1461 Olympic 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!

1460 Olympics and a film

As an antidote to Olympic and sporting saturation I watched a film.

The choice was between a foreign language film and a comedy. I could not remember why I had added either to DVD list and decided upon the comedy, although usually I do not find advertised comedies laughing out loud funny. Death at a Funeral is described as a black comedy and although a British film, it enjoyed some success in the USA and in Australia. At first the film appears to be about what can wrong at a family funeral which brings together people who do not usually get on with each other and lead very different lives but then into this conventional mix is added a home made psychedelic hallucinogen and the secret male lover of the deceased, out to make a modest but blackmailed sum in the all the circumstances and apparent wealth of the family. The sequence of events was very English, credible and funny and therefore surprising that the film is reported to have enjoyed such success down under and across the pond.

The film brightened what quickly became a disappointing day as I struggled to do any work over eat and experienced Olympic anticlimax and saturation after just a morning. The British Judo great hope failed again in his first round match, outwitted by his opponent although there is doubt about the only score which saw him through into subsequent rounds. Our cert for a medal also failed to win through the repercharge rounds to contest the Bronze. With the Great Boxing hope sent home because he failed to make the required weight. It was not the start which the British team at the games had hoped and planned for.

There was also potential disaster with one of our great sailing medal hopes as he was caught out by a change in tide and moved down from first to tenth position in the first race, but came through to win the second so had a third position after the first of several days sailing. A British girl's sailing team in this first class of the competition also ended the two races in a good position for the week ahead

However a Chinese man murdered an American and the committed suicide while a member of the New Zealand media was attacked and both instances were being reported as taking the gloss off the opening ceremony euphoria.

South Africa rallied in the final test much affected by rain and I just was not in the mood to watch the many football friendlies especially I thought I was to watch Sunderland in Ireland but got the showings wrong although a replay is being shown in the morning.

I bought some biscots French Toasts for the trip to Portsmouth and Nottingham and then forgot to take them with me so they are being eaten for breakfast. As I will want to leave for the cricket tomorrow around 12.30 I decided to cook the chicken to day which I enjoyed with a few small roast vegetables and a small packet vegetables followed by a banana and some strawberries. I then had a glass of wine with peanuts, a few Belgian chocolate thins, a packet soup in a cup, some pasta stuffed with spinach and some grapes in an extended meal during the afternoon and evening knowing beforehand hat I would regret doing so and that I was doing so in response to feeling tired and generally discontented.

In part this arose from reviewing my financial expenditure, the cost of new glasses and the cost of the starter motor. I got a round to writing to the vehicle repairer and Hampshire Cricket to find out if the prescription sun glasses had been found and handed in. I fancied having another week away combining Durham at the Rose Bowl County championship with further visits to the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth Naval Harbour, but realised that with the London trip shortly I could not justify the expense. I decided to move some funds between accounts on line and made a mess of the required codes so asked for some information not realising that it would take three working days by post. I then found the missing information but the system had already locked me out and I then could not remember relevant information quick enough to use the telephone service, although eventually achieved what I had set out to do. But only after taking a lot of time.

It was not all negative activity. The thought of getting to the coach station by eight and then travelling for seven hours was such that I searched and found a cheap single fare for a ten thirty Newcastle Train which arrives early afternoon. I also discovered that putting wireless on the lap top and then attaching to the desk top based network worked, I was able to get on line in all rooms down stairs and first floor rooms. Was too lazy to try the top floor although the desk top is still modem phone connected and went off line when I first transferred the telephone to the lap top before realising that I could disconnect this and remain connected. This encourages to be being able to establish a full home wireless network system when I return from the London trip. I must think more about how I will use my time in London although Sunday is committed and Saturday is Albert Hall day and perhaps visit a South Kensington museum depending on the weather as well as doing a tour of the Hall before the concert. So far I have decided not to take my camera on this visit or the time clock, learning how to set the alarm on the phone. Nor books, or CD player and limit clothing so will take only a couple of bags.

