Weigh in Wednesday - Just about got away with it

Well always knew christmas is a tough time for weight loss and have gained weight. However its only a minimal 1lb gain so I'm actually quite pleased. To be honest expected it to be worse, I have definately eaten and drunk more than I should and was expecting a much bigger gain. The good news is that my weight is still within my targets so back on track this week and I reckon i'm still winning this battle.

Here is the facts :-

Start Weight (9th Nov) - 238lb
Weight last week - 229lb
Weight Today - 230lb
Gain/Loss this week - +1lb
Gain/Loss from start - -8lb
Todays Target - 231lb
+/- Target - -1lb

Been thinking about New Year resolusions and reckon I should blog more so expect much more to read in the new year.

Weigh in Wednesday - Good result but now for the difficult week

A good weeke to report as I've managed to lose another 2lb but as the title say's now for the difficult week. Arguably Christmas is the toughest week of the year to lose weight but I'm optimistic I can cosolidate and stay within my targets. I'm actually 3lb within my target weight at present so that could prove useful.

Here is the facts :-

Start Weight (9th Nov) - 238lb
Weight last week - 231lb
Weight Today - 229lb
Gain/Loss this week - -2lb
Gain/Loss from start - -9lb
Todays Target - 232lb
+/- Target - -3lb

Before I forget I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a fantastic 2011.

Weigh in Wednesday - We'll call it a draw then

No weight loss this week but no gain either, my weigh in reveals I'm exactly the same as last week. To be honest I'm a little dissapointed thought I'd done ok and was expecting a loss but it wasn't to be.

Here is the facts :-

Start Weight (9th Nov) - 238lb
Weight last week - 231lb
Weight Today - 231lb
Gain/Loss this week - 0lb
Gain/Loss from start - -7lb
Todays Target - 233lb
+/- Target - -2lb

I have a bit of news on the dating front, I'll be meeting one of the Ladies I met on holiday, we've chatted quite a bit and have decided to have a weekend together in January (8th/9th) to see how things go. We got on really well in Spain so thought it makes sense to meet, we have a few things in common so I'm looking forward to it. We'll just have to see how it goes and how it works out, I'm just keeping a open mind. Watch this space.

I had a bit of pain this week, had problems with my wrist it really hurt and I couldn't grip anything. Luckily it was my left hand I couldn't use and as I'm a total righty it wasn't that inconvenient. Went to the Doc on Monday and he thinks it may be arthritus and gout and put me on some tablets, must admit its on the mend, much better today.

Weigh in Wednesday - Another week another pound

Got to say I'm quite pleased that I've lost another pound this week, ok not a lot but I actually didn't expect a positive result. Sure my eating as been ok but I ad two pool matches at the Pub Sunday and Monday, had a few beers more than a normal week but looks like I got away with it.
Maybe I've now got my eating about right, one pound a week is what I'm after, just got to maintain it.

Here is the facts :-

Start Weight (9th Nov) - 238lb
Weight last week - 232lb
Weight Today - 231lb
Gain/Loss this week - -1lb
Gain/Loss from start - -7lb
Todays Target - 234lb
+/- Target - -3lb

Also can't let todays date go by without mentioning John Lennon, its 30 years ago to the date he was assasinated by Mark Chapman outside his New York department and his talents were lost forever.
So this is for John -



And of course we can't forget this weeks sporting moments, Fifa and their incredable voting system which will see the World Cups go to Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022. Both decisions are a joke and it certainly looks like a few blank envelopes have found their way into the pockets of the delegates. Everyone knows Russia is corrupt and run by the Mafia and as for Qatar I can't see how a country with a population of less than one million can run it and thats not even considering their June tempretures reach 50c which is far too hot for footie.
Ok I'm biased but Englands bid for 2018 was far superior to Russia and in my opinion I would have said Austrailia had the best bid for 2022.

Whilst talking of the Aussies and the fac a few of my friends on here are from that side of the world it would be totally unfair not to mention the cricket. Yes its the Ashes series, two tests gone and its one nil to our boys, in fact reckon we are giving Rick Ponting and his merry men a bit of a lesson so far.
So Ricky this is for you :-

Weigh in Wednesday - Its all about the white stuff

It certainly is all about the white stuff, snow that is and we are getting more than our fair share. I live in a low lying flat area and we get very little snow, in fact the local saying goes "If we get snow someone else gets it real bad".
Well this week we seem to have got a full winters worth, we are having record low tempretures, half the county is closed down, roads are inpassable so all you can do is sit it out.


Hell its only just got to december, we don't see snow this early.

Well on to the main subject of weight loss and its another pound lost, ok only a pound but I'm pleased although thought it may be more.

Here are the facts :-

Start Weight (9th Nov) - 238lb
Weight last week - 233lb
Weight Today - 232lb
Gain/Loss this week - -1lb
Gain/Loss from start - -6lb
Todays Target - 235lb
+/- Target - -3lb

Anyway its only just over 6 month to summer so here are some songs to cheer us up -

Weigh in Wednesday - For the first time ever

Ok before anyone points it out today is Thursday not Wednesday but I didn't get back from Spain until yesterday evening so thought it pointless weighing until this morning at my normal time of day.
I did expect a increase as that always happens on holiday but for the first time ever I didn't gain weight, didn't lose any either as I'm just the same as I was last week.
Considering we were out socialising every night reckon this is a victory and I'm still in front of my target.

Here are the facts :-

Start Weight (9th Nov) - 238lb
Weight last week - 233lb
Weight Today - 233lb
Gain/Loss this week - 0lb
Gain/Loss from start - -5lb
Todays Target - 236lb
+/- Target - -3lb

As for the holiday I really enjoyed it but it wasn't without incident thats for sure. It was to a real pretty area of Spain and was with a singles group. There was 45 of us although I think you could split them into two age ranges (young uns & old uns). Don't laugh I was with the young uns, yes my social range and about half the party I reckon was between mid forties and late fifties so it was good to sit in the middle of this group. Almost the rest of the group was retirement age and above (upto late 70's), apparently this is common at this time of year as its not too hot, just nice. Not that I'm ageist, quite the opposite I find it easy to communicate with people older and youger.

There was one poor girl in her late twenties on the trip who ended up one of the incidents, on one of our day trips to Nerja she slipped on some steps and broke her ankle. She spent the 2nd half of the holiday in hospital and needed a operation to pin her ankle.

Another incident we lost one of our party for 48 hours on another day trip, think he liked a bit of a drink and decided to go on a bender in Ronda and not come back for the coach. Spent his money on booze and couldn't afford the taxi ride back so ended up spending the night in a hostel rather than our 4 star hotel. Eventually our tour manager got him back involving the police and local bus services.

We also had a trip to the Alhambra Palace which was ok but not great in my opinion although others thought it was marvellous. The trip I enjoyed most was Gibralter, suppose because of its links to the UK and all our history, the barbary apes are really funny could hae watched them all day.

Ok with it been a singles holiday I'm sure you'll need to know if I met anyone nice of the opposite sex. Well I got on really well with one lady whom I found a bit special and we talked about meeting again but nothing cast in stone yet. We've texted a few times since we got back so who knows hat will happen, I'm confident in the least I've made a good friend for life.
To be honest there was a lot of nice people on the trip that I got on well with, swapped emails with a few, its nice to keep in touch.

Not had time to sort my photos out yet but will post when I do some beautiful places. Probably next week as I'm away again at the weekend playing TT for Yorkshire Veterans in the county championships.

Here we go again (week one)

Well here we go again my next weight loss campaign is underway, I've bought some scales and week one as been a resounding success.

Start Weight (9th Nov) - 238lb
Weight Today - 233lb
Gain/Loss this week - -5lb
Gain/Loss from start - -5lb
Todays Target - 237lb
+/- Target - -4lb

A big loss know but probably more due to been over heavy last week following my Blackpool weekend.
So its off to Spain for a week now so don't expect a loss to report next week although I'm hoping to exercise a bit so who knows. Next weigh in will be on my return (Wed 24th) then I'll keep it every Wednesday.

