Thats how long it has been since my last post.

Obviously if I were to fill you in on everything that had happened since then this would be very very lengthy.

The reason for the lack of attention to the blog was a number of reasons, mainly being moving into the new flat. We are coming up to the 1yr anniversary of living on Shawcross St and things are going very nicely. The bedroom is 99% finished, now a nice shade of blue and ivory. Exciting things like picking out carpet and accessorising the room with a chair and cushions have taken place. Next up is the bathroom and the potential for some plumbing nightmares!

Went skiing again before Xmas to Italy (Passo Tonale) and whilst the snow fall was not great, still had a really good time. Did some off-piste routes and also went up onto a glacier which was quite spectacular.

This years main holiday is going to be a Scotland trip (whisky and haggis!). Not only do we want to explore some of the sights a little closer to home, but it will also help to save some money up for the house and also to put towards the 2008 holiday. We are hoping to go to the USA next year.

We will of course be sprinkling in some long weekends away (cheap flights) and B&B breaks. Tentative plans for a rip upto Scotland to watch Albion Rovers play football near Glasgow are taking shape for the start of April.

I'm still at Ofsted and it os going OK. Its not exactly a dream job, and doesnt really tes me so I am alway on the look out for new opportunities. I am contemplating doing an Open University course maybe this year but will have to see how it would fit in time and expense wise.

Thats about it. I will try to update on a more regular basis.

TTFN.

Umbongo! Umbongo!

Howdy.

A few bits and pieces have occured since my last post, the Rangers awards being the thing that we look forward to every now and then.

It was my turn to arrange a meal and do the awards this year, so rather than go for the usual Indian, Chinese or steak (which is nice but a tad predictable) I thought Tapa's would be a good idea.

It is more designed for a party/large group meal as you get alot of different things to try and dig in to, kinda like a buffet. There were a few dishes that were not as popular (calimari, houmous) but strangely everything got eaten! How about that! It was nice to eat in a relaxed atmosphere and not being rushed. We were a big party of people so food was on the slow side coming out, but they were catering for 12, and in is Tapas, which being Spanish by nature was laid back and in no rush.

The awards were at The Cheadle Hulme, and were distributed as follows:

Player of the Season - Me
Most Improved Player - Mark
Coco the Clown - Pete
Sicknote - Belly
One Hit Wonder - Anton

It was nice for me to be voted winner of the POTS, and for people to acknowledge my goals. In 6 seasons at Powerleague the POTS has now gone to attackers and defenders in a 50/50 ratio which is good to see. Rewarding both elements of the team. The MIP has gone to defence minded players every season though so comments like "the awards went to mainly strikers again, which is about standard. Its hard for a defender to win unless they shiz it up and score goals!" doesnt quite ring true now does it?

Another comment which boggles the mind is "if we could've just tucked away 2 more goals in 50 mins, we'd have been laughing! ". One of the frustrating things is that the 2 main goalscorers we have are pretty much the only goal scorers we have wheres we have 5 that would call themselves defence minded. Why not take some responsibility rather than blame the two guys who have scored 75% of the goals for the last 3 seasons!

Still, its easier to pass the buck, and never let the facts get in the way of a good negative rant!

Up the Rangers, up them in the ear!

Run for your life¬

Doesn't the year pass quickly?

It seems like only yesterday that I was embarking on my first mass running event, and now we have come full circle!

This Sunday sees us take to the streets of Manchester and running. Only the good thing is it isn't in fear, from hooded youths with broken bottles and guns!

Personally I am expecting a similar sort of time to last year, which was in and around 50-55 minutes. Training this time round hasn't been too dedicated but I feel comfortbale. I did my first and only full 10km run last weekend and given the ocassional hill and time of day it was good, coming in around 53 minutes.

The big reason for doing it this year was to support Charlotte in her first run. She has come on leaps and bounds considering she only started running (ever!) at Christmas and deserves a pat on the back.

The Rangers are participating in force this year with me, J, Russ, Piggy, Shiz, Mark and Justin all having a go. No doubt there will be a competitive element to it, but personally I just want to enjoy the day!

I'm sure there will be numerous updates on blogs after the run so keep posted.

Bye for now.

Guess who's back...back again!

I thought an update was just about due so here goes.

I have had a bit of time off work, with the long bank holiday weekend over Easter, and it was a welcome break. Looking back on it now I should have done more with it than I did, as all in all I had 5 and a half days off from Maundy Thursday to the Tuesday after Easter Monday which I took as annual leave! I could have had a nice holiday in that time. By the by, I did manage to spend a bit of time in the flat on my own (Charlotte was at her mums), which was good.

It’s quite strange coming home to an empty house for a few days on the run, but also quite pleasant. Both Charlotte and I love the time we spend together but equally appreciate that everyone needs the odd few days doing our own thing. I will be going with her up to Lancaster this coming BH weekend, and if the weather stays good may have the first BBQ of the year!



