One of the joys of beach holidays for me is the ability to catch up with a bit of reading. That's not to say I don't normally read, but the two week stretch does give ample time to blast through the bookshelf backlog.
I started this time with the final Harry Potter book. I had been trying very hard to avoid knowing the ending, and think I did pretty well save for some wretched Welsh Blodwyn blurting something out at a party. It was still a shock though when Lord Voltmort piloted a new Dreamliner straight into the midst of Hogwarts. It was like something out of Emmerdale, and without Dumbledore around to save them, the whole school got decimated. No chance of a Frank Sinatra comeback there then Harry boy!!
I am only jesting of course. I would no more give away the ending to this marvellous tale as I would the Mouse Trap. 'Tunnels' is billed as the next big kids book, but having read it, I can't see it being the cult that the Potter books have been, but we shall see.
Three days it took to read Potter, I then proceed to polish off 'Bring me the Head of Sergio Garcia', a book about a good amateur golfer trying his hand on the pro tour, albeit the third tier tour. Tom Cox was the author, and he did a reasonable enough job. It was interesting though to see how he struggled to break 80 on the tour when he had regularly broken 70 in his amateur events. There is no accounting for pressure. I enjoy a good golf book, reading 'Preferred Lies' by Andrew Greig, last year. Andrew revisited his roots in Scotland after a serious brain injury had almost killed him, and he played golf as a means to blend the various parts of his early life together. It did not have any pace to it as a book, but I guess it did the job for him.
Both these books fell short of my favourite 'Final Rounds', the story of a man, James Dobson, and his father touring England and Scotland together playing the courses his father , Brax, played when he was a GI stationed over here. He was in ill health and it was a now or never trip for them both. It was a very moving and interesting book and just pushes 'A Good Walk Spoiled' into second place.
'Merde Happens' was the third book I managed to finish, the story of an Englishman, French woman and an American driving around the USA in a mini. It is Stephen Clarkes third book and probably had enough in it to get me to read one of his others.
I returned home with 'Sleeping Doll' by Jeffery Deaver, 'Relentless' by Simon Kernick, 'Buried' By Mark Bellingham and 'The Afghan' by Frederick Forsyth, still to read I should have started one of them, but no, I picked up 'Homo Britannicus' by Chris Stringer, the history of Human Life in Britain.
Good looking book, well put together it may be, but its a bit like reading an encyclopedia for recreation.I can't handle the history of voles (Mimomys savini and Arvicola terrestris cantiana) in tracking mans movements across the country or learning about the only record of Britains extinct frog (Pliobatrachus). It does mention Kents Cavern in Torquay though, a trip which we as a family did when we lived in Devon. I am intent on finishing it though, but might skip the history of axe heads and a few other bits to get to the exciting parts of the book. That's assuming there are any of course.
Monday 29 October 2007
Sunday 28 October 2007
Swing low, sweet chariot
Yesterday I strolled down to Twickenham RFC to see them play for the first time this season. Their opponents, Stevenage Town, are top of the league and unbeaten. T's are second having lost unexpectedly to Enfield Ignations. I was, therefore, looking forward to an exciting game.
The Twickenham team which took the field was fairly similar to that which got relegated last year. They have a very young side, with one or two older heads. Stevenage, looked more like the proper rugby team with the right shaped people in the key positions. Their front row were traditional fat popos, they had two tall beefy second row forwards and a quick youthful back row. All their three-quarters looked tricky and there was a bit of pace on the wings.
The game itself was pretty scrappy though. Both teams had periods of the match were they could not command possession, and when they did get it, basic handling skills let them down. Stevenage went on to win 22-11 which was a reasonable reflection and it will be no bad thing if T's stay in this league for a few more seasons to gain some experience, and put on a bit of weight!!
The atmosphere in the club was fine, although opposition teams never stay for as long these days, so that was when it became apparent that the Twickenham demographic has become somewhat fractured. Apart from me and a few other supporters in their late '50s and mid '60s there was a definite lack of older members. The 35-50 age group no longer seems to embrace the club on a regular basis. Sure they may have young families or other commitments, but with plans to expand and rebuild the clubhouse, sustaining the community will become a struggle.
