3rd Anniversary - walk to Pyewipe

It's our third wedding anniversary today and we marked it in our usual style with a bracing walk in the countryside.  We fancied trying the food at the Pyewipe (being the third pub under the same ownership as the Penny Farthing and Chequers).  By the time we got up, it was a bit too far to walk all the way so we got the bus into town and walked two miles along the Fossdyke to the pub.  Food was just as good as expected and we wandered back in the dark with full tummies.

Charlotte's Baby Shower / Harrows

In the early evening of the 28th it was Charlottes Baby Shower which Keren had helped to organise.  Various partners of attendees converged on the Harrows for a few swift ones.

We all then met up at the Hickertons for a few drinks later on in the evening.  All the girls made predictions about the date and time of the birth - only time will tell who's correct.

Walk in Potterhanworth with Jo & Tony

Took a walk in Potterhanworth today with Jo and Tony followed by lunch in the Chequers.  Jo's preggers so nothing too arduous - we parked up in the village and walked north-east through Potternahworth Wood before following the Car Dyke south, then back to the village via Nocton Fen Lane - it was about 4 miles in all.

The Chequers do great food - we picked it specially because it's owned by the same people who have the Penny Farthing in Timberland and we'd had a couple of good meals there.  We weren't disappointed - highly recommend this place for a meal - bit pricier than standard pub food but you get what you pay for.

Fake Stag Do 2010/11

What a weekend!  It's now an annual tradition that we have one weekend per season where we get together for an Imps away game.  It's to fill in the hole left by the lack of stag dos now that most of us are married.  The fixture is picked totally at random and this year it was determined that we should go to Aldershot.  I organised a hotel in Guildford and trains between there and Aldershot - it was all in order and then the weather intervened!

The plan was for Tom to drive Harrison, Ted and me from Lincoln and we would meet Goldsy, Des, Will and Al in Guildford as they were travelling by train.  Before we even left Lincoln we found out that the game itself was cancelled and had to make a decision whether to carry on just for the craic or cancel.  Obviously we carried on.  As Tom pointed out, the football is his least favourite part of the weekend anyway.

We got going on the A1 and there was hardly any snow - we'd had all of ours two weeks before - but once we hit the M25 it started and it was heavy.  Tom's car was fine, it's front wheel drive with a heavy diesel engine over the driven wheels, so we were trundling along without too much trouble.  Of course it doesn't matter what car you're in if the road becomes blocked by other vehicles.  Sporty, rear wheel drive cars like BMWs and Mercs were finding it hard going and some were getting stuck.  We made the decision to abandon our effort to get to Guildford and turn in towards London instead - the logic was if we got stuck we'd rather be stuck in a big city than in the Surrey countryside.

The next junction was the M40 so we took it but pretty soon the traffic came to a complete stop.  We had plenty of time to discuss options and we decided we would bail out early, find the closest bed for the night and just get on with enjoying a few beers in the hope that the roads would be clear by the next morning.  I got on the phone and booked rooms at the Travelodge in Uxbridge - only a couple of miles from where we were stuck but we had to get off the motorway first.

The lay of the land meant that we could see the head of the queue about 1.5 miles up the road - just by the exit that we needed.  As the road began to go uphill it was causing lots of people to become stuck.  There was nothing else for it but to get up there and start pushing.  Tom stayed with the car but the rest of us headed up the road between the stop/start traffic.  Anyone that looked like they needed help got three lads pushing at the back of their car - and very grateful they were, we got lots of pips and thumbs ups for our efforts.

Eventually, Tom's car appeared at the front of the queue, he steamed up the slip road and we all jumped in.  We checked in to the hotel and really felt we deserved the ensuing beers and curry.

Rich Hall

Went to see Rich Hall at the Engine Shed with Ross and Mikey.  Quality show - he's very funny.  Lots of his material is based on the differences between the USA and the UK.  He takes the piss out of his compatriots quite a lot.  Excellent stand-up show - highly recommended.

Sad Day

Sad day today as it was Granddad's funeral.  Very nice service at the crem followed by a wake at the Wheatsheaf in Waddington and then the family went on to Mum's.  K and I gave a lift to Lucy, Will and Sarah and getting from the Wheatsheaf to Brant Road turned out to be quite an adventure.  It had been snowing for quite a while but we hadn't really realised just how heavy it was.  By the time it came for us to go to Mum's, it was very difficult to get down the hill.  We tried Waddington hill and Cross O'Cliff hill before eventually making it down Harmston... just.  It took us two hours to do about two miles and hundreds of people around Lincoln had similar stories.  We're just not used to heavy snow.

