Dublin - Day 2

We all met this morning for breakfast in Jack's which adjoined the Travel Lodge. A good variety of breakfast foods was available from a Full Irish Breakfast down to simple tea and toast. Tom and I had breakfast panninis which we found quite filling. We left the hotel at around 10 a.m. and drove to Kilmainham Gaol by a very circuitous one way system which took us out on the road towards Galway by mistake. We eventually arrived at Kilmainham Gaol in good time and were able to look around the museum/exhibition area before joining the official tour at 11.15 a.m. The museum houses many of the effects of the 1916 Leaders including Joseph Plumkett's glasses which were taken from him just before he was shot. They still bear the damage from the fighting in the GPO. Also, Grace Plunkett (nee Gifford's) wedding ring placed on her finger in Kilmainham's Chapel by Joseph jst a few hours before he was taken out and shot. Although I have done the tour many many times, seeing such sights and the cells where the 1916 Leaders were kept, and the Stonebreaker's Yard where they were later executed by firing squad, I still feel quite emotional and saddened by the actions of the British towards the Irish at that time - especially the bringing in of James Connolly on a stretcher to tie him on a chair to be shot. Having read much about the 1916 Rising and having visited the sites where most of the action took place,I found being in Kilmainham and hearing about it all again brought it so much to life again. I noticed that everybody listened very intently to the tour guide who gave a great explanation of everything about the history of the gaol and its grim past. We had a lunch of sandwiches and tea at the end of the tour in Kilmainham's cafe and then drove on to the Guinness Storehouse for a tour of the Guinness brewing process which ends up on the sixth floor observatory bar with a free pint of Guinness - our first one in Ireland this trip. I nice contrast to the harshness of Kilmainham. We returned to the hotel by way of Arbour Hill to visit the graves of the 1916 Leaders and the 1916 Memorial - a little known spot to the average tourists. It is tucked behind a catholic church and active prison. Tonight we drove back up into the Wicklow Mountains for dinner at Johnnie Fox's - the highest pub in Ireland - which has been visited by many celebrities. It is famous for its seafood menu and our friend Paul had mussels for the very first time in his life, washed down with a pint of Guinness in true Irish style. As we left the pub we experienced the first (and only rain) of the trip and drove back down to our hotel in quite poor driving conditions. We all fell asleep quite exhausted after a very full day experiencing Irish history and culture.

Dublin - Day 1

We all woke incredibly early this morning as we needed to be on the road for Bristol Airport by 6.30 a.m. to check in for our flight to Dublin by about 9 a.m. There was still some packing to do too. Everything went perfectly and we arrived at Bristol Airport at 8.20 a.m. finding a space to park the car within 30 seconds of driving into the car park. A real major achievement. To make things even better, the car was parked no more than 100 yards from the Departures Check-In Hall. The airport was relatively quiet and we went through check-in, security and into the departures lounge in next to no time - only to find our plane was delayed by over two hours (good old Ryanair!) Our friends, the Russells, would now have to wait over for two and a half hours at Dublin Airport for us to arrive. Eventually we reached Dublin at a little past 2,00 p.m. and picked up our seven-seater car from the car hire establishment. Yes, it was a seven seat er but was designed to assume that none of the people occupying the seven seats had any luggage larger than a pocket wallet. We had eight cases between us. Somehow, we managed to get everybody and everything in and we set off for the hotel - fortunately only 20 minutes ride away. After freshening up I drove us up to the Wicklow Mountains to Glencree and showed everybody the German Military Cemetery, the Shrine to Our Lady of Glencree and the Glencree Reconciliation Centre itself - unfortunately the gates and the coffee shop were closed. Fantastic views of Dublin and the Bay were to be had on the way down to Dun Laoghaire where we ended our first day having a really good Chinese meal at Yung's in Upper George Street. To be highly recommended as the food and service were truly excellent.

Millwall win promotion

Apart from a short trip to the Wallops to fill Sara's car with petrol, I stayed at home today. It rained heavily at times confirming that this weekend is, indeed, a Bank Holiday. After such sweltering heat earlier in the week, this rain is quite unexpected and strange. I spent much of the day sorting out the paperwork for Ireland. This afternoon, Tom and I watched the League One Play-Off Final on TV between Millwall and Swindon (had it not been for the ten points Southampton had deducted at the beginning of the season I am convinced that the Saints would have been at Wembley today). Millwall managed to secure promotion to the Championship with a 1-0 win over Swindon. Tonight the Germans won the Eurovision Song Contest with the United Kingdom coming last! I watched a programme upstairs on the building of the Ming's Great Wall of China.

Busy Day with Sad News

A very busy and tight schedule today which started, as is now usual, with Sara bringing me tea and then me reading my daily devotionals. After a shower, I had an early morning teleconference with my client in Liverpool which now seems to conclude matters. I simply have to check the paperwork, print it off and send it to her. Richard arrived at 10 a.m. and we squeezed in nine holes of golf at Wilton this morning. Richard actually got a birdie 2 on the 6th with an amazing putt. We both each got two pars as well. I think we could have done even better if we were not rushing - me to get ready to go over to Devizes for two meetings and him to attend a church meeting in Pitton. I received a very sad email today from one of my old Brighton clients and friends, Michael, to tell me that his mother, our good friend from the Bahamas, was terminally ill. I was very sad indeed to hear the news. She has been such a lovely and fun loving person and it was because of her and her equally delightful husband Gerry, (who died the same year as my own Dad) that I began my love affair with the Bahamas. She is moving to Devon to be with her son Gerald and I have decided that I must go down and see her as soon as I am back from our trip to Ireland. With this sad news still in my heart, and after trying unsuccessfully a couple of times to reach Michael, I set off for Devizes. I had two engagements there this afternoon and evening - first of all I popped into Aldridges, the Titanic artifacts experts, at their auction house to show Alan Aldridge the two Titanic items which Bruno W-B had acquired at a car boot sale in Sussex. The first was a facsimile of a White Star sailing poster which is extremely common and I had confirmed to be of little value. The second items was more interesting - deck plans allegedly from Harland & Wolff. This latter item proved to be a fake from a quite well known faker and the plans had been "aged" using tea stains. I thought as much and so wasn't disappointed. Back in Devizes town centre I had a mug of tea at a cafe before going to my meeting of the Wiltshire Installed Masters' Lodge. It was good to see old friends from around the province and we were treated to an excellent and very entertaining talk by the Grand Lodge Information Officer, Chris Connop, on the topic of Perceptions of Freemasonry. It was interesting that he felt that it was often easier to get politicians and the media to understand and accept freemasonry as an altruistic and good organisation than the church and he felt that some very fundamental churches were very hard to talk to. We ended the evening with an excellent meal of pate, roast lamb and vegetables, lemon meringue and cheese and biscuits. Tonight I checked us all in for the impending flight to Dublin whislt Sara watched a programme on the Turin Shroud. A very long, varied and emotional day. I will pray hard for Maureen (who is a faithful Roman Catholic) over the next few days/weeks.