Still I am sure the club has had troughs similar to that which it is in at the moment, and hopefully with the right direction from the top, it will soon climb out of it and start to again become a location of choice on Saturday afternoon. Sunday mini rugby continues to be the strength of the club though, I still haven't checked it out this season to see what the level of yummie mummie is. Another time perhaps.
The Twickenham team which took the field was fairly similar to that which got relegated last year. They have a very young side, with one or two older heads. Stevenage, looked more like the proper rugby team with the right shaped people in the key positions. Their front row were traditional fat popos, they had two tall beefy second row forwards and a quick youthful back row. All their three-quarters looked tricky and there was a bit of pace on the wings.
The game itself was pretty scrappy though. Both teams had periods of the match were they could not command possession, and when they did get it, basic handling skills let them down. Stevenage went on to win 22-11 which was a reasonable reflection and it will be no bad thing if T's stay in this league for a few more seasons to gain some experience, and put on a bit of weight!!
The atmosphere in the club was fine, although opposition teams never stay for as long these days, so that was when it became apparent that the Twickenham demographic has become somewhat fractured. Apart from me and a few other supporters in their late '50s and mid '60s there was a definite lack of older members. The 35-50 age group no longer seems to embrace the club on a regular basis. Sure they may have young families or other commitments, but with plans to expand and rebuild the clubhouse, sustaining the community will become a struggle.
Still I am sure the club has had troughs similar to that which it is in at the moment, and hopefully with the right direction from the top, it will soon climb out of it and start to again become a location of choice on Saturday afternoon. Sunday mini rugby continues to be the strength of the club though, I still haven't checked it out this season to see what the level of yummie mummie is. Another time perhaps.
Thursday 25 October 2007
Prosha
I am feeling very self righteous today, following a trip to my local Tesco. On this occasion I purchased all my fruit and veg loose and declined the use of the small plastic bags which the supermarkets place close to these items for separation.
The lady at the checkout seemed totally at ease with the approach and weighed and priced each selection as if I was in a street market. It saved me using eight or ten bags which I would have immediately thrown in the plastic recycling box, and herein lies the problem.
Hounslow Council have a plastic recycling facility in the car park of the local Sainsburys in Chiswick. As of 1st November, Sainsburys are going to manage this facility themselves. As a result, only plastic bottles will be able to be disposed of at this site. Packaging and plastic bags, film and food trays will have to go elsewhere or be thrown in with the landfill rubbish. The reason?
Plastic bottles have a resale value in the recycling value chain, plastic film and bags have a much smaller market and are consequently harder to dispose of. Sainsbury, therefore, are maximising their revenue from this new venture at the expense of the local residents and the Council.
I have talked about recycling before here and to their credit Hounslow are looking for an alternative site to place their wider plastics disposal facility, but it does make you wonder, as supermarkets create 90% of the plastic packaging, why they should be allowed to restrict the amount they collect for recycling.
Getting back to Tesco, I quite enjoy shopping in the store in Isleworth (pronounced 'i-sell-worth', rather than Tiger Woods home course with is pronounced 'i-el-worth') .As it serves the nearby Asian community it stocks loads of food from the Indian sub-continent and even food from further East, and it stocks it in bulk. Some great smells come from the curry section to which I am regularly drawn. The Sainsburys in Chiswick, by comparison, is much more Anglo-Saxon and is only just starting to stock selected Polish brands to satisfy the increase in demand from our Eastern European neighbours.
There has always been a close tie with the Poles in West London, particularly in Hammersmith where there is a large Polish cultural centre. Their strong catholic ethos also blends well with the high percentage of Irish residents in the area. I long had a Polish cleaner, well before they became de rigor. She was sourced from a work colleague who seemed to act as a gang boss for them. The girls would come to England for a year or so, doss with friends, and earn enough to go back and pay for their University or other higher education courses. These days my Crescent is more likely to play to the tune of au pairs, and builders, all working at a rate cheaper than their more traditional European competitors. Plus ca change.
