MY BLOG

The Brightest Star
A Neverending Story We have finally finished the kitchen, or not quite! I'm not sure it will ever really be finished, it just seems to have neared conclusion and then spawned a load of extra jobs. ... Read More
Penelope Pitstop
Fence Follies  There was a spell of fine weather recently, and with so much upheaval in the kitchen I decided to spend more time in the garden. This turned out to be a job that never ends. I first ... Read More
A Measured Response
A Welcome Return After two weeks of work the demolition of our old kitchen finished. There was still a lot to do, and it would be many months before completion, but at least we got our cooker back.... Read More
Whoa! We’re Going To Barbados
It seemed ages since we had been on holiday, so we were really looking forward to Barbados. Even the normally laid back Zac was getting excited, checking that we had the "right plugs for the foreig... Read More
Thud! Cake
"Bruce, Bruce, Bruce!" There are times when I shake my head in disbelief, and when Sally decided to recreate her (in)famous Bogtrotter Cake this was another such instance. The occasion was Archie's... Read More
Sal Qaeda And The Mole
I start this edition with what could have been some disturbing news! Sally went away for a few days with some friends, and as most of them sat down for refreshments at 4 o clock on a Wednesday morn... Read More
losemyiphone findmyiphone
A Star And A Dandylion The racing season is now well under way, and although Star Of Lady M faded to 12th place at Thirsk, there was a clear explanation that she was not yet fit enough to compete. ... Read More
Horace Comes Home
Waiting For Wildlife A month or so after completion the dead hedge has not seen too much action - other than the wrong kind of birds! https://youtu.be/waZRigxA9o0 There seems to have been a lot of ... Read More
When Is A Hedge Not A Hedge? (when its a Dead Hedge!)
A Horse With No Name Some interesting news on the horse racing front - we bought another one! We visited Tim Easterby in February, and he gave a rather bleak prognosis for Emerald Duchess. The vet ... Read More
Evri Cloud…
Leaves On The Lawn The dark days of winter are not helped by the thankless task of clearing up leaves. I gathered up 40 bags of the perennial nuisance and deposited them at the tip. I am fairly sur... Read More
What the hell is that?
Thai Diet I'll start this edition with Zac, and a sequence of events that are both unbelievable, and quite predictable at the same time. He settled in to hostel life in Thailand, and then he went t... Read More
Black Type And Blackberries
Free Food Not sure whether it was the hot weather, the prospect of an extreme winter, or one of many other old wives tales. One thing that is for sure, there were certainly a lot of blackberries ab... Read More
Truly Glorious Goodwood
Horses For Courses It has been a busy time for Star Of Lady M after her exertions at Royal Ascot, and Emerald Duchess has been getting involved too. The Dragon Stakes at Sandown was dismissed as an... Read More
Fairytale Of Newmarket To Ascot
The Star Of The Fairytale The fairytale that began at Newmarket last October reached new heights as we ventured to Royal Ascot. Our story was headlined by our own princess, Star Of Lady M. She was ... Read More
A Star Is Bo
The Catwalk I know a lot of you will be reading this hoping for racing updates, and they will come! However, first I have to mention the new social media star in our family. Regular readers will re... Read More
Down With The Duchess
Big Day For The Duchess The racing career of Emerald Duchess got off to an inauspicious start after the early euphoria surrounding Star of Lady M. We went to see her at Tim Easterby's, and for the ... Read More
A Star Is Born
Racing To Redcar Only one place to start this month and that is with Star Of Lady M. Our two year old Havana Grey filly was showing a lot of promise on the gallops. I let the stable know that we wo... Read More
Pizza, Paella, A Duke And An Earl
Plentiful pizza The clay oven has been working overtime during its first few weeks of operation. Obviously pizza had to be the first product, but I hit a bit of a hiccup meaning the dough was over ... Read More
Syn Free Pizza? I Doubt It!
