Don't just book it...

So disappointed to see the demise of Thomas Cook, a travel firm we have used on numerous occasions for holidays, flights and corporate hospitality. We have been in Mauritius when a holiday firm has gone bust and we saw first hand the stress it put their clients under, both from the point of view of their holidays being cut short, how they would get home, and the actions the hotel owner took to protect his outstanding payment schedule.

None of that is pleasant, and it was only by chance that we had not booked a pre-Christmas mega group to take the ankle biters to Lapland for a special trip. Thomas Cook were favourites to be our carrier, but we were still trying to sort out dates with the four families involved.

Instead we have booked everybody to go to Geneva to see number 1 son and family so EasyJet just got 15 return flights they might not have been expecting. Geneva is great from Liverpool as there are flights most days in the Summer with extra ones during the main skiing season.

We have a few other sorties planned with a first trip to 'off the record Dick's new abode in Middle , Little, Upper or Lower Wallop near Andover shortly then a major BMW golf event in St Andrews followed by golf and spa in Gleneagles. We will return home yearning for sunnier climes I suspect but they might have to wait until next year as our property sales process has stalled once more so funds need to be rationed.

That said, we are geared up for the mega Euro Lottery tomorrow. What would I do with €200m

The Crosby Show

The beginning of September has been hectic. SWMBO returned from holiday with number 2 daughter, who then moved into her new home in Noctorum, still near to us, but a much newer house. There were all the usual last minute finance challenges which meant completion happened at near to 5pm!! Still she is in now and various tradesmen are doing jobs around me as I write this blog entry.

My weekend highlight while she was moving was to watch and engage with the USA Walker Cup golf team who practised at Wallasey on the Saturday afternoon. The conditions were tough so it was good to see the best amateur golfers struggle like members do.

I then played Bromborough badly, West Lancs pretty well and knocked it around Wallasey again on the Friday when the R & A had a guest day there. I met ex US Open champion Jerry Pate who also found the going tough.

On the Saturday and Sunday I was marshalling at the Walker Cup proper and unfortunately GB &  I got well beaten. I did meet the world, including a group of ladies who I enquired as to whether they were the WAGS of the US team! It turned out it was the Captains lady and their family! Now when I say the Captain was Nathaniel Crosby,   son of crooner Bing Crosby, these WAGS were golfing royalty.

I was  also approached by a lady to have a photo taken with her husband. It turned out he was the nephew of Jack Rowell the ex-England rugby coach and they thought I looked like him. No change there then.

The weekend was not all golf though. On Saturday night SWMBO and I attended a concert by the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in Birkenhead Park which was great fun. On the Sunday we went again to the park to see China Crisis and the Christian's who were both very good. The concert was headlined by the Lightning Seeds who,sadly, were a bit flat and disappointing. Heyho, and all good to Wirral Council for setting it all up and running it, may there be more of the same next year.

Still things did not calm down. Tuesday saw me play Southport and Ainesdale golf course and on Wednesday my old mucker Ray Dudman turned up to play Wallasey en route home from Edinburgh. I beat him on the 18th green, just as the 5th stage of the Tour of Britain cycle race flew by the golf club.

A hectic start to September indeed.