The lady at the checkout seemed totally at ease with the approach and weighed and priced each selection as if I was in a street market. It saved me using eight or ten bags which I would have immediately thrown in the plastic recycling box, and herein lies the problem.
Hounslow Council have a plastic recycling facility in the car park of the local Sainsburys in Chiswick. As of 1st November, Sainsburys are going to manage this facility themselves. As a result, only plastic bottles will be able to be disposed of at this site. Packaging and plastic bags, film and food trays will have to go elsewhere or be thrown in with the landfill rubbish. The reason?
Plastic bottles have a resale value in the recycling value chain, plastic film and bags have a much smaller market and are consequently harder to dispose of. Sainsbury, therefore, are maximising their revenue from this new venture at the expense of the local residents and the Council.
I have talked about recycling before here and to their credit Hounslow are looking for an alternative site to place their wider plastics disposal facility, but it does make you wonder, as supermarkets create 90% of the plastic packaging, why they should be allowed to restrict the amount they collect for recycling.
Getting back to Tesco, I quite enjoy shopping in the store in Isleworth (pronounced 'i-sell-worth', rather than Tiger Woods home course with is pronounced 'i-el-worth') .As it serves the nearby Asian community it stocks loads of food from the Indian sub-continent and even food from further East, and it stocks it in bulk. Some great smells come from the curry section to which I am regularly drawn. The Sainsburys in Chiswick, by comparison, is much more Anglo-Saxon and is only just starting to stock selected Polish brands to satisfy the increase in demand from our Eastern European neighbours.
There has always been a close tie with the Poles in West London, particularly in Hammersmith where there is a large Polish cultural centre. Their strong catholic ethos also blends well with the high percentage of Irish residents in the area. I long had a Polish cleaner, well before they became de rigor. She was sourced from a work colleague who seemed to act as a gang boss for them. The girls would come to England for a year or so, doss with friends, and earn enough to go back and pay for their University or other higher education courses. These days my Crescent is more likely to play to the tune of au pairs, and builders, all working at a rate cheaper than their more traditional European competitors. Plus ca change.
Monday 22 October 2007
'It was on the line, chalk flew up'.......well actually no it didn't........
I started this blog to record my effort at selling my house, so I guess an update is due. Its still on the market, the price has dropped to reflect the slowdown in the number of viewings, and I am resigned to being its proud owner now into 2008. Whether I do any more work on it is something my work profile will influence, and early signs are that I will be fairly busy between now and Christmas so likely not.
I keep dropping hints at work about being offered a separation package, but the management team just grin inanely, say nice try, and farm me out somewhere else to ply my trade. The share price went up to $119 recently and is now back to about $112, but while the firm is doing OK I can't see any brown envelopes being distributed.
That will, therefore, put my professional sports watcher role on hold as well. Just imagine being in Moscow, Paris and Sao Paulo last week, well perhaps not eh!
F1 is not something I would stay in to watch usually but I was gripped by the drama yesterday, and as Maclaren blew it, so went \Lewis Hamiltons chances of winner the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. I suspect he will get the young sportsman award, and if Ricky Hatton wins in Las Vegas, the major award will be his. Padriag Harrington is from Southern Ireland so I am not sure he qualifies for the top prize, he may have to settle for the International award.
Team of the year is the hardest one to call, have we still got a synchronised swimming team? Talking of which, if one synchronised swimmer drowns, do they all have to?
I keep dropping hints at work about being offered a separation package, but the management team just grin inanely, say nice try, and farm me out somewhere else to ply my trade. The share price went up to $119 recently and is now back to about $112, but while the firm is doing OK I can't see any brown envelopes being distributed.
That will, therefore, put my professional sports watcher role on hold as well. Just imagine being in Moscow, Paris and Sao Paulo last week, well perhaps not eh!
F1 is not something I would stay in to watch usually but I was gripped by the drama yesterday, and as Maclaren blew it, so went \Lewis Hamiltons chances of winner the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. I suspect he will get the young sportsman award, and if Ricky Hatton wins in Las Vegas, the major award will be his. Padriag Harrington is from Southern Ireland so I am not sure he qualifies for the top prize, he may have to settle for the International award.