Isn't It Quiet? It has been a quiet time since Christmas, particularly New Year's Eve. With Covid infecting half of the population of northern England we decided to light a bonfire and invite a few... Read More
Covid For Christmas
An Eye Watering Review I will start this edition with a product review. Not something I do a lot, and certainly not in response to emails that arrive literally minutes after ordering. However, I fe... Read More
Gingerbread, Jabs And A Song For Rudolph
Jabbed! Covid seems to be in the news for all sorts of reasons, and for me it was a relief when I was called for my booster. Now, having been double jabbed with Astra Zeneca I was about to be boost... Read More
Enter The Duchess
Emerald Duchess   It has been a really busy October, so let's start by clearing up the horse situation. Star Of Lady M has settled in at David O'Meara's yard, and we are going to visit her towards ... Read More
Star Of Lady M
Born Under A Wandering Star Sally, Fiona, Helen and Kerry went a wandering, and as Fiona had sustained an injury they stuck to relatively flat tracks rather attempt the challenge of Cracken Edge. S... Read More
Oh This Year I’m Off To Sunny Spain…
Growth Spurts As summer turns to autumn, and the UK basks in 27 degree heat, I've made a few adjustments to the vegetable plot! The tomatoes, dwarf sunflowers and cucumbers have now migrated to the... Read More
Tarts And Cakes And Penalties
Back To Normal? Are you ready to return to normal? I certainly am. Last week I went in to Tesco and had got more than half way round the shop before I remembered to put my mask on, and no one comme... Read More
Can You See The End Of Lockdown?
If You Want Anything Doing... Unbelievably I have done more DIY! Sally tried to be helpful by bringing back some planks of wood from B & Q, but I had to point out that the chairs and benches ha... Read More
If You Cant Stand The Heat…
We had a very strange occurrence this week! The boys have bought some wrestling mats that they lay down wherever there is space and then grapple with each other. Yesterday they used our bedroom flo... Read More
Losing It In Lockdown
So we are in Lockdown 2 - only a month, but its already had an impact. We booked a holiday for February, travelling in style to the Dominican Republic where Zac could enjoy the delights of a butler... Read More
NFL Week 6
Last week 9-5 and I’ll take that in another topsy-turvy week. Where will Le’Veon Bell turn up next? Looking like KC but what will that mean for Edwards-Helaire? Who will coach the Falcons? How many... Read More
NFL Week 5
Last week 9-6 this week with a number of upsets, the biggest of which was surely in San Francisco. A lot of teams with QB issues, whilst the Packers, Chiefs, Bills and Seahawks continue undefeated.... Read More
Is That Eeyore? No – Its Mr Madden
Need For Speed Not quite Eeyore, but some motoring madness this month. First of all Ole got a speeding ticket doing 59 in a 50. He was unsure of the location of the A34, so I said "Its the road wit... Read More
NFL Week 4
Last week A disappointing week at 7-9, but one that could have been so much better with a lot of close games. Burrow didn’t quite get his first W but avoided his third L, and Rodgers and Mahomes pr... Read More
NFL Week 3
Last week Big improvement at 12-4, and it could have been even better if I had not gone out on a limb with the Jets and Giants! Things may be starting to settle down, though some teams are beset by... Read More
NFL Week 2
Last week Sorry, 6-10 is somewhat of an embarrassment, but its week 1, and last year I didn’t even make predictions for that week. I am sure NFL Week 2 will be much better! So what did we learn? In... Read More
NFL Week 1
Its back! NFL Week 1 arrives after what seems like an age. The season starts on time, unaffected by the global pandemic. It will be interesting to see what games will be like without crowds; will t... Read More
Pollinating Pumpkins
Who knew that pollinating pumpkins was even a thing? The pumpkins in my vegetable patch are growing vigorously, and a week or so ago this huge pumpkin flower appeared. I googled how long before the... Read More
Ciabatta And Chocolate Cake
The interminable lockdown continues, but I have been as busy as ever, with gardening, chocolate cake and DIY all on the agenda! I am working on projects for Google (GCP) and Buyanom by day, whilst ... Read More
Lockdown
Strange Times Strange times that we live in! My last blog post did not foresee the many weeks of lockdown that has followed, and whilst Broccoli & Cheese soup, Tomato & Mozzarella salad, an... Read More
Radiators!
As the years pass by, you begin to understand your place in a relationship. In the early days everything is rosy. You are up there on a pedestal, equal in every way, and deserving your partner’s un... Read More
The Superbowl
S49ers 20 Chiefs 31 A great advert for the game, unlike the NFL’s ridiculous decision to have the Jaguars play back to back games at Wembley – but we won’t go into that here. Simple fact is that th... Read More
Rezillomania!