Weekend in Wokingham with Jo and Tony

Keren had booked us (and Jo & Tony) a weekend at St Anne's Manor, Wokingham - one of Hilton's country house hotels.  We drove down on the Friday night and met them for dinner and a few drinks in the bar.

On the Saturday the girls used the health club while Tony and I had a round of golf at the Downshire Golf Complex.  I carded a gross 93 which is my 13th round under 100 - I was quite pleased considering it's a course that I don't know.  We had a posh dinner in the main restaurant and then travelled home again on the Sunday.  All the food, the drink and the 4* accommodation set each couple back about £150 - I'm loving Keren's discount!

Best Golf Bloopers - love the guy at 4:19

Evian-les-Bains

K and I have had a week in four star luxury staying at the Hilton in Evian-les-Bains (where the water comes from) in the French alps.  We drove down to Luton on Friday night and stayed overnight there (curry, obviously).  We were able to leave our car at the hotel for the week and get a cab to the airport - which is only 10 minutes from the middle of Luton so very convenient.  We flew to Geneva where we picked up our rental car (was hoping for a Twingo but got a Yaris) and drove the couple of hours to Evian.

It's a traditional spa town although the current Evian bottling plant has moved to Thonon (about 5 miles away).  It's been very grand in it's day and still boasts several large hotels and a casino.  Evian is on the southern shore of Lake Geneva (or Lac Leman as the French call it) and the alps form the backdrop to the town.  All-in-all there is some spectacular scenery.

October is in-between the main summer season and the winter ski season so everything was fairly quiet (which makes getting a table for dinner very easy) - we're easily pleased though and just enjoy mooching about having a look at different places.  Give us a bar and pack of cards and we're happy!

We had one day in Annecy which is an beautiful town that Keren knew from her time as a student in France.  Another couple of days walking and driving in the mountains around Thollon and Larringes.  A boat trip to Lausanne on the Swiss side of the lake where we visited the Olympic museum and the cathedral; and a day in Yvoire which is medieval village to the west of Evian.

It's a beautiful part of the world and a very relaxing place to spend some time.

Ryder Cup 2010

The Ryder Cup is with us again - surely every golf fan's favourite event.  A chance for little old Europe to take on the might of the US PGA.  Unfortunately (for me), Sky have the TV rights to the coverage but fortunately (for me) I have a very accomodating mate called Ross who doesn't mind me moving in to his house for the weekend!

The plan was to go over on Friday night and stay until Sunday but the atrocious weather at Celtic Manor meant the entire schedule was turned upside down.  Who'd have thought it?  Rain in October in South Wales!  In the end, I skipped Friday altogether and went over on Saturday and stayed until Sunday.  We watched a lot of golf, drank a fair amount of beer and enjoyed a good curry.  Oh, by the way, Europe stuffed the Yanks.  Sweet.

Dawn & Karl cutting their cake

This is a live post direct from the banks of the river Sincil. It's Saturday night and K and I are enjoying Dawn & Karl's wedding party. Will try to post a video of K dancing to YMCA.

Langley's Charity Quiz 2010

I was part of Danwood's crack team of general knowledge know-it-alls this week.  Every year Langley's Solicitors organise a charity quiz night for their clients and we have entered a team in each of the last four or five.

There were six on our team and we were delighted to eventually finish second to the team from Dynex.  That's the best ever performance by a Danwood team.  No prizes other than being able to wear a smug expression but that's enough.

Really well organised do as usual, and over £1000 was raised for the Alzheimer's Society.

Patricia and Steve's Wedding

What a terrific day we've had today.  Steven and Patricia tied the knot and Clint and I were very proud to be Steve's "best men" - as we said in the speech, Steve couldn't find one best man so he got two barely competent ones instead.

The day started when I picked Steve up at about 9:30 and we headed to Clint's.  Emma had knocked up a full cooked breakfast for us - even some Buck's Fizz.

Clint's car was be-ribboned and he drove Steve and I out to the Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa.  On arrival, we met the photographer and the videographer before getting changed into our finery.  Once we were dressed it was back outside into the beautiful gardens for some more photographs.  We found time for a quick pint just to steady the Groom's nerves!

 

We moved inside for the ceremony where a harpist was providing just the right background ambiance.  Patricia arrived late (as is her prerogative) but she looked stunning.  The civil ceremony was done really well, Steve's Mum and Dad both did readings and Clint and I even managed to hand over the rings on time.

After the ceremony, we moved back into the gardens for group photographs and a glass or two of Pimms.  The weather was superb all day and the beautiful gardens gave the photographer so many options.