I did do some work, played chess and hearts, and slept through early evening TV but my overall mood did not change. Another bright spot was to watch a video of one of my first MySpace music friends Margot McDonald. I cannot remember how this came to be so except that on viewing the profile I was impressed that a young female singer song writer still at performing arts school was interested in environmental and civil rights issues as well as working toward peaceful resolution of conflicts. The voice showed promise but reflected the comparative inexperience of life. Her latest Blog attached a video performance of the Cohen song Hallelujah, one of my favourite songs, and eighteen months after first listening I found that the voice had begun to show the maturity and depth which I believed was there as a fifteen year old. Voted the promising new artist in the Washington area, with two albums and has been invited to be the artist in residence at the Strathmore music centre 2008-2009, I love it when a hunch become real. My hunch is that she will make it to Glastonbury within my life time.

The trouble is that I also have an unspecified foreboding and my record of hunches is sadly a good one,. Especially with the sense of doom and disaster, although these are fortunately rare given my nature to always look on the bright side and see the best in others and in situations. This makes bad feelings more disturbing. Hopefully it remains just a feeling.

1459 The Olympic Games 2008

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.

1458 a Religious film, The Unit and Cricket

I confess I have had an itty bitty morning of indecision, torn between cricket, writing and sorting out the in tray, tending to flit around things. Kent are losing wickets again so I decided on an early lunch here at home, the remaining snack meal of bacon beans potatoes and a banana, but I also make an unhealthy cheese and salami sandwich, before going out for quick visit to Aldi and the Fredericke Street Greengocers. I buy tins of the salmon ready prepared in sauces of various kinds for salad lunches. Breadm their last couple of pints of skimmed milk, lettuce cumcumber and some fresh peaches. The xcheries at the greengrocers look delicious large and juicey but I bulk at £3 around as those in Shields centre cost less. I buy two pounds of grapes for £1.
When I arrive at the Riverside ground a great black cloud covers the ground and I observed that having hesitated about making the trip I had chosed badly. There are a few droplets as I decided on location, staning near the Members Lounge but the rain does not come although the cloud lingers. Kent were all out for 78 some 68 runs behind Durham and their last wicket pair added 20. Durham are also struggling again and no one makes over 30 and they are all our around tea time for 108 leaving Kent 176 to win. This looks impossible as they losing two wickets in first over but then there is a stand of some sixty runs for the fourth wicket and scoring begins to look easy and none of the bowlers appear threatening. It is got very cold as well as fully overcast so perhaps atmospheric conditions is the factor. Then there is a sudden collapse just when Durham is in sight of victory play is stopped for bad light conditions. Ominously one of the batsman is approaching 50 runs and the other participated in the previous last wicket rally, although they have to score sixty runs to win in the morning, the game is far from over.
Althoyugh I had taken a sandwich and coffee to the game I was still peckish around tea time and treated myself to a scone and to a slice of cake for £3. I should have bought a pound of cherries . I raised the issue of the condition of the wicket with 15 players out on the first day and as it transpired 23 on the second day. I learnt that the umpires had called in the pitch inspectors the previous evening and three had looked at the pitch before the start of play. Durham could be fined championship points for using a below standard pitch although one member was confident this would not happen because similar visits had been made to two other grounds in the season and the problem was put down to excissive rain before the pitch is covered as usually after its initial preparation but there had not been sufficient warm sub to dry it out and together with atmospheric conditionas the ball was swinging around. Durham's chance of the championship could disappear if Kent get the run or points are deducted the equivalent of the winning points or both.
I do not do much over the rest of the evening other than watch TV. For the evening meal there are chicken pieces with baked beans and a loose ice cream cone which had slipped down into another basked. A glass of wine and peanuts beforehand. I work out the information required for registering the desk top so I can ask about the memory stick reader. I hope this is a drive problem as the light comes on but I leave sorting out until tomorrow having deciding not to go the match.
I watched a film called Catholics Boys better known as Heaven Help Us when first released outside the USA in 1985 about a young man brought with his sister by grandparents following the death of both parents and where is grandmother wants him to be a priest coinciding with the visit of Pope to the USA in the 1960's. The story hinges on the young man joining the school mid way during the term and this is not clear except possibly because the parental deaths was recent. Being a mid term arrival he becomes the centre of attention by the class gang leader and bully and who has a hold on one boy who is the brains of the class. The new boy and brains become friends and both are drawn into the life style of the gang leader and their ongoing problems in the school and outside.
