1470 15 Swimming and Cycling Golds 2008

It is Wednesday August 20th the second full day of my return from became an excellent mini trip to London despite not being able to fulfil original intentions, I am having difficulty in getting going again after an interrupted night.

Yesterday I enjoyed a good sleep with little interruption on Monday and arose early to watch the Olympics as I have been doing since the British sportsmen and women commenced their amazing series of winning achievements. I have delayed recording the experiences because of time constraints in a situation where I wanted to get out and about as much as I could. On return I had noted that it had rained heavily but it was only yesterday that I found out the extent of the raining while away and that it was necessary to cancel sporting events across the region from the 20 20 international at the Riverside today to the racing at York. The explanation for autumnal changeable wet and cold weather over the past two summers is the movement of the gulf stream south. Usually it sits above the British Isle and northern Europe so that we can enjoy the warmer and sunnier weather from the south. Alas this has not been the situation and there is no immediate prospect of change before the end of the month making August a washout.
My energy level had been good over the morning as I completed writing while giving full attention to the Olympics. And then I needed to shop and go to the bank to pay in the cheques from Inland Revenue and Premium Bonds. In the evening there was a an excitingly close Pro 40 cricket match at Nottingham involving Durham. This was also rain affected reducing the length of the Durham inning twice so that using the formula which applies in this competition Nottingham was asked to score 152 fro 25 overs almost a 20 20 game where such totals are possible and as with Durham had a good start but hen one of their key players injured himself and the rest collapsed to give Durham a surprising and unimportant win, only their second in four games, placing then in mid table and with the three teams above them with only two more points and played an additional game, so there is all still to play for. It was good to see the new flood lights in operation and which are the best in the UK.

And now to the Olympic story 2008.

Eight of the sixteen gold medals have been won through cycling with seven of these on the track and one on the road, the first by Nicole Cooke(1) the 25 year old from Wick in Glamorgan, achieving success after her disappointment at the age of 21 at the last Games in Athens. One of the treats of the latest Computer TV Technology is that in addition to having a constantly updated list of British Medal winners it is possible to watch full screen video's of the event, the medal ceremony and interviews including those with parents who in almost all instances will have committed themselves to supporting with help in travel, special diet, facilities and constant support. The medal was well earned with having to race up and down mountains as well as through the streets of the capital for over three and a half hours. The feature of the rest was managing to keep close to those who attempted to break away and that in the closing moments she momentarily lost touch before powering through to win.

Her victory is rightly celebrated and her parents appropriate honoured but it is worth reminding that after winning her first national tile at 16 years and being a world junior champion she turned professional and presently lives in in Lugano, rides for a Swiss based team and speak fluent Italian, She has women major races throughout Europe and was rated the world's number road cyclist. However being the Olympic Champion is the one which matters to most sporting athletes

It is also important to remember that throughout the history of the games which were re-established, some 100 years ago, only 200 British men and women have won the gold medal, and with a quarter of these (55) achieved at the 2008 London games when there were only some twenty nations competing and participation by genuine amateurs. In 1900 we won 14 in Paris and then a similar number in Antwerp in 1920. Theer were 11 in Sydney 2000 and 10 in Stockholm 1912, which means that sine 1920 only once were more than ten gold medals achieved. At the USA games in Alabama we only one won.

The second set of cycling Medals was won in the men's sprint team where three riders each ride a lap of the track against another team doing similar, similar to the relay on the athletics track except that they must also ride together for the first lap and then two for the second. The winning margin was only half a second on the final race which lasted just over 41 seconds. Such is the contrast between performers Two of the three were to win further medals but the man who got the team off into a their leading position was Jamie Staff (2). Also 25 years from Ashford Kent he started on a BMX bike when he was nine years of age and he took up the sport winning everything from World Championship downwards. Deciding that he wanted an Olympic medal, in 2001 when the BMX bicycle was not an Olympic Sport he switched to track cycling qualifying for the British Team at his first attempt. He has won gold with the British Team in the World Championships in two events 2002 and 2004.

The third member of the Gold Medal team Jason Kenny (3) who is one of the youngest members of the British team at the age of 22 from Bolton and who previous has only represented and the European Level under 23's so it is an extraordinary achievement to have one Gold Medal as part of the sprint team and then run Chris Hoy a close second to win the individual sprint silver. He is destined for great things in the future world championships and 2012 Olympics.

The third cycling medal was an individual medal by Bradley Wiggins(4) in the individual pursuit competition. Winner in Athens 2004 he repeated his success in 4000 metre pursuit race having achieved a Bronze at the Sydney Olympics in the team pursuit, He also won a silver and a bronze in Athens. He is now 28 years of age and was born in Belgium, his father a professional cyclists who then moved to London, He turned professional in 2001 with the British Road Racing team, moving to the French Teams and riding in the Tour De France 2006 and 2007. He received an OBE in 2004 for his contribution to British Sport he won three world championship medals in 2008. Bradley won a second gold medal in Beijing as part of the British team pursuit team

The next Gold Medallist to mention is Chris Hoy(5) one of Scotland's foremost athletes who rowed and came second in the British Championship in 1993 and Rugby at school. A university graduate in Sports science he had been awarded two honary doctorates, As with Wiggins he commenced on the BMX bicycle. Before Beijing he has achieved recognition on and of the track winning Gold in Athens in 2004 in 1km time trial and has nine world gold medals. Chris was part of the trio of riders who won the team Sprint. He won the individual Sprint against a fellow Team Member and also the Keirin, the Japanese originated race in which six to eighth riders jostle for position behind a motorcycle before breaking into a sprint when the motor cycle breaks off about a couple of laps before the end of the race. At the age of 32 Chris is expected to retire having been appointed an ambassador for the London Olympics and where a Scottish Velodome being built for the 1014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow is being built for him. Given that he already has an MBE and is the British person to win three Olympic Medals at the same games and with four from four different events there is already expectation that he will receive knighthood for his contribution.

The sixth Cyclist Gold Medal winner Rebecca Romero was raised in Wallington, but long after my own childhood having a Spanish father and English mother and attending Wallington High School which I used to pass on my way to the John Fisher School and which was then the Girl's Grammar School. She also has University degrees in English and in Sport's science and a postgraduate Diploma in Marketing Communication. Aged now 28 she developed an interest in rowing and in the Athens Games won a silver medal in the four sculls. And then was part of the team which won the World sculls fours in 2005. Having a back injury she retired from rowing in 2006 and took up track cycling quickly making progress in endurance events. She then won silver medal in the 2006 World Cup track competition in the team pursuit losing to the same British opponent who she beat in Beijing, She obtained a silver in the World cycling event in 2007 and then Gold in the 2008 world championships and a second medal as part of the team pursuit team. She is the first British women two have competed at the Summer Olympic games in two sports and only the second woman to do so from any country.

