On Tuesday evening this last week, an excited Nikki called us from St Moritz, where she was with the Bob squad to tell us she had been selected to push in the world champs. After her performance with Mica McNeill in teh Junior World Champs, I would have been disappointed if she had not been selected… but things are never that straightforward, and with new athletes on the team, it looked like Nikki may have missed out. So, when she was taken aside and told she would be representing her country in a World Champs she was thrilled, as we all were. Tricia or myself would have loved to have been out there, but travel to and staying in St Moritz is expensive, and we only had a few days notice. We watched from various places, internet, tv etc. Nikki got loads of messages of support. They performed ok, coming 20th. Great experience for both Nikki and Mica… Some pics from the tv. The first two at the top of the run before going off. Then another 2, one from the end of one of the runs, and another from the top. Then one of Nikki and Mica after the event, and one of the bob in action.

Nikki was thrilled to be a part of a World Champs…. but had a let down afterwards when she was told she had been deselcted for the trip to Russia next month. We are not sure why. I pick Nikki up from the airport tomorrow, I guess we will find out more then.

Robbie seems to be working hard, and got some high commendations for his work this week. Ellie is at a dance competition today in Southend. Sounds like she has done ok, but not been a winner this time.

It has been a very busy week at work, and combined with being busy with the panto I have barely had five minutes to call my own. Panto rehearsals on Mon and Wed evening during the week, and then 4 hours today… But performance week is here, and whilst that means every evening will be taken up this week, and all of next Saturday…. I do at least know that this time next week it will all be done. 

The snow has gone thank goodness. I don’t dislike the snow, but I hate the disruption it causes. The good news is that it gets a bit warmer for the next week.

On Friday night Tricia and I met up with some friends from the village and went off to see ‘The Ladykillers’ at MK theatre… the stage play based on the old Ealing comedy… it was quite good. Then last night we had one of our village safari suppers.. the theme this time was Pantomime. A good evening it was… A couple of pics of me with Bob, and one of them with Bob’s West Ham gnome… Bob and me share the same delusion (supporting West Ham), and one taken at the main course.

That’s it for now…..

Well the New Year seemed to have carried on where the last one left off for me. I went back to work on the 2nd Jan, went into the gym to blow the cobwebs away, and then went in on the Thursday and the Friday… and then went down with a cold again. It is only in the last few days that I have started to feel that I have got over the cold, and the cough that went with it.  My nose no longer feels like a war zone, and it is not quite so tender…

It’s all quiet in the house. Robbie went back to Northampton on Sunday the 6th Jan, Nikki went out to Germany with the Bobsleigh squad a week later. So, it is just the three of us at home at the moment. Robbie has gained an ‘internship’ with a gaming studio in Northampton… the opportunity came through the Uni. He had an interview when he gopt back and was offered the position…. he doesn’t get paid but gets experience which he can put on his cv, and if he does well he should get a decent reference. He seems happy with how things are going.

Nikki has been less happy. After a good opening half to the season, culminating in the world juniors 3rd place, she had been told she would be on World Cup and World Championship races in the New Year… and then over the Christmas period was told different… it seems a change in selection policy, and being told she isn’t quick enough, and all of a sudden she is on the fringes. On a normal racing track Nikki isn’t as quick as some of the other girls, but on ice with a bobsleigh in front of her she outperforms the other girls, and you would think that is what counted. But apparently not… Anyhow she is being quite professional about the situation. She came 4th in a Europa Cup race on Friday in Konniggssee, and has now moved on to St Moritz for the World Champs… she doesn’t know if she is going to get the opportunity to push one of the bobs though. Then in a couple of weeks she is off to Sochi for the Olympic test event. Seems competition for places on the team in a years time has started to get intense.

Ellie is back into the swing of things. She was selected for a school dancing competition called ‘Rock Challenge’. One of my New Years resolutions was to try and get myself a little less busy… but I seem to have failed. Couple of weeks back I got a call from Winslow players to say one of the men in their panto had dropped out, so could I help out…. so I said yes, and now I am in the midst of learning lines and doing rehearsals. Oh well.