Preparations for Ireland

Another day at home today, most of which I spent in the study. I started the day with my usual devotional readings and another chapter from Seriously Funny. I made several calls to Ireland this morning to check and finalise various visits and tours for our forthcoming trip to Dublin - especially the trip to the Guinness Brewery. It was lovely to hear the Irish brogue which recalled many wonderful times over in the Emerald Isle. The calls resulted in successful arrangements - just have to hope that the the flights work out okay. I spent quite a bit of the day on Complex (my company) work and some more tidying up of the study. Quite a number of administrative tasks took up most of the rest of the day including preparation for tonight's House Group. We finished our discussions on The Shack and decided that after our four-week break (we will be going to St. John's over the next four weeks to watch the Jeff Lucas Bible Study talks from this year's Spring Harvest) we will start a fresh study of Revelation. I remember this being a very important book for me to read when I was a member of the Christian Union at Liverpool in the 70s. I have a very busy schedule again tomorrow.

A Seriously Funny Day

Another day mainly at home today which is just as well as I picked up two new clients. Sara brought me up a cup of tea (our roles have reversed here as I am now usually the "teaee" whereas when I used to get up early to travel to work I was definitely the "teaer" - I know there are no such words but it is fun. Making up words like Adrian Plass's "venomynous" (a communication which is both venomous and anonymous) is a wonderful pastime. Unfortunately many people do it simply by misspelling or mishearing words when typing with some quite amusing results - once in a law firm the words "Head Lessor" were typed as the "Headless Horse" in the context of a letter which read "Before we can agree to you taking a lease of the shop, we need to get the permission of the headless horse". The mind boggles as to what possessed the typist to put such a thing in the letter unless the shop was in Sicily. But I digress. Whilst drinking my tea I read my daily devotions including a chapter of the Jeff Lucas/Adrian Plass book "Seriously Funny" which, amongst other things, discussed venomynous letters. The exchange in the book also talked about whether, when we say we are doing altruistic works, we are actually doing things for ourselves and seeking recognition for our own ego. I pondered on this as I ate breakfast and also prayed about it before the beginning of the Midweek Eucharist at St. John's. Do I do things for recognition as the motivator? Am I envious or jealous when others get recognition? The biggest shock to me today, then, was when Jane D stood up to take the Gospel Reading and Sermon and today's theme was the passage in Mark (10:35-40) where James and John request recognition. She preached on the very subject I had been pondering after reading one chapter of the Seriously Funny book in bed this morning (I nearly hadn't read it at all!). I told her afterwards about this and she was much pleased that the sermon had been relevant to me. Max came back for coffee and I continued my discussion on today's reading with her. Sara is now working each Wednesday morning at Morning Star - preparing food for the homeless banquet run later in the day. She ended up being a bit late this morning due to glitches with the computer being unable to get material to the printer for the Parish Magazine. After Max had gone I loaded a PDF-Create piece of software on to her laptop so she can convert documents to PDF in future. This seems to resolve her problem. This afternoon I had a 1-hour consultation session with a new client and also received an email from my former assistant, Nasir, who was surprised to learn that I had left my former company and was now working for myself. He had a colleague at work who had a relation with an employment problem and had recommended me - so two new clients in the space of an afternoon! It was really great to hear from Nasir. I had really enjoyed the year he worked for me - an honest, conscientious chap with a great sense of humour. We worked well together. The weather has turned cooler today and after I had mown the bank Tom and I went to Grateley to play a few holes of golf. Unlike Monday, I played really well with two pars amongst the first six holes - 2 par 3s and 4 x 4s. The last two holes were won by Tom after I fluffed the seventh and he fairly beat me on the eighth. If he keeps practising and slows down his swing he could be a useful golfer. When he hits the ball well he has the strength to carry it much further than I can. I really do hope that he can persevere. It really is a useful skill to have for the future - and great fun. Talking of fun, Sara and I ended the day watching "One Foot in the Grave" and found ourselves laughing fit to burst. It is good to laugh and have fun. I thoroughly support the Plass/Lucas philosophy that church, also, can and should have laughter at times.

Busy going nowhere?

I guess today could be described as one of those "got up, got dressed, not much happened, had supper and went to bed" days as I spent all day in and around the house apart from a brief car trip with Mary and her friend Lucy to the neighbouring village of West Tytherley for Brownies. I got to work tidying the study (well, I identified a few items for removal) and shredded a lot of old papers which I really no longer need. I have decided that I have kept many of the old magazines simply because they have articles written by me in them and so I will scan those and dump the rest - either by passing them on to somebody else or sending them for recycling. Sara spent her morning and a good part of the rest of the day putting together the parish magazine to go to the printers. I had a telephone meeting with my client in Liverpool in the afternoon when we made some significant progress with a new contract. In the late afternoon, I delivered some Marie Curie Cancer Charity envelopes around Young's Paddock and mowed the two inner lawns (my only real exercise today). This evening Sara discussed the possibility of a fund raising event for the local children's hospice with one of their volunteers over a glass of wine and I also made a few suggestions (over a glass or two of wine!). I ended the evening watching a recorded drama documentary about Krakatoa's eruption (there seem to be a lot of programmes about volcanoes at the moment - hope that isn't an omen for our proposed flight to Dublin) and another on the search for the lost continent of Atlantis. My days are now slowly filling with work for my own business which is quite satisfying and I am now definitely no longer feeling like being retired anymore.

Hot Monday; Crazy Golf!