(Apologies for the quality of photographs - I was having too good a time to get anything better!) How time flies! It is now almost 42 years since I went in to HMV and bought Can’t Stand The Rezillo... Read More
The Saga Of Advent – Christmas Comes Early
Regular readers will recall Zac’s triumphant, if a little muddy, Duke Of Edinburgh expedition. Well, of course, that’s not all he had to do. Another of his tasks was cooking. He had to cook one dis... Read More
Conference Championships
No shocks this week – and an enthralling Superbowl in prospect. So what happened last week? Predictions were 2-0 (going by the head) Titans 24 Chiefs 35 Chiefs strangled the life out of the Titans ... Read More
Divisional Play Offs
The NFL might be settling down! Only one shock last week – and what a shock. Not many predicted the Titans downing the Ravens, but I have been saying all along that Lamar Jackson is not an elite Qu... Read More
Wildcard Weekend
Not many shed a tear for the Patriots, but will the four wildcard winners survive the divisional round? A resounding No from me. So what happened last week? Predictions were 2-2 so not great – look... Read More
NFL Week 17
So we are down to the last 12, with the Patriots having a shocker to drop to the number 3 seed. Elsewhere the Browns imploded again, and the Packers overcame a slow start to earn a bye week. So wha... Read More
NFL Week 16
Big statement from the Packers, footnotes from the Patriots and 49ers. Chiefs, Ravens and Saints also came up with crucial wins. Eagles look to be a step away from 4th seed when really they shouldn... Read More
NFL Week 15
When will the shocks end in this crazy season? A wild ending saw Atlanta upset the 49ers, and now the NFC could not be closer. The Packers got a gutsy win, but they travel to the Vikings – so thing... Read More
NFL Week 14
Week 14 saw a major shock in Houston, and a seminal moment in New Orleans. Elsewhere, the Patriots are slumping at the wrong time, whilst the Chiefs are finding their form at the right time. So wha... Read More
Cabbages, Pumpkins, And The Sound Of Sally’s Cooking
Time flies when you are having fun, and the Buyanom project has been a lot of fun. The next stop after Newmarket was the Goffs sale in Ireland - so I flew to Dublin and picked up a car with a magic... Read More
NFL Week 13
Week 13 brought a little confusion to the NFL – can the Titans really make the play offs? Who can stop Baltimore? Are the 49ers a second rate team in cold weather? Should the NFC East be excluded f... Read More
NFL Week 12
Week 12 cleared up a few issues and confirmed the 49ers and Ravens as genuine contenders. The Bengals are now so bad that they are reverting to their previously benched QB, whilst Derek Carr proved... Read More
NFL Week 11
Week 11 was a week for “breathing space”. The Vikings gave themselves some, as did the Ravens, Saints, Patriots, Chiefs and 49ers. The NFC South now looks to be wide open, but I suspect the injury ... Read More
NFL Week 10
Week 10 saw the last unbeaten record fall and there were a few other results that raised eyebrows. The Falcons over the Saints was probably the biggest shock, but wins for the Titans and Dolphins w... Read More
NFL Week 9
Week 9 was a bit of a mythbusters week! The Browns myth has been well and truly slain several times already, but this week two others were called into question. The Packers lost on the road to the ... Read More
NFL Week 8
Well it looks like I am going to have to take the 49ers a bit more seriously! Other than that most results went something like according to plan. The Wembley game between the Bengals and Rams might... Read More
The Secret Of A Happy Marriage
I have been writing this blog for almost five years - and never have I been so busy! So lets go back to August, and our holiday to Portugal. As so often happens, the drama started at the airport. D... Read More
NFL Week 7
There’s an interesting dynamic around the NFL where starting QBs get injured and their back ups play really well. However, the honeymoon period rarely lasts! Mahomes injury could be costly for the ... Read More
NFL Week 6
In answer to last week’s question, no the NFL season is not sorting itself out. So this week’s question is, can you win the Superbowl without an elite quarterback. Historically the answer must be “... Read More
NFL Week 5
Is the NFL season finally starting to sort itself out? Well, there are one or two exceptions (49ers 4-0?) but generally yes. There will always be turnups (Broncos over the Chargers), but I think th... Read More
NFL Week 4
Well that was a disastrous week in terms of predictions – but maybe not quite time to reassess everything. The Saints are coping admirably without Brees, but I can see two other new QBs (Jones and ... Read More
NFL Week 3
Things are beginning to take shape, but there are a lot of teams at 3-0 and a lot that probably won’t stay undefeated for long. I’ve decided to drop the Bengals and the Eagles from the wildcard pic... Read More
NFL Week Two
Well, the season has still got some settling down to do! There was at least some signs of quarterbacks shaking off the rust, but injuries to Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger could change a lot! Th... Read More
NFL Week One
I can’t recall the last time Week One games were not described as a Wild Weekend, and although this year certainly produced some wild games, there was in some respects a sense of disappointment. I ... Read More
A Dam Fine Effort
Well, I knew my village was being partially evacuated, but sat in a hotel restaurant in Kiev on Thursday night and seeing Whaley Bridge on the news brought home the extent of the situation. Be... Read More
One Hundred Not Out!