In addition to Bradley Wiggins there were three others who won Gold Medals as part of the British team pursuit team. Paul Manning(7) aged 24 from Sutton Coldfield is a British professional cyclist who has represented in two previous Olympic games winning bronze and then silver and who has won two Golds at the Commonwealth games. Geraint Thomas (8) from Whitchurch area of Cardiff was born in Wales and at 22 is one of the younger member who can hope to compete in London and after. He became the youngest rider in the 2007 Tour de France, deciding not to race in the Tour in 2008 in order to prepare for the Olympics. The team broke the world record in the heats and again in the final. He has won gold medals in the World Championships 2007 and 2008. The fourth member of the team is Ed Clancy (9) born in Barnsley Yorkshire his home is now Newton Le Willows in Lancashire. A professional cyclist aged 23 he was part of the 2008 World Championship winning team and is another good prospect for London 2012.

The third female cycling Gold Medallist was the last success Victoria Pendleton (10 born Stotfold, Bedfordshire and now aged 28 years Although she showed early promise as a cyclist being spotted by a national coach at the age of nine she decided to first concentrate on her education, gaining a degree in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Northumbria in Newcastle. Although she commenced cycling again at national level and went to the 2004 Olympic Games it was not until 2005 that she won her first Gold Medal in the World Championships and then two Gold Medals in 2008. She was much affected by not winning a medal at Athens and has been greatly helped by the team of specialist appointed to help the British team, especially the psychiatrist who was the first person she hugged after winning.

A second Road Racing medal was won by a British Athlete, this occasion a silver by Brenda Pooley (11) aged 26 from Wandsworth London and a Cambridge graduate, in the Road Race Time Trial and event which lasts just over half an hour of flat out cycling. She was originally a runner but took up cycling after an injury. She has become a professional cyclist living in Switzerland where continues her studies working for a Doctorate in soil Engineering.

Ross Edgar (12) was the runner up to Chris Hoy in the Keirin final. Aged 25 and born and lives at Newmarket Suffolk but has represented Scotland at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Runner up to Rebecca Romero, Wendy Houvenagel (nee McClean 13) aged 24 and born and brought up in Upperlands County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. A member of the successful Team Pursuit team at the world championship in 2008. She studied Dentistry at the University of Dundee she joined the RAF after graduation and reached the rank of squadron leader as a Dentist but is not a reservist. She only took up cycling in 2007 having not ridden a bike since leaving school which makes her rise to an Olympic Medal that much more extraordinary.

Chris Newton (14) 33 from Middlesbrough in the North East, was the oldest member of the team to win a medal, bronze in in the points race. He has had an outstanding career as a road and track racer, a university graduate and a graphic designer by trade. His career commence din 1992 when he was fourth in the World Junior team pursuit willing two British road races a year later. He represented GB a year later and won first prizes in competitions in Europe. In 2002 he won a Gold in the World Championship points race subsequently winning Golds in the World Championships and World Cup. He broke a collarbone early in 2008 which prevented participation in the World Championships and in his preparations for the Olympic. Steven Burke (15) also won an unexpected bronze medal at the age of 20 and improving upon his best performance by 11 seconds in the 4000 metre individual pursuit. Steven who comes from Burnley in Lancashire came to the fore as a Junior in 2005 and the Under 23's level in 2006 winning senior Gold Medals in the 2007 National Championships. He is therefore another bright prospect for 2012.

This not just proved to be the most successful British Cycling team at any championships ever, but the most successful team in the world ever. Therefore considerable credit must go to the management and technical support services from the designer of the wear, headgear and above all the bicycles tailored to individual competitors and competitions. Many have reach their peak age and it must be hoped that the majority will continue to 2012 unless of course better competitors emerge between now and then when the younger ones should be given their opportunity.

This is also not the end of British Cycling success at the 2008 Olympics as we have the world female BMX champion still performing. More of that in the final round up.

1462 Rebecca Adlingtonn Gold andf Spooks spin off

I have a great sense of rapidly vanishing time and find myself in a rushed mood which I will find difficult to break out of.

Up around 8.30 I write this around 2pm waiting for the lack of sleep overnight to hit me. I missed the Olympic event of the day from the British perspective. Rebecca Adlington is just 19 years of age and was not expected to win a medal in her second performing race the 400 medley with the 800 a medal possibility. The U.S.A swimmer Katie Hoff was expected to take the gold and led the whole race until the final seconds. Rebecca with team mate Jo Jackson were in fourth and fifth position as they started the last free style lap and giving no hint of the final burst which led her to touch the finishing line first and Jo pushing on with her third. At the last Games in Athens the British swimming team managed two medals in total and neither were gold. It is 48 years since the last women's gold medal and 20 years since a male won which gives perspective to the achievement. Needless to add, the two girls, their families and friends and the rest of the nation went bonkers.

However the News programme put the games into perspective with the news that Russia were not responding to Georgian calls for a cease fire, Russia claiming that Georgia were pretending and continuing aggressive acts. The situation appeared to deteriorate during the day which a message of concern expressed by the USA government to Russia who appears now set on taking over the country and establishing a pro Russia friendly regime. This has wider implications that for Georgia. I wonder what Americas role, behind the scenes has been in all this and how far the attention of the world on the Games has been used as a cover for the development. As an outsider there is now way of know what is really happening and why and who is involved and who is not.

This was the brilliance of Spooks a series on a special home land security task force in he UK after 9/11 and 7/7. What made the series a must see was the writing of the core stories and the quality of acting as well as the written interactions between the actors.