Another scorching day again today. My intention had been to go to the gym early but because of a need to deal with some emails and financial matters I didn't leave the house until about 19.30 a.m. I drove to the Leisure Centre and spent about 45 minutes in the gym. It was swelteringly hot already and my temperature gauge recorded 29 degrees centigrade at one point. After my gym session and a lovely tepid shower to cool off, I walked into Salisbury city centre where I visited the bank, the library, post office and Boots. After all those errands I treated myself to a skinny latte in Cafe Nero and read a couple of articles from this month's Christianity magazine. I also visited PC World for them to give me some advice as to why Tom's laptop was not connecting to the Internet. The simple solution seemed to be that when the anti-virus software was upgrading itself the laptop may have been switched off or hibernated halfway through thus causing a corruption. When I got home I uninstalled all the anti-virus software and re-installed Norton. The result was that the problem was corrected. Sara spent the day finishing off the Parish Magazine for the printers. I also put together an itinerary for the Dublin trip and sent it off to the Russells. A few glitches arose such as the Chinese meal I had planned in Bray will have to be replaced by another venue as the restaurant is now closed on a Sunday. I am waiting for some ideas and confirmations from my colleague Kilian who lives in Co. Dublin. I ended the day with another nine holes of golf at Grateley. I wish I hadn't. The worst nine holes I think I can ever remember. If I hit the ball well it struck a tree (several times this happened); if I hit the ball high it bounced into a bunker; if I chipped the ball well it rolled across the green and finally, all my putts went past the hole. It became more and more like a round of Crazy Golf and so I just enjoyed the walk hitting the golf ball occasionally and not really thinking too much about it. I struck a few balls on the practice range to finish off and to restore my confidence that I can hit long and straight with a 5-wood! Possibly I was tired after exercising on such a hot humid day.

A Great Pentecostal Praise Service

Another hot day today - Britain must now officially be in the grips of a heatwave. The temperatures today are rivalling those in the Bahamas! We all went to church this morning where Linda conducted another of her excellent praise services. Being Pentecost, it was very well attended. Sara took the Junior Church and I gave the New Testament Reading today - the famous one from Acts 2 about the disciples appearing drunk as the Holy Spirit has given them the gift of speaking in tongues. The Junior Church gave each member of the congregation a colourful book mark which now sits in my pocket bible. Well done Sara for all her great work with the juniors. Well done Linda too. We had some pretty enjoyable songs including a new one from the Salvation Army - I've forgotten it's name already which is a pity (we should have had tambourines too!) - and an old favourite from the Holiday Club many years ago - Shine Shine Shine. It brought back great memories of the Light Factory Holiday Club I was involved with. I took time off work to take part. This year I shall be involved again but won't need time off work! I walked home after the service (about a mile in the hot sun). We had a typical Sunday roast lunch of chicken with white wine and ice cream (not all on the same plate!) I took Mary swimming after she had tidied up her bedroom after lunch and when we got back we watched an old Steptoe & Son film in which, topically, they acquire a suspect racing greyhound. Mary thought it hilarious - which goes to show that the old ones are still the best. After a light supper of cold meats and salad, I went to Grateley for a couple of hours and played 13 holes of golf in the cooling evening air. Roger, the professional, was cooking a barbecue for himself and his daughter when I arrived. My driving has improved enormously and I am hitting the green on the two long holes with my 5-Wood. This is rapidly becoming my favourite club as I do seem to be hitting good distances with is consistently. We it's time to tackle High Post Golf Club I think I'll use it off the tee to get me a good way down the fairway even if it does mean taking an extra shot to the green.

Racing

Another sweltering day today - indeed in London it reached 106 degrees F. We woke very early and set off for the Mini Marathon Event at Laverstock where Mary was competing in the Girls Under 11s. There were over a thousand people at the event and so it was a little confusing at first to find where the Winterslow School people were - no tent or sign like the other schools. Our Rector, Nils and his son Leif took part in the parents race (some 330 starting) with Leif coming a fantastic 8th and Nils 85th. When it was Mary's turn there were, again, about 300 entrants and Mary came a very respectable 81st. Both Sara and I came to the conclusion that we would not have made it out of sight of the starting line let alone an uphill course of over a mile. Mary received a medal which she proudly wore afterwards (see picture). We returned home around 11 a.m with the temperature soaring. I spent most of the day in the garden tidying up the hedges and the trees and weeding around the west side of the house. The sun beat down and it got hotter and hotter. Sara went into town and took a lot of junk to the recycling station. This afternoon it was so hot that I sat indoors and watched the Play-Off final between Blackpool and Cardiff City. It was a thrilling game and as in 1953, Blackpool once more came from behind to clinch an all important victory at Wembley. Blackpool are now back in first tier football after an absence of 39 years! Tonight I took Tom and Mary to the greyhound races at Poole. It was a very pleasant evening and we all had a really good time. Unfortunately it was not a profitable one tonight. Mary chose tracks 1 and 2 in the first race and then changed her mind to 3 and 2. Of course the result had to be 1 & 2 which would have given Mary a good start with a £9 win! Likewise in the last race, Mary forecast dogs 5, 4 and 1 and 5, 4 and 2 to come in in in that order and the result was 5, 4 and 3. If she had got it right it would have netted her £48 for a 50p stake. Still, never mind, it is probably as well that they (the children) realise that losing is more likely than winning.

A Hot Day

An early start this morning as I was attending Ambassadors' at the Grasmere House Hotel for breakfast today. The presentation this morning was given by Dr. Karen Janes who runs an energy healing clinic in Salisbury. I also discussed Sarah M's situation with a family lawyer there and she was able to give me some good advice to pass on to Sarah. I arrived back home at 10 a.m. and just had enough time to change, have a coffee and check on some emails from clients before Richard and I went odd to Wilton to play nine holes of golf. It was swelteringly hot as we arrived at the golf centre and we were glad that we only had time to play nine holes today as eighteen is likely to have been too much. I was very pleased indeed with my standard of driving off the tee and was hitting them long and straight, reaching the green in a few cases. My chipping onto the green let me down though and I found myself getting 4s where pars were a distinct possibility. We stopped off for lunch at the Bishopdown again - scampi and chips and a nice cold Carlsberg beer. This afternoon I was supposed to be having a telephone meeting with my new Liverpool in client but she was still travelling back from Bristol and so we have postponed the meeting until Tuesday afternoon. Tonight Sara had a Vie party in Amesbury and managed to get her self lost on the way back!! I took the children up to and back from the youth club at Barry's Fields Club House. They had a fantastic time. Over 100 of the children in the village now attend it. here was a Praise Service at East Grimstead this evening which I believe was attended by about 25 people (4 from Winterslow). Reports are that it was a very good event. Went to bed quite late tonight after watching an interesting programme about the Icelandic and Monserrat Volcano eruptions.