After the photos, we ushered everyone inside for the receiving line and the wedding breakfast.  Superb food - a great bit of beef - was followed by the speeches.  Pat and Steve did great speeches and lots of people said that they enjoyed Clint and my speech too - we certainly enjoyed delivering it and got some laughs (and a few gasps!).

After dinner the room was quickly turned around and the DJ and band took over.  The band were superb - they played covers representing all eras from the 60s to date.  Everything they played kept the dancefloor absolutely packed.

S & P had chosen a hog roast for the evening and crackling was delicious, mmmmmm pig fat.....

All round a brilliant day and now they're sunning themselves in the Maldives.

Harmstock 2010

Harmstock was just as good as always.  Lots of good beer, lots of good music, what more could you want - well a bit of proper August weather perhaps?  It was bloody freezing and blowing a gale.

K and I were joined by Pete, Ginny, Ted, Yvette, Steve, Nick, Jo, Tony, Andy and George (who was working).  My favourite tipple was the Beijing Black, a mild from the Potbelly Brewery in Kettering.

Macclesfield with Ian and Louise

It was off to visit Ian and Louise in Cheshire at the weekend.  I took the train from Saxilby International - it's a beautiful journey across the Peak District.  Keren was working in Macclesfield so she picked me up from the station.

The house is great and it was brilliant to see them, Louise's baby is due next week so we tried not to put her to too much effort!  Had a meal out and a couple of pints on the Friday night.  On Saturday we went for a walk in the countryside with Bailey the beagle before heading back East.

Really great to see them both and we won't leave such a long gap before the next visit.

The Blues Brothers aka Su's Brothers

Saturday night and it was off to Su and Quentin's in Amersham for Su's birthday party. It was an important birthday but I'm not going to tell you which one.

The family had organised a terrific party with food and wine and music - there was a stage and dancefloor set up in the garden and were entertained by a Blues Brothers tribute act.

Top quality evening - happy birthday Su!

Mandy & Stef's Wedding

Thursday night we headed down to Bedfordshire in anticipation of Mandy and Stef's wedding.  We had a great curry (everything half price for some random reason) then went for a couple of beers in a cracking little GBG pub called The Wellington - try it if you're in the area.

The wedding was on Friday, it was a really intimate ceremony in the Swiss Cottage at the Shuttleworth Collection, followed by a wedding breakfast at the Black Horse in Ireland (the village near Bedford, not the other one).  Only about 20 guests at the wedding and a very enjoyable afternoon which showed that you don't need to be elaborate and sometimes the simplest events are the best.

Dicko's Stag Do

It was to Bristol this weekend for Steve's stag do.  It's a city I really like so I was pleased when he picked it as a location.  There were 10 of us for the weekend - seven from Lincoln and we travelled down in a two car convoy.

After checking in at the Premier Inn, we headed into town for the evening.  Obviously we sampled quite a few of the city's top public houses and kebab emporia.

Saturday saw us breakfasting in Wetherspoons before travelling together by minibus to Max Events where Clint and I had organised an afternoon of activities.  First we had a go in hovercraft (click here to see the video), then it was archery before finishing with offroad buggies.  We found out that 'gimps were scary'.

Minibussed it back to town and in the evening we headed to the Grosvenor Casino for our own private poker game.  It was great way to spend the evening - the casino treated us like VIPs and I think everyone really enjoyed it.  At about midnight (after a couple of pubs) we headed to Reflex for some 80s nostalgia.  There was a stage with a pole and I don't think Steve left it alone all night!

Sunday morning meant another Wether-brekkie before we got back on the road North.  I couldn't believe how chipper Steve was considering the massive amount of mucky drinks that he consumed.  As it turns out, the depression didn't hit until Monday.

Very memorable weekend - no deaths, no injuries and I think everyone enjoyed it.  Roll on the wedding.

Darlington & Durham

Keren was working in Darlington on Friday so I took the day off and tagged along - we then spent a couple of nights in Durham.

While K was working I went to 'Head of Steam' which is Darlington's Railway Museum.  It's not as big as York but it's a smart little place with some interesting exhibits.  A lot of the focus is on Darlington's role in the pioneering days of the railways.

We nipped up to Durham after K had finished her meeting.  We'd booked two nights in the Marriott (booked before K started working for Hilton!) and the hotel was nice with a great location right in the centre of time.

It was my first visit to Durham and really enjoyed it.  Had a good curry on the Friday night then spent Saturday doing lots of touristy things.  We visited the cathedral and then the botanical gardens - along with a few GBG pubs including the Elm Tree where we had dinner.