The film concentrates on the arrival of a new young Brother who reports the behaviour of another brother who uses the strap and also physical force against boys indiscriminately. There are a series of climaxes after the gang leader takes his father's car while he is away, the brains and two girls for a ride after the school dance, wreck the car and nearly lose their lives on a swing type bridge over the river as a boat requests passage. During this sequence the bully does not he girl the objective of the outing as she throws up all over him having being given excessive alcohol whereas brains gets the other girl. The boys frequent a local ice cream parlour with girls from the separate Catholic school, run by a school age daughter where the mother has left and the father is in a state of clinical melancholia. It is the boy's school that is sufficiently concerned at the situation which alls in the authorities who removed the father and daughter to respective care situations thus breaking up the relationship which developed between thee new boys and the girl. The final sequence involves thee cutting off of the head of a statue in the yard of school which the boys have been made to clean with tooth brushes the bird excrement. The sadistic brother start to beat the boys including the terrified brains and at this point the new intervenes and there is a punch up in front of the school and school board before the end of the term. This leads to the headmaster sacking the sadistic Brother and appointing the new young Brother in his place with the boys involved being suspended from school for the rest of the term, some two weeks. The headmaster is played by Donald Sutherland
Understandably I compared the film to my own experience at such a school about ten tears earlier than in the film when the Mass and prayers were said in Latin. Theer were some similarities in that we also had a sadistic master who gave the strap indiscriminately and for trivial reasons. He was not a Priest or Brother and disappeared immediately after the incident when several boys in the class, including myself was given the strap, because we did not pronounce it is in French to his satisfaction. There was also the group of worldly always getting into trouble picking on other boys. However I escaped from the group by being moved from the third to the second stream during the first term. However this group of boys formed about a tenth of the grade year of some sixty seventy divided into three forms and then two as the grade year progressed. The important difference is that the majority were serious students and the number of of student aiming and getting to the sixth form and into university/teacher training college and professions was about a third of the grade year. The other difference was the full range of teachers in terms of quality and effect on our lives. In my instance there was the Rome educated and trained Jesuit whose approach to modern history led me to read reports of the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials. There was also the Maths Master who gave me considerable encouragement, even those I did not deliver the potential I promised at first. The film was worth watching but added nothing to my knowledge and provides an unbalanced view of Catholic education in general but it is a better film than the Secret Life of Altar Boys.
The most enjoyable experience of the day was an episode of The Unit a covert operation USA special task force, which in addition to including an current operation also features the lives of the unit and their families at home. This time it featured a group raising funds to provide free communications home for those swerving overseas. The group decide to run lottery for a modernised World War 2 Jeep where a letter to a loved one is discovered and the group then trace a fellow soldier who is alive and also his widow and invite them to the celebration fund raiser. The wife says she never received the letter and decline the offer to read it so this is undertaken by the lead organiser of the group only to discover that the affection name contained in the letter is not to the wife but the comrade in arms. Whoops.

1457 Wireless Day

This has been a long day of days with some success after a quite a struggle.

Having gone to bed before eleven pm and after a couple of wakings I got up knowing I would not sleep if I stayed in the bed so I came down between four and five and played chess and hearts for half an hour, made myself a coffee, followed later with two slices of toast and then set about completing the work commenced yesterday. Around seven am I felt tired went back to bed and slept. It was an interesting dream sequence bordering on mild sensuous eroticism, something which I have no memory of experiencing for years. This was not explicit, or involved passion of any nature, but a hint of something past and pleasant. Whether it was this experience or having completed the unpack and sorting I felt ready to tackle a task I have only once before attempted knowing it could take the greater part of the day and disturb my existing ability to use the internet. Today would be wireless day, or at least I hoped it would be so.

