Spread 'em

Quite a lot has been happening over the last few days - not least the fact that my brother-in-law plumber has become a dad 3 weeks earlier than expected. So the bathroom re-fitting is now on hold for approximately a week.
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Place your bets - I wish I had. The Baby successfully chose the winner of this years Grand National, Silver Birch. The odds were 33/1 but I didn't place a bet, so failed to capitalise on his brilliance!

On the subject of bets, I have recently started Spread betting.

This is a method of speculating on a number of things, whether financial, sporting or political. I am more interested in the financial specualtion, and it is great fun watching how the markets perform and taking a punt on what will happen next.

Last Friday I bet (£2/point) that the FTSE100 would go up in value. It was a roller-coaster ride until lunchtime, when things started to even out, and I finished the day £70 up. Not bad for a starter.

I'm using a company called IG Index and they have a training programme called Tradesense. This is a six week course, during which the bets can be just pence, therefore allowing you to get comfortable with the overall concept of spread betting.

Finally - some news on my shares. Not a good week. The market dropped quite low on Thursday, which meant some of the value was reduced. However, Stagecoach bounced back like a trooper.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow...

It's snowing.

The temperature gauge on my car this morning showed -3 degrees. Brrr. As we travelled down the motorway, the snow started to fall, and was actually settling.

The question is... will it continue? Can I make a snowman tomorrow with the children?

Oh - BIG news. My little baby has crawled. He will be one on Sunday, and at last he has discovered the ability to move himself. OK, so he's not that graceful, and is more commando than crawling - but he did propel himself along the floor to get to Heffalump. He loves that toy - and won't sleep without it. There's one in his cot, one in the buggy and one in the car. All bases covered.
His two big brothers were so excited about him crawling, and I'm sure that helped motivate him.

I'll keep you informed of his progress.

Right. Now time to get the stats finished for yesterday.