The new Spooks Code 9 is a poor relation. This is the story concept. There is a minor nuclear explosion set off in central London which kills about 100000 and with an unspecified number anticipated to die or become extremely sick as a consequence of tradition. It is signalled early on in the first episode which I saw together with the second on BBCi player yesterday evening that the event is being used to introduced an authoritarian government into the UK and that it is by no means certain that the event was externally inspired. The second core concept is that with amazing the bomb wiping out key homeland security people but apparently not the government and others amazing deciding to leave the service and go into private work the government decides on a new approach of recruiting very young and inexperienced new field operatives. The problem is that the actors appear as inexperienced and immature as this nonsense concept. The third concept idea is that after the team leader behaves in a naive and stupid fashion and get herself killed the new leader is a concept boy. He is not action man but a probability mathematician. Such ingredients take good writing and good acting to have any chance of working and impressing an intelligent audience which the programme is aimed at. I suspect the series is a government inspired recruiting vehicle or double bluff to convince that by creating such an awful programme the government would never do in practice what the programmes portrays. I enjoyed it nevertheless but will rely on the BBC player to watch at times convenient to me when I am in the mood and have nothing better to do.

Although I tried to go back to bed after putting the bin out I got up and attended to washing up as well as washing me after breakfast of French Toasts. There was an early lunch of stir fry chicken and more washing up. Later a real ham sandwich with cumber was sufficient for the rest of the day after a few peanuts and sup of wine all that was left. I had some grapes after lunch and two fresh peaches late into the evening. The level of exercise was poor with only a limited amount of being up and about the house although I did walk the short distance to the post box and back up the hill.

The main activity during the day was research and plan more about my London. I looked to see how long it would for me to get into central London from Croydon by bus and the standard journey involving a couple of bus changes takes one hour and a half. The train journey from East Croydon to Victoria takes 15-20 minutes involving one stop. I looked at the present Travel Card costs and although there is a cheaper three day card, it is cheaper for me to buy single journeys going through the cross link from Kings Cross on Thursday and then a train to Victoria for the coach station on Monday. I am going to the south coast by train on the Sunday direct from east Croydon so that only leaves the value for a travel card on Friday and Saturday depending on the extent to which I will be using buses on the underground. I have now established that there is one showing of the 3D version of Journey to the centre of earth at the O2 Vue Millennium Dome at 11 am on Friday and Saturday. It might be a tight time task on Friday going from East Croydon to Victoria and then changing at Westminster for the Jubilee Line to North Greenwich and safer to try on Saturday when I can use the travel card before 9.30 I am interested to see the difference in techno nearly half a decade since using hand held read and Green 3D glasses and it would be good to go back tot eh Dome now the O2 auditorium and also being used for the second visit in my lifetime of the Tutankhamen exhibition. However I have now discovered that it is showing at the Vue West End a more reasonable time 1.30 although the cost is £9.95 a ticket compared to £6 at Greenwich.

The plan is then to go a free concert by a female singer at the Royal Festival Hall at 6pm. There is also a free Burlesque show at 10 at the same venue but the getting back might be a problem as well as reality overwhelming! Much better to return and write up the experiences of the day until then as well as getting up early for the Olympic specials. On Saturday there is a choral concert at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the proms and I fancy going tot eh proms and before then possibly a visit to the Victoria and Albert fine arts museum which is also in the South Kensington area, perhaps finding a pub for lunch and including tour around the Hall.

An alternative option is to spend the afternoon in Portsmouth taking a cheap day return.

The rest of the evening was used by attending to technology issues and the challenges posed by problems with a lap top. I am determined not to be beaten by the problems in this instance although have to ensure I use the time available in a balanced way. I need to remove some information from the machine and then go into recovery mode which takes the machine back to factory standards but loses the data. A similar option is a solution recommended for the desk top as means of working out why the card reader is not reading although appear to be working. Additional technology devices are involved. A USB card reader which is Vista and XP friendly. A cable/wireless and software to transfer data between computers and a secondary data storage device. But I need to ensure I understand how these will work and any problems before purchasing. It all points to reducing cricket watching over the next two days and getting on with other things.

1461 Nicole Cooke Cycling Gold and Cricket

It is difficult to know where to begin on what became a long stretched day of constantly changing emotions commencing with the Olympics and the women's road race and ending the early hours with mixed fortunes in grappling with communications technology.

I have just watched again on my desk top monitor the end of the 126 Kilometre road race win by Nicole Cooke, whose parental home in a small village in Wales, reminding myself of the gruelling three hour thirty two minute twenty four second race which I watched throughout Sunday morning. The commentators were always confident that she was in touch with who ever was leading the race with various attempted breakaways and then when more than a ten second gap opened between the breakaway group and the others as the they completed the second circuit climbing high into the mountains where the great wall is located outside of Beijing.

The weather was atrocious throughout with torrential fain falling which amazed that there were not more falls and group crashes as a consequence. Then as they approached the finishing and the breakaway group turned a bend from the downhill part of the race Nicole lost a second's touch with the four other leaders and so far in the euphoria of what followed there has been no explanation of what happened at this point and for a few seconds the previous three and half hours work appeared to have been in vain and she appeared likely to be outside the medals. As she admitted afterwards it was then that all the punishing training in preparation for these Games had its effect and she burst through to take the lead and then to hold off attempts by others in the group to overtake her. The elation of her experiences was joy to behold and she was unable to say anything to commentators other than how wonderfully happy she was, overwhelming herself with her own feelings.

After all the concerns and questions about the Games and all the public expenditure and hype I remembered previous feelings of similar situations. There were then developments which nevertheless placed this achievement in perspective. Pro west Georgia who had use force to prevent a pro Russia province from breaking away were being hit by the full and prepared forces of Russia. It is no accident that all this has happened when the world's attention is focussed on the Games. It may be that Georgia felt it had no alternative but to resist the Russian inspired breakaway attempt but to have used force was a disastrous gamble which now threatens the integrity of the whole state as Russian continues to bomb and threaten to move over from the border of the disputed territory. Then late in the evening there was news that two Chinese students were murdered in their accommodation in central Newcastle.

I had prepared my chicken stir fry for the an early midday meal, then got myself up and then prepared two sandwiches and a container of grapes and strawberries, a flash of coffee and of orange juice ready for the cricket.

It was not until I was seated at the stadium that I checked to find that we were Sussex in the forty over first division competition where Durham had won the second division last year. Because of the meal, then getting myself washed and changed and giving attention to the cycle road race, I was late setting off and could not park in my preferred place directly at the riverside, although I did manage a good position in the next car park nearest the main roadway into the ground area. There had been an ominous cloud above the ground area as I approached and a few spots of rain on the windscreen but play was underway as I looked for somewhere to sit and tried to work out who was batting as both teams were dressed in black. I selected an aisle seat area on the far side of Member's Lounge entrance and close to the shop, box office and main reception area and was concerned to find that Durham was batting first and finding the conditions difficult, scoring only 3 runs an over. There were three short rain interruptions which could not have helped the concentration but gradually the weather improved which was ominous for Durham as they commenced scoring with greater ease as the weather improved. Mustard made 82 and with support from Chanderpaul, Smith, Blenkenstein and a late flurry from Plunkett the team reached 221 off the reduced 38 overs from forty, thus scoring at just under 6 runs an over after the shaky start.

