Going Acoustic!

Been thinking about getting an acoustic for yeasrs now. Never really been sure what I'd want so worried asbout wasting cash. Anyways, decided to take the plunge as few weeks ago when I saw as Washburn W10 black on Gumtree in Cambridge for what seemed as good price. Well, basically I love it!! There is only one problem ..... I'm not sure whast size it is but it is very large and that means it is very loud. The kids get fed up of trying to play it if they are trying to watch tv so it lives upstairs. I've already decided there will be asn upgrade for xmas and that it will be smaller one, as Tasylor GS mini would be lovely. Speaking of smaller ones, I've managed to talk Chloe into starting lessons next term on the very same instrument, so the smaller one in the picture was a secondhand eBay bargin!

Arghhh my eyes! What's that?

... it is in fact ....... the sun!!! Would you believe it that after a rotten first half to the summer the day after the kids break up from school it starts to shine. And it has shone wonderfully for the last four days and the forecast is for another three days of glorious sunshine. On Monday I was daft enough to go out for a 5 mile run at lunchtime when it must have been pushing 30 degrees. Needless to say it was not one of my quickest efforts. Today, I have ridden then 20 miles into work form Warboys and let Andy go for a lunchtime run on his own. Even he has decided to cut it bsack a little though!! It won't last I'm sure. But then again, two weeks from now I'll be in Spain, lying on a beach, hopefully with a beer in one hand and a cocktail in the other :-) Evidently, it's roasting out there!

The Annual Cycling Jaunt

It rained, boy did it rain!!! …… and it rained and it rained and it rained !!!!! The date was booked miles in advance and as there are four of us and I for one have to exclude every other weekend due to the kids, it would have been hard to find an alternative. So with the rain having bucketed it down over night and the forecast for a rainy morning we meet up at Stanwick Lakes. This year was group was ……. The three stalwarts of Steve, Andy and Moi …….. and the new comer …. Michael. Apparently, Bren was a bit skint and would rather spend his cash on beer than a new inner tube!!!! Shame. So, I arrive and it’s hissing it down. Steve, Andy and Michael are hiring their bikes (you know, just in case there is a rush!!). Having secured their steeds they promptly leave them at the shop and we head off to the café ….. as if there is any chance it might stop raining in the near future. And in the café it is back to the old ways. I’ve had Alpen not that long ago so just take a coffee. The boy’s are on full English’s (full European’s?!?!?!). It’s not going to stop so after a while we have the obligatory photo in the dry and then head off. Il pluet – big time. But you know, once you “give yourself” to the rain and the mud, it is actually quite brilliant fun :-) The guys got free waterproof trousers with the hire bikes but I don’t like them anyway as they make me sweat too much. So, I’m in my green shorts that I got from America. Before long, my legs are just pasted in mud, but apparently, that does n’t stop the wee biting things doing their biting thing :-( It does indeed rain all morning but calls a halt around noon, by that time we’ve done a big muddy loop to the south (including a little wading for Steve and I) and we are back at the café. Steve says there are a couple of pubs to the north, one about two miles away and the other about double. Well we never see the closer one and before we get to the second one Andy is getting tired and grumpy (brings back memories of the wonderful SDW). As we pull at one place about a mile from the second pub I notice it is 1:50 and joke with Andy that they probably stop serving food at 2 pm. Bad joke, we end up in the nearby café having a sandwich! Another great day with wonderful lads who I am lucky to have as mates:-)

Reader's block - three strikes and ......

..... you're out! I rarely give up on a book. In fact, up until the last few weeks, I can only think of one novel that I have not finished and that was some years ago (The Time Traveller's Wife) but now I have two more to add to the list. (I have also failed to complete Emotional Intelligence on two separate occasions!!!) Failure number 1 was Fifty Shades of Grey!! I starting reading this because of all the hype around at the moment and because Kate is well into the series and was encouraging me. Having being told that the first hot scenes start around 21% I decided I give it until 25% by which time I would have a flavour for the writing and any other kind of plot that might be there (I'm so niave!!!). The plot was awful and the writing was shockingly bad, seriously!!!! Even the sex scene was quite uninspiring, if I wanted that kind of thing I reckon Pornhub would be much better ;-) Failure number 2: Fluke by James Herbert. By this time I'm not feeling the Kindle love so I revert to the tried and tested Herbert but make the crucial mistake of swaying from his norm. Two chapters in and I'm struglling with the man reborn as a dog! Dumped, for now, but I think I will come back to this one. So now I'm into a real paper book that I noticed on the shelf the other day. I remember Tom bought me it for Xmas before I knew I was getting a Kindle. Harlen Coben, Miracle Cure. In a couple of weeks Kate and I are off to southern I'm not encumbered!

Game of Thrones by George R R Martin.

This is an epic 861 page thriller. A cross between Lord of the Rings and Camelot it builds up on the quarrelling dynasties of the Seven Kingdoms. On the one side is King Robert Barothean and his new “Hand” (right-hand man) Lord Eddard Stark, on the other side are the inbreds. Far away Denearys wed the lord of the riders and at the very end of the book, in the ashes of battle and her husbands funeral pyre, she hatches the dragons. Get stuff, but the next book is over 900 pages!!!!! My favourite character is the Imp, such a wicked sense of humour :-) The picture is from the dvd series, which is now mine too and we are working our way through it!!!

A Sporting Weekend!

It seems to be all happening in the world of sport! No sooner is Euro 2012 out of the way following England’s incredibly average performance than Wimbledon and the TdF get started, and the Olympics are just round the corner. So Andy Murray finally got the final of Wimbledon. Partly down to the fact that Nadal suffered some freak loss at the hands of a guy who I’ve already forgot about. On saying that he still had t beat the likes of Tsonga and Ferrer to get there. He met up with the amazing Roger Federer who was after his 7th crown. It started well with Murray forging a late break in the first to take the set. I’m thinking Murray is 25 and Federer is essentially quite old in tennis terms at 30 so as the match goes on he should have the fitness advantage. Hello – thinks I, there could something a foot here! Alas, it was not to be. I can’t remember if Federer took the second set before after it started to rain but the delay whilst the centre court roof was brought across seemed to be the tipping point and Murray never saw another set. Still, no need to cry in the courtside after match interview Andy!!! Who do you think you are – Paula Radcliffe ;-) The TdF is probably my favorite annual sporting event and this year’s edition is well and truly underway by now. In fact, it seems that this is one place where there is a realistic chance of a first British, nay English winner. Bradley Wiggins seems to have been around for ages, seemed to swap from track cycling to road ages ago. Finally he has come of age and with the loss of some of the big favorites such as Andy Schleck (injury) and Contador (banned for being a drug-taking cheat – apparently) he is one of the joint favorites with last year’s winner, the Australian Cadel Evans. It has gone very well so far, in the prologue, the mountains and today’s 42 km time trial was won by Bradley to allow him to extend his lead over Cadel to around 2 minutes. Fingers crossed for the rest of the race!! And finally, this weekend the Olympic torch came to our region. I was encouraged out of bed at 6 am on Sunday to head into Huntingdon to watch it. It was good fun once the race stopped and there was a great sense of community spirit, which is unusual and was lovely.