Year: 2008

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In praise of the rockafeller skank.

This doesn’t come easy. I’m not a mainstream person. Well, I am, really – that’s what all this is about, but I don’t occupy the middle ground that easily still. I’m 38 and it’s getting so much easier. My love of the Carpenters and Doris Day will be confessed openly soon (and if you think I’m joking, Stop, wait a minute Mr Postman and Move Over Darling).

I was sorting out the overcrowded and badly tagged iPod this evening for the first time … ever. The pleasure that a clean brak has given me is possibly a bit anal but I’m happy to admit that a tidy home is a happy home.

One thing that’s never been on there is FGat Boy Slim’s “You’ve Come a Long Way Baby” album from 1998. I never got round to burning it as Katie and I (and th near neighbours of our house in Gloucester Road, Cheltenham) had played it seemingly to death in 1998.

However, a bit of an audio audit has rekindled the flame that played it to death in the first place. Despite being a mainstream radio staple, The Rockafeller Skank is just a plain old killer and summarises the era. Chapeau, Quentin.

>The Rockafeller Skank

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Remember, remember – the 5th of November

Something about the rather significant things going on on the other side of the big pond that makes me feel like we’ve reached a pretty momentous turning point in world history. Much in the same way that in 1997 I felt a massive relief when Labour ended a very long Tory rule in the UK, the democratic win in the US is more than a democratic win or a fantastic historical moment when a black person enters the White House; it’s the end of Bush. Hoo – bloody – ray.

When I was thinking back earlier to the great feeling in 97 that took me over (as it turned out, for good reason), today’s feeling of “I was there when…” makes me feel more slightly pensive. History, whatever happens henceforth, has been made. I really should buy a newspaper and keep it carefully in the attic, like I did do for the millennium (you’ve no idea how hard that word is to type for me), but these days it seems more apporpriate to mark history by showing what’s going on in my online world.

The Guardian online daily emails have been a part of my online world for about four years, I think, but what I hope will happen is that the attached screen grab will show history in so much more ways that are not interesting now. I hope that in future years, we’ll love to look at the number of spam messages i had in my spam box, how my gmail offered me only 7.2 mb of space, and other thiongs we accept today and will be a quirky oddment in the future.

Just the same as if I bought a newspaper today on the occasion of Obama’s historic victory, the really interesting things would turn out to be the adverts on the side of the real news items on the paper.

5th November 2008

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Grand day out at Blackpool Zoo

Elsie NavigatesToday was a Baker day at Lily’s school so we took full advantage of the quietness by going off to Blackpool Zoo. Unlike Mr and Mrs Ramsbottom, who went there with young Albert, their son, we returned en masse, and a very happy family after a really great day out.

Factor one was the weather – a real ‘steal’ – not expecting it at all but it was clear and sunny almost all afternoon there. The Zoo itself was a great size; I’ve found London and Chester Zoos to be a bit sprawling, but we managed to see as much a variety of animals in a smaller space without the animals feeling cramped. Okay, there were no hippos or rhinos, but the relative space they take up is not really needed. They’re pretty dull when all’s said and done.

Highlights for me were

  • the sea lions, who were in the process of being trained. They seemed to be really getting into it in the same way Labradors do.
  • The Pelicans and their ever-stretchy beak rubber at tea time (“Eeeh – it’s like feeding time at the zoo round here”).

The lowlight for the day was driving on to catch Blackpool Illuminations as the sun went down. The lights had been switched off the evening before for the year (!!). Will have to get to the illuminations next year though.

See the photos here on Flick or here as a slideshow.

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Half term break in Suffolk… the first real chill of winter

With the national trophy cyclocross coming up in Ipswich, I wasn’t relishing the thought of another long day out and night away from the family. Enjoyable though the sporty bonding trips are, I find it an uneasy comprimise to spend time away enjoying myself and leaving Katie with two young people to look after.

The Ipswich race was luckily on the first Sunday of the half term break, so we booked four nights away to coincide, meaning a great chance for a rest plus an ‘easy’ journey to the cyclocross.

BlueAs things turned out, it was absolutely perfect. Better than perfect really, if that’s possible. When you bookk things online you can never be sure what it’s really going to be like, but Low Farm near to Brampton in Suffolk was a bull’s eye in terms of holiday accommodation. There was a fully fledges soft play area called Moo Play Barn and an indoor pool, alledgedly heated (well – it was pretty cold outside too), and a collection of farm animals specifically penned up for children to interract with them. (The Alpacas and their fluttering eyelashes were my personal fave.) A perfect place to be really if the weather turned bad. Except, strangely, it never did. Let’s face it, this was late October. But on three of the four days, we enjoyed pretty much uninterrupted sunshine. I find this type of cold, almost frosty sunny weather the very best time to be on a UK beach. I know they’re ace in hot weather, but there’s something about the quality of the air and the light that is so untainted.

AldburghThe three days were spent well. Day trips to Great Yarmouth (ace model village), Southwold (Pretty, Posh and very very English) and Aldeburgh (quaint, full of corduroy and blazer wearing bafoons for some reason on the day we were there, but somehow real-feeling, and fisherman-like gritty).

A very chilled out time.