The problem was Durham's bowling and a strong opening by Sussex who scored 106 before the second wicket and then Plunket had a miserable time hit for 37 off three overs, replaced by captain Blenkenstein who although took two wickets bowling his 8 overs for 50 runs although the others with one exception also gave away 6 runs an over. Davies was the only bowler giving his side hope with 1 wicket for 22 runs of his eight overs. They were not bowling badly and in other circumstances the game may have ended more tightly but the change in conditions altered the balance and although Sussex commenced to lose wickets the result never appeared to me in doubt. I therefore left the match with two overs to go to beat the traffic.

After seeing a food programme about the nature of processed ham with fat and other dodgy cuts, salt and water I decided to buy the more expensive thin slices of cured leg of ham, of the kind that Italians and the Spanish are so good at creating at a price for the market. I added a few slices of cucumber and enjoyed one sandwich at the match and the second when I returned home just after eight o'clock after a glass of wine and the last of the peanuts. I then finished off the grapes and strawberries not eaten at the game although I had given in to the temptation of a packet of crisps from the Member's lounge when I went to see if there was a travel club visit to the game ay Hampshire.

I did commence some photographing of completed work but this decided me to investigate again the problems arising in one of the lap tops and this in turn led to six hours of concentrated activity after finding that I appeared to have lost the wireless local network on the laptop and then encountered problems with the desk top, Did I have a time trying to work out what I was doing, what I had done, why things were not working and then why they were. I was too busy working to make notes of what I was doing.

The first positive outcome is that I am now wireless connected from desk top to router. There is no hard link between the router and the computer. This is amazing. The netgear USB add on did not work this morning when attached to the rear slots but does from the front two one of which I use for the printer. I do not think my printer is wireless prepared but I will check this out later on Monday.

The second bonus progress is that my VA10 notebook now appears to be working better than previously since the Belkin wireless card was added and is also working now with no problem through the router. I am yet to work out how to pass over files and hope to have a go at sorting this out also later on Monday.

I could return the Advent lap top to its original factory settings through recovery but my understanding is that I would lose the data including the photos which are important, having somehow managed to delete the copy move devices and stopped windows doing so as one did and does without the provided software. I have found a way to reinstall programmes and drivers from the hard drive but while this appeared to work for the first programme tried in the early hours it did not resolve the problem, I will have another try. I also failed to overcome the connectivity problem to AOL, through Router with connection and to establish wireless. There is something missing with I am determined to try and solve.

I therefore went to bed around 3am possibly later in mixture of success and failure and had to concentrate to relax mind and body to sleep. This was successful rising at around 5, 7 and then 8.45 to put the bin out. I have not had of these nights for several weeks when I forget sleep, the body, time such is the concentration on what I am doing and the determination to resolve problems. I also did some thinking about my trip to London in terms of minimising luggage but covering wet and warm, casual and formal wear and also how I would make use of the days given that there would be Olympics on the BBC TV or computer online if I wished. I would do this also later on Monday.

The bonus of the day was two Andrew Marr programmes in succession. The first is part of short series assessing the UK from the perspective of the air with the programme covering a 24 hour period showing the surge of activity as over half the population takes to the roads and transport services during the morning rush hour. A second focus was on the development of shopping and centres and the logistics required in ensuring that supplies were acquired and distributed as they were needed, The great change has been with the use of container vehicles, the special chips, ports and storage areas, the impact with half a million vehicles on the roads as well as the historical effects on ports. There were views of the shipping lanes with 400 vessels a day in the straights of Dover and half a million lorries and trucks on the roads. There was what we do with our waste and the reduction to scrap of white and other goods neat Hartlepool and then the selling of the stuff to China, no doubt through the Ports of the Tyne and the Tees. There was also the management of the energy grid, where we buy in extra from Frances as well as specialist hydro power stations to offset the sudden rise at the end of programmes such as East Enders Nowhere else are kettles switched on in such significant a number. There were countless other images no longer remembered. This programme was followed by one on London which interested me greatly as at the end of World War two the whole of bombed London was photographs and these photos have now been scanned into a one photograph of London 1945-1948. The programme examined the attempt to rebuild London and the insistence, understandably, on returning everything as to how it had been rather than looking t what was head. The consequence was the rebuilding of London dockland and dockland ways with the shock to the system when the container vessel arrived and it was realised that the Thames was too far in land and too difficulty to navigate and the first and continuing major container port at Felixstowe was created, London as a Dockland had its fate sealed, The programme looked at the changing face of London, designed by USA planners and architects and how with the latest technology it is possible to show how a new building will look and fit in with other buildings of the city. The Cheese Grater is the next expected with other in process of development. Perhaps I would take my camera with me after all!

1459 China's day

It was only last night that I grasped that the opening ceremony of the Olympic games in Beijing commenced today. The event is being given round the clock treatment by the BBC, with over two thousand hours of coverage during the next sixteen days which is 125 hours a day, presumably covering two terrestrial channels, two radio channels and Sat TV channels. The coverage is not surprising given that the UK hosts the games in 2012. The talking up of medal prospects is to justify the expenditure and get everyone involved in the in the preparations for 2012. I ought to consider trying to get tickets for this once in a lifetime event.

There some10500 athletes from 204 countries; there should have been 2005 but one team failed to register. I thought this was Iraq who had been unable to create an acceptable Olympic committee but they had a boat in the rowing pairs so it must be another country.

The Chinese are said to have spent 42 Billion dollars and promised a truly mind blowing opening ceremony in the nineteen thousand seater stadium. It is evident that a large proportion of crowd in the stadium were Chinese, but how many represented ordinary workers or anyone else in the stadium represented ordinary folk from the rest of the world? The heads of the 204 countries participating were invited and Bush and Putin were in evidence, and saying hullo to each other. Were events in Georgia mentioned. Princess Anne represented the Queen. It was not clear how many tickets were also allocated to other state representatives in addition to the Olympic committee members and staff. Obviously the UK 2012 politicians and administrators and designers would have been out there in force, learning from the Chinese and working out how to impress everyone without bankrupting the nation.