100 Not Out! No - thats not a cricketing reference, that is for the remarkable achievement by my cousin-in-law (is that even a thing?) Tracy Cooper-Posey who will publish her 100th novel in July. T... Read More
Kiev To Tobago And Fifty Shades Of Zac
Kids! Zac and Ole have decided to get boxing pads to keep them fit during the summer. Not sure how this one will go! Mum paid for them, and they cost £20, so Ole said he would paint some fences to ... Read More
I’d Go The Whole Wide World To Find The Lentils In Tesco
Well, our boys have been busy, though I have to qualify that with "relatively speaking"! Ole went over to Liverpool to audition for Hollyoaks, and sadly he did not get the part. He then had to embr... Read More
Robins Tits And Jackdaws
Been a bit busy recently, so its probably a good thing that my previous contract finished at the end of January. My next one starts in April, with a base in Leeds but with travel to the Ukraine, so... Read More
Podcasts – the start!
You may have noticed a new button along the top of my home page. "PODCASTS" does exactly what it says on the tin! I have signed up with Spreaker (as they allow me to have multiple shows in one acco... Read More
I Know What You Are Thinking
Its been a quiet time in the kitchen - with Enchiladas and very slow roast beef top of the menu. However, there has been activity as Zac is improving his culinary skills as part  of his Duke Of Edi... Read More
Whaley To Wisconsin (And All Places In Between)
Bucket lists – yes or no? Never really been concerned about them, I mean, if you put ten things on there and you achieve all ten, then what? Start another one? And what about things that you just d... Read More
Findmyiphone? Findmypast!
Sometimes its Zac that causes me the most consternation, sometimes its Ole. Sometimes its both of them. Throw in a healthy dollop of Gabi and Sally and, well, life can certainly get complicated. Th... Read More
NFL Week 11
SAINTS beat CHARGERS in Superbowl!!! 7-6 with a few heartstopping games. Rams show their class against the Chiefs but the Saints look just as strong. The Broncos dented the Chargers hopes, with ... Read More
Horses, Pumpkins And A Lady – No Its Not Cinderella!
Credit where it is due! This year sees the 100th anniversary of the end of The Great War, also known as the First World War, that produced many atrocities from 1914 to 1918. I am sure that the yo... Read More
Broccoli, Brett And A Bot
Well let's start this month with Zac's money making scheme. His first purchase has been a bot that runs on his laptop to automatically buy expensive Supreme stuff that he hopes to sell at a profit.... Read More
Lady M Strikes Again
I should probably have known better. Lady M came in for some criticism recently for not lifting a finger in the kitchen, but suddenly, without warning, she announced that she was going to make a he... Read More
A Kuna Tomato
Going on holiday is always a time for cleansing - and that includes the fridge! We had a lot of tomatoes so I made a couple of jars of tomato relish. Not tried it yet - and to be honest I'm not a f... Read More
Rosettes And Ryanair
Interesting website developments, the most popular geographical area for my web content appears to be something listed as The Russian Federation. Maybe there is something real in all of this electi... Read More
Football, Festivals And The Advantage Of Two Badges
Well, the World Cup came and went, and not without incident. Ole described the night it kicked off in the White Hart, but he still went back for more at the semi final stage! Cricket was the bad gu... Read More
Fake Champagne!
Well, I have to start this edition with a bit of a gamble. Obviously the World Cup is in full flow, and the bets are on. But I had a couple of quid left in my betting account so I looked for some v... Read More
As Greedy As A Pig
May was certainly a busy month, with Ole moving back home from university, our first day as members at York Races, and Sally taking lots of "food porn" pictures as we prepare for the launch of Mmm.... Read More
Things That Go ‘Bump’ In Ashbourne
Well, the Christmas Present (from 2016) is proving to be a dangerous business. Regular readers will remember the 'going for a scan' incident, well now we have had the 'broken bridge' incident in As... Read More
Blogs, Hogs And My Drama Exam
Well, my last post, accompanied by a picture of some Japanese schoolgirls, has been the most viewed in the history of this blog. I like to think its because the writing is getting better!   It has ... Read More
The Beast From The East – and a flashback to Japan 2002
The Beast From The East certainly caused havoc on the roads, and Zac finally got the snow days that he has been yearning for! However, it was not without drama. On Wednesday, as the Beast entered t... Read More
Scary In Print – Scarier In The Kitchen!