Home on Sunday after breakfast.  Very enjoyable weekend and would recommend Durham if you fancy a short break.

Rockingham and Rolling 'em

Spent a great afternoon at the Caterham Festival with Carla and Gary.
Gary had a difficult grid position but made up five places on the first lap before embarking on a race-long tussle with another car for 10th.
Terrific racing and good company.

New FIFA rule

To cover themselves against decisions made by blind Uruguayans, FIFA have introduced this new rule.

Dempsey and Makepeace

I have still have the hots for Harriet Makepeace. Brilliant theme too.

St David's - Day 7

Big walk today - biggest and last of our trip to Pembrokeshire.  We caught the bus to Solva then walked back as far as Porth Clais then inland to St David's - 7.5 miles in total.

Dinner was at the Farmer's as it was quiz night.  What a shambles!  The quizmaster accidentally gave away three of the answers and at least five of the questions were about rugby or Tom Jones.  Total crap quiz.  Lucky the pub does good food and beer!

Heading off to Hay-On-Wye tomorrow.

St David's - Day 6

Another mostly fine day weatherwise.  We caught the bus to Abereiddi then walked to Porthgain (where we had lunch) before carrying on to Trefin.

We did get rained on for the last 10 minutes - this problem was compounded when we discovered that there was a 40 minute wait for the bus and the only pub was shut!  Ah well, the rain soon stopped.

The plan was to have fish and chips but, even though they told us they opened from 11-9 every day, when we went at 8.30 they were closed.  So it was off to the Farmer's Arms, our new local.

St David's - Day 5

The rain has gone away - we could see it in the distance but it kept in the distance.

Today we caught the 'Puffin Shuttle' to Newgale which has a massive, virtually empty beach from where we walked to Solva.

It was only 4.5 miles along the cliff tops but it seemed a lot further.  In the first mile we had to climb up to 200ft, then down to less than 50ft, then up, then down about three or four times.  We were kn***ered!  In the picture to the left, I'm about to head down to the valley floor and then up again to the plateau in the background.  By the time we arrived at Solva we were ready for a drink and headed straight for the Harbour Inn (another GBG tick).  We had a little bit of time to look round then we caught the bus back to St David's.

Keren foolishly allowed me to choose where we had dinner tonight so it was off back to the local curry house for a lamb vindaloo.  Went down very well.

3 days to go

There is only one Edison Arantes do Nascimento, aka Pele. The legendary Brazilian played in four World Cups and picked up winners’ medals on three occasions, an achievement unmatched in world football.

The first of his medals came in 1958 when, as an unknown 17-year-old, Pele burst into the limelight, smashing records and goals alike.

He became the youngest player to score in the tournament (v Wales QF), the youngest to player to score a hat-trick (v France SF) and the youngest player to score in a Final (v Sweden) and finished with six goals.

In 1962 injury conspired to keep Pele playing beyond the second game of the tournament and he was a spectator as his team-mates went on to lift the Trophy for a second time.

The ’66 tournament saw England break Brazil’s monopoly on the title, while many of Brazil’s opposition looked to break Pele.

Some serious foul play against the South American curtailed their bid for a third successive title, but it would be Pele who would have the last laugh, when he ended his World Cup career with victory in 1970.

It was a fitting finale for one of the greatest players the game has ever seen.

St David's - Day 4

It had to happen eventually, we are in Wales after all, today it rained... all day.  However, we are British and were undaunted so, out came the waterproofs and on with the show.

We did tailor our activities to the weather.  The start of the day saw a full Welsh breakfast in town followed by a trip to the barbers for a tuppenny all off (me, not Keren).  We looked around a few of the shops and marvelled at how expensive outdoor gear is.  Then we bought and wrote postcards over a cuppa in the Grove Hotel.

It was then back into the rain to a couple a small art galleries before we headed for St David's mediaeval Bishop's Palace (one of the largest in Britain don't you know) where we learnt all about Bishop de Gower aka the 'Builder Bishop' and his impressive legacy.

We're now at home with a glass of wine and will be heading out later for dinner at the Cross Hotel.  Who cares about a bit of rain?

4 days to go

A World Cup Final is the pinnacle of any player’s career but when nerves are frayed and emotions are running high it can sometimes prove difficult to maintain a professional focus, and when that happens some players start to see red.

The first sending off in a Final was Argentina’s Perdo Monzon in the disappointing 1990 showpiece against Germany. It had taken 60 years for that moment to arrive but, like buses, 22 minutes later Monzon’s team-mate Gustavo Dezotti also got his marching orders.