One reason for embarking on this activity was the rain, more a drizzle, but which suggested there would be little play in the important championship match between Durham and Kent. I also had my first appointment at the dentist having moved to the practice at the Health centre where I am now registered with a medical practitioner.

I was tempted to chronicle all the twists and turns of the day, much like a bomb disposal officer, anxious to ensure that if the bomb detonates sufficient is learnt to prevent future serious injury or loss of life. It is sad to admit but I fear adding or subtracting software to a computer as it rarely works as good as before and I have had experience of some disastrous situations which when tackled I only made worse, and on occasion even worse still. However slow I am, however carefully I follow instruction there is invariable choices to be made and sometimes as with AOL broadband I have needed technical help over the phone to get back to where I should have been in order to make progress.

Whatever time I thought I had to use it vanished and around eleven a.m. I stopped, got myself up, including a hair shampoo and a body wash having also washed up and closed down the desk and lap top. I decided to walk finding that it was only eleven thirty five but took a large umbrella, the city gent brolly rather than that of the sporting gentleman. No sooner had I left the front door and turned the corner did I feel large droplets of rain and by the time I reached the health centre the rain have become continuous. I recently marvelled at the technology now available at opticians to take images of the eye and store them on the computer. This morning an all round x ray of my teeth and gums was taken and then available on computer within moments so that the dentist was able to not just explain but show me where there was potentially a problem which merited further investigation, but this would not take place until the autumn after appointments with the hygienist. The atmosphere at the surgery was so different from what I have been used to and I regretted not having considered the transfer when I first moved and registered. I attended a private hospital some years ago and the atmosphere was similar and this aspects of the NHS expenditure is extremely worthwhile.

I checked the television from tine to time during the day as there was eventful play at the Riverside, but not of the kind to make me change tracks and get to the stadium as quickly as I could. Durham had lost the toss and been made to bat. The two openers appeared to do well but there were flurry's of wicket loss and I feared we would not make 100 at one point. The innings ended after under 50 overs with a score of 146. However by the close of play Kent had lost five wickets for less than fifty runs. This raises a question mark about the condition of the wicket and I guess there will be an investigation, depending how the match continues.

Although it was raining and people were avoiding going out and about, I passed the award winning fish and ships restaurant Coleman's on my way back up the hill and it was packed out with a new party arriving at the door. I had been right to walk to the centre as there were no parking places, the walk had done me good and I had saved the fuel involved in the journey to Sunderland and back.

I had received four letters with information about the new service contract with the internet provides which's involved the cost of telephone calls and all for the same price was before which includes a wireless and broadband router and a laptop computer. However during the process of establishing the new hardware and its software it was necessary to insert a number and a password. I tried the information from one of the letters but it did not work and contact with the helpline revealed that I should have received a letter with the information. However it was on record so could be given over the telephone but only after I provided the last four digits of my credit card. Unfortunately these did not match those on their computer which was a puzzle and I assumes the error had been made when the accounts details had been resubmitted for the new package deal. The information was provided after I provided information on the email accounts registered with the provider. I then transferred to accounts for the credit card info to be corrected, speculating is some lese would have been charged for the service if I had not contacted.

I then discovered that my desktop did not have a wireless card and made getting one a priority. On return I went through procedure as careful as possible and by mid afternoon I had connect to the service provider on the desk top for the first time since it was bought. The original problems was that the existing broadband modem and software was not suitable for Windows Vista. Later I had connection problems once more as 57 Vista updates needed to downloaded and then installed. Yes I will say that again 57 updates were required. Once these had been loaded and the computer rebooted. all was well. In that I returned to being on line but there are several issues outstanding with the main that of ensuring that I have the same security package on the desk top as on the lap tops. I have never registered the machine and could not find the relevant information, a task to be achieved before the end of the week.

