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.

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

A Moving Experience

This morning, Mickey the (Gold)Fish moved into his new home. It's a lovely big tank (well, bigger than the vase he was in), with plants and gravel. The move went quite smoothly, and now he has the space to splash to his hearts content. That is if he isn't traumatised.
If I get the chance, I'll take a photo and put it here for you to see.
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On the weather front; it's a beautiful morning, if a little chilly. You really wouldn't think it was the end of June, and apparently we are in for another wet weekend. My heart goes out to those that have lost their homes in the deluge, especially as there is more on the way.
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So, last night The Wife commandered my laptop, and as already mentioned, has joined the ranks on Facebook. I'm not sure what she'll get out of it, as she doesn't use the computer half as much as I do, although I have suggested getting her a laptop of her own, that she can use in the evenings. She certainly wasn't averse to the idea; I just need to find a cheap one.
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I played the Center Parcs DVD to The Boys last night. (I forgot to mention this in the late post yesterday). They weren't too keen, and The Wife was not impressed by my choice of music. It's a Ragtime piece; taken from the film "The Sting", with Paul Newman and Robert Redford. How can you not like the music from that film. So; I'm going to have to find something else a little more contemporary. Apparently it must be upbeat.
The Boys were not impressed with the old film effect (jumpy, black and white, with the scratches on the picture...) I shouldn't be surprised. They're used to digital, crystal clarity. They wouldn't understand the poignancy of using that film type to remember the past.
So, it's back to the editing suite and see what I can do to salvage the project.
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Tim is on court at 1pm today. That's 4 days in a row, and it's only his second match. Katie O'Brien is also in action, so I'll be looking out for her as well.
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No further news at the moment. Except to say, this is Post 14 for June. Which equals May. No doubt I'll be able to add another one, if not two, before the month is over.

Have a great day.

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's Day Two...

No, I'm not referring to Wimbledon, although Tim Henman has got his work cut out against Carlos Moya to remain in the Championship. It's a shame that Andy Murray had to pull out.

No. I'm referring the survival of Mickey the (Gold)Fish. Once again he has beaten the odds (and the strangely shaped vase) to survive another night. Phew!
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Stopped at Tesco this morning to pick up some fruit and a sandwich for lunch. Also ended up with deodrant, Soreen, chewing gum and a 4-pack of J2O (Orange & Passion Fruit). Why can't I just buy what I need?
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I've been thinking about the video I'm putting together for Center Parcs. I've sorted through the photos, and this evening will create a montage. I might even put it on You Tube; as a sort of teaser to the full video.
I have my own channel there.
You can also get to it via my other blog at http://www.jetpictures.co.uk/. This doesn't get updated as often, but I still use it to link through to my videos.
I also need to work out the credits for the video. They're always fun to think up.
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Right - I'm at work, so I'd better look busy. Off to the machine to get a cup of coffee, then work out what I need to do today.
Don't work too hard.