Eventually I'd like to get under 200lb and reckon I should aim at a pound per week average. If I can achieve my target at that rate it would be 3rd August when I get there.

Strange Song Choice

Have you ever been doing somethingon your own and started to hum, whistle or sing a song to yourself without any reason. Ok nothing unusual many of you will say and I'd agree its something I've done in the past as I'm sure many of you have.
However in my previous experience its normally something we've heard recently or a song from our all time favorite lists. This last week its different, I found myself on more than one occasion humming and singing two songs from "Simon and Garfunkel" Bridge over troubled Water album.
Ok I don't dislike S & G but I'm also not their biggest fan either, I do have the album bought it in the 70's on vinyl(if anyone can remenber vinyl records)and it is quite good. Strangely though I reckon I haven't played it or heard the songs concerned for 25 to 30 years yet I could recite all the words.

For the record the two songs concerned were :-
Baby Driver


Keep the Customer Satisfied


Now if somebody had asked me to sing a S & G song I would have gone for my favorite of theirs "The Boxer" which is on the same album.

The truth is revealed (ouch)

Just been reading back on my blog posts and the last time I actually weighed myself (before my scales packed up) was over two and half years ago. I didn't realise it was that long but in my last weight in the scales said 208lb but I also estimated the scales were 10lb out so called it 218lb.

Anyway to get to the point I've now nowhere to hide I've bought some new scales and weighed in this morning at a horrible 238lb (20lb increase, ouch), was quite shocked as was estimating 14lb less than that judging by how my clothes feel. I could make the excuse that maybe the old scales were further out than I thought but in truth whatever I'm too heavy.

To be fair I've had a heavy food and drink weekend which wont have helped, been in Blackpool playing TT in the Veterans National league and although the exercise was good the weekend is also social gathering and involved a couple of late nights, drinking, 3 course meals, big breakfasts, etc.
For the record our team did well winning 4 matches and losin one, we are 2nd in our section which is great (only one point behind the leaders). Personaly I did good winning 9 out of my 10 matches to lead the averages and it included a couple of wins over players ranked higher which was pleasing.

http://www.etta.co.uk/BritishLeague/VNL/2010-11/VNL110dall.htm

Back to the weight loss plan and I intend to weigh once per week on wednesdays and post on here to keep a record, thinking about setting targets which I'll decide after my Spain trip. Only difference is it'll be Tuesday this and next week then to wednesday on my return (24th Nov).

So here goes (again)

Does weight loss need to be painful ?

As all know I've been trying to shed a few pounds before my next vacation but it isn't happening without a few problems. First I'm quite pleased that I seem to be losing weight, certain items of clothing are starting to fit.

One health problem I'm prone to is gout, for those who get attacks they'll understand how painful it can be. Its problems with the blood having too much Uric acid whic causes a build up of crystals in your joints which then become inflamed. Since I started this weight loss attempt I've had attacks in one knee, both ankles and on wrist which in turn limits my physical exercise, plus I'm not keen on taking pills but am having to use a lot of anti-inflammetry pills and pain killers.

I'm thinking maybe I've cut back on the food intake too much and have lost weight too quickly. The things that cause gout attacks are :-
Eating certain foods (I have a list I avoid so this isn't the cause)
Eating too much (not in this case)
Dehyrdration (don't think this is the case)
Fasting, too low food intake or not eating regular (got to be the cause)

So how much should I eat ?

This is basically what I've been eating :-
Breakfast - (240cal total)
2*weetabix (130cal)
1/2 pint orange juice (90)
portion blueberries (20)

Lunch - (approx 300cal)
tin of Soup (140 to 220)
2*wholemeal bread (100)
or
Weight watchers meal (hotpots, spag bol, etc) (220 - 300)

Dinner (main meal) - (600 - 800)
Salad twice per week (approx 550 -600)
or
Meat, potatoes & 3 veg 3 times per week (approx 700)
or
Oven Fish & chips with baked beans & bread once per week (est 750)
or
Baccon, sausage, spagettii, tomato, jacket potato once per week (750-800)

I also have coffee without sugar in the afternoon and a sugar free dilute lemon drink in the evening so say another 50cal max, all other drinks are water.

So totaling that up my current normal day intake as been between 1200 and 1400 calories.

Now I'm not pretending to be some sort of angel, for a start Monday I play in the Pool league for the local pub so I have a few beers, I put that down as my treat night and occasionally I succumb at night and grap a little snack although in the main I've stuck to this eating regime for 3 weeks now.

With the gout problem I've made the decision I'm not eating enough so I'm adjusting slightly, for breakfast I'm going to have a extra weetabix (3 total) another 60cal and also gonna eat two pieces of fruit per day when feeling hungry (approx 100-150cal). That should add around 200 cal to my daily intake and eliminate long periods without food.

Hofully this will still result in losing weight (albeit at a slower rate) but without the pain rom gout attacks. The other positive will be the ability to exercise more so that should help aswell.

The bottom line is its a balance to me, I know that.

On another note reckon after my vacation I'll buy a new scale then I can monitor my weight properly and ot just rely on which clothes fit.

Mission Accomplished

I'm sat here quite happy with myself because I've just found that I've made one of my goals. A few few months ago those that read my blog will remember I said I was setting myself targets at TT at National level to get in the top 100 in the Veterans (over 40's) and the top 30 in the over 50's.
At the time I was ranked 149 at Veterans and didn't have a over 50 ranking. Still haven't got a over 50 ranking but hoping to be on the next list. However my joy is based on my Veterans position which now stands at No90, well inside my target.
I'm a realist and think it will be hard to stay this high at present because I'm more likely to lose to people below me than beat those above me so I'm opting out of the next couple of tournaments. I am actually playing in the veterans National League next week and may have some county matches oming up which are all ranking competitions so I'll see how they go.
I know to improve further I need to get my fitness level and get much faster around the court, reckon if I can push the weight loss it'll help significantly.

Talking of weight loss I mentioned in my last post I'm trying to lose a few pounds before my next holiday (3 weeks to go now). Well I think its going great I've stuck with my eating plan (ok had a small piece of chocolate sunday that I shouldn't) and I'm sure its working. I did go out to Pool last night and had a few beers but thats allowed as my reward night. Not sure how much I've lost as my scales are broken but tried my Black Jeans on last night and although tightish I could get away with wearing them. Last time I tried them they were far too tight to wear in fact quite painful, hoping they'll be comfort fit by my holiday, thats the aim anyway.
My normal jeans I'm wearing are sarting to feel slack which is another good indiation.
I know my holiday will possibly destroy all this hard work but I'll kick back into my plan on my return.

Did I mention I'm not ageing, lol.
Seriously I had to change my driving licence cos its 10 years old so had my photo taken. When I compared my old photo with the new one they were identical, I asked a few people to say which is the oldest and they couldn't tell.
Of course I'll tell you I'm staying young but I'm sure others will tell you I was a old git 10 years ago.

On a sad note I'm off to North Wales on Friday to a funeral, my cousins husband died of cancer he was just in his 60's, real nice bloke aswell.

Budapest

Here are a selection of photos from my Budapest adventure :-

If interested you can see all the photos from my trip here :-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8308363@N02/sets/72157625217091040/detail/

4 weeks and counting

Four weeks today and I'll be on my way to Andulucia in Spain for my next holiday. This time its a organised trip its actually a singles holiday and if its half as good as my summer trip to Americas Golden West with the same company it'll be great.

Maybe I'll meet a nice lady who knows, thought I had on the America trip but things didn't quite work out, right person wrong time but thats life I suppose. Apparently this trip is fully booked (45 of us I believe) and the ratio of ladies to men is 5 to 1 so could be interesting.