The opening ceremony was long but impressive as fitting all the money spent with several wow factors. For a nation with invented gunpowder the fireworks lit up the city with plenty of bursts of red but were not as spectacular as the concentrated display of Sydney at the Millennium and London New Year's since.

There were fantastic display which involved years of practice involving tens of thousands akin to the great display of Hitler and Russia in times past. It my understanding that participants were given privileges and promises for their education, work and status, but there enthusiasm and pride was evident for everyone to see and the majority remain oblivious to how the capitalist and democratic worlds views their situation. From the state's viewpoint restricting couples to one child was a courageous decision to ensure everyone is fed and provide the foundation for the present economic take off and from the rest of the world restricting the population to less than two billion and less than 50% of the world's population ought to be considered a good thing. But from the viewpoint of individual Chinese couples the impact has been devastating and led to mass abortions.

Prior to the Opening ceremony the emphasis was on the position of Tibet and the position of Dali Lama. I have been fascinated with the situation in Tibet and enjoyed films such as Kundun but that has not blinded to the fact that under the Lama the majority of the population were regarded and treated as slaves. There is always conflict between ignorant and primitive people being allowed to retain their ways of life, regardless, for example, on the impact and treatment of children, women, minorities and those who want a different life. The recent Tribal wives programmes showed compulsory circumcisions and women doing all the hard work while men sat around giving the orders.

There was one surprise which was the number of beautiful young and graceful women on display and the great wow of the opening was the former gymnast who ran round the inner rim of the stadium as a screen unfolded showing the progress of the torch around the world. Until he reached the point when the large torch was lit. This was one of several great creative moments.
The arrival of the teams into the stadium took hours and the British showed great discourtesy to the hosts by less than a third of the team attending the ceremony. I understand it is left to individual competitors to decide with those who involved in the first events given and blanket exemption. This underlines the winning at all costs mentality and far from the original spirit of the games, I hope there will be a three line whip issued for the opening ceremony in London.
I have a great idea for the future that the host nation should either not compete or if they compete would not receive medals which would go to the highest placed performers outside the host nation.

The ceremony commenced on the eighth hour of the eight day of the eight month of the eight year of the Millennium.

Durham won the game against Kent after the eight wicket partnership commenced to score runs. Durham was also not criticised for the condition of the pitch which means that they had the Championship tonight with a game in hand but are yet to establish a lead of significance and hey have some major games away, including Kent.

The fortunes of Durham men continued to smile because Paul Collingwood again scored half a century at he test in support of Captain Petersen who scored 100 while Harmison scored 49 not out his highest test score by luck and some led.

As anticipated the disappointment of the night was America has got talent. No one in the last four really impressed although ventriloquist was perhaps the best and could win.

I left going for frozen food after defrosting the freezer until after the English Innings ended. I bought three medium size chicken for £10 and two pork with sage stuffing rather that pork with Crackling plus some chicken pieces Southern coasted. I also bought some pasta dishes and chilli sauce. I has dish with a mixture of last chips and last of packet of potatoes for roasting and then a salmon salad.

Having registered the desktop on line I enquired about the card reader. And will consider or buy an add on USB which works with Vista . If necessary, although there is merit in keeping the photos on a separate computer until copies are made.

Hearts is now at 28% with the next objective 33% but I keep doing well at second kevel chess with the highest run 60 out of the 101 target and then one second lack of concentration and back to zero.

I went to bed early after having slept watching TV and did not settle so returned and did some computer house keeping which involved the uploading and installing of Vista update pack one and this happened after updating pack was installed with the initial burst of updates when going on line for the first time. I suspect that there has been too much update over too short a time and that it will take time for everything to settle down and for problems to sort out. Not going on lime which seemed a good idea at the time was a mistake.

Football world Cup, Cricket, Moror Racing, Tennis in June and July

This is the second catch up writing for the past two months. The main subject is sport. It has been a disappointing summer of sport so far with one exciting development, although this did not include British team or individual representing the UK.

It is fine outside to day Friday July 23rd there is no inclination to watch Durham lose their championship cricket game at the Emirates Riverside. In the event they managed to avoid the follow on and the game ended in a draw which ends Durham’s already dim prospect of a third championship win in succession. It has been a depressing season so far in every respect with humiliation after humiliation in the 20 20 competition with the lowest number of wins, 4, although they also had the highest number of no results because of the weather, also 4. In the Championship Notts strengthened their claim with an impressive win while Yorkshire still second could only draw. Durham have Yorkshire and Notts to play at home as well as Essex and Lancs away and I shall be at all four games. There are at least three other games to play plus the Pro 40 in which Durham has also struggled. There is a 40 40 game on Sunday which clashes with the Sunderland Air Show. The 20 20 finals day is at Durham in 2011, next year so they will have to get their act together next season if this is not to prove the humiliation of all humiliations, especially if we fail to qualify and supporters fail to make the long journey north to support their teams.

I enjoyed watching Australia play Pakistan, especially the second game in which Pakistan removed Australia in their first innings for 88 and then made 2580 and had Australia struggling in their second innings. There was then fine performances with the bat and then ball for Australia who reached 349 runs setting their opponents over 170 runs to win. At one point the Aussi’s were 55 for 2 and then 216 for 6. Pakistan made a great start after losing one wicket early on, with second at 137. The third 137, 146 for 4, 150 for 5, 161 for 6, 179 for 7 with scores tied and the run required following. Pakistan’s first win against Australia for a decade and half having failed to achieve a similar small total to win, although this was in Australia.

England won the first 3 one day series against Australia to clinched the series but lost the next two and against expectation failed to win all three one day games against Bangladesh who had not won any of their international games for yonks and yonks. They had not won against England in any competition since playing commenced in 2000 at the full international level.

I did go out in sunshine to Seaburn, Sunderland where the Airshow is being held tomorrow, having missed the show last year. At the Seaburn Marriott hotel I noted that a summer special trial membership offer of £39 for six weeks and no joining fee if membership is then taken at £55 a month standing order or £47 non peak and an extra month if the whole fee is paid in advance. Which includes a free month. I will give consideration over the weekend and decide one way or the other on Monday.