The weather is pants… I don’t like the snow. It makes everything more difficult. It has snowed all day today, so I will probably work from home tomorrow, doesn’t seem to make sense to spend excessive amounts of time in the car that I could use working at home. But I would rather have a normal day where I could go to the gym, work etc etc. Last night Tricia and I went to the village ‘Burns night’. I had to do the ‘Immortal Memory’… it seemed to be received quite well.

Some piccies… first Nikki on TV… this was on sky sports, and nothing to do with bobsleigh, she went to see Wasps play rugby at Wycombe. The game was being televised, and she was filmed talking to a player before hand. Then one of London Bridge at night… I went out for a meal with some colleagues, one who was visiting from India. Then a slightly blurred one of me speaking last night, and one Tricia took in the village today of the snow. And finally, our Christmas tree in the back garden very snow laden, looking like a proper Christmas tree.. and a view from the window this evening.

So yet again, I am late with a blog. As the days towards Christmas came thick and fast it was difficult to keep up with all that had to be done. On top of that Ellie and then Tricia had had nasty cough and colds which had lasted nearly 2 weeks. Nikki and Rob being back at home helped. The tree was put up. In the week before Christmas I was busy not only with work, but school governor meetings. One on the Monday evening, another one on the Tuesday evening… then on the Wednesday evening I was presenting the certificates for last years A Level students, and had to do a small speech as well… then on the Thursday it was the school carol concert. Ellie was doing a reading, and Tricia (still coughing and spluttering) joined me in the congregation. Ellie has been reading at church since she was 4, so although this was a bigger church and there were more people, it didn’t faze her and she read very well. So well in fact that I received a letter in the post last week from the Head Teacher, who congratulated Ellie on her ‘assured and confident’ reading . The Thursday evening of the carol concert I was starting to feel under the weather myself… on Friday I had a nasty sore throat… not what was on my Christmas list.

We were due to go to see my Mum and Dad on the Saturday, and then go onto Claire’s 21st in Thatcham. I decided not to do the trip, I felt rubbish and I didn’t want to pass on my germs. However, the visit to Bracknell was put off after a call to say my dear old Mum had taken a tumble and hurt herself… and she was off to hospital. Tricia, Nikki, Rob and Ellie all went off to Thatcham. I stayed at home, wrapped some presents, and waited on news of Mum… which eventually confirmed she had broken her hip, and would be in hospital over Christmas. I knew this would upset my Mum, the idea of being in hospital and incapacitated would not sit well with her, nor missing Christmas. Just one of those situations that couldn’t be avoided. When Tricia and the crew got back from Thatcham it seemed the cake Tricia had done was well received…

On Sunday morning I felt somewhat brighter. Good. In fact I rather brazenly said to Tricia and Ellie, ‘don’t know what all the fuss is about, I got rid of the cold in 2 days’. These words, would of course come back to haunt me later. The final preps for Christmas were done, and the news from the hospital was that Mums hip op had gone well. In the evening we went out for a meal with Tricia’s Mum and Dad. A couple of pics from the evening. Ellie wearing a moustache from a cracker, and then the three girls.

It was then Christmas Eve. Fortunately, due to plenty of hard work we had arrived at Christmas without too much to do… I was off to work, Tricia was off to to do a gym class, and Nikki Rob and Ellie did some house work. Seems like the right balance . Work was quiet, and I escaped at 1:30pm, and went down to the Royal Berks hospital to visit my Mum. She looked drained, and tired, and not completely with it. Perhaps no surprise really. Then via Tesco’s to get some cabbage, I went home. Parked the car at 5:30, and pretty much straight up to the church for the Christmas Eve carol service. I was doing four readings as Joseph, putting forward his outlook on what happened, I had a mobile microphone on so I was able to step into the church, which was packed to the rafters, and walk about so to speak. I had pretty much learned the first two readings, and knew the others well, so I was able to look out at people rather than keep looking down. It was all very well received. Back home, Tricia made me a cup of tea and fed me, and then I slumped into my chair exhausted.