Whatever I hoping for some winter sun although I'm not one for sitting by a pool or on a beach reckon there will be some chill out time in that situation. Thats why I reckon I should make a 4 week effort to shed a few pounds beore I go, gotta look my best, lol.
Ok not gonna produce miracles but a little improvement wont go a miss, so from today its healthy eating and exercise for the next 4 weeks.

At the end of the day thats the real secret of weight loss and we are all responsible to ourselves.

The plan is to cut out any snacks, biscuits and sweets I occasionally indulge in and also spend more time active on my feet, I've drawn up a list of jobs need doing around the house and in the garden hich should cut back "sat on backside" time.

Two TV programmes this week highlighted the two areas concerned (diet and exercise), the first news item was about the overweight Orangutan that somebody had kept as a pet. Apparently they fed it on sweets and biscuits and its twice the weight it should be and suffering the related health issues. Its been brought to this country and put on a strict diet (mainly fruit) and is improving.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_9100000/newsid_9102500/9102553.stm

The 2nd a documentry was about the 45 stone virgin, apparently a 31 year old was weighing that much and a fitness coach read about his situation and decided to help. So with the help of a strict exercise regime he avoided surgery and silly diets to shed his weight.
http://tv.sky.com/45-stone-virgin-review

Makes you think what can be achieved.

So can't sit here on this computor, gotta get moving but I will update on what I'm doing.

The Good and bad of Budapest.

Well I'm back from my trip to Budapest so I've a bit to write (well the bits I can remember anyway).

On the day of my flight I drove down to Luton Airport and was pleased I didn't encounter too many problems especially considering it was through the morning rush hour. Anyway I actually arrived before check in opened so got a breakfast.
Eventually its on to the flight, I was travelling with budget airline "Easy Jet" and its a bit of a cattle stampede to get the best seat, I ended up in the middle of 3 and trust me they don't do them in adult sizes.

On arrival I wasn't sure the best way to get to my hotel, sort of wanted to use local transport but in a strange country that speaks a different language I thought best to get a taxi. When I arrived at my hotel it was just a entrance with a canopy over the door in dark quiet street, I tried the door it was locked so I rang the bell and it was automatically unlocked from someone watching me on camera. I was actually shocked when I opened door to enter a passage, it was scruffy, dirty and gave me the impression of some homeless hostel.
The sign sent me to the left to a lift and staircase where the sign told me the reception was on the 1st floor so up I went. Was pleased on arrival to find the 1st floor just the opposite of the entrance, nice, clean, tidy, just what I expected from some reviews I'd read. In fact the hotel only operated from this level up, much to my relief and was a nice place. The staff I must say were very good made you feel welcome and all spoke perfect English.
The breakfast was also nice well presented and tasty.
My only real complaint about the hotel is that the so called double glazing didn't keep street noise out and it was difficult getting my beauty sleep, especially as road works were been done outside very close to the hotel.

So my opinion of Budapest, well it could be a beautiful city it as great architecture but is somewhat spoilt by the graffite everywhere giving it a rough/dirty feel. In fact my hotel experience was mirrored everywhere the outside of many buildings gave a totally different impression of what was inside, that included many bars, restaurants and cafes. Of course the real touristy spots where kept tidy outside but to find the better places you needed to explore some of the dark and dingy streets and alleys. Found some fantastic places with just a entrance or down in some cellar, real friendly people as well.
The streets I'm describing looked so rough if it had been in a English City I wouldn't have ventured down but Budapest is a very friendly place, it is safe in my opinion.

Ok as always I had one iffy incident, one night I'd been out for a meal and a few beers and decided to stop in a Pool room to see iff the locals wanted a few lessons (lol). I'd been there awhile when a couple befriended me, they were from Brazil and Sweden and we just got chatting.
Anyway I went to the toilet came back and finished my beer and said goodbye. Well luckily I left, my hotel was only a couple of minutes away and I must have feel asleep straight away, just flaked out. I awoke about 3 hours laters with a splitting headache and am convinced they had spiked my drink, ok maybe I'd just had one too many but I seriously don't think I had, it wasn't a normal feeling you get with too much booze. I flushed myself out with water and was ok by morning.

Don't know where to start on Hungarian Food, actually enjoyed it although most of the time I hadn't a clue what I was ordering, in fact on 3 occasions I'm sure I ended up with something different to my order reckon some of the chefs just wanted to give everyone their daily specials. Food and drink was cheap so I ended up with a load of forints left which I exchanged to Euros for my upcoming Spanish holiday next month.

I loved public transport, subway, trams, buses all interlinked and I got a 7 day pass for around £15 which was superb value. They were really regular never waited more than 5 minutes. Strangely you could get on and not get your tickets checking which initially made me wonder if many people didn't pay. However soon found the answer, every so often ticket checkers (I called them the Gestapo) invaded a tram, anyone without a ticket paid a on the spot fine and if they couldn't where marched off to nearest cash point. Think most people paid.

As I said earlier there are some fantastic buildings, the Parliment and the castle are as good as you see anywhere. Of course the City straddles one of the worlds great rivers "The Danube" with a number of bridge crossings.

On my first morning I climbed the Gellert Hill that gives the best views, its the highest point and believe me going up tests your lungs, as for coming down it sorted my knees out.

Other things I visited was Heroes Square, which is there equivellant of Trafalgar square, also Margarit Island which is a big park in the middle of the river.

Also went to the "House of Terror" which is in the building that both the Nazi and Communist secret police used while occupying the city, told the stories of the torture and murder that went on during those regimes.

Must also mention I took the pilgimage to the "Peoples Stadium" (Ferec Puskas Stadium as its now known), why you may ask. Well thats simple in 1968 Leeds United won their first European Trophy (Inter Cities Fairs Cup) on this ground against local side Ferenchvaros. Its not had much modernisation since and is a bit scruffy by todays standards but to a Leeds fan a place where history took place.
Ok I've gone and bought myself a Ferenchvaros footie shirt as a souvener, just had to do it, got bloody XL though and its still tight, obviously don't make Hungarians in the same sizes as us Brits. So reckon thats my new motivation to lose weight.

I'll post some photos soon.

Sad Bastards

Just been reading about the imminent terrorist threat and the fact Al Queda are supposedly planning Mumbai style attacks to tourist sites around europe to try and kill as many civillians as possible.

Of course I'm concerned because I'm on my travels on Wednesday to Budapest and sure I'll be visiting touristy areas. I know the chances of getting caught up in something is slim but thats by the way these sad bastards are just sick and want exterminating when caught.

How on earth can anyone in the name of religion come up with these plans is unbelievable just makes you wonder what kind of world we live in.

Of course I like many people will not change my travel plans because we can't let the extremists win.

Writers Block

I want to write a blog post.

But seriously I can't think of what to say, sure I could tell you about my sporting activities, my upcomng holidays, my weight loss attempts, etc. However thats what I usually write about, I want to do something different but my imagination as gone awol.

Oldies can still beat the young uns

Was quite pleased with myself on Friday when I managed to win the York league pre season TT tournament. Its a individual handicap competition where you play in qualifying groups with the event accumalating in a finals night on Friday.

Got through my qualifying event on tuesday with no problem and turned up on the friday unsure who I'd be facing in the finals. Wasn't particurlary what I was hoping for as the other 3 finalists were a player out of the bottom division and two of the areas best up and coming juniors. As a decent top division player I knew I'd be giving big starts especially against the player from the bottom league and juniors that are improving are hard to handicap.

Matches in this event are up to 42 however division one players are given negative handicaps so you have to play up to a higher score, I was off minus 14 so my games would be played upto 56 (a long way).

Anyway first up I had the stronger of the two juniors and he was handicapped at "+14" which meant I had to beat him 56-27 or better for a win. Well the commitee had got it right I cant argue because the score was 56-28, take my -14 off add his +14 and we actually drew 42-42 for half a point each.