The event of the summer so far has been a game in which England were not represented, the World Football Cup Final in 3 D. I saw the first England game at the Odeon Metro centre as previously reported and then the first half of the second during a 20 20 game at Emirates Riverside Chester Le Street. The third and successful game was watched at home followed by the disastrous and humiliating quarter final tie with Germany back at the Odeon Metro Centre. I immediately lost interest in the competition and as a consequence failed to note that some Odeon Cinemas and some Cineworld theatres were relaying the semi finals and the final in 3D. I went to purchase a ticket at the Bolden Cineworld when going for the Eclipse, only to find they were not one of the selected theatres, nor was the Odeon Metrocentre. However the Odeon Silverlink was listed.

When I first tested my red Suzuki Wagon purchased from one of the several car sales firms just off the Silverlink roundabout, (the second up from the Tyne Tunnel exit at the junction with the A1058 road from Newcastle City Centre passed the People’s Theatre and the former Wills tobacco factory, now flats, Walsend, and then from the Silverlink junction which continues the A19 to join the A1 from Newcastle onto Morpeth, Alnwick, and on to Edinburgh, and to North Tynemouth (also North Shields)), I had taken the car into the Silverlink store complex at the top end of which is the Odeon plus and the Frankie and Bennies, and a Pizza Hut.

I arrived at 10 to 7 on the Sunday evening, unaware that this was the weekend of the Whitby Jazz Festival held at a hotel close by and also the weekend of the Mouth of the Tyne Festival. I was to the first to arrive followed by three Asian Young men. There were a few more by 7 but with no relay commencing I made inquiries with a pleasant young man who was surprised and was further surprised when it had not commenced by 7.10.

I overheard a conversation between a senior assistant and the projectionist that he hoped to have the relay ready before the 7.30 kick off thus missing all the preliminary chats. In fact I later learned that these relays were organised by FIFA direct, and there was only pictures and stadium sounds without commentaries and also only one commentator during the match rather than the usual pre match build up, half time and after match analysis and replays. There was a good reason for this as I discovered when the broadcast did commence having lost my rag a bit because if the show was not going to commence then there was decreasing opportunity to find somewhere else to watch. However this upset was quickly forgotten.

The 3D showing is better than being present at the live game because first one has the best seat in the house being able to view the action from the Director’s box, or the Manager or the referee, with replays. It has the depth of reality without the usual front of screen extensions with which the 3D feature films are usually packed. The only front of scene activity occurred with the team sheets and the clock and goal tally, if there are any, and with the presentation ceremony at the end. I cannot wait to experience cricket with a one day match broadcast to pubs and clubs during the period. Then there the tennis and motor racing and of course the Olympics in 2012. As for the match itself I enjoyed it and was pleased that Spain one although just as pleased had it been Holland. The TV sets are on the market between £1200 and £3000 just as the wide screen and HD sets, and then when purchases become common the price significantly reduces. In my lifetime we shall see!

The motor racing with the British Grand Prix was a disappointment after the recent success of the two British world champions. Button failed to make the top ten but managed to get himself 4th and Lewis H came second after being 4th on the grid. Although they failed to give the British 1.2 which the home crowd longed for they remain at the top of the driver’s championship but the gap narrows with Lewis on 145 points, Button 133 and Mark Webber 128, resulting in conflict within the Red Bull team as Vettel claimed it was his colleague’s fault that he had to drop back and is on 121 points. Alonso on 98, is not out of the running, nor are Rosberg or Kubica with only 83. As with 25 points for a win on offer although the pure Renault have not shown the speed so far to take on the Red Bulls Renault clearly now ahead of McLaren- Mercedes, and Ferrari improving.

I did not pay much attention to the British Open Golf club after South African Oosthuizen took command and never looked liked yielding his growing lead, finishing on 272. Paul Casey who looked the most likely English challenger was overtaken into third place by a stroke to Paul Westwood who finished on 279.

Do I mention Wimbledon and the Andy Murray performance against Nadal after he had a brilliant start in the competition, despite injury and loss of form. He has now dropped to 4th in the rankings after coming close to being first. Federer’s defeat could mark a change in the natural order’s of things. It is of interest that the next highest ranked Brit is 176 out of 300.

Durham draw at Trent Bridge 2008

As I sat my room at the Trowel Service area on the M1 on Thursday evening I considered returning home a day early, as the weather forecast for the following day was for showers, some strong. I felt a third day at cricket was unlikely to add to my experience of the past week and I was in the mood for city exploration or to go to the pictures. And yet part of me was not ready to return to the life I had been leading although I was not unsettled or disturbed by being away, remembering my discontent during and following previous holidays especially that of 1991. I had food for lunch or evening with the second pasta and fruit salads, and I had bought four rolls and had some salami left from that purchased at Havant. I decided. I would go to the cricket. I made some coffee to take but had no water and decided that I would buy some if required from the well placed coop mini store discovered just across the road from the ticket office to the cricket ground. I needed some more skimmed milk which I would call in for on the way home. I arrived early, knowing the route and deciding to set off once I had made the decision, even if it was to watch Hampshire bat for the greater part of the day

I sat on my own in the same area as on Wednesday. During the morning I was joined by a gentleman from Mansfield who greeted me remembering my presence from the previous visit, who explained that his arrival was delayed because of unexpected visitors. He said that he had woken during the night to a tremendous rain storm and that according to the morning news there had been a thunderbolt strike on houses at Ilkeston with fire engines having to be called out. In fact there was no rain during the day and the sun came out and by early evening I had to move to another part of the ground to escape its intensity. This was at the foot of the latest stand by the new scoreboard building on the second row from ground level and provided an excellent view enabling one to feel part of the game as a boundary fielder. Pity about the exposure to the full sun during the day as this would be an ideal point to view the game in future, close to the entrance, member's pavilion and other facilities.

It was just as well that I felt relaxed, content and sleepy and I am sure that I dozed off more than once especially after Nottinghamshire were all out for two runs more than Durham Several years ago Notts had released batsman Shafayat to a neighbouring county but they had brought him back after which he had rewarded with a succession for first class performances. Today he never looked like being out until he scored his 100 and then through a moment's loss of concentration he was caught behind by the wicked keeper off the bowling of Plunkett.