To use the modem with the laps tops I first needed to remove the existing broadband modem software and the process of changing the lap tops to the new hardware is ongoing. I have added MySpace to the desktop which means that the Blogs can be typed and uploaded without being transferred to disk, although the process of saving the writing to disk as well as the desk top will continue. I need to arrange to be able to load photos direct top the desk top from my camera. The built in reader does not work but previous I purchased a USB add on but the software was out of date and alas when I checked out this add on does not work with Vista, so I may have to invest in an external memory card reader if it is not a case of the software having been accidentally removed rather the hardware not working, something to be investigated later in the week, possibly,

There was no problem adding the BBCI player and I listened to a recent Radio 3 Promenade concert, or part of it while I worked and this morning heard the Braham Violin Concerto and the Bach Toccata and Fugue but transcribed for orchestra and not organ.
have still not established a wireless network within the home and which offers so many possibilities of sharing information between computers but I hope to complete this task before the weekend subject to how much time is allocated to the cricket. I have not checked the weather but the previous forecast was a good day on Saturday but the match is unlikely to last three let alone four days.

Rereading the account misleads about he drama and tension which was involved and all the twists and turns, including that I had to go into Sunderland to buy a USB wireless link fro the desk top which also explains why a free wireless mouse acquired as a Staples gift did not work. The problem I am having is that if I spend time detailing what I do there is less time to do it and at present there are various competing, I stayed up until after eleven pm although I was very tired but when I did go to bed I slept quickly and even with a couple of risings, no more than that it was 8.30 am when I got up and the computer beat me at a game of chess. What humiliation and not a good start to a new day.

1456 Zane Grey Films and every day things

I worked, I watched TV and I enjoyed food. At midday there were back to back westerns on Movies 4 Men, two of the kind of films shown as B first feature movies at the Odeon Wallington on Monday and Thursday evenings in the 1940's or may have been considered suitable for the Saturday morning Children's show. Both starred James Warren as the good guy and his Mexican sidekick Chito, played by John Laurens. In the first 1946 75 minute Zane Grey adventure Sunset Pass a basically nice lad is led astray and framed for murder but is saved by James Warren as an undercover agent for the express company who takes a liking for the sister of the young man. The highlight is when Chito is serenading Jane Geer as Lolita Baxter, discovers missing bank money and leaves her hanging on the branch of a tree for the greater part of a day, but she loves him. Code of the West was the second Zane Grey 75 minute offering originally published in 1936 and featuring James Warren and Chito again who return to the town where they have staked a land claim with additional grazing options just in time to prevent a merchant adventurer with £13000 dollars for banking investments in property development from being robbed by the town boss who has the Sheriff and in his pocket and is ruthless taking the land from the locals in an area where he knows the railway is coming and which can then be sold to the railway company for huge profits. The banker has an attractive and intelligent daughter who falls for James with marriage and children in mind and a wastrel of a brother spending his mother's inheritance on gambling and a chasing a saloon gal, who is in fact secretly married to the hired gun of the town's mobster. Surprise surprise all works out well and I presume this was the last of the series as wedding bells are symbolically sounded as the film ends. What great fun. The American version of Cold Case lacks the finesse and artistry of the British version but I have no idea which came first. The Unit is about an American special task force that is never admitted to exist and which demonstrates a code of brotherhood and loyalty between these highly trained assassins as we focus on the impact of their job on families including encounters of the fourth kind. Immediately following all this was an alleged true story of the difficult relationship between a selfish over indulged daughter who get a hard kicking when she discovers she has cancers but does not prove herself to be the great American woman until her own mother also contracts the diseases and she nurses the woman until the inevitable death and then in a footnote is shown to have lead a socially productive life as a photographer. There was also another Pro forty cricket match on Sky and I then listened to Sky music working on. I did not enjoy sausages with mash and onion gravy as much as I thought I would although is part of using up what is in the fridge. I eat grapes and the remainder of cherries and the rest of the prawns with salad. There was cuppa soup and bread and the rest of the Alpine cereal, the rest of the wine and some peanuts although was that the previous day? There were two versions of the half year losses declared by Northern Rock. Because more of the government loan had been repaid than anticipated the figures were considered good but a lunchtime analyst suggested otherwise as did a Conservative spokesman determined to show that the government cannot hide bad news during the summer hols. However a more positive slant was put on the situation here in the North East on the early evening magazine programme which had a curious in which a local personality suggested that we should like a dodgy and run down part of Newcastle.. The government also went ahead and published their analysis of the latest exam results although no one of any integrity has any confidence in the figures or results given the repeated spin camera of the body contracted to carry out the marking of exam submissions, alleging that the problem was small and would tackled quickly when it is said that there are thousands of papers still to be marked after boxes of them were returned to schools unmarked. The government tried to hide its embarrassment by refusing to respond to political and media questioning about this disgraceful and unacceptable situation because of complex legal and contractual issues arising. I am sure the Cabinet is even more appalled about this fiasco as they have been about all the others disasters which have flowed from the Brown Premiership since those first three months when he projected the right image of gravitas and decisiveness. However it is difficult to envisage a way out which will leave the political party with a chance of retaining power at the General Election. There was an interesting discussion which included former Cabinet Minister Norman Fowler. The main work of the day was set creation, registering the work completed since returning home and then focussing on albums covering the involvement of Durham and myself in the 2020 Final, one on the visit to the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth Harbour, a third on the visit to Nottinghamshire and the fourth a new volume on my involvement with Durham Cricket club this summer. Volumes were prepared for photographs and for registration as well as a ruthless going through the first part of the in tray. The weather forecast for the first day of the important county game between Durham and Kent starts on Wednesday when the weather forecast is a mixture of cloud and showers and where I have a dental check up midday the price of registering with the practice which is part of my local health centre development. This suggests another day as Tuesday although I am emotionally resistant. As our Olympic team heads for Beijing and the government adds to the pressure promising a bucketful for medals to make the nation proud and deflect attention from its unpopularity, one news report revealed how the Chinese government is ruthlessly restricting free speech, rounding up and keeping out of sight anyone who threatens to use the games for publicity. It is all about creating the right image and a far cry from what was envisaged when the games were resurrected. It is easy be critical and difficult to form a valid opinion without the first hand experience of what is happening across this vast federation and whose development will govern the future of mankind, replacing the USA in that position.