My 2nd match was off the bootom division player and he was off a massive "+35" handicap, hell he only needed 8 points to beat me. I knew I was obviously a much better player and would win the long rallies but couldn't afford any mistakes so just concentrated on returning everything, luckily he was unable to hit winning shots which helped my tactics. I got a great start not dropping a point in the first half changing ends 28-0 up eventually going on to win 56-3 (42-38 after handiaps).

So my final group match was against the No2 junior player, he had a handicap of "+20" so I needed a 56-21 win, managed to do the job 56-16 to take the honours 42-36. So two wins and a draw and I was thinking I'd won as none of the others could atch it but apparenty the top two play off a final. The player coming 2nd was the top junior who I had drawn with earlier.

But you can't have a draw in the final so before we started we tossed for a extra half point, I lost the toss which meant if I won 56-28 this time he would take the title, I needed to keep him to 27 or under.

To be honest it turned out easier than expected, I was playing well by this time and cruised to a 56-17 victory to give me the title 42-31. Its the third time I've won this event but the last time was 15 years ago. I'm pleased because I'm only the 2nd player ever to win on 3 seperate occasions and the last one was backs in the 1930's (no I wasn't playing then lol).

No more Mr Nice Guy

We I reckon I'm not one for falling out with neighbours but I'm afraid its going to happen with one of them. Basically the back end of his garden borders the side of mine and his fence and hedge is a disgrace.

First the fence is rotten and falling to bits, he tried to claim it was mine but research proved it was put up by previous occupeants of his home and is on his part of the land, been reasonable I offered to go halfs a few months ago but he appears to be not going to do anything.

Also his hedge is a tangled web of privet, wild roses and various other giant growths, its over 3 metres high and the law states 2 metres is the maximum it should be. I asked him about it 3 months ago and he promised to cut it back, I'm still waiting for him to take some action.

Of course he isn't bothered because its virtually out of site from his house but its first thing I see when I look out my window, it also blocks light.

Anway I've started to take the bull by the horns, chopping some of it down, not bothered how it looks from his side or if his fence accidently gets damaged, he wont be happy but what the hell.



Anyway rant over, so what else is hapening, for one starting to think about my trip to Budapest as its less than 4 weeks now, sort of planning what I want to see and do when I'm over there.

As for eating, its a little negative as I've been feeling hungry a lot so probably more as passed my lips than planned. To counter that exercise as been good so I don't think I've done any damage.

Got British League TT at Accrington this weekend, sort of looking forward to it but been feeling a sore achilles heel so hoping it holds up to the matches.

Tonight I'm out for a Chinese meal with a few ex workmates, haven't seen some of them for ages so looking forward to it, off in the car so wont be drinking, will be leaving early because of tomorrows TT.

Pool league starts again on Monday night was down practising last week when one of the 2nd team lads challenged me while we were chatting to a game of Chess, hell haven't played for ages and actually enjoy it so took up the challenge andmnaged to beat him.

Got my official golf handicap "16" which will be tough to play to but it'll make me work, having an away day on Wednesday with a couple of friends to a diferent course.

Thats about it folks.

A Free Weekend

Well this weekend I'm now free, had entered the North/East Yorkshire TT championships at Scarborough but just heard they have decided to cancel. This really narks me because I entered to support the local event because I could have entered the Northern masters at Sunderland which is a ranking event. Of course they have let me know too late to enter the other event.

Well at least I'll be in competition the following weekend, playing for my Club in the British League at Accrington, its gonna be tough as we haven't the strongest of teams due to players leaving through work commitments. I've moved a place so will play harder games than last season but will be doing my best. I'm looking forward to it though because I reckon I'm playing well in training, feeling really sharp at present.

So what do you do with a free weekend, reckon it'll be some gardening nd I've some outside painting needs doing so weather permitting maybe knock that off the list. Probably get a round of golf in Saturday also.
Talking Golf I played last Monday and when I arrived at the Club went into the boot of the car to get my golf shoes and they weren't there. Well it had been nine days since my previous round so I thought them lost, however it appears I'd left them and they were still in the locker room, how lucky is that.

The Sky is Crying

20 years ago today the guitarist I believe was the best to ever walk this earth was sadly killed in a helicopter crash following a concert at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin.
The man I'm talking about is Stevie Ray Vaughan and today the Sky is crying to his memory.



SRV is respected by many of the worlds top guitarists alive today, here are a few of them including Eric Clapton, BB King, Buddy Guy, Bonnie Rait, Robert Cray, Jimmy Vaughan, etc playing a tribute "SRV Shuffle"




Clapton, Guy, Cray and his brother Jimmy were the last to play with him on that fateful night 20 years ago. My favorite Stevie song is probably "Change It".

A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of visiting the SRV statue that as ben erected in his honour in Austin Texas.

How about a bit of Accoustic here is Stevie playing a 12 string accoustic guitar

Of course one thing I regret was seeing Stevie in concert but here is the next best thing (in two parts).



Stevie Ray Vaughan RIP

A new adventure & phone

My adventures are about to continue, I'm going to get back on track with my ambition to see all the worlds great cities. October I'm going to add Budapest to my list, booked a flight and hotel for 6 nights got a good hotel deal so am quite happy.
Apparently it is actually two cities seperated by the river Danube, I'm staying at the Pest side which seems to be where all the main shopping, restaurants, etc is. Buda across the water is quite hilly and as the castle among its historic sites. My hotel looks nice and in a good location, its called inn-side Kalvin house.
http://www.kalvinhouse.hu/house_eng.htm

I'm flying with easyjet from Luton on 6th October, its gonna be a adventure because I can't speak Hungarian so they better speak good english, lol. One thing for sure I'll feel rich when I get my money with the rate been over 300HUF to the £.

On another note I've treated myself to a new mobile phone, my old one was certainly showing its age.

One Year

For me today is a sad anniversary, its exactly one year since Jane passed away, I imagine its something I'll never fully get over but at the same time I know I've to keep looking forward.

Just felt I should share my sadness with my blog friends, must admit many of your words were greatly appreciated at the time.

Thinking back its strange how actual friends in real life shy away from talking to you when sad events happen, I'm sure I've been guilty of the same error of judgement myself in the past but now I have learned people who have lost someone close actually need to talk about it, well thats how I was anyway.

This morning I actually spoke to Janes Mum on the phone, we had a good chat, seemed the right thing to do.

A Big Jump

A few months ago I mentioned I had set myself targets with regards to national rankings with my TT. At the time I was rated No149 in the Veterans and stated my aim was to get into the top 100, thought it would be tough but its no good setting easy targets.

The following two ranking lists I moved up slightly, first to 146 and then to 144 so was sort of pleased. Well the new list as been issued and I'm delighted to say I'm up again and this time its a big jump, I've moved up 39 places to No105, just 5 short of my target.

Reckon this is due to my good performance at Hinkley in July where I managed to beat 5 players ranked above me. One word of caution is I'm certain to move down on the next list due to the fact the new season is starting and there will be bound to be some new players coming into the veteran ranks (over 40's). Also I'm not playing the first major ranking tournament of the season in september because I'm defending my over 50's title in the North/east yorkshire championships the same weekend. I have however entered the 2nd major ranking event at Wolverhampton at the start of October.

Still not got an initial ranking in the over 50's due to lack of events, this should change after Wolverhampton, I'm aiming for top 30 in this age group.

My IQ is 125 (or is it better) - thanks Sandii

Just reading the posts of my blog friends and Sandii had posted about IQ tests and posted a link to a free test site.

To be honest I've never done one before but what the hell I thought I'll give it a bash.

Well as you can see I scored 125, don't know if that is good. I will add I don't know how they calculate it but if they use time it takes you to complete in the equation reckon I should be better because I got a phone call in the middle of the test.


Free-IQTest.net - IQ Test

Of course you can all now have a go yourselves using the link.

Far Far Away - ok i want to travel

As most of you know I love travel its one of my passions along with Sport and music but its a while since I travelled totally solo and I need to build up confidence to do it again. Sure I went on a Singles holiday recently but that was different that was travelling with other singles and fun in its own right, I've actually another one booked to Spain in November.