As with the Durham innings, because of good bowling the run rate was restricted to an average of three an over compared with five to six in one day games and eight to ten in the 20 20. Nottinghamshire were 199 for eight at one point losing four wickets four twenty runs and my companion from Mansfield warned that this was normal and the side would be lucky to reach 200. They went on to 268, two runs more than Durham through a stand of 69 runs and he commented on being wrong and I reminded that we would have become millionaires if we were good at forecasting to which others nearby agreed. I felt that unless Durham scored freely and quickly the game was set on an honourable draw which each side having achieved five bonus point and another four for the draw, The differential between Durham and Notts at the top would be retained but with Durham having a game in hand. It would remain all to play for. There is no outstanding side this season and everyone attempts to quickly adjust to the 20 20 game and the money involved, and to the World Championships and new competitions. At lunch time I visited the cooperative mini market for some water, an ice cream and the Notts evening paper. Back at the stadium I was joined by another gentleman during the afternoon of about my age, possibly older from what he later said. When after discussing the game and the prospects of a result I mentioned that I lived close to the River Tyne he told me of his daughter his daughter who also had a home a home near the river and an office that overlooked in the centre of the city of Newcastle. He then mentioned the name and occupation of his son in law and amazingly it was someone who I had known during my managerial life, now approaching twenty years ago. It once again demonstrated what a small world it is. It was a delightful conversation, the second of the day and I reflected what nice people attend cricket at this level and regretted that I had stopped my travels to other grounds for championship games. It was just as well the company was so convivial as the cricket became exceptionally slow as Durham decided on a stalemate draw scoring 72 runs in 48 overs that is precisely one and a half run an over and a far cry from then eight and nine scored during 20 20 final days with Durham the slowest at seven runs. Clearly Durham feared a loss and not a win, However I was not discontented and the play matched my mood. I called in for the milk on the way to the car and filled up with petrol before journeying back to the lodge where the relaxed mood continued and I decided against packing or writing and watched a little TV commencing with the day at the Test Match. Peterson had done well and then thrown away his wicket just before reaching 100 to the spectacular annoyance of Geoffrey Boycott and it was then Paul Collingwood who everyone agreed and played a courageous innings as he struggled to regain his form as a batsman. He had turned from booed villain to hero with his fifty and then his one hundred greeted with wild enthusiasm. There was the prospect of saving and even winning the game if he continued to bat well with the support of partners the following morning. I watched the Big Brother eviction programme with its lack of people to care about and hope for this season. It would not be a memorable day except for being the last day of a good holiday away from what my normal existence. I had not watched a film for a week or played chess or Hearts. I hoped my home was alright and the plants had not withered through lack of water. I was expecting some deliveries which might have been taken in by neighbours for a change as I usually took things in for them, or kept at the post office or held at the delivery service local office. I was not looking forward to the travelling even though I was on the motorway and the distance would be around 150 miles. Two and half hours drive. I was too relaxed for a hard drive, starting early and knew that with packing first I would stop for food, feel tired and have need of a long break and therefore that the journey would take until the afternoon, following by the unpacking. But I went to bed as soon as I felt tired and to sleep in a mood of contentment.