A couple of catch ups from the festive period, we went to see Guys And Dolls at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. This fantastic theatre always puts on a good show, and midweek tickets for ... Read More
Police And Thieves And Celebrities
Happy New Year to everyone, and the run up to Christmas has been as eventful as ever. Certain things always happen at certain times of the year, and I'm A Celebrity seems to be one of them. It fini... Read More
Cabbages And Kings
"The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things: Of shoes and ships and sealing wax Of cabbages and kings."      "The Walrus And The Carpenter" from Through The Looking Glass by Lewis... Read More
Mops, Strops & The NFL
So how's university going? Well three weeks in and he's been back twice! The second time was for a trip to Wembley for the American football, but he decided to come home early. His first and most p... Read More
The US, student finance and Three Customer Service – the world’s gone mad
Well - I am going to start by saying that the USA has officially lost it. I have been following their politics since the election, and it is clear that they just can't get on with each other. The r... Read More
The Ups & Downs Of Rollercoasters
The big news for this update is that Elvis Under The Covers hit the virtual shelves in time for the 40th anniversary of the death of The King. I have undertaken some memorable promotional activitie... Read More
Elvis Launched And A Case Of Mistaken Identity
I must start with the news that my latest book, Elvis Under The Covers, is now on sale. The publishing process was remarkably easy - 2 days before launch I didn't have a Kindle version - but that e... Read More
Me and Suzi Quatro!
Just a quick update for now as I'm very busy with the launch of Elvis Under The Covers in August to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley. Well, we might as well start th... Read More
Teenage Depression And The Best Burgers In The World
Financial choices can be difficult within families - do you put it aside for university? Do you try to get the best interest rate? There are countless options, but I didn't really expect Sally's qu... Read More
The Fraudster Revealed – That’s Just Bad Parenting
Well, some ups and some very big downs in this edition. First of all Sapphire sadly fell victim to an accident, probably a collision with a car. He was taken to the vet where he passed away, aged j... Read More
Disproving That A Dog’s Bark Is Worse Than Its Bite!
Dogs – love them or hate them? For me – its hate! I’ve always resisted the temptation to get one, despite family pressure. The last one I did have was a feisty bitch called Sally. Don’t want anothe... Read More
Elvis Presley And A Horse’s Arse
Regular readers will be interested to know that after another tortuous phone call I finally got a refund from Expedia. The latest phone call was with a Mr Wayarasinghe, or at least that's what it s... Read More
Leave The Cooking To Dad
We are just 6 days into 2017 and Expedia have already made an outstanding case for the worst customer service of the year. The start of the new year is always a good time to plan ahead, so I decide... Read More
So, how was it for you?
Regular readers will no doubt be pleased to learn that that both of my complaints have been resolved. KLM paid £503 into my bank account mid November (for the flight chaos from July), whilst Virgin... Read More
Slimline or Full Fat? Cucumber or Lemon? Lady M Insists!
After the disasters of the Battenberg and cupcakes, one sharp eyed colleague questioned whether Sally really was that bad at cooking. Referring to Mmm…No1…Cookbook on Amazon she said, ‘Didn’t Sally... Read More
Death By Battenburg
The cricket season finally ended, accompanied by some dodgy decisions, some unseasonally warm weather, and a bit of a damp squib of an end of season do. Next up is the Players Meeting, called for b... Read More
Don’t Take The Bishop To Hospital!
My brother-in-law, Peter, has been ill. Heart problems, but apparently not too serious, if heart problems can ever be considered as not too serious. Anyway, we wish him well, but it led to one of t... Read More
If You Don’t Know Where You Are…
The important news for this edition comes from the US where I have put the wheels in motion to set up a US subsidiary. The name will be the same, Legacy IT Consultants Limited, but rather than be a... Read More
Pokemon Go Where?
You have probably noticed that Pokemon Go is all the rage! And its not all bad news. Zac covered 6km chasing round Whaley for the damn things - which is better than three hours in front of an XBox.... Read More
To Hell And Back (via Toronto)
Q. When is a Maltester Cake not a Malteser Cake? A. When Sally picks off all of the Maltesers for herself turning it into a plain old chocolate cake. Well it was always going to be an intense itine... Read More
Wooden Shite With Candles
Well its the cricket season which probably explains all of the rain. The seconds notched another win, but my personal scores are tumbling. 60, 51, 41, 35 - need to arrest the slide! On the positive... Read More
Brexit And Ball Pools
Its been a busy few weeks - not even had any time to update this blog. And in the near future it looks like its going to get even busier! Could be off to Washington DC again, including a day trip t... Read More
There’s A Moose Loose Aboot This Hoose
Its raining, its snowing, it must be the cricket season. First match, as is tradition, was cancelled due to no one having done anything, metaphorically or physically, to their ground. The league, i... Read More
Council House Caribbean!