So where should I go, I'm not a beach bum would rather visit a interesting city with plenty to see and do and if you can add some decent nightlife even better.

Think if I do go anywhere it will probably be in September for a long weekend somewhere in Europe. Not that I only want to see Europe I want to eventually visit every continent while I'm on this earth, there are cities I want to see and some holidays I want to do, reckon I'll start a list but if anyone as good ideas I'll maybe add them.

So here are a few of the european cities I want to visit that I've not yet been to :-
Berlin, Barcelona, Budapest, Vienna, Rome, Florence, Lisbon, Brussels, Rekyavik, Moscow, Madrid.

Have done Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Luxemburg, Hamburg, Valletta to mention a few.

Should I stay or should I go ?

For the last week or so I've had a sore ankle that hurts when I put my heel down, the good news is its improved significantly over the last couple of days. Obviously I've rested it best I can but now I've a decision to make, I'm entered in a TT tournament at Halifax over the weekend and its a case of Should I stay or should I go (just like the No1 hit by The Clash) -


I want to go I'll be honest but my head is telling me nno. If I'd been deciding two days ago I reckon it would be a definate No but yesterday was a big improvement and I thought it was more 50-50, today its even better 80-20 in favour of playing. Thing is even if I do play I could withdraw if it gets worse just got to be sensible, sometimes thats harder than it seems, lol.


On another note the Footie season starts tomoz and I'm really looking forward to it, my team Leeds United got promotion to the Championship and start with a home match against Derby County, its gonna be a tough season but we've a good young team and I reckon we are in with a shout of back to back promotions, even though the odds are against it.
Tomorrows match is on the TV at 5.15pm so must make sure I'm near a box for that, interesting fact is we have not lost our opening match of the season for 21 years, better than any other Club in England, so it'll be good to keep that going.

Happy Yorkshire Day to all my friends

Alex Hurricane Higgins RIP

Today the man that was probably the most influential in making Snooker the popular sport it is today sadly lost his fight with throat cancer.

Yeh sure he liked a drink, a smoke, was a rebel, hated athority but a genius that the masses loved.

The Peoples Champion

RIP Alex

Why Not

Following my recent vacation my luggage was startingto look a bit past its best (plus the wheels are sticking). So yesterday I bought a new trolley case and was just thinking to myself "Why not book another holiday".

So guess what I just did, ok its not while November and its to sunny Spain. Its actually to the Costa del sol staying somewhere near Malaga. And yes its another singles holiday with the same company I've just been to "Americas Golden West" with. This holiday is called "Treasures of Andulucia", looks really good is one of there more popular, in fact the date I chose was the only one remaining this year that wasn't fully booked but the chap on the phone told me there was only 4 places left.

Well we all need some winter sunshine don't we.

Up a little again

As I mentioned a short time ago I've set myself some targets with my TT national rankings this season, my aim is to get in the top 100 in the over 40's and top 30 in the over 50's. Last time I reported I'd moved up very slightly to No146 (in the 40's) and I'm pleased to report another slight improvement as I'm now ranked 144, not a lot but the right direction. As for the 50's I'm still waiting for a initial ranking due to lack of events played.

However I played in a 40's ratings tournament at Hinckley on Saturday and can report a very good day. A ratings tournament is where you play a large group of 8 different players who are ranked close to you, so all the games are tough. The draw looked difficult because I was in section 3 and was rated to come 7th out of the 8 players in my group. Despite not training due to my holiday I was delighted to find some good form winnin 6 of my 7 matches and actually winning my section, could have made it a clean sheet as the match I lost was at deuce in the deciding set, I had a match point at one stage.

But the fact 5 of the players I beat were ranked above me (No's 106, 122, 127, 142 & 143) will gain me a lot of points so I'm expecting to jump 20 places+ on the next ranking list, a good days work I think.


On the subject of my last post about getting a date I've actually taken the plunge and asked one of my long time online friends for a meet up (as friends), she said yes . She seems nice and I'm looking forward to it, we've got on well online for sometime and given different circumstances I'm sure we would have met before now.
We live a distance apart (about 100 miles) but are going to meet half way for a day out together, not finalised actually when but it will be in the next 2 or 3 weeks I expect. Of course I've no pre-conceived ideas how it will turn out but at the least I should make a good friend.
Watch this space.

Its time to move on

As those of you who read my blog know its one year since the love of my life Jane was taken seriously ill eventually passing away in mid August. Well since then my life as been in a bit of a rut just doing routine things and one thing I hadn't done was look at another woman, didn't feel the right thing to do.
Before I actually met Jane I had actually settled into the "singles" lifestyle but all that changed when we hooked up, I loved our time together and loved her so much.

Well I think my holiday is going to help me move forward, I spent a lot of time with one lady in particular we got on really well and talked about the possibility of meeting up again in the future. It was difficult because we were generally in a group situation and some people (one in particular) seemed to resent us spending time together.

For the record the lady concerned as contacted me and doesnt think its a good idea to meet at present because she isn't convinced I'm yet fully over Jane and doesn't want to be a substitute. I can understand what she said, it may be right although I'm convinced my feelings for her were genuine because I've never looked for a replacement and found her special in her own right. However I've got to respect her decision and move on, that is all I can do. Of course I'm dissapointed because I would have liked this lady in my life she made me feel good and I definately had strong feelings for her but I'm pleased she as been honest so I can say goodbye and move forward but still be friends.


Anyway onto the point of the post, this lady has made me realise I need to move on, I enjoy having female company again whether having meal, drink or just chatting. Funny thing is when I held Janes hand in hospital she told me I must move on but until now I've not been interested, just bottled things up.

So if the opportunity strikes for a date (and I'll be looking) I 'll be taking up the offer. Ok I'm not going to rush into anything but the odd dinner date to see if someone is compatable is probably the way forward, worst that can happen is make some goo friends. Not quite sure where a 52 year old looks, lol, but I don't fancy dating sites, maybe another singles holiday is a good idea (never know who you meet). There are a couple of my lady friends on MySpace that I seem to get on with and would love to meet, should have sorted somethingbefore now though. I'm thinking of making the effort to ask them out even if it means bit of travel for me but life is too short not to follow your instincts.

Saying all this I will never forget Jane she was important to me I'm a very loyal sort of person, but I believe I need to find somone else I can love for the person they are.

Gentlemen prefer Blondes

Well I'm back from my tour of "Americas Golden West" and must admit it was a fantastic holiday. I'm totally shattered they kept us going all the time, late nights, early mornings plus a lot of travel have taken their toll. Also the weight loss targets have suffered a fair bit of damage with the amount of food and drink that found the way past my lips.

As those of you who are regular readers of my blog know it was a "Singles" holiday" and I was a little apprehensive about going. Shouldn't have worried made some fantastic friends on this trip. There was 18 of us on the tour 7 men and 11 ladies with ages ranging from 27 to 77 a real mixed bag of charactors.

Two ladies in particular stand out, spent a fair amount of time with them they were my type of people, I call them my Guardian Angels. Before you ask thats not either of them in the photo, thats someone called Marilyn Monroe who insisted on having her photo taken with me when some of us went to the Rat Pack show in Vegas.

Ok I'll admit it I found one of my friends a little bit special, in fact she knocked me off my feet. We've exchanged email addresses and I'm sort of hoping we meet again but only time will tell, we did discuss it but nothing definate.

Anyway no time to write much more as I'm off golfing shortly (need the exercise) but you are interested you can acess my photos here :-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8308363@N02/sets/72157624338244517/detail/

Its the Germans again

Surprisingly I've not posted about the World Cup yet and we are aready through the group stage. England have got through but made hard work of it, two poor performances resulting in draws with USA & Algeria were followed by a win over Slovenia. The last match was much better but there is still room for improvement for the knockout stage.

