Author: Dave Haygarth

We’re doing loads of work on our house at the moment, and although I know that nobody reads this, it’s worth getting this off my chest, as it helps me:
Don’t use this lot to do your work, unless you want appalling communications, and absolutely no sense of urgency at all. Having said that, they’re doing an okay job… it’s not like we’ve had to call lawyers in and I know that kind of thing happens alot, but these people (and, I dare say, many other builders) seem to think it’s okay to take thousands of pounds from you without making any effort to explain what on earth’s going on. Five months and we’re just about up to first floor level. Tsssk.

Lily and I had a great day out at Hawkstone Park in Shropshire on Saturday watching the UK round of the world Trials Championship. At the age of 2 yrs 10 months, it was her first trial, and what a way to start…
Results, photos etc. are here. Fantastic day out and reminiscent of my own childhood.

I just find this so amazing. Simple but very very compelling. Use your mouse. Superb.

I did my first road race (well, Crit, which is sort of a road race but not quite… it is on roads, put it that way) for four years on 23rd July and did a monster of a ride. Broke away half way through the race, won the prime, then was joined by two others, and the victory went to my team mate James. Great evening – big bunch of flowers and a few quid. (that’s me on the right!)

Photos found on peer-to-peer software – zillions of the things.

“The world seems like a smaller place after finding all these photos and posting the ones that are worthwhile. I can see so many of the same emotions and situations that i’ve experienced over the years, unique to each person but similar and instantly recognizable. I’ve filtered through 1000’s and 1000’s of photos of everyday life and not so everyday life to find the ones that make up the archives here. Hopefully the pictures as worthwhile to view as they have been to find“.

I’m not sure whether I should be advertising booze, especially vodka, but these made me giggle. The down under sense of humour makes me chuckle because they think we don’t get it. Laughed out loud at these ads…
Gay
Story of 42 below
Britain
(Needs latest version of Flash and turn the sound up).

God it’s so bloody exciting. It’s great that despite this being the toughest and crueltest annual sporting event, this piccie of Aussies Stuart O’Grady and Robbie McEwen having a little cuddle shoiws the softer side. click to view >>

Helen Something* Haygarth, my neice, was born at 10:45 yesterday, 4th July, in Exeter. That’s just so nice. I did this little card for her. *She will have a middle name, but it’s to be decided at time of going to press

Why do raindrops keep falling on my head? It’s (possibly) because that was no.1 in the US charts on the day I was born…. Rolf Harris had the UK no.1 on that special, nay, sacred day, with “Two Little Boys”. Must have been a bit ironic for my Mum and Dad, who had their second little boy. Check what was no. 1 on your birthday here.

I took part in the first ever Rossendale Triathlon on 4th June. It’s my local event and although I’ve only done one triathlon before, I was dead keen to do it.

The triathlon started with a 400m (16-length) swim, followed by a 20k cycle ride through Newchurch, Lumb and Water to Crown Point and back through Dunnockshaw and Crawshawbooth to Marl Pits. The final leg was a 5k run over a two-lap circuit combining roads and bridleways and finishing at the running track.

Very chuffed to get 4th place out of 73 finishers (80 starters). My goodness though I could do with being a better swimmer…. I was in 40th place after the swim and lost so much time there. 4th in the cycle and 5th in the run (chuffed with the run especially. Results here. Story here.

Snobsite.com, the online home of the music snob’s dictionary, is worth a look and a giggle. A bit too close to home for a music snob like me.

This rather dry excerpt about Kraftwerk is typical….

“Kraftwerk. Acutely German, acutely secretive inventors of “robot rock” (their preferred term), a highly mechanized dance-pop heavy on synthesizers, vocoders, and lyrics about robots, computers, trains, and bicycles. Founded in Düsseldorf in the late ’60s by the KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN-influenced art students Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider, Kraftwerk effectively invented electronic pop music with their five albums released between 1974 and 1981, Autobahn, Radioactivity, Trans-Europe Express, The Man Machine, and Computerworld, all the while toying with Teutonic stereotypes by appearing in photographs as waxen, short-haired, emotionless mannequins. Hütter and Schneider have since become semi-recluses, infrequently releasing albums and playing live, though it’s said that they beaver away at their Düsseldorf studio, KlingKlang, on a daily basis.”