the zoo, in Regent's Park. We walked, which was pleasant but exhausting. Past Marble Arch, through Hyde Park, over Oxford Street and along Wigmore, turning left on Harley Street. We walked at pace, and got to London Zoo sweaty & blowing hard. Later (when we took a taxi back to Victoria...!), we found out that we'd walked about 3.5 miles. So of course we needed a sit down when we arrived.
I had a coffee that was so hot I had to spit it out, and my tongue still feels burnt, two days later. What is the point in superheating coffee like that? Still, TW's friend said she likes her tea 'piping', and she seemed to drink it okay.
London Zoo is really nicely laid out. A tad expensive on the entry fee (£15.50), but we paid using Tesco vouchers, so it was almost a freebie. And, looking at lions & giraffes, etc., you can forget you're in the middle of London - it was most restful.
We left at about 17:30, and got home almost 12 hrs after we left in the morning. Knackered, of course. But a brilliant day out.
TTFN.

London

So, was in The Big Smoke yesterday. I do like travelling up there - it reminds me why I don't do it every day. The extra wages wouldn't cover the inconvenience. And, in addition, I'd never see Monkey & Tiger, or spend much time with TW. I'd be exhausted all the time too. Anyway, that's it.

TTFN.

Come On, the Sussex!

Have booked tickets to see Sussex vs. Somerset at Arundel in the Pro-40 in July. Get in!
TTFN.

D+1

So, had a whisky last night. Just the one (Mrs. Wembley). I have, after all, got that Jura to finish. I slept quite well, except Tiger woke and cried at 23:15, but apart from that, the night was fine. Feeling good today and looking forward to driving to Oxfordshire to see friends.
What a shame that England are playing cricket all weekend, and it's the He'ineken Cup Final today, as well as the Challenge Cup Final tomorrow. Still, there's no way I can sit in front of the telly all weekend. TW wouldn't allow it.
TTFN.