We've drawn the old enemy Germany (please not penalties again) and it'll take place on Sunday at 3pm. Of course thats the day I'm going on holiday, off by train to London staying over and flying from Heathrow on Monday. Well my train gets into London Kings Cross 5 minutes by kick off so it'll be straight in the nearest Pub to watch, reckon the luggage is gonna be a pain.

A bit of a sporting theme today as Wimbledon as started and I'm disgusted that there isn't one Englishman in the first round (usually can't say that while the 2nd round). To have no player from the host country just shows the state of English tennis, its a joke we are run by useless coaches that charge too much that talented kids can't afford to play. So what happens i the snobby clubs is they end up coaching little old ladies, and talentless rich kids with no hunger to succeed because they'll pay the money.

While talking tennis reckon they'll be a rule change on the way following whats happend in the John Inser versus Nicholas Mensah match. They have thown the schedule into chaos playing the longest match in history, now been on court over 10 hours and not yet finished. Today will be their third day after they came off for bad light last night with the score locked at 2 sets apiece and level on games in the decider 59 games each. Yes you read it right 59-59 and Inser has served around 100 aces beating the old record of 51, his French opponent has served over 70. Will they ever finish, lol.
I've a feeling there will be tie breaks in the 5th set next year.

Quick Update

1. Taking my car in for its MOT on monday, hope nothing is wrong, can do without a big bill.

2. Less than two weeks to my holiday, just changed some money, the exchange rate is crap.

3. Played my first round of Golf for over a year, was pleased to shoot 91 was expecting over 100. My friends didn't believe I hadn't been playing.

4. Lost in the last 8 of the local Pool championships (always next year).

5. Cleared some of my wardrobe, filled a charity bag with stuff I didn't want, still more wants sorting though.

6. Almost got the garden sorted, just need to stop the weeds coming back, lol.

7. England will win the World Cup.

The Special Relationship hits the rocks

Its often said that there is a special relationship between Britain and the US, don't ask me why. Maybe its because we share a common language, similar relious beliefs, similar values, etc but I certainly feel more in common with Americans than our so called European cousins.

However this week it looks like this special relationship as taken a bit of a battering. I'm not talking about the World Cup match,in fact well done the US for holding us to a draw (even if our goalie gift wrapped it for you).

What I am talking about is the stupid speech made by your president about the Gulf oil spill and the way he slated the actions of BP. In fact he couldn't even get their name right calling them British Petroleum, they've not been known that for over 10 years. The company is now a multi-national operation but his speech inferred it was a British problem.
Nobody is saying the Oil spill isn't a major catastophe for the environment but it is everbodys problem, in fact I would say its more of an American problem than a British one as the Oil wells in the Gulf area are there to feed Americas love of having the highest carbon footprint of any country in the world.
Mr Obama is just trying to deflect blame so he and his administration look squeeky clean, thats what he is good at but this time I feel he as opened his mouth without putting his brain into gear.
In defence of BP they have said they will pay for much of the clean up operation which will run into millions so Obamas words weren't even needed. His speech could cause everlasting damage to BP and you must remember this is a company that employs thousands of people (including many americans) and also many pension funds rely on this company doing well, saying things that could push them towards bankruptcy would help none of us. All our governments should in fact be helping them.

In fact its arguable that the Oil spill will turn out to be the fault of BP in the first place, it appears the fault was with a failsafe valve built and fitted by an American company from Houston. This was a specialist company using American engineers working to American safety rules (which arn't as stringent as UK rules).

So my message to Mr Obama is when opening your mouth think first because you've got the backs up of a country who as always been the first to support your country in many different ways including the war on terrorism, global credit crunch, etc.

Bragging rights

Last night I was at the local Table Tennis League presentation evening and this season I reckon I've got major bragging rights. So I'm gonna be a bit big headed and tell you I achieved something thats never been achieved in our league and won everything I played in. Ok its only a small league with two divisions, 16 teams and about 60 players but still reckon I've done good.
For the record my results :-
Team - League one champions
Division one individual averages - won with 98% record
other events won - Mens Singles, Veterans singles, Mens doubles, Handicap Singles, Handicap Doubles.

Here is a photo I took this morning of the trophys I picked up :-

On another note I've just joined the local Golf Club and I'm going for my first match down there Saturday afternoon. Apparently I've to play 3 times and hand the scorecards in to get a handicap. Have virtually not played at all for the last couple of years so will struggle I think. However once I get a handicap I'll be trying to get it lower but it'll be a good way to monitor any progress. I'll want improve so it'll encourage me to get out on the course which will be excellent exercise (they say a round of golf is about 6 miles walking). I carry my Golf bag not like these wimps that use a trolley so its quite physical.

shopaholic

Think I'm turning into a shopaholic.

Everytime I go out near some shops I seem to be buying something, Saturday it was a T-shirt and a hat while todat 2 more T-shirts and a pair of shorts. The other week it was two pair of jeans and some trainers in fact the list is endless. Stangely I more often than not go out in my old jeans, t-shirts, shoes etc cos there more comfy rather than wear the new stuff, got to stop doing that.

Trouble is my wardrobe is full, in fact everywhere is full because my other bad habit is I never seem to throw anything out until its dropping to bits.

So I reckon its time I went through all my stuff and get rid of the things I never wear, so next rainy day I'm gonna set my stall out to have a clear out.

What will I ith my cast offs ?

Well luckily around here we are always getting charity bags through the door so I'll be donating to a good cause, maybe split between 2 or 3 different charities.

Not long to go now

Yes less than two weeks to the World Cup and before anyone asks, of course England can win it. Mind you I always think that.

Of course its also not long to my holiday, only 4 weeks in fact and I'm looking forward to it but a little apprehensive, never done a organised singles holiday and just hoping I get on with the others on the trip.

So what else is happening, well not a lot to be honest been spending a bit of time getting the garden in shape, been digging some overgrown areas this morning it was hard goig but the exercise will do me good.
To be honest I needed it because last week I was out 3 nights in succesion due to Pool matches, team on Monday, was in the area doubles semi on tuesday which we sadly watched and Wednesday I went to support my mate who was in the over 40's final but again a defeat. Hope this isn't a sign of things to come because I'm in the Mens last 8 on Wednesday this week, am only player left in from our team.

I'm also busy setting the quiz for the local TT league presentation evening coming up soon, I usually do it for them dnd its proving popular, think they like me to do it because if I not I'd probably win, lol.

Also toying with the idea of starting to play golf again, one of the local courses has a good membership deal at present and some friends have joined. It'll cost about £300 so Iuld need to play a average of once per week to make it really worthwile. I've hardly played over the last couple of years because of other things but sort of reckon I've got time now and should give it a go. It could actually replace a bit of the walking I do and would be exercise.

On a good note following my last post and setting targets at TT I can report I've made slight progress I've gone up 3 places in the over 40's rankings from 149 to 146. Ok still a long way to my target of top 100 but at least its a step in the right direction.

Not Fit Enough

As I've said previousy I've made a decision to play the Veterans Table Tennis Circuit season, its both competitive but social. Over the past few seasons I've played Vetts team competions (national league, county & Yorkshire league).

So last weekend I travelled to Bristol to enter the National Championships and what a impressive event it was, in the region of 300 to 400 competitors playing in five seperate age groups (over 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's & 80's). Yes over 80's although it was mixed (men & women) where other ages had seperate sex vents, they managed to get 14 players, can't really see me performing at that age but who knows, lol.

30 tables were in operation with saturday about qualification, you played a group of four (all play all over 5 sets), the top two going into the main event and the bottom two into the plate (consolation) competition.

I entered two events over 40 & 50 singles, didn't play in the doubles but maybe I'll get a partner fr future tournaments.

Saturday I was really pleased with my performance coming 2nd in my group in both events so qualifying for both main events, the standard was very high so that was good. Over 40's was actually the easiest, the player who won the group was clearly strongest (ranked about 50 nationally) although I was the only one to take a set off him. The player finishing 4th was the weakest by far and not really a problem so it was me and the other player to see who came 2nd and qualified. Luckiy he was a defender and I love playing defensive players so comfortably won in straight sets.