The Ten Comandments

I spent all day today within the confines of the house and garden catching up on paperwork including drafting documents for my new client in Liverpool and other miscellaneous administrative chores. I also prepared for the House Group tonight. Richard came round briefly this morning to discuss church matters and Sara went to Oasis at St. Paul's. We have agreed that the Jeff Lucas bible talks will commence in two-week's time and not next week. House Group will continue next week. Just before the House Group tonight, Sarah M popped in with a legal query which I promised to take up with a member of the Ambassador's Group tomorrow morning who knows much more about this particular topic, family law, than me. We had a good turn out this evening for the House Group. We discussed the mysteries of God's Justice and I started with a couple of clips from films about the Ten Commandments - one being the famous sequence where Mel Brookes as Moses comes down from Mount Sinai with three tablets and says "People of Israel, I give you God's Fifteen (dropping one tablet)....sorry, ...Ten Commandments". A good humorous start to the evening. The discussion went well and we also had quite a number of bible extracts to read too. We agreed that obeying the commandments alone does not bring one solely to grace and that we all, in some way or another, have strayed from those laws. Only Jesus dying on the Cross, to save us from our Sins, and an understanding and belief that God's unfailing love and faithfulness comes through Him and not blind obedience to the law will achieve that. We couldn't finish this huge topic and have enough material to continue the discussion next week.

Hot Runnings

Both Sara and I had work to go to today - in Sara's case it was her first day at Morning Star helping to make sandwiches for the food run in Salisbury for the homeless. All the ingredients come from Marks & Spencer who donate unsold sandwich materials to the charity. In my case, it was to see a new client in Chandler's Ford (the wife of one of my masonic colleagues) who is facing the prospect of redundancy from her local NHS Trust. We discovered, after Tom had left for school, that the French homework he needed to hand in this afternoon was still sitting on his computer's printer (the new one I had installed for him so that he didn't need ever to worry about his homework being late!). I dropped Sara off at Morning Star's premises in Tytherley Road (so that she could walk the three-quarters of a mile back home afterwards for exercise) and drove over to Chandler's Ford by way of Stockbridge so I could hand Tom's homework into the school office for him to pick up before his French lesson. I arrived at my client's home at 10.30 a.m. and spent two and a half hours with her and her husband. After the consultation I drove into Southampton to take some photos of three liners in today - Aurora, Mein Schiff and Sage Ruby. I drove on to the Town Quay and also Mayflower Park to take the photos. Back home this afternoon at 3 p.m., I wrote up yesterday's blog and mowed our back lawn. I also took Mary for a run along the path leading from the Rec. to the church and round the field to the north of the church. I haven't done any serious running for a while and felt like Eddie Izard must have felt after 26 miles except in my case it was more like 26 yards. My knee were hurting so my running was more of a power walk/jog. Still it gave me some much needed exercise. This evening, Sara and I watched another Alan Rickman film - Quigley Down Under - starring Alan and Tom Sellick. A good film which I hadn't seen before.

Somerset and Church Affairs

Before breakfast this morning, but after the kids had gone off to school, Sara and I decided to get our daily exercise by cycling my 3-mile circular route to East Winterslow and back which requires a lot of stamina at the beginning to get up Gunville Hill and then is a fairly flat ride through East Winterslow and along Pincroft Lane (with its marvellous panoramic view across Salisbury Plain) and back home through Middle Winterslow Village. Poor Sara found it quite a struggle, not just Gunville Hill but the ride through East Winterslow too. It took us about an hour to complete the ride. I was pleased with the increased level of my fitness as I was able to get up most of Gunville Hill and also the sharp incline into Pincroft Lane without stopping. Unfortunately, in order to let Sara catch up, I needed to stop frequently which interrupted my momentum. Back home we had a late "brunch" of an omelette and coffee and I then drove across Salisbury Plain to Frome in Somerset to deliver Complex's books of account for 2008/2009 for Chris, my accountant, to complete the accounts for filing with Companies House and the taxman. I spent half an hour in Frome including doing some banking for Sara before returning home via Warminster, where I did some shopping at Lidl's. Back home, I mowed the bank again. It is looking rather lush and I am pleased with it. After a cup of tea, I went into Stone Close to collect the Christian Aid envelopes - a further 33 houses and managed to finish them all by 6.15 p.m. Again, I had a mixed bag of residents - some very generous and others less so! I had half an hour to shower and change before picking up Susan and James to take us all over to Whiteparish for the Joint Team PCC meetings at the primary school there. We had quite a lot of business to get through but the main items we dealt with were concerning Communications; Lay Worship Leaders (who will now be able to "talk" (not preach) as well as lead services; Lay Pastoral Assistants and Finances. Courses for LPAs and LWLs are expected to start in the Autumn and candidates will need to be identified. The meetings ended at 10.00 p.m. and I was back home by 10.30 p.m. Sara and I watched a programme about the search for the Holy Grail as well as discussing some of the issues facing our church. Sara invariably has some strong opinions on such matters and, like me, feels frustrated at times.

Crusades and Christian Aid

I found it difficult to get up this morning - largely because of a late night last night. After breakfast, Sara and I went down to the gym for an hour before doing some light shopping in Tesco's. We ate a light lunch of sweet potato soup with a crusty roll. We watched a very interesting programme about the history and downfall of the Knights Templar - this had been the subject of the novel I read out in Nassau last October - and I enjoyed remembering some of the interesting background to the story, especially as I had researched a good deal of the detail when I returned from the Bahamas. Tomorrow sees the anniversary of the Fall of Antioch which led to the beginning of the end for the KTs. This afternoon I downloaded the printer programmes onto Tom's laptop so that he can now print off his homework on his printer but can also use ours for any scanning or if his printer has any problems (I can see running out of ink being the prime one!) Even this task wasn't without its difficulties as I found the printer had not been supplied with a USB cable which I then had to go and purchase from PC World for another £10. They get you all ways! This evening I collected Christian Aid envelopes from Youngs Paddock and Weavers Close - the exercise took about an hour and a half as some people wanted to chat about my flagpole and flags and I received quite a number of positive comments about the articles I write in the Parish Magazine. There were also a few less amiable people but by and large everybody was pleasant. Tonight I prepared my Company's accounts for the accountant and will deliver the books of account to his office in Frome tomorrow. They need to be filed with Companies House by the end of June. We did very little trading last financial year and so it will not be a very long task. Helga called round this evening for me to certify a copy of her passport. Feeling quite tired now - a lot of walking and "gyming" today.

