There I am saying how my fitness campaign has started and I suddenly get found out by a bit of a slope in a mates back garden.
Now I have climbed a few things in my time, the Worcestshire Beacon near Malvern, the main street in Clovelley, and the walk between the 8th green and 9th tee at Bovey Castle. None of those though have worn me out like the climb yesterday afternoon. Buggered, I should say so.......
The thing that got me though was Stu did the same walk carrying a ten man tent on his back. I really must try harder!!
Monday, 25 June 2007
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
I'm stumped
Well, I seem to be getting back into the fitness regime. In late September last year I ran my first ever 10k. It took place in Chiswick and the course stretched from Kew bridge to Chiswick Bridge and back, finishing at the Chiswick business park in Gunnersbury. it was part of their Yellow Umbrella day I took just over 75 minutes which was OK, but I had aimed for less than 70, still for a first attempt it was fine. My wife, eldest son and his girlfriend were there with banners to cheer me over the last few hundred yards.
I had been very diligent with the training even to the extent of making a New Years resolution to drink 2 litres of water a day, and I had a BUPA training plan to follow up until the last six weeks, when I reverted to the Yellow Umbrella plan.
That was nearly nine months ago, so I thought it about time to recharge the batteries. I do various routes on the roads around Scouseland, some hilly and a couple on the flat, as well as running round one or both of the parks which constitute Birkenhead Park.
It is a little known fact that Birkenhead Park was the design inspiration for Central Park in New York City. I have yet to see Batman or Lincoln Rhyme on my runs though.
When I am in the metrolopse however, I run in the Lensbury club in Teddington. I find the air in Chis a bit too polluted for me these days. Anyway I am up to a steady 2.5K at the moment and will build up to 5k over the next few weeks.
The Lensbury club used to be the pride and joy of the Shell Corporation and one had to work for Shell to be a member, or be a retiree or family thereof. That's how I joined. It is now, however, a commercially run organisation although i think the buildings are still owned by Shell, who are effectively the landlords.
Unfortunately when it went private, it signalled an influx of ankle biters and the design of the club has been changed radically to accommodate them. There are adult only areas but overall it is a family oriented environment. Fair do's to them though, they spend the money on food and drink and activities, all of which are premium price.
The changing rooms in the gym, are segregated for men and women, obviously, but also for adults and children. There is an over 18 men only area and a family changing facility. Elderly gentlemen in Speedo's is however, not a sight I am particularly keen on, so I tend to use the large changing area, and its here I have a problem...or may have uncovered a new law of human behaviour to rival Murphy and Boyle.
The walls are surrounded by lockers, and it is a fact that when you come back into the changing area, the person next to you or beside you is at their locker or has selected that one to use to change. Today I was the only one in there when I changed. When I returned somebody was in the one next door....if they are vacant they have a key in so out of 50 lockers only one did not have a key. You would think that might have given him a clue!!
I have yet to think of a suitable name for this Law, Law 39 is the best I can come up with, but a few pints of Pride may inspire me.
I had been very diligent with the training even to the extent of making a New Years resolution to drink 2 litres of water a day, and I had a BUPA training plan to follow up until the last six weeks, when I reverted to the Yellow Umbrella plan.
That was nearly nine months ago, so I thought it about time to recharge the batteries. I do various routes on the roads around Scouseland, some hilly and a couple on the flat, as well as running round one or both of the parks which constitute Birkenhead Park.
It is a little known fact that Birkenhead Park was the design inspiration for Central Park in New York City. I have yet to see Batman or Lincoln Rhyme on my runs though.
When I am in the metrolopse however, I run in the Lensbury club in Teddington. I find the air in Chis a bit too polluted for me these days. Anyway I am up to a steady 2.5K at the moment and will build up to 5k over the next few weeks.
The Lensbury club used to be the pride and joy of the Shell Corporation and one had to work for Shell to be a member, or be a retiree or family thereof. That's how I joined. It is now, however, a commercially run organisation although i think the buildings are still owned by Shell, who are effectively the landlords.
Unfortunately when it went private, it signalled an influx of ankle biters and the design of the club has been changed radically to accommodate them. There are adult only areas but overall it is a family oriented environment. Fair do's to them though, they spend the money on food and drink and activities, all of which are premium price.
The changing rooms in the gym, are segregated for men and women, obviously, but also for adults and children. There is an over 18 men only area and a family changing facility. Elderly gentlemen in Speedo's is however, not a sight I am particularly keen on, so I tend to use the large changing area, and its here I have a problem...or may have uncovered a new law of human behaviour to rival Murphy and Boyle.