In other news, I think I may have solved one of my biggest problems with my running. When I push on past 4 miles (which I have been doing more regularly in recent weeks) I suffer from numbness/pins and needles and tingling in my ankles and feet to the extent that it gets very uncomfortable. In the past I have thought this was due to my trainers being to tight so had continued to loosen them. However, I was still getting the sensation even with trainers as loose as I dare to have them. In a brain wave I concluded that maybe it was due to tight socks.

So, this weekend was my experiment of running with no socks. It worked a charm!!! Not a single uncomfortable sensation, and feet felt as light as a feather rather than as heavy as a brick! Looking for some advice I found this on Runners World which does seem to support my theory. Combining it with the excercises it suggests will hopefully help too! It was one of my most comfortable runs to date and gives me great confidence for the run. I’m doing 5 miles (including a big hill) a few times a week now and should be looking to beat last years Manchester Run time! Fingers crossed! The only down side was that my feet have a few blisters and sore spots on them which will stop me running for a few days now. I will found a happy medium in some ankle socks and hopefully problem solved! What a lovely story!

In entertainment news this week, as you may have read on Russ’s blog, we have bought tickets to see the Goo Goo Dolls at the Academy. Should be a good concert though need to swat up on some of the newer stuff.

Expanding my music base, found a cool shop in Manchester called Fopp where you can get some good cheap CDs. On recommendation I bought an album by Icelandic band Sigur Ros (yet to form an opinion on it yet, but sounds like modern classical – they are the band that performed the music for the trailer for Planet Earth on BBC1). We also got the new(ish) Jack Johnson album, In Between Dreams, and also a Santana album, Supernatural, and they are both chilled out, and quite summery! Very easy to listen too.

I spent this weekend watching a few more child friendly films. Saw Ice Age 2 which was quite good, The Pacifier (on DVD) with Vin Diesel which was amusing and passed the time. And, with nothing on TV on Sunday early evening went to see Eight Below, which was visually stunning and had a feel good story line and was not a bad film. Cute huskies too!

In sports news, a good week for all concerned. Rangers won, as did County who are only a few points of securing safety and league football for next season! Good look to Arsenal in the Champions League too, as for me they are the most amazing team to watch when they are all going 100%.

Take care of yourselves, and each other.

Zdravo!

Thats hello in Croatian!

News since my last post is plentiful, but to cover it all would consume most of the blog.

Charlotte and I are now moved in and the house has been "warmed" with a really great gathering a few weeks ago. There were a fair few drunken moments and people, especially belly who seemed to suffer from mild amnesia.

Other interesting things have been continuing to do badly at football, and really getting frustrated. Still, we plough on!

Me, J and Charlotte will be heading out to Belfast this weekend for a short stay. I don't know what there is there, but it’s another country and capital to tick off the list. Should be good, and with flights that are cheaper than a night out in Manchester I really love these budget airlines.

Talking of cheap flights, I have sorted mine and Charlottes summer holiday. We will be heading out to Split in Croatia and then the plan is to hire a car and drive down the Adriatic coast to Dubrovnik and back again. Should be good fun, dodging the land mines!



Hopefully there will be other trips away too. Long weekends to European cities are so cheap these days, the opportunities to experience places and cultures are so accessible. I fancy Poland, Germany, and France...in fact there isn’t anywhere I would rule out! Well, maybe Iraq!

I have also expressed my interest in joining the Wild East Tour with Mark, Anton and Shiz when they go on another long weekend break. Would be a bit more rustic than my normal holiday!

I will try to be more regular with my posts, and the next should be after Belfast!

Have a good one!

*Mini and Charlotte's House Warming*

Just to make sure people are aware if they have missed the email.

**Saturday March 18th 2006 has been confirmed as the date**.

This is based on replies received. If you haven't replied and want to you know the drill. We would love it if as many people can come, so keep that night free and we will make it a night to remember.

Cheers.

(PS. Ring of Fire will be occuring!)

Home Sweet Home!

After starting looking about 4 months ago, Charlotte and I have finally moved into out new flat. In the great scheme of things and in comparison to some horror stories you hear our move was relatively painless though it did drag out towards the end.

We officially moved in on Sunday, and the place looks like a cross between a squatters den and a retirement home! Still its home.

Although I am just 5 minutes down the road from home home it is a really daunting thing to be doing...very nerve racking. Only when I have a moment to stop and think do I come up with things that need to be done and also things that I will miss...of which there will be lots. But I am safe in the knowledge that it is only 5 minutes away, which is very comforting.

There will be an official house warming party one weekend in the next month or so, and I will try to give people plenty of notice so we can get a good turn out. Please feel free to pop around whenever you feel like.

I also want to say thanks to Mum, Dad, J and Uncle Alan and Sue for giving us a hand shifting things in and out. Shiz also lent a helping hand as all good neighbours should! Howdy ho neighbour!

Keep an eye out for information about an "official" house warming in the near future!