Clarendon Juniors U13s win Play-Offs

After a very quick breakfast, I took Tom to Pembroke School Fields off the Devizes Road, Salisbury, where his team was playing against Laverstock in the Play-Off Final in the Under 13s South Wilts. Football League. The weather was rather grim as we turned up at 9.20 p.m. - heavy rain. I stayed in the car and wrote up yesterday's blog as well as studying my daily scripture readings whilst Tom and the rest of the lads warmed up for their match. I joined them for the kick off although Tom was on the substitutes' bench today and didn't get on to play until 4 minutes before the end of the game. It was a tough match with some poor refereeing but ended with Tom's team winning 2-1. A short presentation was made at the end and each player received a Runners-Up trophy. Mary and Sara went to the 9.30 a.m. Parish Eucharist and Sara told me, when I got back, that I was actually down to do the reading this morning! Fortunately somebody (Gillian) had stood in. I had completely forgotten about the Reading especially as Tom's play-off final had been a last minute fixture. This afternoon, Mary and I watched an old favourite on the TV - "The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery". I think some of the subtler plots were lost on her but she enjoyed the steam locomotive chases at the end - as do I! I've recorded it so I can see it again and again! I remember watching it as an End of Term film at school in the 60s! This evening I did my penance for missing the reading by going to the Team Sung Evensong at All Saints, Farley. A traditional BCP service. The heavens opened again - with rain - but we had a very good sermon from Martyn Sanders on the theme of "it is not enough to simply follow Christ, you must also be his disciple i.e. you must act like him too". The day ended in the Lion's Head with us three musketeers - myself, Richard and Klynn.

A Dinner Party with Friends

A day at home today for me. Sara and Mary went into Salisbury today for Mary’s ballet lesson and to get some essential shopping from Waitrose for tonight’s dinner party. I spent the morning dusting and tidying the hall, kitchen, lounge and dining room. I also mowed the back lawn. Our next door neighbour, Geoff, had got some contractors in to mow all his lawns including the bank – at least we have a nice tidy bank along the whole length. I made myself a light vegetarian lunch of baked potato and salad. After watching the Huddersfield Town v. Millwall play-off match (result 0-0) I treated myself to a short nap this afternoon knowing that it would be a late night tonight. I had no interest in watching the FA Cup Final (two teams I really don’t like or follow – Chelsea (1) and Portsmouth (0). I then prepared my signature dish of paella well before David and Jan(et) arrived. We had a very pleasant dinner party – our guests bringing white wine, flowers and a lovely Port Merrion jug – which we used for the coffee milk. They left us just before midnight and Sara and I stayed up until just after 1 a.m. washing up and putting away our dinner party crockery and glasses.

Chipping, Chippenham and Kilimanjaro

As soon as the children had gone off to school this morning, Sara and I set off for the gym where we each put in about 45 minutes of strenuous exercise. We arrived back home about ten minutes before Richard arrived for our agreed game of golf at Wilton. After a quick mug of coffee, we set off and played 13 holes. My game was a bit erratic but I did seem to be getting much better distances off the tee and was hitting the ball fairly straight. My chipping left much to be desired though. I can never quite get all the elements of the game to come together at the same time! We discussed the agenda for the PCC and our concerns for the appeal of the church to younger people in the future. We ate a late lunch of fish and chips at the Bishopsdown pub where there was an offer of two meals for £10 which they serve all day. Good value. Sara did her normal stint at the Lord Nelson's Arms today but our golf would have made it too late to eat there. Tonight, Sara went off to Wilton herself to do a makeover for some teenage girls who were having a photo shoot. This could be a very good "little earner" for her and is more profitable than the parties. John H called for me at 5.30 p.m. and we went off to Chippenham to attend the Wiltshire Provincial Directors of Ceremony and Secretarys' Annual Meetings where we receive feedback on how the lodges have done this year and receive suggestions and directions as to how we do things consistently. A most informative meeting but more so, it was a great opportunity to mix with some old friends and contacts from across the Province. A group of masons from Wiltshire are proposing to walk up Mount Kilimanjaro in February and I have been asked to join them if I wish. I will need to think about it. Fitness and stamina will be needed and it could be a good incentive to get fit.

Cool Runnings

Sara woke me this morning complaining that she couldn't see because of something in her eye. I made tea and washed her eyes with saline solution. Fortunately a tiny piece of some gritty material was washed out - looked like a dried piece of mascara. I cooked pancakes for Mary and Molly and Sara became a little concerned that Tom had done a "Reggie Perrin" when, after he had left for school, she found his school shoes and uniform still in the house. The answer came, after a call to the school, that the pupils were wearing "mufti" today as part of a charity fundraising day. Sara decided not to go to her Oasis meeting at St. Paul's this morning so stayed at home to finish off the ironing. I went into Salisbury briefly to get my hair cut and buy some Velcro to fix my new masonic badge to my dress apron. I just had time for a quick lunch of smoked haddock chowder and a baked potato before I cycled over to Richard's for the Parish Standing Committee Meeting. This lasted about two hours and touched upon a good many topics including an in depth look at the finances. Unfortunately, it meant that our proposed golf this afternoon has been postponed until tomorrow. Tonight, the House Group met to watch and discuss the film "Cool Runnings" - an excellent film well loved by the children - about the Jamaican bobsled team in Calgary Winter Olympics.

A Long Trip to Dorchester

Woke up early today in Hove and after showering helped myself to coffee and toast. Peter was already up and about doing domestic chores and was smartly dressed to attend a meeting regarding the school of which he is chairman of governors. Michael M, an old friend and client, called at 7.45 a.m. to discuss a legal problem he is currently having about the flat he rents out in Hove. It was useful and co-incidental that I was in Hove this morning to see him. I left Hove at about 8.45 a.m. and drove along the coast road to Chichester and then along the A27/M27/A35 to Dorchester for a meeting with Pam, a former colleague of mine at my previous company, who runs her own HR Company in Honiton, Devon. I thought that Dorchester would be a convenient location to meet. We had lunch together in a cafe/bistro called Taste which is situated just off the High Street. I had an excellent crayfish penne dish followed by creme brulee. When we left, it was raining quite heavily. I had a quick look in the Dorset County Museum but didn't really see much of interest. However it was interesting to discover that Thomas Masterman Hardy, Nelson's captain on HMS Victory, came from Dorset as did the author Thomas Hardy. On my return, I delivered all the Christian Aid envelopes to houses in Youngs Paddock, Stone Close and Weavers Close. I will need to collect them on Saturday and Monday. Tonight, Mary and I went swimming for half an hour at the Five Rivers Leisure Centre. On my return, I made some suggested amendment notes to the contract of employment I am looking at for the fashion designer in Liverpool. I had an early night as I didn't sleep for very long in Hove and had done quite a bit of driving over the last couple of days - I seem to be getting out of the habit.