Eight years later France’s Marcel Desailly was sent from the field with his side 2-0 up over Brazil. Thankfully for Les Bleus it didn't damage their chances too much, as they went on to win 3-0.

However, without question, the most high profile of the four players to have been dismissed in a Final was another Frenchman, Zinedine Zidane.

Deep into extra-time and with a penalty shoot-out looming as his side drew 1-1 with Italy, Zidane inexplicably head-butted Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the chest to earn himself an instant red card and ultimately dash any hopes of ending a remarkable career on the perfect high.

St David's - Day 3

We're being really lucky with the weather... so far.  There were a few clouds about this morning but they soon disappeared to reveal another glorious day.

We got the 'Celtic Coaster' minibus service from St David's to Whitesands beach (you can just see it in the centre of the picture above) - it's a beautiful sandy beach which was very popular today with surfers, kiters, sandcastlers and general beach-based merriment.  From Whitesands, we followed the Pembrokeshire Coast Path to the North as far as St David's Head (top left in the above picture), where stopped for a picnic.  Then we continued East and then South in a big loop back to Whitesands.

After a restorative burger and chips we carried on South as far as St Justinian's where we were able to pick up the Celtic Coaster again to bring us back to St David's.  We did around 5.5 miles in total.  Finished off the day with a takeaway curry and a few games of Boggle.  We're easily pleased.

St David's - Day 2

It's been another gloriously warm day in Wales (now there's a sentence you don't hear very often!).

Today, we have visited St David's Cathedral which was very impressive.  A orchestra and choir were practising for the final concert in the Cathedral's summer festival - so we got a free performance.

We also went to the Tourist Information Centre and picked up some bus timetables and other leaflets.  They have an art gallery there with work by local artists so we also had a look round there.

We were obviously tired from these exertions so found time for an ice-cream at Gianni's.  Home-made using local milk they were very good.  I had Sugar Doughnut flavour - tomorrow I'm having Lager!

Finished off the day with a very nice dinner at Jones' - a small, friendly restaurant in the middle of St David's.  Great day and hopefully the start of many more.

5 days to go

You don’t get classed as the world’s greatest footballing nation without a few facts backing it up; like winning the World Cup five times, for example.

That is exactly what Brazil have managed to achieve since they entered the inaugural tournament in 1930, lifting the famous Jules Rimet Trophy in 1958, ’62 and ’70 and its successor, the World Cup Trophy, in ’94 and ’02, making them the most successful nation in World Cup history.

They are also the only country to have participated in every finals since their inception, as well as producing more tournament top scorers (five) than any other nation.

Despite their superiority the Samba Boys still, no doubt, harbour one regret and that is being the only World Cup-winning nation not to have triumphed on home soil. They hosted the 1950 edition and narrowly missed out on claiming the title with a 2-1 loss to Uruguay in the final match.

St David's

Had an overnight stay in Gloucester where we had a very nice couple of pints in the Fountain Inn (another tick in the Good Beer Guide).
Arrived in St David's at about 4pm after lunch in Pendine and a visit to the Museum Of Speed.
Our apartment, a converted forge, is beautifully decorated and the town looks very nice. Currently having a pint of Rhymney sat in the garden of the Farmer's Arms (also in the GBG of course!).

6 days to go

The 1962 World Cup in Chile provided the unusual statistic of seeing six joint winners of the Golden Shoe award.

Garrincha (Brazil), Vava (Brazil), Leonel Sanchez (Chile), Drazan Jerkovic (Yugoslavia), Valentin Ivanov (Soviet Union) and Florian Albert (Hungary) all notched four strikes – the lowest total in World Cup history to win the coveted prize – and accounted for 24 of the 89 goals scored that tournament.

Albert’s effort was perhaps the best, bagging his tally in just three matches, while Sanchez and Jerkovic took six games to reach their total. One of Vava’s strikes came in the 3-1 victory over Czechoslovakia in the Final.

Surprisingly, the Golden Shoe has only been shared on one other occasion, in 1994 when Bulgaria’s Hristo Stoichkov and Russia’s Oleg Salenko both scored six goals.

7 days to go

Wearing a small star above the crest on your international shirt is a privilege held by an elite few.

Only seven countries have won the World Cup and therefore sport the coveted motif and England is of course lucky enough to be one of them.

The other winners are: Brazil (5 times), Italy (4 times), Germany (three times), Argentina (2 times), Uruguay (2 times) and France (1).

The only anomaly in this regard is Uruguay, who actually wear four gold stars – two for their World Cup wins and two in commemoration of their Olympic triumphs in 1924 and ’28.

The success of those tournaments actually prompted FIFA to launch the World Cup in 1930.