I'll start this edition with a bizarre night in Manchester. Sally and I went to see my old mate Mike Sanchez and his backing band the Drugstore Cowboys, or is it The Portions? Anyway, I am Mike's o... Read More
From Marple To Cuba – The Road To Recovery
I suppose my big news centres around two visits to medical professionals. First up was my physio and she is very pleased with my progress. However, in rolling over on her table I got a very strange... Read More
Mosh Pits & Muslims & No More Heroes
Been a few weeks since an update so there's quite a bit to fill in. I went over to Dordrecht to see my friends at Cornerstone, which was eventful. The night before I wanted to check that my phone w... Read More
I Would Walk Five Hundred Miles…
We got a nice visit from Gabi, Matt and of course Pixie last week, but I think we need some noisy toys. Sally is all for getting the Happy Valley set out of the loft, but I think a few clockwork mu... Read More
My Golden Plums
The Transylvanian Green Bean Soup caused a bit of stir last week. Sally asked how I would ever consider making such a thing, and its quite simple really. She would not think twice about buying a hu... Read More
WI oh WI?!
It was a busy time last weekend thanks to the long awaited return of junior football. It was quite memorable too, with Ole scoring his first goal in several years in a 4-1 win, whilst Zac almost ke... Read More
I Had To Laugh
Its been a funny old few days, and sometimes I have to laugh otherwise I would have to take some things far too seriously. For instance, I laughed when Sally came back from the shops with three bra... Read More
Whoa! I’m Going To Barbados (well actually its Cuba)
Take two bottles into the shower? Why would I do that when there are already twenty seven in there. What are they all for? I thought that we had a breakthrough this week. After Zac added bacon to h... Read More
Three Steps To Heaven – But 400 Steps to Horwich End
This week has been a pivotal one in terms of my recuperation. My first few steps were painful, but I quickly got used to it. There's still a lot of wobble, and swaying from side to side, but I've n... Read More
Playing The Spoons
Someone once asked me whether losing forks and other cutlery was an everyday occurrence as they certainly did. They frequently tipped their cutlery into the bin with leftovers, and inevitably their... Read More
Another Year (Almost) Over…
Well its almost New Year, and the chocolate fest will soon be over. Even at Easter its not really acceptable to tuck in to half a box of Ferrero Rocher at 10 am, have brownies with cream for lunch,... Read More
Don’t Blame Me – Its Christmas
Steadily got used to putting weight down on my left foot, but there's always a temptation to do more. I also managed to cut down on painkillers. For a few days I have been down to just 2 paracetamo... Read More
Back To The Kitchen…Mmm…
Monday saw a trip to see my consultant, ten days after the operation. He removed the dressing and showed me what a splendid job he had done with the stitches. He sent me upstairs for an x-ray (don'... Read More
That’s Not Lies, That’s Life!
Things started to settle down around the operation, and I discovered that cats are either very empathetic, or they know a captive audience when they see one. They have been taking it in turns to ma... Read More
Riding a Unicorn to Venezuela
Ole lost his home work this week. He was trying to install a printer and all of a sudden his rich text format document was full of gobbledegook. Some might say it was like that before, but now it w... Read More
Lamborghinis and Lesbians
There were a series of ups and downs in the kitchen this week, with Ole turning his hand to making brownies. Unfortunately, we had no eggs, so he decided that bananas and milk would be a good subst... Read More
Poinsettia & Pumpkins
When Zac went to Taxal School the question of lunch was always a straightforward one. He would take a lunchbox filled with a sandwich (with nothing on it), crisps, either grapes or an apple (peeled... Read More
The Lady Is Not For Downgrading
Adverts in America are very different to those in the UK. The first difference is that they appear anywhere in a tv program, without warning. The second difference is that they are still able to bl... Read More
Harry Potter, Phoenix and The Middle Of The Doughnut (JK Rowling’s unfinished novel)
The weekend was supposed to be a chilled affair, but with the imminent arrival of Gabi's first child it was anything but. There were Messenger updates, phone calls and text messages, with very litt... Read More
Confessions Of A Blogger
Ahhhh, bliss. I write this from poolside. Its mid 70s at 10am, expected to rise to mid 80s by the afternoon. Sally has gone shopping, Ole is doing homework (also by the pool), and Zac is in the hot... Read More
Burgers And Bouncers
Zac has been busted several times this week, mostly related to school activities. First of all he announced that he was now getting off the bus at his friend's bus stop in Whaley Bridge, and then w... Read More
Orphans
Its a stressful time in a teenager's life, moving from High School to College, and with all of the added distractions it is no surprise that there have been some bumps along the way. So, we decided... Read More
Burger Wars
I was pleasantly surprised yesterday as the phone is miraculously fixed. Didn't do anything. I am sure Sky would say the same - but someone did something because it now works. On Monday I removed t... Read More
Me And My Carer. X
Well after a quiet week last week this one has started very differently. Of course, there's always the mundane, and when Sally made a chicken, leek and mushroom pie for tea I pointed out a couple o... Read More
Madrid – a Culinary Guide
It seems like it has been a quiet week, but not really! I suppose 4 days on The Trip in Madrid could never be called ‘quiet’, particularly with the penchant that the Madridistas have for going out ... Read More
I Can’t Be Arsed!