Tricia, Nikki, Ellie and myself all went up to midnight mass. Back home, Santa came, and then he went to bed…. knackered. Christmas morning the house came alive around 8am…. we had stockings opened first, then after breakfast, the presents under the tree, as we always do. Dinner was late, as the fan in the oven seemed to be going and we discovered the Turkey not cooking quite as quickly as expected. We got there in the end, and had Christmas dinner about 3:30. By the time we had tidied everything away it was then close to 5pm… all that work for one day and it was gone in a flash. We sat and watched a Batman film Robbie had got in his stocking, and then gradually we wll took to our beds around 10pm. The kids seemed happy with their pressies, Ellie had tickets to go and see Olly Murs in March, and a new coat she wanted, Nikki had a portable physio bench, and Rob had a nice new camera, which he has had fun experimenting with. I got Tricia an ice cream maker (its what she asked for!) and a new cycling jacket. Tricia got me some tickets to go and see Caro Emerald in March which I am looking forward to already. One night she will be taking Ellie to the O2 arena for Olly Murs, and then next night she will be at the Royal Albert Hall with me for the Caro Emerald concert. She will be tired ! Here are some piccies of the day. First one was taken by Rob on his new camera, with the timer. Then one of the berakfast table set.

Nikki cutting some ribbons for table decorations and Robbie with his Xmas hat on…

Then all awaiting pressies…..

Then one of Ellie’s gingerbread house, and a particular present Nikki got for Ellie. Ellie was a big fan of the men’s gymnastics team, and Nikki ‘tweets’ with Kristian Thomas who was a member of the team, so she got him to send a signed card, ‘To Ellie etc’ which Nikki framed… for once Ellie was lost for words!

On Boxing Day, Tricia’s Mum and Dad came over, a relaxing day, we played a board game in the afternoon. Then Nikki and I went across to see Mum, who looked a little perkier on account of coming off the painkillers. On the way home we stopped in to see Steve and Justine and drop a 21st card in for Luke. On Thursday morning I woke with the cough that Tricia and Ellie had, arriving a few days after I thought I had got over the cold…. coughing nicely and hawking up some interesting phlegm, it was decided I wouldn’t partake of the days trip to Leicester. We were supposed to be going to Market Harbororough to meet Deb for lunch, then going on to Leicester in the evening to see a production of ‘Hello Dolly’ that Simon has worked on. Tricia, Ellie and Nikki went across, our friend Pat was offered my ticket and went with them. Robbie went across to Tricia’s Mum and Dad for the day…. I sat in a chair for most of it watching a film of the darts.

Just before Christmas the new computer turned up… so I spent some time on getting it configured and set up and getting data copied across. Friday Nikki and Robbie were going to Bath to get all Nikki’s stuff from her house (she had to have it out by Jan 2nd)… they got about a couple of miles down the road, hit one of the several pot holes we seem to have on our roads and ended up with a flat tyre. So they came back and I ended up taking the car into Aylesbury on the spare tyre to get a replacement at Kwik Fit. Which took longer than I wanted… oh well. In the evening Tricia and I went for a curry with some friends from the village. Saturday we all went across to Tricia’s brothers, and spent the day with Dave and Manda. Sunday Nikki and Robbie actually made it down to Bath, then came back in time to quickly unpack the car, before we all went to the cinema to watch ‘The Hobbit’, which was a good film. I am not really into Tolkien works, but of course Robbie is and he thought it was brilliant. I have since downloaded The Hobbit onto my Kindle to read it….

For New Years Eve we went up to our friends Peter and Jane in the village, I did a quiz, and about 22 of us saw in the New Year. Nikki went to a party in the village hall, then onto her friends Jade … arriving home at about 4am! Quiet day today, then back to work tomorrow. Rob goes back to Uni on Sunday, and Nikki back out to Konnigssee sometime next week. I have a number of resolutions for the New Year….. I will see how I go

Mum has made it back home…. pleased for her, that is a good recovery from her op on the 23rd, to going home on the 31st. Still lots of work for her to do, but a big step in the right direction.

So after an epic drive from LaPlagne to Igls, and after having had the sickness bug, Nikki, with driver Mica, achieved a 3rd place in the Jr World Champs.

Here is a little photo blog. The start… Nikki at the back, Mica at the front.

On the way down…

Happy girls at the bottom…

On the podium…

Well done to Nikki and the team….