8 days to go

Scotland have appeared in eight World Cup finals and have been involved in some fantastic matches over the years – remember Archie Gemmill’s wonder goal in the 3-2 victory over the Netherlands in 1978?

However, despite several victories, the Tartan Army have never managed to progress beyond the first round of any of their eight finals, a World Cup record.

Perhaps the most upsetting aspect for the Scots is that on three occasions – ’74, ’78 and ’82 – the only thing stopping them from going through to the Second Round was goal difference.

9 days to go

England’s recent friendly opponents Mexico are the unfortunate holders of the World Cup’s worst losing streak in history, and it began at the tournament’s very first match.

From their 4-1 defeat to France in the joint-opening game of the inaugural 1930 event, Mexico failed to register a point in nine World Cups, spanning 28 years.

They lost all three matches in 1930, failed to qualify for the tournament in ’34 and ’38, lost three matches in 1950 and lost the two matches played in ’54.

At Sweden ’58 they were beaten 3-0 by the hosts in their opening group game before breaking their duck with a 1-1 draw with Wales.

They were still knocked out of the tournament, however, after their third-match defeat to Hungary. They finally registered their first win in 1962, beating Czechoslovakia 3-1 at the Group Stage.

10 days to go

The fact that any of FIFA’s 200-plus affiliated nations can reach the World Cup finals is what makes the tournament so special.

However, it can also make for some interesting match-ups in the David and Goliath sense, and therefore throw-up a few one-sided results.

The biggest of these came in 1982 when Hungary put ten past El Salvador as they ran out 10-1 winners – the most any team has scored in one match.

The match was also notable for Hungary’s Laszlo Kiss scoring the World Cup’s fastest ever hat-trick, bagging in the 69th, 72nd and 76th minute. The fact he came on as a substitute in the 55th minute makes it even more impressive.

11 days to go

It’s always nice to get an early goal to settle the nerves, particularly when you’re playing in the World Cup. And that’s exactly what Turkey got when Hakan Sukur put his side ahead against South Korea at the 2002 tournament.

The strike was officially timed at 11 seconds and makes it the fastest goal in World Cup history.

England’s Bryan Robson made a bit of World Cup history for the Three Lions when he scored after just 27 seconds against France in 1982. It was our fastest goal in the competition and England went on to win the match 3-1.

12 days to go

It must be a great feeling to score at a World Cup, although it must be quite surreal to score at World Cups 12 years apart.

Pele (1958-70), Uwe Seeler (1958-70), Diego Maradona (1982-94), Michael Laudrup (1986-98), Henrik Larsson (1994-06) and Sami Al-Jaber (1994-06) have all managed to achieve this incredible feat and it is unlikely it will ever be improved upon.

There are no Englishmen on the list, although David Beckham would have had the chance if injury had not intervened this year, and it would be great to think Wayne Rooney might add his name to this elite group were he to score at the 2018 World Cup...preferably on home soil!

Lincoln Beer Festival 2010

It was Lincoln Beer Festival this weekend and we went down to the Drill Hall on Friday night. K and I met up with Mark & Lydia, Pete & Ginny, Martin & Charlotte, Andy, Nick and Clint for some real ale and cider action.  Well most of us were up for the ale, some of the girls were resolutely sticking to the wine.

As usual there were more people trying to get in than the venue could cope with.  It's been like this for a few years now and I think they need to consider a bigger venue.  We were queueing for about an hour and it just puts customers in a bad mood.

Despite it being Friday night and the middle of the festival, there were still lots of beers that had run out.  That is also typical for Lincoln and a problem that doesn't really affect the other festivals I've been to.  I don't know why Lincoln don't get it quite right - it's a shame.  Cambridge and Newark are the same weekend and I think I might give Lincoln a miss in favour of one of those next year.

Anyway, those two moans aside, we had a really good night.  Of course it was good fun to spend time with our friends and it was a good atmosphere inside the hall.  As the weather was good there were lots of people sat outside which made the hall itself seem uncrowded.  My favourite was the Titanic Chocolate Vanilla Stout - I don't need to explain what it tasted of, silky smooth and gorgeous.

13 days to go

At Germany 2006 Miroslav Klose scored five goals to take the Golden Shoe award for top goalscorer. It was a good effort but one which pales in comparison to the incredible tally of Just Fontaine in 1958.

The Moroccan-born France forward was at the peak of his powers in Sweden and opened his World Cup account with a hat-trick in the 7-3 win over Paraguay in their opening group game.

