Year: 2008

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In fairness to the weather

Rossendale Sunshine - a rare thingI thought I’d better say how flipping lovely it’s been here for the last five days. I had a good moan last year when summer really got me (and most people) down, so in the interest of fairness and balance, what a fantastic spell we’re having.

Winter sunshine is one of those treats that really makes you feel you’re winning. When it’s so still like it is outside at the moment, it also makes bloody fantastic cycling weather – and luckily I’m in the type of work that allows me to head out this lunchtime for an hour for a spin!

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M-Head




M-Head

Originally uploaded by Dave Haygarth

I was starting to look a bit bedraggled with my slightly longer than regulation hair, and decided it was time for a change on Saturday night. It’s amazing to see that despite the clear shape of a letter M spelling itself out on my very generous forehead, I have had the same balding hairline for 21 years without very much subsequent recede. Still hanging on by a thread.

From a ‘charming looks’ point of view, I sincerely regret the move, as I now look like an urban-four-wheel-drive numb-skull aggressive tit. I’m adding fertilizer to it as I type.


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The ups and downs of a 5 year old

Poor old Lily – she went to school this morning for her special Reception Class assembly – parents could attend and the whole year proudly performed their assembly themed on ‘food’. Katie and I came home feeling typically proud, as would be expected.

Later on, she came home having fallen in the playground at lunchtime looking like this. The cheek of it

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Gentlemen’s Sojourn: Luckley old us.

Silly SpectaclesFor the first time in ages, I enjoyed a Gentlemen’s weekend away with a group of ten extremely personable and fascinating people. Dippy, an old school friend and an extended network of his friends do this type of thing once or twice per year; it’s a chance to chat, play gentle sport, stroll, eat, watch films, drink, and eat again, in an informal and matey atmosphere. Sort of like a polite stag do for the middle aged.

On top of that, and a lovely innovative touch suggested by mummy of the group, David Bramwell, we all (or most) gave short talks / presentations / led activities, ranging from Chris’s country walk with his guide to identifying native trees, to Pete‘s demonstration of a styptic pencil. Dave B’s Damanhur talk was possibly the one that sticks with me, in that it was a subject I knew absolutely nothing about before.

I also learned at the tender age of 38 to play poker, which now feels like a bit of a life skill and I can’t wait to play again.

I managed to come out of the weekend calorie-neutral by riding to the Manchester train and riding some 62 miles on the Sunday in what clearly felt like spring (even with a mild hangover).

Wally’s cartoon strip of the Saturday meal fallout…
The Gentlemens Sojourn went well

Google Earth file of the walk here from the wonderful Garmin 305 (or see the Google Map below)

Google Earth file of the slightly uninspiring A-Road ride up to Birmingham New Street on Sunday.

Images here (I only had my phone camera – wish I’d taken the proper one as the weather and settings deserved better)


View Larger Map

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Bonus family moment: Phil pops in.

PhilMy brother Phil called by today on his way between Lancaster and York on business. His arrival at about 6pm, completely unannounced, six months to the day since I last saw him, filled me with a boyish excitement that I’d almost forgotten existed. Absolutley flipping ace to see you Phil – what a treat.

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Lily Takes on John Bonham

Lily got a toy drum kit for Christmas, which is regularly put through its paces. This video makes me smile the most though, when I showed her my John Bonham performing one of those fashionable 70s drum solos on DVD. Those of you lucky to remember me drumming will recognise the tongue sticking out, and the inevitability that new drum skins will be needed shortly.

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ZZ Top interview – circa 1987

Phil, my brother, and I used to watch this video COUNTLESS times after we recorded it from the Old Grey Whistle Test… I can’t believe that it’s 20 years ago! It’s worth waiting for the footage of them on a 1980 old grey whistle test recording of ‘Cheap Sunglasses’, to understand what an amazing three piece band ZZ Top were. Fantastic. Thank the good lord for Youtube.

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A bit of photo archive stuff… yesteryear’s pics

Since I got a Pro Account on Flickr, meaning bags of photo storage, I thought I’d upload a few from the archive… more as a back up than anything else….

IndiaOur Honeymoon in India was taken on slide film but I never got round to scanning them properly… these few were done on the cheap on a not very good slide scanner, but they’re a nice reminder.

Also found these old photos of Elvis as a puppy, which someone took on a digital camera for us way before we got a digital camera, in 2001. He’s such a cutie.

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National Trophy Cyclo-Cross Round 5, Derby

Glorious mudGot a bit of a kicking today in the final round of the national trophy. I don’t mind saying that I’ve struggled to train properly since the new year, and I’ve been hanging on a bit to fitness rather than pushing myself.

It showed today at Derby College, where I didn’t really get the best from the sticky, muddy conditions. Where I might normally have found grip, I spun, and where I might have ploughed on with a bit of momentum, I foundered. In short, I didn’t have the best ride; like last year on the same course, I was lapped with only 50 minutes of racing covered, and finished a bit uninspired in 28th position. It’s a tough sport and you can’t get by on luck and a bit of residual strength… lesson learnt.

On the plus side, it was a good day for my Wheelbase team mates, where Rob Jebb finished third overall on the day and overall in the Trophy series. Lewis Craven was 5th in the series (I think, at the time of writing), and finished a good 7th on the day.

I was also 25th overall in the national trophy series, which is something to be proud of.

Another season over, and a chance to stop training and start just riding and running when I feel like it!

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Rabbit County – a remix

I made this absolutely AGES ago (it seems) as a remix of the beautiful and tender ‘Rabbit County’, by Oddfellows Casino. I LOVE the whole album ‘Winter Creatures’ and heartily recommend it (CD can be purchased here for only a tenner)

[audio:http://www.minnellium.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/05_rabbit_county_02_electro2.mp3]

The very same Oddfellows Casino just brought it to my attention that I never got round to playing it to them, so here it is. It’s the only tune I think I’ve ever made that features the voice my daughter (but you’ll need to listen all the way through and listen hard!!).

Find out more about this wonderful and relatively unsung band here:

http://www.oddfellowscasino.org

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British Cyclocross Championships 2008

National Cyclocross Team Champions!An enjoyable and ultimately satisfying day… could’ve done better, have done much worse!

I finished 30th in the British Cyclocross Championships today at Sutton Park near Birmingham, and with it helped Team Wheelbase / Gore Bike Wear to their first ever team championship win. It was a nice feeling to go straight to the podium after the finish for our gold medals and be faced with a huge applauding crowd… and then even be pestered for my autograph by a young boy when we climbed down from it (!!?)

Heart Rate graphThe race itself was a fast but technical and ultimately a tough course. The secret to its challenge was the unrelenting and frequent turns which in turn meant frequent and unrelenting accelerations… my thighs held together but it was strange to see a course that held my heart rate above 170 bpm for the whole race and saw an average heart rate of 175 bpm for the hour.

Yes, I’d have liked it much muddier, and yes, I’d like to have had to dismount the bike more than one short ten yard stretch per lap, but I can’t deny it was a good test and a challenging course. (Google Earth map of it here).

The really negative thing for me was losing four places in the last 400 metres, when I unshipped my chain carrying the bike over a set of planks. To have got to that point without any mechanical mishap or riding mistakes then do that was nothing short of irritating. Still… it could have been a snapped chain and more like ten places!