Top Gear - Awesome Trailer

The Top Gear boys have done it again, with this great "Lego" trailer

I love Top Gear.  I'm not a petrol-head, but I do enjoy the banter, the Star in the Reasonably Priced Car, and their adventures are great fun (even if totally staged).

This years Christmas special featured the now famous trip to Argentina, from where they had to escape due to negative feeling from the locals, due to a car number plate referencing the Falklands War (in 1982).

What was more incredible is that you get a complete sense of the size of an adventure like that, where three presenters become 30+ people making the programme.  Incredible.

If you've never seen Top Gear, then check out the BBC website

Anyway.  Sit back and enjoy...

Potters Wheel

I've been sitting here for the last couple of hours, and my mind has gone blank.

Totally... Blank.

I had this idea to write about, and its gone! Even staring out of the window, at the snow-covered trees, weak sunlight and passing traffic, hasn't helped me to remember.

What was it??? Well, this really isn't going to make for much of a post this evening; so here's the Potters Wheel to fill in the time...

Miranda

I just discovered Miranda.

Yes - Miranda Hart.  It's a sitcom on BBC2, and I first saw it on the BBC iPlayer, when I was looking for something to watch.

It's very funny; I've only seen episode 2 of the second series, so there's plenty to catch up on, but; if you haven't seen it, then give it a go.  BBC 2 on Mondays, at 8.30

Here's a clip from this weeks episode; although I don't think it's the funniest part of the show!

Media Blackout

Could you survive 24 hours without access to ANY media; no phone, no internet, no television, no newspapers and no radio.

Students at Bournemouth University took part in a worldwide experiment, called 'Unplugged' to see the effect, and how difficult it is to live today, without the use of daily media.

Earlier this week, the BBCs technology reporter Rory Cellan-Jones caught up with three of the students to find out how they were getting on!



You can find out more about the project here.

Mitch Benn - Proud of the BBC

This is fabulous - tons of good reasons to pay the BBC licence fee



Personally, I think the Beeb should play this between programmes.  No, not EVERY programme, but makes a great trailer...

A Grand (Prix) Day Out

What a day!

• Alarm - 05:00


• Left hotel - 05:30


• Arrived Cherwell Valley Services (to leave my car) - 06:00


• Arrived Silverstone (car park) - 06:50


• Found a spot - 07:00

It was quite cool, but at least the sun was shining. The first race of the day was at 09:00 - a GP2 race. This started to get everyone in the mood.

This was followed by a Porsche race, which was actually quite exciting. The F1 drivers were then paraded around the circuit on the back of a low-loader.

Whilst they got prepared, The Red Arrows did their stuff (to lots of ooohs and aaaahs!)

Finally, at 13:00 the race got underway, and whilst Lewis made an excellent start, he was no match for the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen. It was lucky that Felipe Massa had trouble at the start, otherwise he may not have been on the podium.

So, he is 12 points clear in the championship, and with 2 in the top 3, McLaren extend their lead in the Constructors Championship.

And the day itself? Apart from having to queue 30 minutes for the toilet, it was a fantastic day out, and thanks to My Dad for providing the company. We had a lot of fun. Thanks also to My Mum for providing a stellar food supply (which was much nicer than the c**p being served up).

The drive home was a little laborious, but I had the tennis on Radio 5 Live to keep me company, as well as a few showers and heavy downpours.

Whatever - I hope we can do it again sometime.

Grand Prix Fever

The free practice sessions today saw Ferrari dominate the McLarens, however as we don't know the setup of the cars, it doesn't really matter until tomorrows qualifying.

Yet another team has been embroiled in the saga surrounding team secrets etc. It seems a shame that Lewis' results are being undermined by those who are jealous of his achievements. Just let the talented 22 year old get on with his job. He has proved he has the pace, whilst at one point today being the fastest on the track.
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I have just checked the weather report and it is looking really good for the rest of the weekend. I might even need to take some sun cream with!

Click here to see the latest forecast for Towcester, from the BBC.
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On Monday, it is The Wifes birthday, and as I won't be around on Sunday, I have decided to forgo my lie-in tomorrow morning. It will give me the chance to get the boys to write the birthday cards, and at some point tomorrow we will have to go and buy a present - but what?

Answers on a postcard - or by clicking the link below.
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So, an early night, in preparation for a long(ish) day tomorrow. There probably won't be any more blogs until after Sunday (can't think why, I must be busy...).
If you're going to watch the race on TV, then let's hope it's a good one.

Sleep well and enjoy the weekend.

