Phew.. cycled into work this morning, and it was very pleasant. Coming back this evening was slightly different. Like cycling in a sauna. Mind you it beats cycling in the wind, cold or rain any day of the week so I am not complaining.

I have had little time to blog recently, and there seems so much to say, and I don’t know where to start. So I think I will just put some updates on what each member of the house has been doing. So, I will start with the little one, Ellie. Not so little however, she has been on a growing spurt, and has Tricia in her sights. At the moment Ellie seems fixated with doing handstands, and can walk 3 or 4 steps on her hands. I suppose this is something that happens when you are 10, I seem to remember trying to do something similar. Ellie is more successful than I was though.

She had her sports day a few weeks back, and came second in the skipping race. Her friend Ethan came first. Her house won on the day, so she was very pleased and excited. She also went into a dance competition a few weeks back and came 6th (out of loads) in ‘street dance’, whatever that is. She was very pleased with herself. She has also been following in her fathers footsteps and acting. She played the role of the Emperor Claudius at school, and did very well.

When I got home from work this evening she told me all about the new pants Mum had bought her and the different colours and patterns. Exciting things for young girls.

More to follow tomorrow.

 This last weekend had been in the planning for some considerable time. Tricia and I were due to go down to Corfe for the weekend with some friends, 8 other couples, for the weekend for a themed weekend based on the musical High Society. We did a similar weekend a few years back based on Jeeves and Wooster, and had been asked to organise something similar again.

I had booked Friday off from work so we could travel down during the day, before traffic built up. Recently I had applied to go onto a TV quiz prog called Wogans Perfect Recall, and last week I had a call to see if I could go and audition on the Thursday. Yes please I said, and so I booked the Thursday off work as well. I planned to go into London in the morning for the audition, and then have a last look in the charity shops for a blazer I wanted for the weekend. I left work on Wednesday evening, singing and happy, and looking forward to my time off. However, when I got home I found there was a message to say that due to the London tube strike, my audition would be postponed. I am not sure what the grounds are for the latest strike, but it does seem that it was done to cause maximum chaos to a number of events, and that Bob Crowe the union leader was determined to have his strike as he refused to come to the negotiating table until after the strike. I am all for people having rights whilst in employment, but power crazy, lefty unionist dinosaurs, who do not seem to be in tune with the real world should be deported in my opinion. Particularly as it may cost me the opportunity to meet Mr Wogan himself. Not that I am being parochial or anything.

So, instead on Thursday I went out with Tricia and Nikki (who was home) to search for the last few bits we needed for the weekend. The trip was a success, and on Thursday evening Tricia finished making a dress for the Satyuday night and so we were ready. Ellie was at Tricia’s parents for the weekend, Robbie was at home on his own, and Nikki was looking after the children next door for the weekend – Alan and Rachel were coming to Corfe with us and they hired Nikki to do some extensive babysitting.

Tricia and I left at about 11:30 on Friday morning, and arrived in Corfe at about 2:45pm, which was good time. We enjoyed a walk around the village, and afternoon tea in a National Trust tea shop. All very pleasant. Our friends arrived at differing intervals thoughout the afternoon and early evening, most of them muttering about the traffic, but all soon settling into the weekend with either a cup of tea, or something stronger.

We had a black tie dinner on the Friday evening. Tricia had had her hair done, and with her 50’s style dress, and evening gloves she looked the part.

It was an enjoyable evening, the food was excellent, we all enjoyed ourselves, whilst nobody went over the top with the drink. Saturday morning after breakfast we were all on the steam train that runs from Corfe to Swanage. We spent a few hours on the coast, or sat on the pier in the lovely sunshine, then had a light lunch befor eplaying baseball…. well till Tricia broke the baseball bat that is. The bat split… so that will be returned to the shop sometime this week. We all returned to Corfe around 4pm, and had afternoon tea on the terrace. It was then that the hairdressers turned up to do the ladies hair for the evening. And so I was evicted from our room by Tricia, and went to the bar with Clive… and started on the gin and tonic.

It was a white tie dinner in the evening, preceeded by a champagne reception. Another lovely evening, excellent food, some singing along to High Society numbers, and a very late night. So, Sunday morning was hard going. We all had breakfast, and found out who had collected the most dollars over the weekend (who wants to be a millionaire) we had photocopied a number of dollars, which the hotel staff hid around the hotel, and over the weekend people collected them. The person with the most won a prize.

It was sad checking out. A lot of hard work had gone into planning the weekend, and it seemed gone in a flash. We drove back with our friends Pat and Clive via  an interesting place called Shaftesbury, which boasts Gold Hil… famous for the cobble hill used in the Hovis advert. Of course the way the Hovis advert is portrayed, you expect to find it in the north, not in the west country. It was also the place that Hardy used as a setting when writing Tess of the D’Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure. So, we spent some time looking around, and then lunching.

