Showstoppers

We've just returned from a coupled of nights in London. Just the two of us. The children stayed at home (with the in-laws), and we had time to ourselves - with no clock watching.

We saw loads, and went to two fantastic shows.

Wicked is all about the Witches of Oz, before the story The Wizard of Oz. The sets and lighting were fab and the music was just outstanding. I'd forgotten how amazing a West End production is. It's currently showing at the Apollo Theatre, Victoria. A truly phenomenal show.

On Wednesday night, we saw "The Sound of Music".

Not so much of a surprise as Wicked, as the story is so well known. However, it was a pure delight, with amazing sets, and the music was terrific. Connie Fisher, winner of the BBC show "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" was in it, and she has made the part her own.

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What else did we do? We went on the London Eye and took a Duck Tour. We walked and walked.

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We went on Virgin Trains, which took the strain out of the journey. It was great to relax and watch the countryside rush by.

The Boy Done Good

Well, we had a lovely weekend, and it was topped off with the maiden victory for Lewis Hamilton.
It was an inspired drive by the rookie, in only his 6th Grand Prix, and with 4 safety car deployments, and a major crash by Robert Kubica.
McLaren have certainly delivered the package this year, and Alonso should be feeling extremely concerned for the defence of his championship.

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

Get your own chart!

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We spent the day in the garden, and inflated the Thomas the Tank Engine paddling pool. The Cousins came round, and they all splashed together. The Baby got in on the act too.
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Walking is the name of the game at the moment. The Baby has now started pulling himself up everywhere, and is attempting to get what he wants. This means moving his legs in a walking motion, and it won't be long before he's toddling around. The other two won't be too impressed when they realise he can follow them quicker than on hands and knees.
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Tomorrow, we're going to London for a couple of nights. We're both looking forward to it, and seeing the shows. We're letting the train take the strain, and have booked seats on the Virgin service to Euston. I'll report back, on our return.

Have a good few days.

Say Cheese

It's arrived. My new toy arrived, courtesy of Amazon, (well not courtesy because I had to pay them, but you know what I mean!) The Canon Ixus 850 IS is a dinky little thing. I've had a play and the image quality is startling, and the features amazing. In fact there are probably more features than I'll ever use, but now there's no excuse for not taking a good pic.
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Worked late tonight, and didn't get home until after 9.15. Knackered! That's why I'm still up. I need some time to wind down before going to bed. Still, mission accomplished (but I bet it's not appreciated in the slightest - I wouldn't be surprised. They just expect).
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At least it's Friday tomorrow, and another chance to wear my Vodafone McLaren Mercedes official top. It's the Montreal Grand Prix this weekend, and starting at 6pm, means I'll get to watch most of it.
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OK - that's about it. Sleep well and I'll write more soon.

It Makes No Sense...

I know I've written once already today, but now I've had a chance to think about it, there is a little more to say.

1. The bathroom is finally paid for
2. I've paid off a lot of my credit card
3. The Wife has just asked me to get a moth that's bothering her...
4. The new Paul McCartney album "Memory Almost Full" is terrific
5. The new logo for the 2012 Olympic Games is 'interesting'. Plenty of criticism now, but I bet it grows on us
6. But for £400,000 of public money - can I get a refund?
7. I will start editing the new Center Parcs video later this week. There isn't much to work with, so I might have to 'borrow' some footage from previous years

That's all. Just a reminder about little Madeleine McCann. Her parents are doing a sterling job by keeping her kidnapping in the public eye. I personally wonder how much longer the general public will continue to pay any attention. However, with 3 children of my own, I can't begin to understand their pain, but I can appreciate their need to keep up the pressure.

There was a report in the news today about parents letting their children only play out when supervised. One mother said that her son would not be allowed out on his own until he is 13. Mine aren't that old yet, and they are certainly not allowed out without one of us. It's indicitive of the times in which we live, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Please also do not forget Alan Johnston; who this week was paraded on television (although no-one knows how old the video is).

Please remember to pray for their safe return.

We're baaaacckk...

Hi, miss me?
The car was loaded (roof box and three bikes on the back), the journey was non-eventful and the first Tuna Melt Pancake was delicious.
The weather wasn't wonderful, but otherwise we had a great time in Center Parcs. The kids had a ball, the activities were great (even though I never got to go scuba diving) and all-in-all we had fun.

• Day one - swimming and barbeque
• Day two - archery, zip wire (what a blast) and swimming
• Day three - Club and swimming
• Day four - Club and swimming
• Day five - Pack the car and swimming

OK - so that isn't the extent of it, but it gives you a flavour of what we got up to.

Obituary
I was going to post a couple of photos to show you what we did... but I lost my camera.
My lovely Canon Ixus i5 decided to jump out of my pocket. I didn't notice and that was that. It was a great camera, that was easy to use, allowed a little creativity and the quality of the images was superb. Now, either someone else is using it, or it succumbed to the rain and damp and is no more.
Gone to that Megapixel in the Sky.
No Flowers.

However, don't be too upset. I've ordered a replacement, and this time have taken the opportunity to upgrade to 7,000,000 pixels (or 7 megapixels). The Canon Ixus 850IS - looks like a lovely little camera, and hopefully it will arrive soon.

So, now back at work, but there's plenty to look forward to. We've already booked Center Parcs for next year. This might be the last time here, and we might be looking to go further afield in 2009 (but let's not get too ahead of ourselves just yet).
Next week it's London for me and The Wife. Two nights aways, seeing a couple of shows and generally mooching about. (Better load the credit card...)

The week after I am due to have my laser-eye surgery.

So don't stray too far, I'll keep on posting, if you keep on visiting.