1943 In the swim of things

I have changed my life in the first of two radical ways. For the great part of the past decade I have risen during the night to go to the toilet at least once and usually twice despite going to bed at midnight or later and then rising reluctantly between 8 and 9am, often shaving late into the day if I was not making an outing. Now I get up when I wake between 5 and 5.45, get myself ready and into the car with the dawn and begin swimming between 6 and 6.30 for about an hour, plus a session in the sauna before retuning for breakfast at nine. 12 hours later I am shattered and drag myself into bed before around 10pm. This is the 24th day and although I swim slowly am averaging over 40 lengths of the 15 metre pool some 600 metres and over 1000 lengths and 15000 metres in total. But is how I feel accompanied by the loss of weight which is important, together with a tightening of the tummy muscles.

The revolution was initiated after deciding to go for pre Airshow walk along the promenade at Seaburn, continuing to the Seaburn Marriott, Seaburn Vaux Swallow and once plain Seaburn Hotel and where a banner announced a get fit concession of six weeks for the price of four. My association with hotel has lasted 37 years

In the autumn of 1973 I had driven up to the Seaburn Hotel for an overnight stay prior for interview for the post at South Tyneside which I was hold for the next seventeen years. It had been pitch black on arrival and it was only on the following morning that I looked out of the window to discover how close the hotel was to the beach and the North Sea. I did not expect to get the appointment and when I did, I quickly found a house to purchase a short walk from the Hotel.

In fact it was the house next door which was to become my home for the next thirty years as the original property, owned by one of to enterprising brothers... one ran a private art gallery and the other a celebrated toyshop with the top floor full of Hornby train sets and layouts. Unfortunately I was part of a never ending chain of properties for sale and before I could complete the purchase, Sunderland Football Club raised the cash so their new commercial director and former professional footballer could acquire the property and move immediately in. There were three features which had made the property an attractive proposition. Its location overlooking the sea but with a small enclosed recreation ground separating the row of three pairs of large three storey double fronted properties each set in about a quarter acre of land. The two hotels Mayfield and Lemonfield which were to add a ground floor extension of four ensuite double room, and which provided additional privacy between the property I was to eventually buy, Newland House.