We arrived home late afternoon, tired after a full on weekend. Robbie had been playing cricket against Winslow on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately the lost, but he is not deterred and is looking forward to the next game.

Today was a hard day back at work, catching up on e-mail and still feeling tired. Not that it eases up, on Saturday I have to take Robbie down to see Bournemouth university….

Blimey, it poured down. The garden needed a water, but won’t need watering for another month after the weekend. On Saturday I had two old school friends, Carlos and Julian coming across. Tricia was at the local primary school fair… the weather was very poor for them, and meant a lot of people stayed away,

It was good to catch up with Carlos and Julian, we went up to the local pub at lunchtime. I haven’t had a lunchtime drink for years, and after they had gone I eneded up having a sleep ! Just not used to it.

Robbie was due to play cricket for North Marston on Sunday, and we felt sure that the game would be called off. But, the rain stopped about 10am, and there was brilliant sunshine for a few hours, and the game was deemed to be on. Robbie took two wickets and the team won again. He was very pleased with himself. Robbie is not a natural sportsman, and is not generally interested in sport, but he does like his cricket.

Robbies school had an art exhibition during the week, and I went across with him. He has done some cracking work which was on display, and the art staff were highly complimentary of him, his work, and his application to his work. He has been off on ‘study leave’ the last two weeks, but as most of Robbies work is course work, which he had completed well in advance, and he only had one music exam, it has been like an extended holiday for him. He is back into school today, and looking forward to the next part of the art and graphics courses.

It started well enough, up bright and early, I drove to Berkhamsted and got the bike out of the car. The roads were quite clear, and I felt good as I cycled the rest of the journey into work.

The day in the office was ok, no major issues. And so I prepared to come home. All my cycling gear on, onto the bike and away. Just on the outskirts of Watford, I heard this loud bang. Initially I wasn’t sure what it was, but pretty soon realised it was my bike tyre. It had literally blown. I’m not sure what I had hit, but it certainly made a noise. Now, those of you who read this blog will know that on Sunday I had a puncture, and had to fit a new inner tube.

So, the new inner tube had lasted less than a week. Still, I wasn’t too fazed by this. I carry tools, and a spare inner tube. In fact a brand new inner tube. So I sat patiently, removed the old, and put in the new. Only to find I couldn’t pump it up. The pump had worked fine on the Sunday. I was unsure if it was the pump or the valve. So, I walked to a nearby garage where I tried the tyre pump… as it was the same valve size. But no joy. Now I was stuck. I knew Tricia was out coaching, and Nikki was working. So, I started to walk the 10 miles to the car with my bags and the bike.

I went down to the Grand Union Canal, as I felt this was a safer place to walk, and a shorter more direct route. After a while the bags were begining to feel a little uncomfortable, so I moved them round. In doing so the bike slipped and raked the back of my left leg below the knee. So, I now had a 3 inch cut as well. At this point I was feeling somewhat perplexed and dismayed.

I trudged on, and eventually reached Hemel Hempstead, where I knew there was a Halfords. I got in there just before closing at 8pm (I left work at 5pm !). I purchased a new tyre, and another inner tube. I managed to get the bike rideable again, but it would seem that I have a problem with the back wheel, as it wasn’t steady. However, I managed to gently ride to Berkhamsted, and got in the car just after 9pm. I am now home and knackered. I have had a quick bath, and feel sleepy. But I needed to blog my evening and get it out of my system. I didn’t get to vote… perhaps it’s just as well, I don’t trust any off them. Thank God it’s Friday tomorrow.  

In other news…

Tricia had a good evening competing for the Vets. Nikki went to watch and said Tricia was particularly good in the 4 x 100 metres. Tricia won the triple jump, and came second in the 200m. Tmorrow night Nikki is off to her end of year Summer Ball.

Oh yes, and…. The Eightlem News has returned. In a new format, it is being produced as and when the editor feels he has something to say, or put into print. Nice one Dad, it’s nice to see it back.

No, nothing apocalyptic has happened to the bird population. No, the local birds have not developed laryngitis.

Tricia and I sometimes tune in to the radio station called, ‘Birdsong’, which does exactly what it says on the tin. It plays a tape of birdsong, and other country noises over and over again. We actually found it quite relaxing to listen to, and would often listen to it at bedtime. Some times I would wake at 1 in the morning, cursing the bloody wood pigeon, but generally it was relaxing.

But it has now been taken off the air. And replaced by a station called ‘amazing’. Except it isn’t.

Tricia is getting anxious ahead of tomorrow’s vets athletic competition.