He continued his red-hot form with two goals against Yugoslavia (3-2 loss), one against Scotland (2-1 win), two against Northern Ireland in the quarter-finals (4-0 win), one against Brazil in the 5-2 semi-final defeat and he signed off with an incredible four goals in the match for third place against Germany – winning 6-3.

It gave Fontaine a total of 13 goals, the most scored by an individual in any one World Cup. It was to be his only tournament appearance but due to his incredible strike-rate he still remains the tournament’s third highest goalscorer of all-time – behind Ronaldo (15) and Gerd Muller (14).

14 days to go

West Germany leaked fourteen goals but still won the tournament in 1954.  They caused a massive upset by beating Hungary 3-2 in the final.

The Hungarians, with the likes of Ferenc Puskas and Sandor Kocsis in their line-up, had been huge favourites to win the tournament but, despite going 2-0 up within eight minutes, they were unable to stop the Germans making an incredible comeback.

The result was even more galling for Hungary, having won their group stage game against West Germany 8-3.  That scoreline went a long way to the German total of fourteen goals conceded throughout the tournament - the highest number of goals shipped by a World Cup winning team.

Pop a cap in that clay ass

Keren and I went clay pigeon shooting with Mark and Lydia on Friday.  It was the first time that Keren had had a go and my third attempt - on the previous two occasions I had managed to hit precisely nothing, clay pigeons are safe with me.

Until now!  After some excellent tuition from Will, I managed to start pointing the gun in the right general direction and Kezza and I both ended up hitting 13 out of 25.

Really good fun and some excellent bruising to show off.

Strange weekend in Denmark

Kezza and I had a very strange weekend trip to Esbjerg.  K had got us a great deal on the overnight crossing from Harwich so we were just going to have a look really.

Stopped on the way at Ickworth House near Bury St Edmunds for some National Trust action - not actually much in the way of 'action' more looking at old stuff really.  Arrived in Harwich mid afternoon, had a walk along the front before parking up and boarding the boat.

Crossing was good fun, we had a nice little en-suite cabin and the food on board was terrific.  Best I've ever had on a ferry - as it was a Danish menu it was very fish based.  We arrived in Esbjerg at 1pm Saturday and walked 10 minutes into the middle of town - then walked the full length of the main street before finding a little bar for a coffee and cake.  When we emerged it was like a ghost town, there was no-one anywhere.  The shops were all shut and the streets were empty - it was literally 2 minutes between cars.  The only time I've ever been in an urban area that's so quiet was in the City of London on a Sunday (try it, it's eerie).  We walked and walked but hardly saw a soul so we headed for a big park on the edge of town and just pottered about until it was time to re-board the ferry.

Trip home was just as pleasant as the outward journey.  Rather strange 'entertainment' consisting of a Scottish singer/guitarist and a bloke doing a really bad impression of Manuel from Fawlty Towers.  We got back to Harwich at noon on Sunday and called off at Anglesey Abbey (near Cambridge) for a look round and some lunch (really good place, sort of 1920s house with fantastic gardens, well worth a visit if you're nearby).

All in all, a really relaxing weekend but we didn't really see Esbjerg at its best.  Go if you can get a cheap deal... but not at the weekend.

Keith Alexander Benefit Match

Now here's something you don't see every day, Franny Green (playing for England) beating Steve Hodge (St Lucia!) while Simon Weaver, Ben Futcher and Sir Les of Ferdinand look on.  Nice.

Martin, Nick, the Goldsbroughs and me were down on the banks of the river Sincil yesterday afternoon for a benefit match for the family of Keith Alexander.

An all-star team managed (and featuring) Paul Ince took on a team of players who had played for KA.  As well as Ince, Sir Les and Harry, we had Paul Merson, Dion Dublin, Lee Sharpe, Brian Deane, Rufus Brevette, Paul Davis, Nigel Jemson and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.  The KA XI had Yeo, Mazza, Garlic Mayo, McCombe, Bimmo, Scrappy Doo, McAuley, Biggedy Morgan and Schoey - Simmo was the manager and also made a guest appearance (I think he had a ball hidden up his shirt).

There were fans there from many of Keith's clubs - I saw Macclesfield, Mansfield, Barnet, Bury and Peterborough shirts and there may have been others.  It was an afternoon about fun as well as football and a fitting tribute to one of Lincoln's greatest managers.

A fantastic Rube Goldberg machine - is this even better than the Honda ad?

St. George's Day party at Farndon Boathouse

Look at the lovely ladies. All getting refreshed (as newts).

Broke 100 !

Played 36 holes with Ross and Lewis today.  First 18 at Forest Pines were the usual 100+ but then went round Grange Park in 97.  I've only had three rounds under 100 and two of them have come whilst playing with these two guys after having a 'practise' round in the morning.  That's made my weekend.