A New Government

Woke this morning to find that the country still did not have a Government and it was looking as though the Labour Party would still try and hold on to power with a pact with the Liberal Democrats - a coalition of losers as Sara put it. After the children had gone to school I walked to the village shop to get a newspaper and a get well card for one of my Brighton masonic colleagues who has recently been having treatment for a heart condition and hasn't been able to attend meetings. I wrote up yesterday's blog and dealt with some incoming mail this morning whilst Sara walked up to Morning Star to get some eggs and deliver her completed volunteers' form. After a light lunch of a couple of sandwiches I drove across to Hove where, after delivering a couple of letters, I arrived at Peter's where I am staying tonight. We had tea and discussed the current political situation as well as looking over the plans he has drawn up for the proposed extension to our house in Winterslow. He drove us in to Brighton to attend his chapter meeting at Queen's Road - Old Steine Chapter. This is a gourmet chapter where the food at the Festive Board is of a much higher standard than usual - tonight it consisted of salmon mousse, cream of celery soup, braised pork loan with Normandy sauce, asparagus, mange tout and duchess potatoes, pecan pie, cheese and biscuits with port and coffee and mints! However, I found that I needed to "sing for my supper" as I was asked (and agreed) to take the role of First Assistant Sojourner for the evening which involved me in quite a bit of floor work as the ceremony was an exaltation. In fact it was good fun as it meant that instead of just watching the ceremony, I had the opportunity to do something. That always makes the evening more interesting. When Peter and I got back this evening it was to find that David Cameron had accepted the invitation of the Queen to form a government following Gordon Brown's resignation and speedy exit from Number 10. Nick Clegg is to be Deputy Prime Minister in a Conservative/Liberal Democrat full coalition government with the Liberals holding four other cabinet posts and 20 ministerial positions. We will learn the full extent of the Government tomorrow. At long last we have a Government free of the Labour Party!

Getting Fitter and Looking Better

How these days seem to whizz by! Anyone who said I'd be bored in retirement has no idea - not that I am really retired now - with my consultancy and church matters taking up so much of my time. I wrote to my new client today in Liverpool who has sent me some work in preparing draft employment contracts for her staff in her fashion design business. Looking forward to getting my teeth in this. Sara had an induction at the gym today so I went along too and spent an hour with her. Managed some time on the treadmill, upright bike (much prefer a real bike as the scenery is more interesting) and a devilish contraption called a summit cross trainer - essentially an instrument of torture to replicate running up Mount Everest! After this, Sara dropped me off at the dentist where I spent half an hour in the waiting room before being called in for another half hour consultation with the dentist herself. We discussed and agreed (in principle) a plan to improve the appearance of my teeth by having four veneers made (three for my upper front teeth and one lower) a new plate for my missing front outer incisor and a filing of some of my lower teeth. This would mean a series of some seven or eight appointments and a lightening of my bank balance. Sara is all in favour of it being done - although it will be me who will have to spend a few hours in the dentist's chair. We had lunch together today at Wagamama's and ran a couple of errands before returning home. Richard wasn't available to play golf this afternoon so I took myself off to Grateley to practice my short game. The course was not as well kept as Wilton and I didn't play particularly well - although I did get three pars. My putting was reasonably good but my chip shots off the green left something to be desired. Tonight Sara went to St. Leonard's (near Bournemouth) to a Vie at Home regional meeting and Mary attended her drama class. I set about filing three annual returns for the three companies I still part-own in Brighton. Fortunately, the filing, although a bit of a laborious exercise, went ahead without any hitches. I have another trip to Brighton tomorrow, staying overnight with Peter, and then a meeting in Dorchester with a client on Wednesday. It's good to keep busy.

A New Look at the Creation (with Bangers and Mash!)

A really busy day today, as are most Sundays these days. After making Sara and me tea, I went off early to All Saints where I was acting as Salesperson and Intercessor. The service was conducted by Nils with Jane preaching. A good sermon on the subject of John 14 - the promise of the Holy Spirit. After coffee and a short chat with people I drove up to Barry's Field where Tom's Clarendon U13s team needed only a draw against Sarum Youth to clinch the title and promotion. Sarum Youth were lying third in the table. When I arrived, eight minutes into the second half, the score was 1-1 and both teams were battling hard. Tom's team had the advantage of the slope but the wind was against them. Sarum Youth needed to win to win the title. About ten minutes from the end Sarum scored their second goal and managed to hang on to the lead until full time - 2-1! Poor olf Clarendon, they had done so well but were pipped to the post for the title honours. They will now have to play Laverstock for a runners up medal. Their coach was devastated - having brought the team, via three wins on the trot with a magnificent goal difference, so close. Just like Southmapton and Grimsby, Clarendon U13s just failed to reach their target. Not a good weekend for me - soccer wise. To make matters worse, Chelsea clinched the title this afternoon with an 8-0 win over poor Wigan. This afternoon, Sara and I led the Food for Thought service with Elizabeth. We had a great afternoon, lots of fun and teaching followed by bangers and mash. Sara had written a great play (skit) on Adam and Eve which mixed humour with a good way of telling the story of the Creation. We followed that with bible quizzes and bingo. With Spring Harvest songs we were able to bring a little bit of the Spring Harvest atmosphere to Winterslow. With 50 attending, we matched the attendance at All Saints this morning. Tonight, Klynn, Richard, James and I met for a relaxing pint or two at the Lion's Head. We all needed a bit of R&R after such a busy and emotional weekend.