The walls are surrounded by lockers, and it is a fact that when you come back into the changing area, the person next to you or beside you is at their locker or has selected that one to use to change. Today I was the only one in there when I changed. When I returned somebody was in the one next door....if they are vacant they have a key in so out of 50 lockers only one did not have a key. You would think that might have given him a clue!!
I have yet to think of a suitable name for this Law, Law 39 is the best I can come up with, but a few pints of Pride may inspire me.
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Take a letter, Miss Jones
IBM has just announced that it is giving all its temporary secretaries four weeks notice, worldwide, and moving secretarial services to Bangalore. That's going to be a bit of a culture shock isn't it.
Imagine the problems there could be.
Imagine the problems there could be.
- tea and coffee for meetings takes days to arrive
- Christmas parties become less fun and
- the gossip and scandal network falls into disrepair.
I remember a secretary who came in to work each Monday with different coloured hair, depending on which food colouring she had used for the weekend party she had attended. Washing it out was always a problem.
Another secretary regarded herself as a personal friend of Tiger Woods. Her name was Alex, interesting Tiger has selected Alexis as the middle name for his new daughter. Alex was a bit of a girl, and these are the sort of characters which office environments need.
Given, though, that mobile working , hot desking and client based engagements, have removed the whole office social scene, the secretarial changes were a cost saving waiting to happen.
Give it a while and we will all be Avatars conducting business on Second Life. After all there are now over 7 million inhabitants. If you come across Witherspoon Gilks, say hello, that's me.
Friday, 15 June 2007
Raw prawn...strewth
Bathroom decor is a very personal thing......avocado or terracotta, but both together? nooooooooo.........
Why why why Delilah?
'Camp Dick' will so be upon us. A convivial gathering of Trickie Dickies eclectic companions will celebrate his 50th birthday in 'Tosser' Quinns field. Its a camping weekend, complete with open fire, basic sanitation and pod tents. There is a yomp over the Yorkshire moors on Saturday to loosen off the muscles, although it finishes at a local hostelry where any remaining aches and pains can be nicely anaesthetised.
I have offered to run off the song sheets, and that got me thinking about the sad demise of communal singing. It really is a thing of the past.
I can remember the man in the white coat, Frank Rea at Wembley who conducted the crowd prior to the FA Cup final. The singing of Henry Lyte's famous hymn "Abide With Me" has been part of FA Cup Final tradition since 1927, but sadly the community singing died out during the 1970's.
'Beastie' , a joe public rugby cove from Old Whitgiftians, entered England supporter folk law, as the leader of the singing in the West bar under the self same stand at the old Twickenham stadium. This tradition was destroyed with the ground as Tony Hallett built his new concrete edifice under which were positioned four soulless bars which were modelled on the wind tunnels used to design the bouncing bomb. Clearly a testament to Halletts RAF background. He built himself a cosy snug in which to entertain his cronies, but 'Beastie' has been superseded by Karaoke machines.....so sad.
How many homes have pianos these days, and more to the point people in the household who can bang out a tune. Family sing songs with Uncle Albert on the spoons, and Auntie Vi on the piano are also a dying event.....
...as are the improptu sing songs around the piano in the pub. These too are vanishing as pubs become 'gin palace' or 'gastro' themed. I still harbour an ambition to walk in a pub, open the keyboard and bang out a tune everybody knows and can join in with. By the time I have learnt to do it, piano's will be extinct.
So Camp Dick looks like it will be a revivalist concert featuring the voices of some of Will Carlings old farts. These talented individuals normally perform on the H22 bus on the way to Richmond station, The Red Cow public house and ,initially, on the free bus to the game. Liberal lashings of London Price, Timothy Taylor's Landlord or a pint of the black stuff make them sound like the four tenors!
I have offered to run off the song sheets, and that got me thinking about the sad demise of communal singing. It really is a thing of the past.
I can remember the man in the white coat, Frank Rea at Wembley who conducted the crowd prior to the FA Cup final. The singing of Henry Lyte's famous hymn "Abide With Me" has been part of FA Cup Final tradition since 1927, but sadly the community singing died out during the 1970's.
'Beastie' , a joe public rugby cove from Old Whitgiftians, entered England supporter folk law, as the leader of the singing in the West bar under the self same stand at the old Twickenham stadium. This tradition was destroyed with the ground as Tony Hallett built his new concrete edifice under which were positioned four soulless bars which were modelled on the wind tunnels used to design the bouncing bomb. Clearly a testament to Halletts RAF background. He built himself a cosy snug in which to entertain his cronies, but 'Beastie' has been superseded by Karaoke machines.....so sad.
How many homes have pianos these days, and more to the point people in the household who can bang out a tune. Family sing songs with Uncle Albert on the spoons, and Auntie Vi on the piano are also a dying event.....