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.

Post 15

It's that time again. Another Grand Prix weekend is nearly here, with first practice tomorrow. I saw this short video about Lewis Hamilton on the BBC website, and thought I'd share it with you.

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So, Mickey is settling nicely into his new home, and has even braved showing himself in front of the bushes!
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Hooray - it's Friday tomorrow. Sorry. Got carried away. I'm just pleased that the weekend is nearly here. Oh, I mentioned that already.
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So, I'm sitting here, minding my own business, watching TV (Brothers and Sisters if you wondered) and suddenly The Wife mentioned going to Las Vegas in February. Her sister-in-law's sister is getting married there, I promised that I would take her for our 40th, and she thought this would be a good opportunity. Anyway; I investigated some prices. Now she just had to decide (and it depends on her brother).
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Late news today - they've arrested someone over the Madeleine McCann story. Let's keep fingers crossed that it comes to something.
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So, back to the telly. Have a good night.
Oh yes - did you notice the title of this 'episode'? Yep - I've beaten May.

Henmania Is Back...

Day Three.

Our Tim is through to the next round of Wimbledon, after a marathon 5th set against Carlos Moya(13 games to 11).

It's amazing.

He has only won one match, and already they're talking about how he can now win the Championship.

Come on guys. It's great to see him doing well, but he made hard work of the first match. He'll never win the tournament based on that performance. He needs to up the ante, dig deep and make every point count.

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I've also noticed that little is made of Katie O'Brien. She is Britains Womens Number 1 player, and she has also progressed to round 2. This is the first time she has made it past the first round. How come there isn't as much support for her? This is a report from the BBC website

Who knows, maybe one day we could watch her from O'Brien Heights. It sounds quite idyllic.

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Other news .... Mickey the (Gold)Fish is flipping his fins.

I don't want to tempt fate, so no further comment - except, the vase needs cleaning out.

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The first cut of the video has been completed. I didn't get to bed until 12:40, so am a little tired today. However, I'm quite pleased with the result, and will show The Boys this evening, to see what they think. It is just over 5 minutes long, which I think is just enough to remember the holiday.

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.

Quote Me Happy...

At last - Friday.
I was quoted by the BBC today. On their "Have Your Say" page they had a thread called "What is your favourite beach".

I couldn't resist - "You can't beat the beaches in Bournemouth. During the summer, I used to walk along the beach to get to work in Bournemouth town centre. On a beautiful sunny day, when the crowds have yet to descend onto the sands, it's a lovely place to be. So peaceful. Just the sound of the waves lapping onto the beach. Happy memories. "

Anyway - later I went back to the "Have Your Say" page, to see if there were any new discussions, and at the top there was my quote "You can't beat the beaches in Bournemouth." Attributed to me as well.
Chuffed? I should co co.
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So, it's the weekend, the weather forecast doesn't look all that good, so need to think of something to keep the kids busy. Maybe their cousins can come round to play.
Even better - we could go to them and save the mess!!
There will be karate on Sunday, which they both enjoy, and maybe we'll go swimming (if there are no parties).
I'll report back after the weekend.
Enjoy yourselves.

Labouring The Point

Welcome to Thursday. Yes, just one day until the weekend. And what a week it's been. Well, actually, it's not been too bad, but I've been so tired...
Anyway.
The bathroom is finally finished, and the boys have christened the bath. There'll be a final photo here soon.
The Baby has discovered he can pull the plug out (something he couldn't do in the old bath). He also managed to climb onto the door of the dishwasher as The Wife was emptying it. She turned around and there he was, sat in a pool of water!
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Shares are doing quite well at the moment. Currently on a high, with a 25% gain (that's £289 in money terms). So, I'm quite pleased.
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Now, what's this about Gordon Brown having to wait 6 weeks before he can officially become Prime Minister. What's the point in waiting. There is no leadership challenge - did you really think there would be - so instead of pansying about, let Tony leave now, and let Gordon get on with the job in hand. I'm not a Labour supporter, I just want what's best for everyone, and letting TB have a prolonged exit is no good for the country.
There, said it.
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Not long until Center Parcs. The Boys are so excited (and so am I).
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OK - Hustle is on TV now - so off to watch some great drama from the BBC...

Hot Stuff (and I don't just mean the plumbing!)

Just In - New photos showing progress of the bathroom.

Here you can see the plumbing for the shower on the wall, and the new pipework for the bath, under the window.