A Sad Day for Grimsby

Another early morning start today as I was presenting, together with Richard, at this morning's Men's Breakfast Group held at Roger and Marti's in Gunville Road. It was grey and overcast with some light rain so I drove up instead of walking or cycling - I also needed to take my CD player too. We had a pleasant breakfast of sausages, scrambled egg and tomatoes with toast and tea - two excellent cooked breakfasts on two consecutive days now. Richard and I played a tape from Spring Harvest of a seminar we had attended with Carl Beech called "Godly Men". This led to a really good discussion about how we can get more men into the church. An astounding statistic which has now been burned into my brain is that children going to church will bring 3.5% of families following, women 17% but men but 93%. Men's ministry, therefore, is really important but extremely difficult too. We all agreed that the best way is to go to where men are - we cannot expect them, suddenly, to decide to walk into our churches. Indeed, quite a number of the men at our breakfast group readily admitted that they are poor church attenders. I wrote up yesterday's blog this morning and then Tom and I went to Southampton to watch Saints' last game of the season against Southend United. Southend are already relegated and Saints failed to make the playoffs so it was very much a friendly match type of atmosphere with several Southend supporters dressed as bananas (yellow and blue being the Shrimpers' away kit). Southend scored first but following a penalty successfully taken by Ricky Lambert and further goals from Lambert and Lallana, the final score was 3-1. A nice end to the season. Unfortunately, whilst this relaxed game was being played a greater drama was being played out Burton-on-Trent where Grimsby Town needed to win (and also hope that Barnet lost) in order to stay in league football. Unfortunately, Grimsby lost 3-0 and Barnet managed a 1-0 win against promoted Rochdale sending Grimsby out of league football for the first time in 99-years! An incredibly sad day for the team and even sadder for the town of Grimsby. I really don't see them coming back very quickly. Sara took a group of brownies, including Mary and her friend Lucy, to Paulton's Park for the day. From her accounts it was cold and miserable but they all enjoyed themselves. After the match, Tom and I went to TGI Friday's again. Although we had to wait for about 30 minutes for our table, the service was pretty good after that and the food excellent - succulent chicken, ribs and prawns and nice crunchy vegetables. Back home, I had a short time of quiet prayer before writing the Intercessions for tomorrow's service. I went to be before Sara tonight leaving her to struggle with her laptop trying to order a Tesco delivery on line.

A Hung Parliament

Very little sleep last night as I stayed up until nearly 4 a.m. hoping that the General Election Results would end with a straight majority for the Conservatives. As at the time I went to bed, the Conservatives has overtaken Labour with the number seats won but were not winning all the marginals necessary to assure them of a clear majority in the House of Commons. A hung Parliament looked a distinct possibility. Knowing that I was giving a presentation at the Ambassadors' Business Group at 7.30 a.m. I decided to try and get a couple of hours sleep. When I awoke, the political situation had not changed other than the fact that it looked almost certain now that there would be no overall majority for any party but Conservatives would clearly have the most seats of any party in the House of Commons. After showering I attended Ambassadors' at the Grasmere House Hotel where I gave my presentation about Employment Tribunals. I felt really tired but managed to talk for about 10 minutes and took quite a number of questions afterwards. I called in at the Cash n' Carry on my way home and stocked up with wines and beers and soft drinks together with potatoes and sausages for the Food for Thought service on Sunday afternoon. I met Roger there stocking up with goodies for the Lord Nelson's Arms. Tom was unwell today and Sara had to go to Stockbridge to pick him up from school. I had a midday snooze for a couple of hours and Richard called around at 3 pm. to go and play golf at Wilton. It was a lovely afternoon - dry with a cool breeze. Although I was still a little tired the fresh air, golf and good company made for a really pleasant afternoon. I got a couple of pars and used some of my higher clubs with some success. No great strokes today but we both managed to have a respectable round - nothing horrendous but nothing brilliant either. Although I reached the green twice from the tee, poor putting let me down. Still it's better than being in an office! Back home I felt too tired for anything much to eat so I chilled out tonight catching up with some TV programmes I had recorded but hadn't seen - some going back a few months. Went to bed relatively early tonight - 11.15 p.m. Still no Government at the end of the day but the Conservatives and Liberals are, at least, talking to each other.

General Election 2010

This morning, Sara went to Oasis Ladies Faith Group at St. Paul's in Salisbury while I stayed at home and wrote up my presentation for the Ambassadors' Group in Salisbury tomorrow morning. I prepared salad lunches for us both although I nearly lost mine when Emily the Cat stole the cold roast beef off my plate! Sara and I went to vote at just before 3 p.m. I then went around the village to pin up posters on telegraph poles for the Food for Thought service in the Village Hall on Sunday. Tonight we continued our House Group with a study of The Shack - this time discussing The Fall in the Garden of Eden and our perceptions of good and evil. Tonight, as I write this up, we are watching the Election Special programme at which stage there have been three declarations - all in the North East for Labour - which with the exit polls and an analysis of the swings suggests a hung Parliament with Conservatives having the most seats.

Lee's Forget-me-Not Second Ceremony

I got up at 9 a.m. today after a late night last night with all that travelling back from Sussex. I spent most of the day at home dealing with quite a bit of mail and emails. Posted an Event on Facebook for Food for Thought inviting some 40-odd to come along. Sara went to Jan(et)'s for lunch today and was out from 12 noon until about 3.30 p.m. I dealt with some banking and put together some ideas for my presentation to Ambassadors' on Friday. I must write it up tomorrow. I have also agreed to do a presentation with Richard on the topic of Godly Men on Saturday morning to the Men's Breakfast Group. I also booked the hotel and car parking at London Heathrow for our trip to the USA. All is now sorted for that trip except the children's passports which need renewing as soon as we get back from Dublin. This afternoon I mowed the bank which is looking quite smart. I also paid some bills. This evening, Lee was passed to the Second Degree of Craft Freemasonry in Sarum Lodge. The ceremony was a bit disjointed but we all had an enjoyable evening and a pleasant dinner of home-made chicken pie followed. I presented him with a Forget-me-Not lapel badge and explained something of its history. He seemed appreciative. When I got home I learned that Tom's team had won again (7-1 with Tom scoring Clarendon's last goal) and are now in with a great chance of clinching the title and getting promoted. I need to get up early tomorrow morning so that I can work on my presentations. I am also leading House Group again tomorrow night. Had the made idea of working late tonight but feeling quite tired so think I'll call it a day. After all, it is fifteen minutes to midnight. Sara is an owl but I am definitely a lark.

Meeting Old Friends in Sussex

This morning Sara went off to her Ladies that Latte in Salisbury and I spent the morning dealing with post and finalising my lecture. I left home at about 12.30 p.m. to go to Brighton to attend my Chapter meeting and deliver the lecture. The weather was very pleasant as I set off and I took the coastal route from Bognor Regis to Hove. I met Tom's godfather at Carat's Cafe, which overlooks the new Shoreham Power Station, for a cup of tea and a chat. I hadn't seen him for some years and he explained that he didn't come our way much but spent a lot of time up north and travelling and cruising abroad. We chatted for about an hour, mainly in the car park, before we went our separate ways again. I got to the Sussex Masonic Centre in Brighton in good time and attended the GPC before the main chapter meeting itself. I have agreed to take on the role of Second Principal next year although I will not be able to make the Installation Meeting because we'll be in the USA. It should be quite an easy year and it will help them out. I delivered my lecture tonight which went down well and we raised £45 for hope for Heroes. I dedicated the lecture to the memory of Boyd Neal who died a couple of weeks ago. There were only eight of us dining tonight - but that made for a nice intimate dinner with friends. The evening concluded at 9.15 p.m. and I was able to get back to Winterslow at around 11.15 p.m.

