Shouldn't complain

Time does not often drag but for some reason this week seems to be gong at a snail’s pace and I find myself wishing for the weekend to arrive. Probably a combination of the continuing bloody awful ‘summer’ weather or the fact I have a cough and a cold.

Still, shouldn’t complain as there’s always folk worse off than yourself, and this week’s main candidates for the worst off I feel are the residents of the flooded areas down south. Rivers are overflowing all over the place and in worst hit is Tewkesbury which is usually on, but is at present is in the River Severn. It has turned into an island community, accessible only by boat as it’s surrounded by 6 feet of water.
With fresh water supplies cut off and only heroic efforts by the authorities preventing electricty supplies going as well, they seem to have a real drama going on down there. Oxford and other towns nearby are due to have some serious problems today as the Severn looks like it’s going to overload. But, it’s amazing how us Brits do just ‘get on with it’ and I guess you would have to in such circumstances. It’s rained an awful lot and consequently there’s floods. Never mind - just crack on with it.

Shock news (not): there’s been doping in the Tour de France. One of the pre race favourites Alexandre Vinokourov tested positive for blood doping after winning Saturday's time-trial stage. I am surprised that I am surprised at this news. After all the desperate efforts to try to clean this sport of the drug cheats prior to this year’s event here we go with the wrong type of headlines, yet again. The real shame is that le Tour is still such a great public sporting spectacle (witness 3 million people on the roads of London and Southern England for this year’s opening 2 stages) and once again it’s been horribly tainted. Makes me wonder just how the hell they are ever going to clean it up, if at all?

I now have an account on Facebook, a ‘social’ website. You make ‘friends’ and write notes on Walls; send fish to each other; join networks and generally join in with the fun of it all. It kind of smacks of being a short lived fad for the desperate to seem trendy, if you ask me. It is a tad pointless as there’s a million other ways of talking to your mates already on and (shock horror) off line (he says posting this on a Blog site!). As my friend Bryan stated in a Facebook message: he now comminucates online in the evening with the people he works with all day. Now that's progress for you eh?

Shiny and new....

The great advantage of not buying full suspension is that you get better value: seriously good kit on a great frame for your hard earned. This (a Specialised Stumpjumper HT Expert) is a seriously great bike. Plus, everyone knows that full suspension is for wimps.