Sunday 24 January 2021

Chopsticks

I have talked before about walking in the footsteps of giants, although the quote was actually from Isaac Newton, who said he could see further than others by standing on the shoulders of giants. Anyway lets not lets good blog entry be spoiled when poetic licence is at play!!

So as I was saying, I have talked before about walking in the footsteps of giants, be it on the same sports fields or golf courses as the worlds greats, or through commercial or business opportunities I was lucky to experience, but now I learn of the opportunity that the giants have of walking in my footsteps, albeit that they will be small ones!

In June of this year the UK, probably still lead by Boris, will be hosting the G7 conference. The location which has been chosen is the Carbis Bay Hotel complex just outside St Ives in Cornwall. Now it was not exactly a 'Cider with Rosie' experience for me, but it was the regular Summer holiday location to which I went with my mother and father for a number of years.Mum was in her late 30's  and Dad in his 40's and we went in the same week each year. 

Now I always thought it a co-incidence that the same families were there each year, but of course I now know that's what people did in those days. That way the same children were there to play with and the parents could have  a cracking time after we had all gone to bed. The hotel always put on a theme night for them and they took all the gear they needed to dress up for it. I remember them as beatniks one year and I think pirates another.

The hotel has back stairs for the staff to use for room service and house keeping and we used to play in and around those stairs all the time. It also had a piano on which we all learnt Chopsticks.

During the day we would be almost exclusively on the beach where the cricket battles were hugely competitive and surprisingly low scoring. If you lasted an over you were doing really well. The surf was often up and we had great fun in the sea when the red flags were not flying

We stopped going in the early sixties as I went to Senior school and the kit list and other expenses meant we could not afford both. Such were the sacrifices parents made even in those days.

So to see the resort put on the map in such a high profile manner is a real surprise, lets hope the World leaders appreciate the facilities as much as I did! 

Wednesday 6 January 2021

Metal Ox

 Here we are in 2021 locked down once more. The vaccination programme is due to reach a significant level by the 13th February. It is interesting that as far as the Western world was concerned the virus started in China during its year of the rat, and in February we enter the Chinese year of the Ox.  Not sure what the significance is but just thought I would throw it out there!!

The time between Christmas and now has been somewhat low key as I suspect it has been for everybody. Lockdown has made it a tad more challenging as I can't use the golf course now so will have to embrace Joe Wicks  and the online spinning classes. Why was he not even nominated for SPOTY?

There are interesting anomalies within the regional lockdown guidelines. I can play golf in Scotland but cannot go to church. The opposite is true  in England of both. There is talk of Wales relaxing the golfing rules shortly leaving England and Northern Ireland still excluded.

I have just been to Tesco as we re-introduce our ten day shopping windows. The store had more staff picking home delivery than it did have normal punters which was a big change from last year when the queue stretched half way across the car park. There was plenty of stock although  few  gaps existed for toilet roles, porridge strangely and bird seed!!

Still it's done now so hopefully I can just stay close to home now. It is a pity that the new car can't have a run out but it is bedding in well and I am working out all the bells and whistles. I now have some admin to sort out then the lockdown list will e as follows:

  • scan all old photo's in and make a few photo books
  • move Atmosphere from VHS to DVD
  • put the decorations in the loft when the new loft lights arrive
  • floodlight the garden
  • find useful tradesmen for routine home maintenance
  • repair the holes in the garden golf net

So that should get me to February when my new golf trolley arrives and I can get back to hitting balls in the net. The vaccine in late February would be the icing on the cake. Fore!