Enjoy the photos of the whole trip – browse them here or click here for a slideshow.

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Cyclocross National Trophy 2008 round 3, Chantry Park, Ipswich

For the third year running, the National Trophy went to this rolling park on the western side of Ipswich, and my experiences there have been mixed. Thankfully, this was the best year for me and I’m in no doubt as to why; this year, we were given the gift of mud.

The course is so different in the slippy mud and although last year’s was slimey on much of the course, this year’s was a gloopy test on all of the course. Although I’m in no danger of rising up the ranks to take a surprise top ten or anything, I know what I like and what my riding style likes, and it’s brown, sticky and wet.

The course also had some interesting new features this year; a run-up with some makeshift steps (way too high each step but a nice thought!) and even a fancy bridge so the course could do a neat figure-eight in the paddock area.

I finished 23rd after a truly shocking start. The woods are a bit narrow and I was brought off on the first lap and then made my own errors panicking may way back up the field, meaning I was down in 35th or so after a lap. Once I settled in though, I started to make my way gradually past people and really enjoyed the course and the day out.

British Cycling’s report here.

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Waiting til Holidays




Waiting til Holidays

Originally uploaded by Dave Haygarth

Lily sometimes goes off into a corner and likes to get on with writing things, without the need to ask how things are spelt. We’re off on our hols to Norfolk next saturday and Lily decided to make a chart so she could tick off the days. Katie and I just love the spelling and the whole concept.

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Hits of the past… my past

Got a bit nostalgic this evening with Lily when I realised she thought that some oldies I was singing to her was funny. I often underestimate a six year old’s appreciation of irony.

Capstick Comes Home

Goodness Gracious Me

Albert and the Lion

My old man’s a dustman

Jake the Peg

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Cyclocross National Trophy 2008 Round 2: Bicton Arena, Devon

CyclocrossI’m a bit late in blogging this; I should apologise really – I’ve been working… a truly dreadful thing and I really ought to get my priorities right.

The 2008 national trophy series got underway in really bad style the other week in Abergavenny as documented; I was determined that the next round – with the three peaks out of the way – was going to make amends. Bicton Arena was a really long travel and necessitated the only cycling night away from the family, which is a bit of a chore, and I spent all of the run-up to the event thinking that it better bloody well be worth the travelling and expoense for a one hour race.

It was. The course was just great – a true mix of most good things in cyclocross barring some stepped run ups and a sand pit! The sandy mud dried out as we raced and after 40 minutes it started to really get sticky, so I needed to change the bike once. The change was worth it and I put in a big spurt towards the last two laps as a result of the clean gears.

I finished 25th overall which, with two good foreign riders, meant pretty much near my best in any National Tropy race. This is a relief after the Three Peaks which has previously left me a bit flat in the faster traditional cyclocross races.

To add to the day being overall worthwhile, it was brill to see Phil’s whole family and have the boys cheer on uncle Dave and Phil advising me to pull my finger out. Great to have some support – it really boosts you. Add to this the fact that Phil took some really ace pics of my and the whole race, and it was a great day with a great momento to boot.

View a slideshow of my fave selected snaps of the day here – thanks Phil!

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Newsletter article from Matthew Pixton

Matthew Pixton
Matthew Pixton returned to the race this year after a few years off it, and wrote this quick account for the Rossendale Harriers Stag-ger magazine..

A fell runners’ bike race?

Every year on the last Sunday of September two noble sports combine in a blur of coloured kit, expensive machinery, agony, ecstasy and wonderment. Last Sunday, 28th September, saw the 46th running of the annual Three Peaks Cyclo Cross over Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen Y Ghent. Carl Nelson and I joined the 450 other competitors for what has to be one of the most spectacular races in the world.

The Three Peaks are familiar to many fell runners from the Harriers with races on each individual hill and the epic slog that is the combined fell race in April. This is a bit different – it goes the ‘wrong’ way round and starts/finishes at Helwith Bridge to the south of Horton. In between the three summits are break-neck descents on bogs and rocks and fast road sections just to confuse the tired legs.

Undoubtedly it is race that attracts the fell running community – the current unassailable champion is Rob Jebb; a previous winner and first to win both the fell and cycle races in the same year is Bingley’s Andy Peace; Ian Holmes is signing on this year and there are plenty others of us in the ‘also ran’ category who run more than cycle. It’s also a race attracting champion cyclists like Nick Craig, Barrie Clarke and some very good less familiar names like Lewis Craven from Ramsbottom.

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An elephant on a Penyghent?

Well, despite all my positive thinking, no amount of public posturing on this blog could get me to a PB this year. I really enjoyed the whole day experience though (you can read the full report here), catching up with faces from the past afterwards – David, John and Matthew Bardgett (nice first time ride Matt), Sam Clark, Matthew Pixton, brother Dave and Andrew Talbot, to name but a few. However, surfing the web this week has cast up images like this one of me looking like an elephant on a bike. Friends Trev and Leanne rib me saying I have body dysmorphic disorder, but seriously folks I do need to lose a stone or two of if I am to improve on my 4 hours 40; I had better get out training! Off to watch Dave, Rob, Lewis et al in the Exeter National Trophy Cross this afternoon to show me how it is done. See you next year…. Phil Haygarth