Duham C C at Trent Bridge

Wednesday 30th July marked a change in the mood of what was becoming a great and likely to be memorable holiday. Breakfast of pan au chocolat, Alpine cereal and coffee. I bought a pasta salad which I mixed with tomatoes and salad peppers brought with me for the trip. I also bought a fruit salad of strawberries, melon, grapes, apple. This was part of a two for £5 deal which brought the price within the reasonable range rather than expensive for my budget. I commenced to write this when I returned to my home on August 2nd and after unpacking and feeling tired I watched a DVD which had also made the same journey of the past week called Déjà vu about the use of as time machine to prevent the blowing up of a car ferry with 500 hundred passengers I am now trying to write a chronicle of my immediate past and my present as quickly as I can in order to bring the two into the same time dimension of ongoing experience. I am also trying to get up to date with everything else. I am visiting Nottingham to day, for Durham playing at the County Ground. I have visited the ground for cricket before. I have visited Nottingham University, the Football Ground and the neighbourhood of the Football ground. However in this situation it is about the present and not the past and previous experience is for another occasion. Before setting off today I completed writing about my journey to Havant and posted on MySpace. This meant I would arrive at the ground before the start of play but I had forgotten that parking could be a problem, unlikely Chester Le Street on County Championship days when the traffic would be normal with limited stops for lights and roundabouts and parking unlimited. There was no one at the Travel Lodge reception, when I was ready to leave, to ask how to get to the other side of the motorway and failing to identify the exit I returned, rang the bell and the assistant explained what I had to do, These roads are intended only for use used by emergency vehicles, staff, and motel guests, so the every effort is made to avoid casual visitors using the facility. It is such a long time since visiting the city, but less than ten years, and I had failed to work out the route and therefore I was driving more in hope of finding the best way, first time of travel, to the cricket ground. As I hoped, soon after entering the outskirts from the motorway there was a sign directing Football and Cricket traffic back out of the city towards a ring road. Then I was unsure of the way and turned back towards the town centre, passing a Park and ride, an out of town shopping centre and the coming by the main railway station where road signs included a reference to Trent Bridge and I was soon turning across the river with the football ground to the left and then saw what are the as yet unused six majestic permanent new floodlight masts at the cricket ground. These are contained within a ring rather than the usual squares and are unique and attractive architectural structures. I turned my vehicle in front of the building and went around another side, and reaching a wide road turned left moving away from the ground until finding a car park with many unused spaces. However the fee for over 3 hours was £20 set intentionally high to prevent use by cricket and football fans. I doubled back and explored the side roads but although parking was not restricted to residents there appeared to be no free spaces. However I found a space within five minutes walk of the ground and crossing over, found the ticket office at the very junction where I had turned the car left into the main road. I had gone a full circle and I work out now in my mind how I did so Usually one can enter the ground at the ticket office but there was some work being undertaken to what I discovered is the extraordinary new all singing and dancing scoreboard. By good fortune I had only needed to walk a couple of hundred yards from the car into the ground. I have lost my prescription sunglasses and had an idea where they might be, so broke off to investigate without success. The opportunity was also taken to close the bedroom curtains. I check emails and then decide to print out the Blogs that have been posted since on my travels. I have been going to sleep early around 10pm and while away waking early around four or five and writing I have then become tired during the day for longer periods that has become custom so I try and stay up but around 11pm I am very tired so leave further writing until the morning. My writing is impressionistic although written as a chronicle and an official report where the emphasise is on fact and accuracy and less on feelings and the intrusions of memories and flights into fantasy, although I encourage the former and disciplines the latter into projections of possibilities rewinding variations in future time options. Do I want this, can I make it happen, can I avoid that happening. I have recovered sufficiently from the night of my return home to break for breakfast and commencing the washing of clothes, but as it is Sunday and there will be no postman or anyone else calling I delay washing and shaving until this first writing has been completed. Inside the ground I am impressed by the visual impact and by aspects of the comprehensive developments since my last visit. There is only one old building at the corner of the ground by the street level ticket office with the entrance I used marking the other end. This is in fact the pavilion so the first aspect to note about the cricket ground is that the wickets are at angle to the pavilion with the site screen comprising white or presumably black blinds to the windows. Members sit in a the small terraced area below the windows and therefore are exceptionally well disciplined. The long room is quite small and when one cannot see the game except by bending down below window level. There are only a handful of tables compared to the vast area at Durham. There is an executive lounged/dining area which I did not explore, but I did find as small TV lounge. I only found this after circulating the ground in search of a cup of tea and in the members lounge cups of tea were being served for £1.20 a side table to the bar, where previously there had been a lunch time roast meal available. There was also a scone with cream for £1.30. There were also the player's dressing rooms and game viewing area. It is a ridiculously small and inappropriate Pavilion for a ground of such importance for international games. Nottinghamshire is the third oldest test Playing ground in the world and a photograph of the original Pavilion area indicates that section have been replaced by the new scoreboard and a hospitality conference suite. The then £7.2 million Radcliffe Road development comprises one of the tallest cricket stands I have experienced with four levels. The pitch side terracing, hospitality boxes level and then the upper terracing and then an even higher level, unused today and I suspect restricted to Internationals and perhaps domestic 20 20 cricket. The building has dept so it contains facilities open to the public and there are a few private business offices at street level, The building contains residential accommodation as well as a host conference and meeting rooms. There are also lifts. I did not explore this area because unlikely any other ground it is not possible to walk round inside the ground although pass outs are freely available if one wants to go to other areas. What I have said is not strictly accurate as I will describe in a moment. The Radcliffe Road stand occupies the widest straight stretch of stand and building inside the ground and I thought this was the new Pavilion at first until advise to the contrary by a Nottinghamshire Member. The new Fox Road stand has what is a described as a state of the art aircraft wing roof which provides shelter to the upper tiers of its 2300 seat capacity. However on my visit I could not get around this stand without going up and then down steps into the stand, until lunch time when I was able to walk on the pitch where spectators are allowed to play during championship games. Opposite this stand there is another recently opened stand with a different kind of wind and rain shield but also only applies to the upper tiers. I was able to get to this stand via one side of the Members Pavilion passing in front of the new super scoreboard in a building which may also house players or media facilities. There is a logic about locating this facility here only if it includes facilities for the players as this is the only area inside the ground for parking cars for club officials and players. However the screen cannot be seen from the Members Pavilion. The other reason is that it would have further obscured the view from the County Council offices that are located in one area of the ground and where the old scoreboard remains. I sat in the Hound Road Lower stand as there is shelter from the sun for most of the day and from the rain by the upper tier. There are hospitality and conference meeting room facilities in between the two tiers. I was on my own at the beginning of the day but when the rain arrived briefly and then as the sun reached the area everyone congregated in the undercover space and this was when I had several conversations with Nottinghamshire members. I arrived just as the third over of the day commenced to find that Durham had won the toss and elected to bat first. Nottinghamshire is an excellent bowling side with Stuart Broad released from Test duty and a first class spinner Patel so Durham took their time playing defensively and awaiting scoring opportunities, a far cry from the approach to shorter one day games. There was a good performance from Will Smith who had played for Notts who had promise but failed to progress and where he has become the most consistent performer at Durham, His 85 runs came from 182 balls in included 13 fours, His partnership with Captain Blenkenstein was crucial in bring stability to the innings although again it was slow cricket with 28 runs from 77 balls, and Chanderpaul Ben Harmison and Mustard also each scored thirty and I was delighted that my advice to Notts players than Durham would bat to the last man was proved accurate as although 204 seven a total of 268 was reached and there was only time for a couple of overs for Notts. There was much interest in the test match with the performance of Vaughan and Collingwood the subject of comment. Collingwood especially it was felt had taken the place deserved by Broad although there was delight that he was playing again for his home club. I was also told that Members usually parked for free at the Notts Forest ground but where amazingly there was a friendly with Sunderland that night so the car park was closed except to football supporters. This explained the number of Sunderland shirts in the ground and as a group of young supporters of both sexes arrived and sat in the seats in front and became lively as the drink took effect. Some move doubt of the shade as the day progressed and two girls were bright red and going to suffer as they left sheltering too late. They were part of a coach party who had booked an overnight stay. I spoke with one local supporters late in the morning when wanting to know where I could buy a cool drink, He disappeared at lunch time, reappeared a couple of hours later and then disappeared again after tea. He clearly did not enjoy a day of the opposition batting. Eventually I found a drink on advice of a gate steward I went into the Squash club bar who were offering a Hoagie roast which is a form of bread and meat, with a pint for £5.50. The Member's bar was serving a Hoagie without the pint for the same price.. In the afternoon a married woman sat nearby and asked if I she was right in saying that I supported the opposition, which surprised me how she knew. She usually came with her husband who was engaged elsewhere fro the day and was a regular member who knew a great deal about the home players which was helpful. She as other longer term members were adjusting to scale changes at the ground but also added about the lack of food for those who did not want to rely on a packed lunch. Later in the day I could not resist advising one of the young men that. I too lived on the Lawe Top which had the effect of stunning the lad which was desire as he had been allowing the drink to govern his mouth. The group, seeking shade and surrounded another older Notts member, a woman sitting on her own and although the banter had been good humoured I could see that she felt overwhelmed and left early, or to move elsewhere. They had explained to her that they were not all from Sunderland and that some were from South Shields and the young man had added the Lawe Top. It is a small world but also underlines that one should always be careful what ones says because one never knows who could be listening. It had been a relaxed day, the kind I needed and I looked forward to a quiet evening at the accommodation getting up-to-date with emails and MySpace writing as well as thinking about the following day when the weather was forecast as poor and I planned to explore the area. I then had difficulty in getting on line which was later a identified as local problem and where the service provided gave me a reference for a couple free days use which will be left until the London trip. I was able to write a little after a good evening meal of soup, the last pasta, and some cake. I was in bed and asleep by 10am.