The second feature had been the disposition of rooms on the ground floor with an excellent open area almost room size, then a 20 square foot double window front lounge with behind this a second lounge which had been extended to make a 30 by 20 foot lounge with original oil paintings on the walls each individually lighted, plus an extended day work room and reasonably modern kitchen overlooking the garden. The third feature was the top floor where one large area had been created from the three former rooms and landing area. The adjacent garden of Newland House had been admired because of the gentle sloping landscaping and creation of five rockery beds and a fine lawn which looked as if it was being expertly maintained.

After being gazumped I received a letter from the owner of Newland House, a former baker in the Fullwell community, saying that having retired and following the death of his parent he was selling the property to move into somewhere smaller nearby. I put in bid which following some negotiation was reduced to allow for the necessary work required for the mortgage.

The main restaurant and bar of the hotel has always been at the side of the hotel on the ground floor facing the sea front. There was a public bar at the roadside facing what became the notorious roundabout fountain, the ugly designed structure at a quarter of million pounds of European money, probably close on £1million today.

It was during the late seventies early 80’s when dining in public houses commenced to be common that the hotel put on Sunday lunches in its public bar area and which by word of mouth became known for their value for money. When the hotel joined the Swallow brand of the Vaux group the decision as taken to knock down the small terrace of houses which accommodated staff and also included the post office newsagent run by a couple who lived a few doors away. They were removed to a shop a little way along on the parade of restaurant from the hotel. When the couple running the outlet retired it continued for a while but is now a coffee shop and eatery, as with the public house and the ever changing half a dozen other outlets including one converted out of the former Mason‘s amusement arcade.

I did eat in the hotel restaurant from time with one party of visiting family friends from Peru, and special family events. The most enjoyable part of the meal was the £5 pudding plate on which were small portions of all main items on offer that day.

The terrace housing was replaced by the present block of ensuite bedrooms above the two levels of car parking which has been flooded when the a raging sea swept over the twenty foot wall to pavement level and up the roadway closing the coast road.
It was in the early 1990’s that the local paper announced that the public bar and restaurant was to be knocked down and replaced by the leisure suite as part of major refurbishment of the main hotel building. The development took over a year longer than anticipated because of structural problems encountered but then came the news that the facility would be open to a limited number of members of the public and I joined soon after the opening in 1992 and remained in membership, with one short break, for over a decade.

The club comprises a 15 metre shaped pool which can accommodate half a dozen swimmers of the same abilities at the same tome aftershock it becomes difficult to swim for any duration, plus a sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi and gym all of which have been changed and improved over the years. I enjoyed one period using the gym until I over did and pulled a muscle in my side.

I have never been a good swimmer having been afraid to be out of my depth since an older first cousin had picket me up and dropped me in sea on Brighton beach one bank holiday visit by excursion train. It was in 1966 in the warm waters of Glyfada Beach outside of Athens with jumbo jets flying a few feet above as they came into land at the airport that learnt to stay afloat within my depths and thus remained the situation until the later nineteen nineties and in my fifties that I decided it was a ridiculous situation and learned to swim under water and built up stamina.

One of the most triumphant experiences of my life was on the Greek Island of Rhodes and the lake like St Paul‘s Bay to the south of Acropolis and away from the town village, about a mile walk from the isolated bungalow hotel complex. There was a place to eat and drink and acquire sun shades but little else. There was a narrow entrance at the far end into the sea, wide enough for the tourist boats which went on a short trip along the coast after collecting folk from the main beach and harbour to where the film the guns of Navarone had been shot. The boat stopped off shore and those who wished could bathe. It was the first and only time I had such a blissful experience. However the experience of experience was to swim first from one end of the bay to the other and then to swim out to rocks outside the narrow entrance and then to swim back to where I had started. The only comparable experience was to climb a 3000 foot mountain in Scotland.

So it was afternoon on the Friday air show weekend that I noticed the special offer and decided to make enquires and then to return on the Monday and join and commenced a month which has changed by life. However I did say this was one of two events. The second? Perhaps I will reveal. Perhaps not