Team of the year is the hardest one to call, have we still got a synchronised swimming team? Talking of which, if one synchronised swimmer drowns, do they all have to?
Friday 19 October 2007
Michaelangelo and friends
While in St Lucia a few years ago, we were fortunate to spend one night camped out (yes I know I don't do camping but....) on the East coast hoping to see a Leatherback turtle or two come ashore and lay their eggs. It was blowing a gale and bitterly cold, and a two person pod tent is not the most secure.
This year we stayed on the West coast of St Lucia, so imaging our surprise, when one evening the sand started boiling and hundreds of baby turtles started to invade the resort bars and restaurants.....the babies had hatched and been attracted to the bright lights of the hotel, whereas on the East coast they usually head for the reflection of the moon on the water.
Holiday makers were running everywhere to catch the little blighters and throw them into the sea, only to have them washed ashore with the next wave. Only one thing for it, form a chain beyond the breaker line and throw the little darlings further out.....result, hundreds of turtles launched into a new life, hundreds of pounds damage to tourists designer shoes and trousers, but all well worth it.....and the cycle was complete.......the hotel have two more nests apparently so future visitors are in for the same treat.
We were delighted, therefore, to be woken by rangers during the night and had the chance to see a turtle in action. They come ashore, find a spot they are comfortable with, and use their rear flippers to dig a deep hole for the nest. Once satisfied with their construction work, they go into a trace and pop out over a hundred eggs, which look like billiard balls.
Once in her trace, we were able to stroke and take photos of the turtle, and on our particular trip there was a seven year old girl with her dad, so she had the honour of using the number clicker to count the final egg total.
We only witnessed one female on the night we were there, but the following night eight came ashore. The rangers were telling us that since they have started to use the experience as a tourist attraction, the number of turtles lost to poachers has dropped dramatically. That's good news as they have enough natural predators without human intervention.
This year we stayed on the West coast of St Lucia, so imaging our surprise, when one evening the sand started boiling and hundreds of baby turtles started to invade the resort bars and restaurants.....the babies had hatched and been attracted to the bright lights of the hotel, whereas on the East coast they usually head for the reflection of the moon on the water.
Holiday makers were running everywhere to catch the little blighters and throw them into the sea, only to have them washed ashore with the next wave. Only one thing for it, form a chain beyond the breaker line and throw the little darlings further out.....result, hundreds of turtles launched into a new life, hundreds of pounds damage to tourists designer shoes and trousers, but all well worth it.....and the cycle was complete.......the hotel have two more nests apparently so future visitors are in for the same treat.Thursday 18 October 2007
Who have you come as then?
Can you believe it? As part of my recent Algarvian tour, I and my fellow tourists dressed one night in Hawaiian shirts, and on another night in our room mates clothes. Yes I know we are grown men, but rugby players never change, even if its on golf tour. Strange as those evenings were, nothing compared with the middle night when we had to dress as favourite Englishmen. Now we were fore warned about this to allow costumes to be prepared and carefully assembled, but I went for the sheet and two belts approach for easy packing.
So as I appeared at the designated bar, dressed as T.E. Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia, who did I spot drinking there already? Yes there was another T.E. Lawrence! Now there were only eight of us on tour, and the other six had chosen Ozzie Osborne, Robin Hood, James Bond, Dick Turpin, Tommy Cooper and Harry Hill. So what are the chases of two people in that small group dressing the same?
Worst of course was to come, as tour rules dictate that when one Lawrence misbehaves and gets fined, both do. We therefore spent all night checking we were both drinking with the correct hand, were addressing the day captains in the correct manner and performed any cunning stunts in a timely and well presented manner. Gosh, was I pleased when mid-night arrived and one could revert to normal!
So as I appeared at the designated bar, dressed as T.E. Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia, who did I spot drinking there already? Yes there was another T.E. Lawrence! Now there were only eight of us on tour, and the other six had chosen Ozzie Osborne, Robin Hood, James Bond, Dick Turpin, Tommy Cooper and Harry Hill. So what are the chases of two people in that small group dressing the same?