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Malaysian Grand Prix

Phew! That was one of the most exciting grand prix races I have seen in years. The Mercedes Mclarens of Fernando Alonso disappearing into the distance, and Lewis Hamilton as he held off the attack from Felipe Massa, and later in the race, Kimi Raikkonen, was a joy to watch.

It was breathtaking, edge of the seat stuff.

That is what Formula 1 is all about.

With Lewis having taken 2nd and 3rd place in his first two races, I'm looking forward to his maiden grand prix victory.

Roll on Bahrain...

I started by listening to the race on BBC Radio 5 Live (on my digital radio) and watching the pictures on ITV. I then decided to join the rest of the family, and finished watching the race with ITV commentary. I have decided, though, that I will get a couple of cheap 'transistor' radios and take them to the British Grand Prix later this year. I can then hear the whole commentary and know what is happening on the part of the track I can't see (which will be most of it!)

Ooh Saucy

Back on the 7th February, I wrote about an episode of Dragons Den, and more specifically, a guy called Levi Roots, who had developed a sauce called Reggae Reggae Sauce.

It was an inspired pitch, with a reggae song to kick it off, which eventually saw two of the 'Dragons' investing. Well, it's nice to see the follow-up, and this made the news - the sauce is now available to buy in Sainsbury's.

Read the full BBC News story here

Thirsty Thursday

Have you ever listened to the Chris Evans show on Radio 2. He does the Drivetime slot, and each day is given a name - today is Thirsty Thursday (I think he's alluding the fact that he can relax after tomorrow's "All Request Friday" - and enjoy a drink at his local.

Well, the countdown has started in earnest for our party at the weekend. Number three is going to be one (maybe I've mentioned it already) and his brothers are so psyched up for it, you'd think it was theirs. My parents, sister and nephew, along with my cousins are also coming up for the party, which will be lovely. We're having the main event at a toddlers indoor playground, and then it's back to ours to continue to chaos.

No doubt I'll take some video, and post it onto my You Tube channel. Or you can go directly to JET Pictures for a look.

Talking of chaos. Suppposedly the weather was going to be treacherous today. Well, I can happily report that the one or two flakes of snow seen in Manchester did not settle.
Oh, and good news. My Sky Broadband box finally arrived at my house. So all the calls to redirect the delivery were in vain, but never mind. It's here now, and I just have to wait until next week before my line is switched over.

I've not been feeling too well over the last few days, and it got the better of me today. I finished work at about 3.30 and headed home, where I promptly fell asleep for about an hour. I really don't fancy driving down tomorrow, so I'll see how I feel in the morning.

Into the Dragons Den

Just watched the first of the new series of Dragons Den on BBC2. It's terrific entertainment, and you have to wonder where some people dream up their ideas. In the past, it has usually been the last person who gets the money, so I was pleased to see that two 'contestants' managed to persuade the Dragons to invest. It was especially nice to see Levi Roots get his £50,000 for his "Reggae Reggae Sauce" - so good he named it twice, after his serenading performance and pitch.

On the Sky Broadband front - news just in. Parceline tried to deliver it today, after they confirmed it would be tomorrow. Again, no-one was in. So, I've called Sky and asked them to send it to my in-laws. There is always someone in there, and hopefully it'll arrive before the activation date - which I've now been advised is Monday 12th. Fingers crossed.

Well; once again, it's past my bedtime, so I'm heading upstairs.

Sleep well.

My first wireless...

At last. The central heating has been fixed, and normality is restored. Thanks to the British Gas engineer who, when he got here, resolved the issue. Thanks also to my brother-in-law who helped the diagnosis which meant the gas man wasn't here long.

Now; in today's blog I want to extol the virtues of digital radio. Last week I decided to treat myself to a DAB (that's Digital Audio Broadcast if you didn't know) radio. Tesco. £29.99.

OK. So it's cheap, and I was taking a risk. But, I switched it on, it ran it's setup, found all the stations it could, and I set the programmable buttons. Easy.
And the quality? Great? I've never heard Radio 5 Live so crisp - so that's how it's meant to sound!
BBC 7 - tremendous fun. Comedy. Drama. Wonderful. Alright, so there is much more than the BBC, and I intend to delve in and find some little gems.

I know there are more expensive models available, and ones where you can pause live radio (a bit like the audio version of Sky+) and some where you can set the time to record specific programmes, but for 30 quid, it's a great way to dip a toe in the digital radio water and see how it is. Next time (don't tell the wife) maybe I will spend a little more on a radio with more features. Right now, I don't need it.

That's all for today. Not a rant in sight.

Sleep well.