The over 50's looked a bad draw with the England ranked No7 in the group. However the others weren't pushovers either in fact my first match I looked like losing, just couldn't get my good shots working against a awkward player. I trailed 2 sets to 1 and in the 4th my opponent had me on the ropes with 4 match points, I somehow managed to claw them back to steal the set then went on to take the 5th and deciding set. A win against the other player left me and the national number 7 playing for top spot and I managed my best performance of the weekend but eventually lost by the closest of margins at deuce in the 5th set when it was 2 sets apiece.

That performance filled me with confidence for sundays knockout stages but alas I ended up dissapointed although I did reach the last 32 of the over 40's but that was down to a good draw. I never beat anyone I wouldn't be expected to beat and the player I entually succumbed to was very strong (in top 30).
Sadly I went out in the last 64 in the over 50's, although it was to the national no19 I just didn't perform, in fact I came off gutted I feel its a player I feel could beat.

The truth is I just wasn't fit enough for a 2 day tournament, after saturdays efforts my muscles ached and it was tough to get moving. My body wasn't flexible and I was too slow around the court, found myself reaching for shots rather than moving and getting down low.

I also think I've got to set myself targets if I play nationally and the only way to achieve them will be to get fitter, faster, stronger and improve my recovery rate. Losing weight will help as will doing more physical stuff and training hard, this will now be my motivation.

For the record I'm targetting a top 30 ranking in the over 50's (currently not ranked) and top 100 in the over 40's (currently 149).

My next event is a ratings tournament (over 40's only) at Hinkley, leicestershire, in mid July. Basically you play a group of 8 over one day and all the players are of similar standard (ranking) so will be tough. Its only a week after my holiday so will be a hard test physically I'm sure.

On the way back

Today Leeds United were promoted after 10 years that as seen two relegations, administration, two points deductions, two play off defeats, all our stars leaving, etc. We are on the way back to the big time and nothing can stop us.



Let the party begin.
MOT

Time to vote

Well its election time and what a tough choice it is, don't think anyone knows what the make up of our next government will be.

Its an election following a recession which on the face of it is a easy wy to blame the current Labour regime. However I'm not going to blame them, this is a world recession and it wouldn't have made any difference whoever was in power.

However the way we will now deal with our National debt is the major issue I believe should be considered.

The way I see it you have ignore the minor parties and go for one of the main three. I can't see anyway the liberal democrats can actually get into power and I reckon they realise that, their policies seem to promise too much which will gain them a lot of votes. Obviously because they wont be in sole power they wont need to fulfill these policies (like cut tax) but are pushing for votes to create a "hung" parliment. Then they will agree a coalition with either the Tories or Labour.

So that leaves us with the main two and the choice is whether you think we should go with massive public spending cuts and vote Tory or vote or a big tax rise and vote labour.

Personally I would have voted for a party that would have been brave and honest enough to say they woud cut spending and raise taxes, I really believe we should all take a major hit to significantly reduce the National debt. If we don't it will hang over us for years and to me we cant move forward as a country.

I know there are many other things that concern people such as Jobs, immigration, wars, crime, etc. but this election the important thing is the ecomomy.

For the record after much thought I've gone with the current Labour government, my main reason been that I believe a change in policy nw would be dangerous and don't want to take the risk.
Saying that I think a hung parliment is the most lkely outcome, maybe that would be a good thing, get everyone working together for all our good instead of fighting each other.

I fought the Law

Along the side of my garden their are the back of 3 other gardens rom houses in the next street and I have a issue at present with the middle one.

I have a small fence and he has a number of bushes which are a mess and too high seperating us. However between is a tall old fence that doesn't only look crap its totally rotten. Anyway I had a chat with him the other day and he said he was going to cut the bushes back which pleased me.

But he asked what I was going to do about the rotten fence, I said I thought it was his but he said it was mine. I offered to go half for a new fence but he didn't seem interested.

Anyway I wasn't sure because the fence was up before I lived here or him for that matter. I've since checked with my other neighbours at the other side of me (who have both been here 30 years +) and they tell me it was the previous owner of his house that put the fence up.

I've since told him this and still offered to go half but he now seems to be making things look ok at his side but leaving the crap at mine. Ok at present I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt to see if he sorts it, there is a bit of work to do. To me its the obvious and sensible solution to share the costs.

However I'm not holding my breath but am unsure of my rights, trouble is don't really one to get into a legal argument because he's a police officer and reckon I'm on a hiding to nothing.

For Cactus

Following the comments from Cactusfreek following my last post suggesting that the Dragon was tied up due to some Aussie myth trying to put our patron saint down here is the true legend :-

According to the Golden Legend the narrative episode of Saint George and the Dragon took place in a place he called "Silene," in Libya; the Golden Legend is the first to place this legend in Libya as a sufficiently exotic locale, where a dragon might be imagined. In the tenth-century Georgian narrative, the place is the fictional city of Lasia, and it is the godless Emperor who is Selinus.[7]

The town had a pond, as large as a lake, where a plague-bearing dragon dwelled that envenomed all the countryside. To appease the dragon, the people of Silene used to feed it two sheep every day, and when the sheep failed, they fed it their children, chosen by lottery.

It happened that the lot fell on the king's daughter. The king, distraught with grief, told the people they could have all his gold and silver and half of his kingdom if his daughter were spared; the people refused. The daughter was sent out to the lake, decked out as a bride, to be fed to the dragon.

Saint George by chance rode past the lake. The princess, trembling, sought to send him away, but George vowed to remain.

The dragon reared out of the lake while they were conversing. Saint George fortified himself with the Sign of the Cross,[8] charged it on horseback with his lance and gave it a grievous wound. Then he called to the princess to throw him her girdle, and he put it around the dragon's neck. When she did so, the dragon followed the girl like a meek beast on a leash. She and Saint George led the dragon back to the city of Silene, where it terrified the people at its approach. But Saint George called out to them, saying that if they consented to become Christians and be baptised, he would slay the dragon before them.

The king and the people of Silene converted to Christianity, George slew the dragon, and the body was carted out of the city on four ox-carts. "Fifteen thousand men baptized, without women and children." On the site where the dragon died, the king built a church to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint George, and from its altar a spring arose whose waters cured all disease.[8]

Traditionally, the sword[9] with which St. George slew the dragon was called Ascalon, a name recalling the city of Ashkelon, Israel. From this tradition, the name Ascalon was used by Winston Churchill for his personal aircraft during World War II (records at Bletchley Park), since St. George is the Patron Saint of England.


I'll also point out this happend during the Crusades and as dinasors were extinct something like 30 million years earlier a dragon can't be a dinasor.

Happy St Georges Day

Things are good for you

Interesting List, personally I give Nos 1 & 7 a miss and don't fancy 5, and chance would be a fine thing when it comes to No2. Still thats 6 things I can do to improve my health.

1. Marijuana It's medicinal, we swear! Marijuana, often associated with memory loss, is ironically now being hyped as a way to stave off the ultimate form of memory losseAlzheimer's. Recent studies on mice suggest that anti-inflammatories found in the drug prevent the clumping of brain proteins, one major cause of the disease. So when should you start preventative therapy? We suggest waiting for the human studies to wrap up.

2. Sex Scientists have found that the benefits of sex go beyond immediate, ahem, gratification and satisfying the goal of procreation. Besides the obvious evolutionary purposes, we can all take pleasure in the news that having sex is an easy way to reduce stress, lower cholesterol and improve circulation throughout the body. As if you needed another excuse.

3. Chocolate Chocolate lovers rejoice: study after study lately has touted the magical benefits of the indulgent treat, which is packed with the antioxidant flavonols that prevent certain cancers and keep your arteries from clogging. The most recent news? These powerful chemicals may even increase blood flow to the brain, warding off dementia. Just stick to the highest cocoa content possibleethe bars packed with sugar don't help your health one bit.