Worst of course was to come, as tour rules dictate that when one Lawrence misbehaves and gets fined, both do. We therefore spent all night checking we were both drinking with the correct hand, were addressing the day captains in the correct manner and performed any cunning stunts in a timely and well presented manner. Gosh, was I pleased when mid-night arrived and one could revert to normal!
Monday 1 October 2007
They swim in the sea, we eat them for tea.......
Interesting weekend just past. Our oldest, Tim and his girlfriend Lili, used the house for an engagement party. Interesting guest list which included my present and past wife, and her two ex-husbands!!
Tim, as an only child, seems to have masses of siblings, and all were present for the big event. It all went off well, I think. I behaved myself and got to bed about 2am......not too bad.
They are planning to get married twice, bit like me really! The first will be in Brazil in February 2009, the second in England later in the same year. There seems to be huge interest in going to Sao Paulo so i think they will be surprised by the turnout. It will be Summer there so the combination of a wedding and holiday seems spot on to me.
Talking of holidays, I am just off to St Lucia, to defend my 'Sir Vivian Richards Pro-Am' title around the tricky but very picturesque St Lucia Golf Course. I won it last time with Jeff Crowe, the New Zealand cricketer, and two local members. Jeff is a cousin of Russell, and had just come back form seeing him get married. Jeff plays of 2 so we were quids in really compared with some of the team members. Ian Botham, Sir Gary Sobers, Tony Greig and Chris Cowdrey were playing, as well as the host, and it was a sound day out all round......I am told there is a fair bit of development going on at the moment around the course, and Jack Nicklaus is building a second 18 holes nearby. It will be interesting to see the new club house as well.
I am also playing in the 'Todgers Trophy' overseas edition when I return. This year it is in Portugal, and it is the annual tournament for Twickenham Rugby Club. In true rugger tradition, we have to go as famous Englishmen. That should irritate the Welsh amongst us.
They got knocked out of the Rugby World Cup on Saturday didn't they? To Fiji of all people. The QFstage is now quite interesting. I would take Argentina and South Africa to go through and meet in the semi, which then conjures up potentially four games in which anybody could win. On their day England can beat Aus, and France can turn over NZ. An E v F semi could go either way, as could the SA v Argie one. So we are suddenly looking at an Argie v England final! Who would have thought it a week or so ago?
Tim, as an only child, seems to have masses of siblings, and all were present for the big event. It all went off well, I think. I behaved myself and got to bed about 2am......not too bad.
They are planning to get married twice, bit like me really! The first will be in Brazil in February 2009, the second in England later in the same year. There seems to be huge interest in going to Sao Paulo so i think they will be surprised by the turnout. It will be Summer there so the combination of a wedding and holiday seems spot on to me.
Talking of holidays, I am just off to St Lucia, to defend my 'Sir Vivian Richards Pro-Am' title around the tricky but very picturesque St Lucia Golf Course. I won it last time with Jeff Crowe, the New Zealand cricketer, and two local members. Jeff is a cousin of Russell, and had just come back form seeing him get married. Jeff plays of 2 so we were quids in really compared with some of the team members. Ian Botham, Sir Gary Sobers, Tony Greig and Chris Cowdrey were playing, as well as the host, and it was a sound day out all round......I am told there is a fair bit of development going on at the moment around the course, and Jack Nicklaus is building a second 18 holes nearby. It will be interesting to see the new club house as well.
I am also playing in the 'Todgers Trophy' overseas edition when I return. This year it is in Portugal, and it is the annual tournament for Twickenham Rugby Club. In true rugger tradition, we have to go as famous Englishmen. That should irritate the Welsh amongst us.
They got knocked out of the Rugby World Cup on Saturday didn't they? To Fiji of all people. The QFstage is now quite interesting. I would take Argentina and South Africa to go through and meet in the semi, which then conjures up potentially four games in which anybody could win. On their day England can beat Aus, and France can turn over NZ. An E v F semi could go either way, as could the SA v Argie one. So we are suddenly looking at an Argie v England final! Who would have thought it a week or so ago?
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