Bowled Over!

Bank Holiday Monday today, although for us retired folks it's another ordinary Monday except for having the kids around. We had a family breakfast of bacon muffins and fruit smoothies. Tom went off the the rec to play football. Richard came round at about 10.30 a.m. and we set off to deliver Conservative Party leaflets to all the houses in Saxon Leas. We completed the task in just under an hour returning home for coffee at just before 11.30 a.m. Sara went off with Cynthia, Rosemary, Gillian and others to a plant show at Longstock and I cooked beans on toast for the children's lunch and had a ham salad for myself. This afternoon we went to the Tenpin Bowling Alley in Southampton where we had one family game. I was winning quite convincingly when Sara got a strike and a spare and we ended up equal on 101. Mary came second behind us with 96 and Tom had 87. Tom was quite surprised and very disappointed to come last. We all went for a KFC afterwards. Tonight I printed off copies of my lecture on Ezra and Nehemiah which I shall be selling to those attending the lecture as a donation to Hope for Heroes. I am dedicating the lecture to the memory of Boyd Neal whose funeral I attended last week and who had been expected to attend the meeting tomorrow. I have also arranged to see Tom's godfather, Alan, in Southwick in the mid afternoon. I haven't seen him for ages. Sara is going to a Ladies that Latte meeting tomorrow afternoon so I'll probably set out a bit before lunchtime to be able to spend some time over in the Brighton area.

Big Pub Quiz

I cycled early this morning to attend the Early Morning Eucharist today at St. John's, conducted by Nils with assistance from Jane Dunlop who gave a very good sermon. After a quick breakfast I took Tom up to Barry's Field for his match against Durrington U13s. The weather has turned very cold today - unlike the hot sunshine we had at Twickenham yesterday - and it rained heavily during the match. Fortunately coffee was being provided in the Pavilion and so I was able to get out of the rain and cold during the half-time break. Tom's team, Clarendon U13s, won by a convincing 5-1. They are now firmly on track to win their league. I spent this afternoon finishing off my research and writing up my lecture on Ezra and Nehemiah to deliver in Brighton on Tuesday evening. Sara checked it through for me and I am well pleased with the final result. Tonight, I joined Richard, Jonno and Jeremy at the Lion's Head for the pub quiz. It was being compered by Mick Brown who is a leading light in the Winterslow Plan Group and the pub was packed - many many people who we never see and instead of the usual five or six teams there were eleven. Despite this we came second - although by my reckoning we actually won - but the winner was announced before our papers were even counted. It would have been embarrassing to take away the prize from the team announced as winners. Never mind. Not sure I enjoyed it as much as when there are fewer there and the quiz is set by Julie. It didn't seem to quite have the friendly rivalry we normally experience. No wine tonight either.

A Great Naval Victory at Twickenham

My alarm went off at 6 a.m. to remind me that Klynn, Richard and I were catching the 8.57 a.m. train for Twickenham from Grateley and they were picking me up at 8.15 a.m. I showered and made tea for Sara and me. I also wrote up yesterday’s blog and posted it on the Internet. Klynn and Richard arrived on the dot and we drove to Grateley. Whilst waiting for the train (we arrived in very good time) Richard produced two enormous sausage baguettes for each of us – one of which we ate in the car and the other later on the train. The train, when it arrived, already had a number of people on board clearly also going to the Army v Navy rugby match at Twickenham. We left the hoards at Basingstoke and journeyed up to Twickenham via Reading – a good move as most people were going to be changing at Clapham Junction. In my experience, it is much quicker and less crowded to make changes at Basingstoke and Reading. All our trains were on time and we arrived at Twickenham Station, as scheduled, at 11.10 a.m. We met up with my Masonic friend Rod E and his two children, daughter Georgina and son Ben, outside the main west entrance to the stadium just after 11.30 a.m. as arranged. I was amazed at just how much Georgina looked like Rod. All six of us then went to the Army’s Logistics Corp. Tent for a beer or two (at £4 per pint we were certainly not going to get drunk!). In the tent we met our host, Lee, who was with members of his family and former Army colleagues. We tended to split into two groups – the six of us in one and Lee and his family/Army colleagues, in the other. We went into the stadium at around 1.15 p.m. and watched the last twenty minutes or so of the Combined Services U23s v. Oxbridge U23s. Oxbridge won convincingly by, I think, 50-24. After the presentations the Army and Navy teams came on to train and I managed to get a photo of the Navy squad. We were entertained by the Band of the Duke of York’s Military School and the pop opera singing group Blake who sang I vow to Thee My Country and Jerusalem. They also led us in the National Anthem. Traditionally, the Army always beat the Navy (and have certainly done so each year since 2001) but I had told Lee that I would be supporting the Navy as my grandfather was in the RNR and I am a maritime historian. He told me not to get too optimistic and that the Army would sink the Navy! His prediction looked accurate at half time when the Navy were losing 15-3. He said the final score would probably be something like 30-3. In the second half the Navy put on pressure and it was an incredibly exciting 40 minutes when with just three minutes to go the score line had changed to Army 19 v Navy 16. With a try and penalty from the Navy and a further penalty for the Army the final score was Army 22 v Navy 24! Yessss! The Navy had gone against the normal trend with an amazing victory. I bought a White Ensign outside the stadium (I’ve been meaning to get one for some time) and will hoist it tomorrow. The second half was eventful for the number of streakers who suddenly appeared on and off the pitch. One guy ran around the top tier of seating in nothing but his orange underpants which he later also removed to cries of Off! Off! Off! From the 56,000 spectactors for whom the rugby was now simply a side show. A female streaker ran across the pitch bare chested (Tom now wants to come next year!) and Zorro suddenly appeared on the pitch too. The atmosphere was fantastic – good humour all around with nobody really taking the rugby all that seriously. We had another expensive beer in the tent afterwards and made our way back to Grateley the way we had come – managing to get seats all the way back. We ended a really wonderful day by having fish and chips in the Lord Nelson over a much more modestly priced pint of Wadsworth 6X (although he could be a little more generous with his chips!). As for the football, Southampton lost today at Gillingham 2-1 but Grimsby beat Barnet 2-0 at Blundell Park thereby ensuring that their fight to stay in league football will run to the last day of the season. A win next Saturday at Burton Albion and a loss or draw only by Barnet against high-flying Rochdale will ensure Grimsby Town’s survival in the League. Come on you Mariners – you can do it!