Where does the time go to?

Busy, busy, busy. Haven't hada chance to update the blog in ages it seems.

Work is keeping me tied up again but we had a busy weekend as well. Went to Milton Keynes Bowl on Saturday and watched Robbie Williamns - enjoyed the show. But the support act was Basement Jaxx, now there is a band! They were quality.

Next day I played in a charity football tournament - five a side - it was okay and we got to the semi-final, but our legs just went and we couldn't continue. Although to be fair, the two finalists were decent teams!

Still aching now though

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Climbing trees is for the young

Not much to update really, I have been quiet as I have been working on my website the last few days with the intention of getting it up to date and more popular.

I have used these blogs that are available so that every team in the club have their own page now for me to add notes and match reports and the like to. I am pleased with the way it looks although I might tinker with the template soon to customise it even more.

We are now getting the last burst of decent weather here in Oxford, I thought the Summer had finished but it is having one last flourish before letting the leaves drop. Talking of which, I was up a neighbours tree on Sunday cutting down huge branches from within it.

'When I was a lad....' climbing trees wasn't a problem at all and there wasa huge oak tree in the field behind my house that was a challenge, but climbing 20ft up the Magnolia on Sunday was enough for me - in fact it was more like 15ft - how things change, I was nervous as anything. Thankfully there was no accident, but my arms are still burning from the strain of holding on for dear life.

Well, that is an update for now, busy with work at the minute, but I have been experimenting with the video camera to try and create my own .mpegs/.wavs - having a bit of joy so might be able to get something up here one day soon.

Testing some new software

This is a photo the kids on holiday in Menorca before we went out to the local hotel for evening entertainment.

Not sure if they know about the Blues Brothers yet but will have to get Lewis and Jack to watch the film and then show them this photograph again! 

All grown up

Lewis has started school at Cherwell today (Jack and Charlotte went back yesterday). He is the first one to go to 'Big School'. He was a little nervous, as he rightly should be, but he has loads of mates there so it won't take him long to get settled in and enjoy it. Makes you feel old seeing the kids going off to Secondary school, especially as you remember what you were like at Secondary school and how quickly it passed - I don't want my kids growing up....

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see him this morning as I was working away from home on a problem that is best not talked about - suffice to say I was working on it at 6.30am yesterday, drove to London to sort it out with my manager, drove back to his house near me after a fw hours in the office and then sat at his desk working through it until 3.45am. Only to get up at 7.30 this morning to test some more of the reports. I am writing this at midday as I need to think of something different for a few minutes. I don't mind so much as long as the problem with it is sorted, somehow I am not over confident.

Well, I am back home now working so will be here to hear his news on his first day - any bets on it be 'Alright'.

All the fun of the Fair

Oxford's biggest fair is on today and tomorrow and is down the main (and very wide) street of St Giles. Not sure of it's beginnings but it has a long old history and is alway the first Monday and Tuesday after 1st September.

Having waited for Natasha to come back from her first day back at work in 6 weeks - she gets the holidays off! - we then all cycled the 2 miles to the City Centre. We haven't been for a couple of years so the kids were very excited about getting down there at last.

Jack loved it, and to be fair they were all good and didn't ask to go on every single ride, which was just as well as they are all £1.50 and more these days! Charlotte proved herself to be the dare-devil of the family wanting to go on some strange Twister-type ride that bounced like mad and then on the Waltzers. Don't think that she has been on the Waltzers before - they are certainly not like the Tea-cups as I heard Lewis describe them...

Lewis and Jack went on some tame roller coaster and then they all had a go at Hook-a-duck and proceeded to win bows and arrows with those window suckers on them. Which has meant hours of fun ducking arrows flying all over the place this evening, thank god they have gone to bed, although my desk chair has an arrow stuck to it!

Got some candy floss and some donuts and still feel sick now...oh well, all the fun of the fair.

Funniest memory was seeing Jack trying to climb some stairs in the Fun House when they moved as you try and walk up them, he couldn't figure it out and get taking loads of steps and getting nowhere. (You had to be there...)

Fine Wine

Have been drinking some French red wine that one of our students brought over having found it in the garage a couple of days ago covered in about 6 years of dust!

Absolutely stunning wine - even Tash enjoyed it....

Chateau Grand Mayne - St Emilion Grand Cru - get your hands on some.

A Normal Sunday

Busy day today.
The boys won their football match in the morning against Oxford Irish. About 8-1 or something like that. Only a friendly game but a good run out for them.

Came home and worked on the garage - will post some before and after photos - will look great next year I hope. Intend on converting it to an office and games room. Can't believe how much I have thrown away. It goes completely against the grain for me to bin stuff but I want the room now so it all has to go.

Have built a new work bench in the stable so that will get some use in the coming months I hope.

Finally I have updated the website with a load of photos from the Abingdon Utd programme chap.
Nice to see some old names from my days as a player - Rich Pierson, Jermaine Ferreira and Andy Ballard - good players so no surprise that City were pushed all the way and only got a draw.