4. Red Wine A crucial ingredient in the diets of the world's heart-healthiest populationselike those Bordeaux-guzzling Frenchered wine has long been known to have potent anti-cancer and artery-protecting benefits. The key, some studies indicate, is an antioxidant found specifically in the skin of red wine grapes, called resveratrol. The latest studies even link resveratrol to greater endurance, a reduction in gum disease and Alzheimer's. White wine, which is fermented after the skins are removed, is less beneficial according to some studies.

5. Maggots They're creepy, slimy and altogether ooky, but maggots can save your life. These squirmy larvae are science's newest wonder-cure and were approved in 2003 as the Food & Drug Administration's only live medical device. Placed on serious wounds, maggots mimic their "wild" lifestyle and munch on bacteria and dead tissue, stimulating healing and helping to prevent infection.

6. Sunlight Exposure to the sun's rays is necessary to survive, but can also kill you in gross, cancerous quantities. Asthmatics, at least, could benefit from measured doses of ultraviolet rays, according to scientists. Sunlight suppressed the immune reactions that cause asthma in some lab studies with mice and could be used to treat humans afflicted with the disease in the future. And sunlighteeven if indirect, such as on a shaded porcheis known to boost the mood. Extra sunlight can help office workers avoid afternoon drowsiness, a recent study found. There's still no excuse to head outside and bake, however.

7. LSD We're definitely not in the business of advocating drug use. But check out this interesting science: In heavy drinkers, small doses of LSD have been thought to help bypass the rock-bottom stage of alcoholism and prevent relapses. These studiesesome decades oldewere done in closely monitored, clinical settings; many patients haven't had a drink in the many years since. It's an interesting finding that needs a lot more investigation, and not a remedy that should ever be tried at home. Meantimeeand this may come as no surpriseea recent study of 36 volunteers who took an LSD-like drug in a lab setting had them reporting mystical experiences and behavior changes that lasted for weeks.

8. Coffee Java is one of the most debated substances around. Is it good for you? Is it bad for you? Both? The consensus, now anyways, seems to favor those who enjoy their morning jolteunrelated studies claim coffee is a major source of antioxidants in our diet and can help lower your risk of diabetes. Something in the beans is also thought to ease the onset of cirrhosis of the liver and pancreatitis, good news for those who like to party hard all night before their morning caffeine boost.

9. Anger f you're one of those people who tends to bottle things up, only to explode ... don't hold it in so long. Studies show that bursts of anger here and there are good for the health, and can be an even more effective coping mechanism than becoming afraid, irritated or disgusted. Anger, like the consumables in this list, however, is best in moderation: stay angry for long periods of time and you'll be plagued with a host of health issues, like blood pressure, sleep disorders and lung damage.

10. Beer The newest bad kid on the block, beer has long been overshadowed by its healthier alcoholic cousins. While no one's suggesting you switch that glass of antioxidant-rich Pinot Noir for a tall glass of lagerethere's still that beer gut to worry aboutenew research has suggested that moderate beer intake can actually improve cardiovascular function. Now if only a scientist will discover the health benefits of ballpark franks and chicken wings. Heaven.

Feeling Crap

No long post from me cos I'm feeling totally crap.

I got a infection in my elbow, this also happend a few years back and a great big angy lump appeared, the Doc put me on a course of anti-biotics an anti inflammetry tablets, taking so many I'm starting to rattle. Anyway the lump burst this morning and there was gunge everywhere, not a pretty site.

On top of that I've had a heavy cold the last few days, probably caused cos I was run down. I've now developped a nagging cough, coughing so much my ribs are starting to hurt.

As you can imagine I'm feeling grumpy so thats all I'm posting today.

Maybe I can blame the icelandic volcanic ash hanging over us, lol

Aussie Rockstar, Boozy Billionaire & mystery Sports Legend

Just got over my Jet lag (& hangover) following my 6 nights in Chicago so I'll confess the diet took a bit of stick unless of course Deep dish Pizza, Bacon Cheeseburgers, giant steaks and lots of beer are good for weight loss.

Well to be honest it turned out to be one long party, of us went me and two TT team mates. Getting the late light from Heathrow given us the morning to drive the 200 miles we didn't arrive until 9pm at our hotel. Basically it was a quick Shower, shave, change of clothes and out for some food.
Of course we were tired when we left the hotel at 10 pm we'd been up well over 20 hours (it was 4am in the UK) so the plan was food and bed. The food was good a big steak and as we set off walking back to the hotel we called in a bar with live music on to swill it down with a couple of beers. However as we were finishing our first drink a bloke that we didn't know brought us some more over, didn't really understand why.
Anyway after we finished these we decided to have another round so we could buy him one back, however the barman refused our money telling us our Boozy Billionaire had already paid ours in. This continued for the rest of the time we were there then he came over with 3 CD's of the band performing and gave them to us, he had bought them for us. Eventually we did get to leave about 3am quite the worse for wear but hardly spent a penny.
So off to the hotel but on the way back to the hotel we passed a small bar and decided to call in or one more so we could use the facilities and relieve our bladders. As we finished our drinks one of my mates had convinced himself that another person stood not far from us was a Aussie Rockstar (the lead singer from Jet). Of course we told him he was talking bullshit and it must be someone that just looks like him.
However he was convinced but wouldn't go over and ask so I thought we'd be there all night unless I faced the embarrasment of asking, well what do I know it turned out to be the genuine article and was a good laugh,you guessed it more drinks bought for us.

Well with night one gone could it get better, thats a difficult one, Thursday it was a Pub meal followed by a visit to a Blues Club, yes sure we had a few more beers but on the way back we saw a bar with a TT table and went in. People were playing a game called "Beer Pong" which invoved throwing TT balls in plastic cups. A couple of locals asked if we wanted to join in so been competitive we thought why not. What they had failed to mention was when our opponent scored we had to drink a cup of beer. Not going to mention what state we were in when we eventually got away.

So two crazy nights and Friday we went to the Howl at the Moon duelling Piano bar after eating at a sports bar and playing some Pool. Lets just say the piano bar was certainly a place for fun nd a good laugh full of groups celebrating bithdays, hen nights, etc. Got chatting with quite a few people, in fact everyone was so friendly people were just there for fun. About 1am the server brought us 3 what can only be descibed as very strong drinks saying they had been bought for us, I looked around and there was our Boozy Billionaire from night one. We went over for a chat and when the place was closing at 2am he asked if we fancied going to another Club that opens later, he paid for our taxi and admission into the next Club plus our drinks fo the rest of the night, honestly we tried to buy him drinks but he wouldn't have any of it. He actually left before us but not before iving us his buisness card, turns out he is vice president of a worldwide upmarket hotel chain.

Saturday drinking wise was probably our quietest night, we got tickets to see international blues artist Robert Cray, so it was a meal then onto the concert which was really good.

Sunday night we visited a couple of well known Chicago Blues Clubs Kingston Mines & B.L.U.E.S. on Halstead street in the Lincoln Park area, one act in particular Toronzo Cannon was superb actually bought his CD, hadn't heard him before but he played some awesome guitar.

Our last night we did a bit of a bar/club tour before going back our hotel sometime in the early hours. As we walked along the street a very large coloured gentleman appeared from a building and came up to us. He asked "is there was a strip club in the area". I explained we were from England and weren't that familiar with the area.

He started laughing and asked if we play basketball in England "We told him no" wanted to say schoolgirls play a similar sport called netball but looking at his size didn't want to test his humour.
Still laughing he said "don't you recognise me ?" Nope we said, he was shocked and couldn't believe it but thought it funny.
He was a good laugh though and quite a charactor I thought he said he played for the Spurs (San Antonio assume) but gave his name as Andre Johnson or something like that and when we checked it out that name wasn't on their squad list. Maybe just having a laugh at our exspense or maybe didn't want it to become knowledge he was out in the early hours. He did have a big flash car though.

Thats about it