I love it when a plan comes together

Easter Walk in the Wolds

It was off to Belchford on Good Friday for some bracing walking in the wolds.

A top quality crew was assembled and led by Martin and Charlotte.  Me & Kezza, Paul & Suzie, Mark & Rachel, Helen & Gareth and Lou made up the elite team of ramblers.

We started off with a fantastic lunch at the Blue Bell Inn before embarking on a circular route to Fulletby and back.  We were helped on the way by Martin's Navy Rum and my hot cross buns.  I can't speak for anyone else, but I was also helped by the bizarre pig/poodle crossbreeds that we encountered.  I was all ready to call the RSPCA until our resident rural expert (Lou) advised that they are actually a rare breed called a mangalitza.

I was also helped by my new boots.  They looked grey when I saw the picture on ebay but, in real life they look distinctly lilac - and I look distinctly fruity.

After our walk (which was 4.26 miles), six of us (we lost Mark, Rachel, Lou, Paul & Suzie) headed to Horncastle for a swift XXXB in the excellent King's Head; where we planned the rest of the campaign.  It was decided that we had had plenty of exercise but not nearly enough real ale so we adjourned to the Green Dragon and then Jolly Brewer.  Martin and Char taught me to play "Who's the Goose" (it's a card game, not a dodgy habit) - after giving them a stuffing, I'm sure they wished they hadn't.

Kezza and I capped off the evening with a kebab and got the bus home.  Top day - well done M&C for getting us all there.

!! MEGABISCUIT !!

Kezza's been baking again :-) but her mixture must have been a bit runny.  Instead of six individual biscuits, we've got one massive MEGABISCUIT! 

Anyone for a slice?

Leicesterval 2010

After the failure of Northern Rail to successfully deliver us to this year's Rotherham Beer Festival, I thought I'd shop around for an alternative service provider.  East Midlands Trains were very keen for our business (who wouldn't be?) and so we travelled to Leicester on Saturday for the CAMRA Leicester Beer Festival 2010.  Me, Harrison, Jon, Nick, Pete & Ginny (aka 'Pinny') and Martin & Charlotte made the trip.  There were over 200 beers, ciders and perries, as well as an on-site curry kitchen.

As a team we managed to try 73 different brews; Pete, Hazza, Nick and Hicko led the way with 12 each, I had 10, Jon and Lottie had eight and Ginwaldo seven (I know that adds up to 81, there was some duplication) - I'm ignoring the Fosters on the train home!  However, as Jon was drinking pints, he wins the prize for the most amount drunk with 8 pints (Hicko 6, Pete 5⁵⁄₆, Hazza & Nick 5¾, Shep 5, Lottie 4 and Ginny 3½) - Jon was always the bookie's favourite!  Nick wins the prize for the strongest ale with Baz's Bonce Blower at 12% (although he only drank ¼ pint because it was foul!).  Nick also won the 'who can go the longest without breaking the seal' prize, narrowly beating me into second.

I reckon it was a very successful and enjoyable trip and it may even replace Rotherham as our annual beer trip of choice.

Full list of brews tried is below:

Farewell Keith

Keith Alexander passed away last night after he got home from Macclesfield's match against Notts County.  What terrible news.  Keith was a real gentleman of football who always gave an honest opinion and had lots of time for the fans.
He led Lincoln to four consecutive play-offs.  My best ever memory of watching the Imps was our 5-3 caning of Scunny in the play-off semi-final.
Sincere condolences to his family.

Rotherham Beer Festival.... nearly

We almost went to Rotherham Beer Festival for the third year running.  That was the plan.  It's just a shame that Northern Rail didn't share our enthusiasm.

I met Mark R at Lincoln Station at about 9am while the other four members of our merry band (Clint, Dicko, Nick and Ross) were en route to Gainsborough and Saxilby International.  I went to buy tickets for everyone to be told that there was a problem on the line and our train (the 9:27) had been cancelled.  Bugger.

A quick telephone conference later and we all met at The Ritz (the Wetherspoon's in Lincoln, not the other one) for a warming breakfast Guinness.  Our phones told us that the 10:27 was also cancelled and, when we returned to the station for the 11:27, that had also been axed.

We decided to cut our losses and create our own real ale tour of Lincoln.  We'd already ticked off the Ritz, next stop was the Green Dragon followed by the Jolly Brewer, Widow Cullen's, the Strugglers and finally the Prince of Wales - from whence we were collected by a couple of wives (our own).

We had a good day out despite the best efforts of Northern Rail.