August Is 'Ere

So, it's August. Where is the year going?

It has started with a sickness bug doing the rounds; just take a look at this:

• Monday - The Baby was sick at the dentist
• Monday Night - The Wife was sick
• Tuesday - The Wife was sick
• Tuesday Night - Number One was sick
• Wednesday - Number One and Number Two were sick (Number One also went to hospital)
• Wednesday Night - The Baby was sick again!!

Me - I'm the last man standing, hoping not to succumb to the perils of this bug.
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Tried to book a different hotel for the Grand Prix next year. Surprise, surprise - it's booked up. Strange, as it was only available for booking from today. Still, I have a reservation at another hostelry, so no worries there.
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So, in the night, as Number One was settling back down, we noticed that his Nintendo DS Lite was not where it should be. Where was it? What a mystery. Apparently it got into a draw all by itself. Even stranger, it managed to snap itself in two, all on its own!
He eventually admitted that it was he who broke it, albeit in excitement at getting to the next level of a game.
The Wife called Game, who gave a number. Nintendo Support were charming, and for the small price of £25.25p they will either repair or replace. Not bad. Considering I was on eBay this morning and watching a number of items. I'll report on the service when it's returned.
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I can only hope the rest of the month gets better. Stay tuned.

Harry Potter and the Blue Screen of Death

Wow - it's Tuesday. Doesn't time fly.
I'm typing this on a replacement laptop - mine died "The Blue Screen of Death"! I'm still waiting for someone to repair it, so in the meantime, I have this heap of junk, with a dodgy keyboard, and virtually no processing power.
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We went to the Trafford Centre on Saturday, which was quite pleasant. Number One came off best, as much was purchased ready for his starting in Junior school.
In the evening we went to Pizza Express with a couple of friends, and we had a lovely time.
I took the boys swimming on Sunday, and in the afternoon, we played on the Wii.
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I've just realised that the new Harry Potter book is out on Saturday. I hope the postman doesn't let me down and deliver it in a timely fashion. I've also paid for a copy of the new Mario game, bought on eBay. So looking forward to that dropping through the letter box, hopefully in time for the weekend.
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I've also put some stuff up for sale on eBay. Some Playstation 2 games that I don't play, and one for the Wii (well, I hope it sells for more that I can get in part-x at the shop).
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On Friday I booked the hotel for next years British Grand Prix. However, I found out last night that there is a school do on the same day, so it looks like I won't be able to go. Never mind, we'll save it for another year. Now, to cancel the booking.
On the subject of the Grand Prix, it seems McLaren are in a spot of bother over the Ferrari documentation affair. We'll have to wait about 10 days for the FIA hearing, but I hope that they are not found guilty. Apparently, the punishment could reverberate around the team, and Lewis may find himself short of a few points. We'll have to watch this space.
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Facebook is providing much muse at the moment. Everyone seems to be 'biting' each other, and I've slowly started to add some more friends. It's a strange concept that just seems to have taken off.
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Right - back to work. There'll be more later in the week. That is, if I don't suffer too much after my workout at the gym tonight!! Ouch.

Reaching Out

I've decided to try to push this blog further into the blogosphere. It's time to go public.

Since I started this, at the beginning of the year, it's only been between me and you, but the time has come to try to get this further out there.

So, now you can subscribe via an RSS feed (Really Simple Syndication). Without getting too technical, this means you can use a reader, such as Feedburner, or add it to the likes of Google or Yahoo, and the updates will be posted for you to read at your leisure.

Alternatively, you can subscribe through the wonders of email. Just enter your email address in the boxout on the right and follow the instructions. Updates to this blog will then be delivered, automatically, to your inbox.

I've also added a link on my profile page on Facebook.

I'll keep you updated on how this is going, and feedback on numbers!
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Whilst I am keeping an eye on the weather forecast for this weekend, I haven't really mentioned the current state of the Great British Summer.

You've probably read it in the papers, but hailstorms in July is not my idea of fun, and driving home in the pouring rain, EVERY night this week has been hard going. So much so, that I had to stop at the services the other evening for a rest.
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I got one. Eventually. Wii Play has arrived and Number One was ecstatic. The bid on eBay fell through, so I checked around and found stock in Argos. So, I reserved one and picked it up this evening on my way home from work. We had a quick play before bedtime, and it looks a lot of fun. I think 2-player will be quite exciting...
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That's all for now.
Although I realise that the posts are going to have to become a little more interesting and less self-absorbed if I want to attract a regular audience.
However, there is always the forum to feedback - just click on the comments link below.

Independence Day

In more ways than one, today is Independence Day. For one man this is, indeed, a long-awaited day, as after 114 days in captivity, Alan Johnston has finally been released by his captors.
We may never know the whole story of his release, and no doubt Hamas will see this as a major PR coup, but nevertheless, this is a wonderful day.
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On another note, Mickey the (Gold)fish is doing really well, and I will be working to keep his tank clear. It always seems a little murky - which I can't understand. Still - it's not as bad as when he was in the vase. He seems happy, and swims about much more - so that's good news.
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I brought home the latest Nintendo Official Magazine yesterday, and Number One has been pouring over it - he even wants to take it to school. He was quite surprised there is a whole magazine dedicated to Nintendo games. This morning he was in bed, reading the articles. I'm not sure how much he actually understands, but he's definitely not just looking at the pictures.
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More Wimbledon today - although this is the wettest since 1982. Poor Rafael Nadal has been playing his 3rd round match over 4 days; he's not a happy bunny. It's not fair on the players (not to mention the spectators) and there is no momentum in the matches at the moment. How long will the finals take?
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Happy Independence Day

8 out of 8

Good morning. Welcome to the first post of July. I'd like to say it's a bright, sunny morning. Only it isn't. It's wet and miserable with the temperature just above 15 degrees.
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However, if you are in the Lewis Hamilton household, it's probably hot, hot, hot. After taking 3rd place in yesterdays French Grand Prix (the last at Magny Cours), and taking his 8th podium finish, out of 8 races, Lewis has stretched his championship lead to 14 points. He is now the first British driver, since Damon Hill, to go into the Silverstone round ahead in the championship.
It must be said that McLaren have some work to do though. The Prancing Horse found it's feet yesterday and trumped the British outfit, proven when Raikkonen took the second place at the start of the first lap. It's down to Halfords for Ron Dennis, to get some fresh parts!

Posts that contain Lewis Hamilton per day for the last 30 days.

Get your own chart!
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Did you see Concert for Diana. It was a great show, with some terrific acts - Rod Stewart seemed to be enjoying himself; especially kicking the footballs into the crowd. Everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves. My only gripe was the television presentation. Whilst it was 'live' and therefore gaps were expected, why was the sound faded out at the end of an act. I would have thought hearing the cheering and clapping was part of the atmosphere.
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It's parents evening tonight, so we'll hear what the teachers think of the boys progress at school. Personally, I think they're doing quite well. In fact, that was my reasoning for buying a Nintendo Wii at the weekend. I wanted to say 'well done' to them.
It's a great little machine, and the concept is quite a clever one. I was happily playing tennis, bowling and baseball, and Number One was enjoying the boxing. I just need to get the Wii Play game (it comes with a controller, making it a cheap way to get the remote. No-one has stock, so I've placed a bid on eBay.
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That's it for now. Need to do some work, so I'll write more soon.