Marathon Glory!

Rachel and Alice did Shirley proud, finishing in 5hr 10 and 5hr 25 respectively. It was the hottest London M on record so this was an amazing achievement. (photo to follow). It was a great day and thanks to superb planning :) we were able to see them 4 times [6, 15, 18, 25]. Thanks to Ernest, Pam, Chris, Tony, Julia, Sue, Lewis, Lottie and Grace for being there and screaming so loud! I am now in inner turmoil as to whether i enter the Dublin one on Oct 29 2007...gulp. I am inspired by what i saw and the saying "The Marathon is the average persons Everest".
Anyway Meg is going great guns, eating everything she can, sleeping with no crying!, but still the odd accident...nothing we can't beat out of her!!
On the Music front I am now dangerously obsessed with Arcade Fire. Their 2 albums are incredible and so are their live videos on Youtube. I have bought their t-shirt and downloaded some lyrics....heeellllppppp. Leeds can't come soon enough - they are widely regarded as just about the best thing live these days.

Dogs and Leeds (sic)

So here she is, Meg (thats the one with the silly look on their face.....oh all right, the one with the long furry ears). All the puppies, now 6 weeks were stunning and i'm now trying to persuade Marathon girl that we should get 2, cos 2 of the lads dont have homes (awwww) and Meg needs a friend.

As for Leeds, given my current music tastes how could i resist a line-up of Arcade Fire and Bloc Party, headlined by the Peppers. My boy Davo is there for the whole 4 days and i shall see him Sunday for my fav bands. Have just persuaded Antony "i hate bloggers" Moore to join me. Now its off to Ebay to find a 1-2 man tent for the big day!

Lovely weekend and music to my ears

Saturday started with taking the girls to tennis = good progress. Then ran 8 miles in beautiful sunshine along the Basi canal (where was the snow weather guys?!) with my 2 Marathon girls. Hmmm...then watched Wales give us a Rugby lesson followed by a fun night out Chez Champion.
Sunday involved a Hockey tournament for both girls, never having really held a stick before!...loved it tho'. Next a trip to St Albans to see some Springer Spaniel puppies..awwww. Got talked into buying a bitch to be collected in 3 weeks...doh...must be mad. Lastly a meal at Carluccios to add a Mothers Day treat for Rashty.

Only virtue of driving to work is the chance to listen to 3 terrific albums uninterrupted. They really are 3 crackers - current scores on the doors;
TV on the Radio - 8.5/10 - unique and addictive
Arcade Fire - 8.5/10 - as brill as Funeral was - this band are huge now...bit of a shame - i miss the "new and undiscovered stage"
Bloc Party - 7.5/10 - not quite Silent Alarm but some great vocals and tunes

Coming soon (April 10th) Bright Eyes and Cassadaga, follow up to the excellent I'm wide awake etc

It's a Marathon

This heading applies to current living; Rachels training and trying to keep up with this Blog :)
Fleet Half-Marathon went well with Rachel doing a PB of 2hrs 12!
Alice also did great with a first-time effort of 2hrs 17. Both girls are well on course for the big London knee-trembler.

Blogging is hard work...lol

Only 3 days in and i'm already behind on my blog!...but...having seen this beauty my beloved Rachel has started one of her own...and she is no fan of computing geekdom...i will provide a link to her craftmanship as soon as there is a bit more content..(come on darling, get off the laptop!)

Back to the music...have listened to nearly all of Bloc Party (7.5/10 on first listening but like Silent Alarm it feels like a real grower so this mark may well rise). Also listened to 1/2 of The Arcade Fire and it is awesome..i see Q magazine has given it the rare 5 stars as well. Inventive, fantastic sound...talking of which try TV on the Radio as well, featuring some vocals from my hero, David Bowie!

Finally, for any Elvetham Heath folk, tried the Circuit Training at Community Centre (Monday 6.30/Friday - 6.00)...great mix of normal circuits and mild contact drills...and a really helpful encouraging group too, topped by Alan the instructor who works you hard but never intimidates. Now if i could just get out of this chair.......

New Sounds

If you love your music is there anything as exciting as discovering a new band? or grabbing the latest album from some current favourites. Today i have managed to download the new albums from Bloc Party and The Arcade Fire, 2 of my favourite 'new' bands from 2006. Have burnt to CD for the drive to work and dropped onto ipod for a late listen in the sack...can't wait...reviews to follow.

Lists et al

So i've decided to add a couple of lists...what fun that turned out to be. Especially the movies...do you pick the ones featuring great direction/acting/action etc or those poignant to times in your life? In the end it was down to gut feel...which movies left me feeling...WOW! that was something else and i will never tire of watching it....maybe i should extend to 15 so The Godfather, Jaws and Carrie can slip in :)

If i could take only 1 to a desert island?...ouch...
but for the jaw dropping impact it had on me

Hi...(hmm, not a great start)

In case you wondered a 'cloudhead' is anyone (normally retired) with hair that resembles a cloud, ie a slightly cheeky term for anyone old enough to have acquired a fair lump of grey hair. At 46 and still working, i dont really qualify, but i sure feel like a cloudhead.

According to my nephew 'cloudheads' are also....

...those bloody annoying people who drive at rush hour, or shop on a saturday, when they've got all week to do their 'bits and pieces' !