Lets start with Zac. He always gets a bit lippy when his mates come around, and on this occasion not only was his mate around, his mate’s mum was around as she had come to pick up her son. Mum was,... Read More
Rage Against The Machine (And Against The Son)
Before I start - does this happen in everyone's house? We had just finished tea and I was outside when Ole came running out. 'Look what she's done!' he shrieked. Meanwhile, from inside, 'she', bett... Read More
Another One Bites The Dust
Get out the Queen CD again, cue track 2, and....play. "Another one bites the dust, another one bites the dust, and another one's gone and another one's gone, another one bites the dust." Yes Sally ... Read More
Five Feet High And Rising…
There a very popular Johnny Cash song that I play regularly in my car... How high's the water mama? Two feet high and rising How high's the water papa? Two feet high and rising Well we can make it ... Read More
Our Survey Says…
Here's a funny thing. Remember the Rusty Duster? Well Dacia have written to me several times asking for my opinion of the car, how its performing, etc. Finally, I have decided to respond. I told th... Read More
Along The Canalscape (?)
Well the week started with a Facebook message from my ex boss looking for a test manager. Another stint in Nottingham? With that traffic? Well its in a slightly easier part so I agreed to meet the ... Read More
Prada Willy My Arse!
Zac is probably the messiest and least organised person that I know. Many parents of 11 year olds would doubtless say the same thing, but if you ask Zac to move a pair of socks from off the floor a... Read More
Watching The Money Rolling In
Isn't technology wonderful. My Sky Broadband speed dipped to < 3 frequently, even after the upgrade, so I followed the steps on their website. This included bringing up a DOS command prompt, ent... Read More
Intestines And Sex Ed!
Preparations for The Raven are well under way, and props are a key part of the show. Hence, on Saturday morning I boiled a packet of spaghetti and mixed in a load of red food colouring. The resulti... Read More
A Brown Eyed Handsome Man
Two three the count with nobody on He hit a high flyer into the stand Round to third he was headed for home He was a Brown Eyed Handsome Man that won the game It was a Brown Eyed Handsome Man That ... Read More
Welcome To The Prom Bitch!
Isn't language funny? Especially grammar. A comma placed in the headline would indicate that the subject was an attendee at the Prom "Welcome to the Prom, bitch!", but in this case the "Prom Bitch"... Read More
A Man’s Gotta Do What A Man’s Gotta Do!
Yesterday, naturally, the portaloo was in the wrong place. Not Sally's fault, of course. No, the delivery men couldn't follow a simple direction. They placed it to the left of the house, and it sho... Read More
A Nightmare On Walters Wood
Its not as easy as it looks this blogging malarkey! So says Clive Ashton. His first post ended up on Google + so I rescued the errant narrative and placed it on his blog. Next he said it had just d... Read More
FFS!
Some days the kind of day that I am having can be gauged by the number of times I have to say FFS! Actually, I don't need to say it, just the thought counts. For instance, when I have juniors playi... Read More
My Given Name Is Dickie And I Come From Billericay
Very strange week, involving Ian Dury, a medical situation, another potential Blogger, and frustration at Tesco. Let's start with Tesco. Anyone who shops at Tesco should have a clubcard, and I also... Read More
If God Had A Baby…
Well, Zac is back and seems a bit tired, but thats about it. He went up to cricket practice, came back and jumped in a hot bath. Of course, mum is in Benidorm, so while the cat's away, this particu... Read More
Eggs Maniac
Its been a very quiet week! Possibly something to do with Zac going off to Whitehall with his class. This was a traumatic experience, with many of the parents welling up as their little boys and gi... Read More
Packing It All In
Hmmm, regular readers will have seen my simulated rant of Arabella and her turbulent life from 19th May. Regular readers will also realise that it was completely fabricated, an illustration of the ... Read More
The Saga Draws To A Close
The silver car saga is almost at an end. I have email confirmation that the dealer will be providing a full refund and so we can move on. The latest chosen vehicle is a white Kia Sportage, so look ... Read More
Grounded!
