Arcticterntalk.org

The blog of a travelling psychiatrist and football lover. Who happens to be a halfway decent photographer. Takes a cynical view of the world

Archive for the tag “cricket”

14 Aug 2011

Sporting sort of weekend


all remains well here and summer has even returned again. Saturday was football day but it seemed too far to go to Sheff Utd v Bees, so went to watch Sutton v Woking instead. A good choice. Bees lost 2-0 and it sounds worryingly that they were outbattled. Sutton 0-5 woking, meant it was a really good game to watch if a little one sided. Photos will be in next post.
Today sunday, went to watch a one day cricket game at Horsham, Sussex v Worcestershire. A 40 over game. Went with Matt,Ray and Marian. Was a great day out. Weather was perfect and game was exciting.
Tomorrow Elena is starting her week at West End Stage in london and will be performing again at Her Majesty’s theatre next sunday evening. All very exciting. What will not be exciting is travelling,commuting, daily to London,Barbican area, to arrive before 10 am. So joyfully we will be on the 7.50 am train to Waterloo tomorrow in only a few hours time.
Other news is that I am sort of starting to get the hang of this new IMAC computer and have transferred over all the data from the previous computer. The challenge is finding out exactly what the computer is capable of doing.
We are off to Spain on 22nd Aug till 1st Sept and Charles is coming out to spend a week out there. No new Pet news, all seems stable! Hedgepig ate some apple last night and is generally becoming more friendly. Cannot recall when we last had a chuff or prickle alert.
Hope all well in Mexico land. You will need to explain your plans to me as I will be in USA a few times in the next 12 months and hopefully can get to see you and this lovely sounding place.

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06 Jul 2011

Birthday Celebrations


Sunday was sort of the start. Charles came over and we went to one of those 20-20 cricket games at Arundel. Arundel must be one of the best grounds to watch cricket. Elena was suitably unimpressed! huge curry in the evening made for a nice day.
Birthday day was great. No work, always a good start. Lunch at the Black Swan a pub in the countryside near Ockham, much to be recommended and even more so as they have removed brochette of squirrel from the menu. For me an unusual choice, butternut squash and chilli pie with mash………..followed by a huge pear tarte tatin with rhubarb ice cream. Something like 4 million weight watcher points and demotion to Fat club.
Sadly tuesday back to work but a few hours spent at sports day. Even more sadly up 5 am driving to leicester today and back this afternoon. not much fun. Roadworks everywhere.

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30 Jun 2011

Strike Day in UK


Well having read all the stories from Mexico, it all seems very banale here.
Monday I had an early morning start to drive to Newcastle again, a mere 350 miles, but met another doctor for a lovely lunch at Jesmond Dene hotel. The sort of posh place with napkins and waiters had bow ties even at lunch. He was telling me all sorts of stories about in the wars how the folks round here were building ships for two sides (China was one side……..cannot rememeber the other).
Then stayed overnight in Beadnell near Seahouses. I need to live here. Not now as I am too young but when I am very old and very grey ( sadly I have more grey hair than when you left). It was a long drive home the next day. Weather is still kind of nice but with thunderstorms when you least expect them. Yesterday the air traffic control tower at Gatwick was hit by lightening and for some reasons trains were also delayed because of lightening.
Wednesday was a nice day. A day I had planned for 6 months. A day at Arundel watching the cricket. Charles could not come as he had his work at Henley to attend to. Great day in the sunshine. It struck me that I was one of the youngest people there. Maybe another aged over 70 age limit applied? Got some good photos and without being boastful they were significantly better than the single photo that appeared in the Times this morning.
Brentford are back in training and have signed another player, the Swindon captain. So who knows whats in store for us this year.
Today though in the UK is Strike day. Most schools are shut and Immigration folks are on strike, the latter I have no issue with but teachers, I think it is appalling. We are all having to take pension cuts and most of us realise that we are all getting older as a socity and living longer. So pensions must reflect that. There is also the issue that Burlington school routinely refuse leave of absence for children. So for example Elena was refused official permission to have half a day off on her grandmothers 70th birthday to attend a ballet……… But seemingly this fulsome attention to education vanishes when the need to go on strike arises. there is also talk that the strikes may continue all year. Because I was a governor ( until i realised that there was no way to make any changes to anything and the whole thing is not unlike a gentlemans club ) I am CRB checked. And could if needed and asked go in and teach a class for a day. They would have interesting lessons. For example Maths would be the mathmatics of a football club.
This afternoon I am off to Scotland till tomorrow evening so hoping airports are as much fun as always.
almost forgot. Driving back from cricket at Arundel yesterday, the A3 going south from near enough the M25 to almost guildford was solid. Why? there were 3-4 skewbald ponies running down the road! No idea where they came from or how they might be caught………
Hedgepig is fine but smelly. Mistress of the house is having nasty thoughts that are almost audible. Houdini hamster is fine and continues to be far more active and enjoying his new roomate. could they live together?

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24 Jun 2011

The whole week. Where has it gone?


Seems to have just dissapeared this week. Drove to Newcastle last sunday night, not what I want to do every sunday night, a mere 350 miles. Monday turned out well as my meeting finished early and I made a quick dash up to Seahouses to get a boat over to the Farne Islands. I had this vision that on a weekday in june the place would be deserted. Wrong. Thousands of people there. There seemed also to be an age limit. No one under 70 was alllowed. Anyway lots and lots of Puffins, being chased by Kittiwakes as they headed back down into their burrows with sand eels. Lots of good photographs. The arctic terns though were being specially evil. I have never seen them so angry and peckety. Heads were being attacked all the time. A fair few seals too, most;y grey atlantic seals. I stayed in a small hotel in Beadnell which overlooked the dea. After an early dinner I had a walk through some fields, where the cows and bull took a too healthy interest in my presence, down to the harbour.
Thursday night Elena and her school choir were singing on the stage in Kingston at the Rose theatre. They all sang a special musical composed for the festival called the Soulbird, named after a book. It was lovely. The musicians all gave their time for free and one of them in turns out is the musical director of Billy Elliot in the West end.
Weather here has continued to be rubbish with rain most or even all days. We got 2 lots of olympic tickets for hockey and equestrian. So not brilliant but not awful either.
Animals are all fine, although we had a comedy moment yesterday. A wicked nasty hateful cat called Monty ( an eveil looking tabby garfield type) has always chased our little black cat shadow ( shadow is the runt if you dont know this already). Today Monty chased Shadow to the edge of the house, then turned around and Shadow chased her to the top and then Monty chased her back to the house. Like a tom and Jerry cartoon!! mind you we came down this morning to find the cat flap torn off the patio window and wrecked, so maybe Monty got revenge in the night………
Brentford have now signed two new players. A German defender and a guy from Man city.
Hedgepig has a new wheel. He continues to be a reversing sort of hedgehog but all the children that come to the house love him.
Elena had made a new friend in her class, a girl called Caitlin, who is one of seven children……….can you imagine………………seven……
Not got plans really for my birthday next weekend but Charles is coming over on the sunday. We might go cricket.
so nothing as exciting as Mexico……..but no hurricanes nor crocs either.

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