E-Type

Hired a classic 1964 E-Type Jag as a surprise present for Dad’s 70th.

Picked it up just after lunch and had a great time racing down the Dorset lanes. The throaty growl of the 3.6l engine really gives it presence as you swing through villages and sleepy market towns.

It’s a heavy, mechanical drive with tricky synchro-mesh gears, zero power steering and a speedo that bounces around like a tyre gauge. Packs a hell of a punch tho and is a huge thrill to drive.

Needless to say, Dad loved it and roared off on a high speed test drive.

Tanked up

A day at the tank museum. Too many children, too many tanks, too much excitement and a trip in a tank !!

Back for tea and birthday cake.

Puzzling

Here’s a perplexing little puzzle. You have to piece it together by aligning each side of each square to complete the picture. The moons, satellites, spacemen and shuttles all have to fit together and there’s only one combination that works.

8 adults and 5 children have been scratching their heads over this for over 2 days now. We’ve got close, with moons and satellites carefully aligned but spacemen with shuttle wing legs.

It’s fiendishly hard.

The guys are being methodical, the girls are multitasking, doing a bit here and a bit there, while the kids randomly shove the squares together before complaining that its too hard and losing interest.

After a couple of days we’ve all but given up. Confounded by it complexity.

Yesterday morning, as we prepared breakfast, a little voice suddenly shouted,

‘I’ve done it’.

‘done what William ?’ replied his mother.

‘the spaceman puzzle’

He had.

While no one was looking, little William, all of 5 years old, had completed the puzzle by himself.

Spectacular day out with all the family at Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door.

Cooked a sumptuous feast for the family last night. Moroccan lamb and that old Filipino favourite, chicken adobo with soft fluffy rice and a wickedly rich chocolate torte and cream all washed down with local ale and endless bottles of red wine.

70s music

I’m going through a bit of a 70s music phase. There’s an innocence and kitsch sentimentality about the 70s  which I find strangely appealing.

I also love disco and blaxploitation funk. They gave the decade its distinctive rhythm.

Jack Frost

Jack Frost flew in on an arctic wind this morning. His first visit. Winter draws closer.

I’d forgotten how cold this time of year can be. From the train, the parks were all white with a crisp frost. It only seems a few weeks ago that they were baked dry by the summer heat.

How the seasons change.  Bit SAD really !! Sigh.

Defence

David Cameron unveiled the Strategic Defence Review today.  In the current economic climate, the UK government has decided it can no longer afford a whole host of military capabilities.  Aircraft, ships, tanks, soldiers, sailors and airmen are cut as defence spending falls by 8% over four years.

There’s one question: what do the Americans think ?

the British are militarily useful to Washington. We put boots on the ground when needed (Iraq, Afghanistan) and provide vital cover as an ally when things get hot.  But, when the chips are down, what do the Americans really want from the UK  ?

US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton recently expressed concern at the scale of British defence cuts. Her public statement was framed by the NATO alliance and the commitment to common defence.

However, when it comes to the UK military, what are the American’s real priorities ?  It’s not NATO common defence. NATO means America guarantees the security of NATO members. Not the other way around.

It’s not troop numbers either. Just look at the size of the UK commitments to Iraq and Afghanistan. They were useful, but, tiny in comparison to the US.

So, when Hilary Clinton called David Cameron what did she insist on ?

There are 3 areas of real significance to Washington. 3 areas where the British add value to the US-UK alliance:

1. Intelligence
2. Special Forces
3. Trident

A closer look at the defence review reveals:

1. Intelligence spending increased by £500m (cyber security)
2. Special Forces, vital to America’s war on terror, got a boost
3. Britain’s Trident fleet has, of course,  been maintained, giving the US vital strategic cover in the geo-political game of nuclear deterrence

So, where are UK defence priorities really determined ? Washington, of course. As they have been since the Suez Crisis in 1958.

We have Whistled Dixie ever since and will keep on doing so until Beethoven’s Ode to Joy becomes more appealing…

City Cycling

Over the last 2 weekends I’ve cycled over 60 miles through the streets of London.

It’s dangerously exhilarating to pit your wits against the traffic and put your life in your hands as you race through the streets of one of the greatest cities on earth.

A week ago I headed into town, cycling down the King’s Road to Buckingham Palace before circling through Westminster to Trafalgar Square and along the Strand and Fleet Street to the City.

After pausing at the Gherkin, I pointed the bike east to Stepney, Bow and the new Olympic Park. Exhausted, I pulled into a Mcdonalds to fuel up on a greasy cheeseburger, orange juice and a doughnut before a long ride home following the river into a slow autumn sunset.

Today I headed north to break new ground. A part of London I’ve never seen before.  Swiss Cottage, Hampstead, Golders Green and a long ride through Camden and Euston to High Holborn and old haunts.  Then back through the city, over Tower Bridge to Elephant and Castle, Brixton and home.

City cycling requires concentration. Hazards abound and you’ve gotta be sharp to stay alive.

The traffic is relentless with buses, taxis, cars and coaches jostling for roadspace as cyclists, couriers and motorbikes twist through the melee.

I pulled up behind a long bendy bus with a sign on the back proclaiming:  ‘This vehicle is 18 metres long’.  You gotta be sure before taking a beast that size.

The fumes are fierce. I’ve seen cyclists with gas masks and always thought them overly dramatic. But, stuck behind a belching bus you soon see the need. The smell of gasoline and hot, carbon rich, exhaust soon gets under your skin.

Pedestrians are surprisingly hazardous too.  The swarms of Japanese tourists  outside Buckingham Palace instinctively look the wrong way when crossing the road causing a sharp brake as they step into your path.

The other thing is the poor condition of London’s roads. Pot holes, cracks, furrows in the tarmac and slippery manholes are everywhere. Add broken glass,  street rubbish, huge piles of horseshit round Buckingham Palace and general urban detritus and you’ve got a real riding challenge on your hands.

But, it all adds to the enjoyment. We need some excitement in our safe urban lives. Some risk.  Danger. A bit of jeopardy is always good.

Jump

I’m here again.  Looking to change direction.  I gotta jump, but not quite sure where yet.  The one thing I’ve got is time.  Time to turn redundancy into a springboard to bounce me outta here.

I now need a fresh challenge.  Pastures new.

It’s exciting.  Terribly exciting.  But scary too.