It was bound to happen, sooner or later. Some of you may remember an infamous incident from a few years ago. I came home from work one Friday afternoon to be told by Zac that the playroom was not f... Read More
A Load Of Baloney
Well, its been another eventful few days, including a whirlwind trip to Ireland. For those of you that don't know, my mum and 3 sisters were all in Ireland for a week - something that was arranged ... Read More
Who Is Arabella?
Well, its amazing just how many people have fallen for the PCN scam, and not just at Aldi in Macclesfield. Now, I am no legal expert, but I have reproduced below the 2 letters that I sent to SIP Pa... Read More
Well My Daddy Left Home When I Was Three…
...and he didn't leave much for ma and me, just this old guitar and an empty bottle of beer. Now I don't blame him cos he run and hid, but the meanest thing that he ever did, was before he left, he... Read More
Parking Perils
Why does it suddenly seem like I am very busy? The T20 tournament is imminent, so I am heading off to Glossop tonight to pick up our pink balls and other promotional stuff. Then there is the song l... Read More
An Animal In Bed!
I have now decided NEVER to cash out on golf betting. I did it at the Masters and Jordan Speith went on to win costing me a few quid. Last Sunday I didn't and Rickie Fowler did the business - ensur... Read More
That silver car (again)
It was a pleasant day at Chester Races - but I am so glad that I came home rather than heading for Liverpool afterwards. And what happened to the Tote? This is now something called 'Chester Bet', a... Read More
Early Morning Romp Leads To Spillage
Oh dear! Sapphire is in the bad books. We were having a romp in bed yesterday morning, and I think he/she enjoyed the feel of the brand new brilliant white Egyptian cotton duvet cover. Hang on. Wha... Read More
Cocaine!
Were you paying attention? Here's the picture I promised you last week. Its a well known Hollywood actress that I bumped into on the towpath neat Whaley!   Can you guess who it is?   Sapphire is st... Read More
The new car (with unwanted extra)
I now have a brand new silver car. It also came with an unwanted extra, an orange warning light. That came on after abut 10 miles, and its still on. Checked the book, and it says one of the tyre se... Read More
We Do Like To Stroll Upon The Prom Prom Prom…
Twelve months ago it was a fanciful suggestion from a 14 year old willing to give up his birthday party for it. Now, the reality of staging the Chapel High School after prom party at our house is b... Read More
A Question Of Sex
The Sapphire debate rumbles on. My sister Fiona, who used to be a nurse so she ought to know, reckons Sapphire is definitely a boy. She started to show me pics that demonstrate how to tell, but I'm... Read More
The Cold War
Its always a stressful time introducing cats to each other, and apparently it can be quite stressful for the cats too. Anyway, Sapphire and Bobby gave each other cursory glances until Sapphire aime... Read More
The Patter Of Tiny Feet
Well, Sapphire is settling in. Bobby has not really paid much attention to his new house mate, other than the occasional hiss and a deep growl. Sapphire wants to play, Bobby wants his house back. W... Read More
Sapphire!
Well, the kitten saga took an unexpected turn on Friday as Sally found one in Macclesfield. Or was it Stockport? No, maybe Stretford? So on Saturday morning I set off to pick it up from Chorlton. I... Read More
Balti Before Breakfast
Well, the cricket season starts tomorrow, but there are probably many readers who care not a jot for that most English of sports. If you are interested, then you can read my thoughts here... WBCC C... Read More
Chocolate Cup Cakes
Today I had a moment of revelation. Not a great big must go to church every Sunday from now on kind of revelation. This was of the culinary kind. You may or may not know that Zac's diet is terrible... Read More
Beware Geese On Bikes
Not everyone was pleased to hear about the Monte Carlo adventure. Clayton warned that, "You are creating a monster!" Maybe we should rename her Lady F. Anyway, no sign of a kitten yet, but the car ... Read More
Pretty Maids All In A Row
It was a quieter weekend than expected. Sherry Friday went off without too much incident, and then Saturday saw a mammoth shopping trip to Tesco. The "Big Pan" was getting its first outing of the y... Read More
What’s In A Name?
A quiet day started in whimsical fashion, as our attention turned to kittens. I recalled two white cats from childhood. One was called Susie, and the other Gemima. Sally looked surprised. "Gemima's... Read More
Searching!
Today started off in a much more sedate way than the earlier ones this week. But after yesterday's disasters on the motorway Sally decided that a new car was the priority. Now - I have no interest ... Read More
What’s It All About?
Paradise is an interesting concept. Not so much a place as a state of mind. If I ever found it I don't think I'd be as careless as Milton! So today seems like a good day to start a new blog. It sta... Read More