...as are the improptu sing songs around the piano in the pub. These too are vanishing as pubs become 'gin palace' or 'gastro' themed. I still harbour an ambition to walk in a pub, open the keyboard and bang out a tune everybody knows and can join in with. By the time I have learnt to do it, piano's will be extinct.
So Camp Dick looks like it will be a revivalist concert featuring the voices of some of Will Carlings old farts. These talented individuals normally perform on the H22 bus on the way to Richmond station, The Red Cow public house and ,initially, on the free bus to the game. Liberal lashings of London Price, Timothy Taylor's Landlord or a pint of the black stuff make them sound like the four tenors!
You on yer own luv?
Last night I stayed at the Charlcote Pheasant hotel in Warwickshire. A lovely setting for a hotel, but the venue doesn't quite do it for me. The public areas are a bit dingy, with the bar small and lacking in atmosphere. The beer was fairly poor as well.
The Charlcote Pheasant is a tourist and business hotel, although it may not have too many singletons like me. Coachloads of Japanese or groups attending for conferences seem to be the norm.
City centre hotels do, however have a large percentage of single occupants and as a result, single diners. last night rather than be 'billy no-mates' in the hotel I found a rather pleasant pub, the Boars Head, where I had convivial conversation with the landlord and a couple locals.
Now, why do hotels not cotton on to the fact that people need people. I think there is a market for hotels to employ a conversationalist who hosts a large table, say for eight people, in the hotel restaurant. Single business people could be offered the option to sit with the host, and fellow singletons, and feel part of the place.
Who knows, the next night a few of them might choose to dine or go out together. The communal table can then host a whole new intake.
If I was away for any length of time, I would love to offer my services as such a table host.
The Charlcote Pheasant is a tourist and business hotel, although it may not have too many singletons like me. Coachloads of Japanese or groups attending for conferences seem to be the norm.
City centre hotels do, however have a large percentage of single occupants and as a result, single diners. last night rather than be 'billy no-mates' in the hotel I found a rather pleasant pub, the Boars Head, where I had convivial conversation with the landlord and a couple locals.
Now, why do hotels not cotton on to the fact that people need people. I think there is a market for hotels to employ a conversationalist who hosts a large table, say for eight people, in the hotel restaurant. Single business people could be offered the option to sit with the host, and fellow singletons, and feel part of the place.
Who knows, the next night a few of them might choose to dine or go out together. The communal table can then host a whole new intake.
If I was away for any length of time, I would love to offer my services as such a table host.
Tuesday, 12 June 2007
Monopoly bored
I have just visited the new mega casino at the old Empire in Leicester Square. the last time I went, it was a night club, and Van Halen were the cabaret. We took a bunch of American rugger players from Old White RFC in Atlanta, Georgia. two double decker buses were arrange to get the chaps home safe, although i seem to remember alot of the local ladies took it upon themselves to ensure the Yankee boys were looked after well into the night!
The casino has been billed as London's answer to Vegas. Hmmm, I suspect, therefore, that nobody from the publicists has every been there. It is just a casino, albeit quite a large one, but is in no way comparable with the style of casino seen in Vegas or Atlantic City. If the battle for the first mega casino in Britain is going to provide the winning city with the Vegas experience it will need to try much harder than the Empire.
There are, however, some nice touches in the Empire. There is a Texas hold'em room for the popular poker game which seems to be taking University campus by storm, two good looking restaurants and a chill room presumably for you to go sob into the soft furnishings when you have lost all your stash. There are weekly cabaret nights, and show girls at weekends. but like all casino's, the big plus is reasonably priced drinks late into the night, in a mixed age environment which is hassle free.
There were lots of Chinese punters around, but not a huge Arab presence as there is in their Rendezvous outlet in Mayfair. I nearly traded my wife and youngest daughter in there once, for eight camels and an Abra.
The casino has been billed as London's answer to Vegas. Hmmm, I suspect, therefore, that nobody from the publicists has every been there. It is just a casino, albeit quite a large one, but is in no way comparable with the style of casino seen in Vegas or Atlantic City. If the battle for the first mega casino in Britain is going to provide the winning city with the Vegas experience it will need to try much harder than the Empire.
There are, however, some nice touches in the Empire. There is a Texas hold'em room for the popular poker game which seems to be taking University campus by storm, two good looking restaurants and a chill room presumably for you to go sob into the soft furnishings when you have lost all your stash. There are weekly cabaret nights, and show girls at weekends. but like all casino's, the big plus is reasonably priced drinks late into the night, in a mixed age environment which is hassle free.
There were lots of Chinese punters around, but not a huge Arab presence as there is in their Rendezvous outlet in Mayfair. I nearly traded my wife and youngest daughter in there once, for eight camels and an Abra.
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