Scotland at World Cup 2006

I see Scotland did indeed make it to the World Cup 2006. Even if it is the name of one of the players for Trinidad and Tobago.

I'm a MONDAY Winner

Well, well, well (three holes in the ground). I dont play the UK National Lottery, as I think the odds of winning are far to high, the money to charity is far to low, and the prize money for 3 4 and 5 balls is too low. I saw an add on the tele for Monday lottery, and this is a charities lottery. I thought, well, I'll give it a go. Its all online and you transfer your stake money in, and use it when you like. I entered over three weeks and didnt get a bean, then missed a week for whatever reason, then though last Sunday, lets do it again. I did all five lines (5 charities), and thought no more of it, thinking my stake money is just about exhausted. Tuesday I got an email saying I was a winner, thinking I had matched 3 balls and maybe getting 17 pounds, for my efforts, I logged onto my account to find I had matched 4 balls and had won 126 pounds. Woooooooppie. At last, I have won something of a significant value. The most I've ever won before was the odd 10 pound on the National lottery before I gave it up about 10 years ago. So well done me, I'm really chuffed.

World Cup 2006 Has Started

Well its a month of football that will be very hard to avoid. However, I have made my predictions on who will win. Watching yesterdays opening games, I don't see Poland or Germany as a threat. I now have more faith that England could actually win this tournament. Although, keep an eye on a pair of dark horses: Spain and Mexico.

A week on my travels.

Oh well, it had to happen one day. I have over the past 15 years in this job, had the pleasure of much international travel, so I suppose it had to happen one day.

But why this time. I Left London Heathrow Tuesday morning for an uneventful flight to Istanbul, Turkey. I was hopeing to be in my hotel by 7pm, and meet my collegue for diner at 8pm. Not a cat in hells chance....... I was waiting by the baggage carousel for my luggage, and this chap walks up and says "you on the Heathrow flight", well being half sensible and only partially awake, I said "yes". He said, "you still waiting for your luggage", Dooh No, I'm waiting for the flying fucking carpet dick head I thought, but again said "yes". He said "please go to lost baggage, there has been a problem in London". At this point my heart sank, and I wandered over to lost baggage to be told my suite case was still in London, but they will deliver it to my hotel sometime Wednesday. Oh great I thought. I have no clothes other than what I've travelled in, I have a seriously major presentation to do first thing in the morning and I couldn't see it going down well doing a presentation to 100 IT folks in my jeans and t-shirt.
A quick phone call and I organise a trip to a shopping centre (thankfully they stay open very late here) and managed to find a very nice lingerie shop to buy some knickers as I just couldn't cope with having to wear underpants, Y-fronts or boxers. Then found a gents outfitters where I purchased a new suite, shirt and tie. Then located a supermarket for my toiletries and other essential odds and ends. Not the start I really wanted, I'm sure my blood pressure went through the roof. Its amazing what you need, but just take for granted, as I had not even thought about toiletries, only the clothes.

My luggage did arrive at 01:30 Wednesday morning, but as I was not given a delivery time, I couldnt take the risk of not having suitable clothing for my presentation. However, it still puzzles me why most of the stuff in my case was wet.

Then to cap it all, Istanbul International airport is burning like Bunsfield tonight (Wednesday). Hopefully they wont have to shut it down, else I just might have to stay here for another week or two, (not that I would be too bothered as its bloody hot today, and I have my bikini thong with me just incase I get a chance to use the pool)

A bad week for Footbal

Well the hammers ended up drawing the game to a spectacular goal from Gerrard, then lost on penalties. Not a nice way to lose a cup final.
Then Leeds go and lose 3-0 to Watford in the premiership playoff final. I was surpirsed any of them could field a team with all the reds and yellows they both picked up in the semi finals. The final appeared to be as bad as they both picked up many more yellows and a couple of reds each.

Oh well, theres always next season.

West Ham FA Cup Final

Well I find myself sitting here watching only my second football match this season. Its the FA cup final between West Ham and Liverpool. The first game was Leeds and Preston North End earlier this week. I got really animated during the Leeds games, as I knew it would be a tough one as a place in the final play-offs for the Premier League was up for grabs. Leeds went 1-0 ahead, then within minutes it was 2-0, and I had visions of earlier games where they have secured a good lead only to give it all away and lose. This time it was different, they held Preston and when you see the number of bookings and sending off's, Leeds will be lucky to field a strong team against Watford in the final next weekend.
Anyway, as I said, I'm sat here watching the footie, West Ham get given an own goal by Liverpool, then they get a second as the keeper fumbles the ball. So a great start. Liverpool pull one back, but its a really exciting game, flowing from one end to the other, shots on goal from both teams, its all wide open.
What a second half, Liverpool pull one back for 2-2, then West Ham put a fantastic goal in so its 3-2, West Ham are having the run of the game, but its by no means an easy game, just I dont believe Liverpool are having their best day. All change, West Ham are on the defensive. This game is so all over the place. One minute its all the Hammers, the next its all Liverpool.
Only 7 minutes to go, and I have bitten my nails to the quick as this game is so exciting and I have to go out, what a bummer. I hope the hammers can hold on.

OUT In The Forest

At the weekend, as it was such a lovely day, we went for a very long walk in Salcey forest(6 Miles).
It is rumoured that this forest has many a dead body under it from when they built the m1 motorway. Any dodgy characters would be bumped off, and driven to the nearest easily accessable forest for disposal. Anyway, We packed a bag, and set off. I packed my denim mini skirt just in case I found it was safe to wear it (well it was a Bank holiday weekend and kids would be out in large numbers).
We arrived in the forest and walked for miles, then we stopped at a bench for a rest, here I stripped off, and put on my mini skirt. It felt so nice to be dressed completely as a woman in the open at long last, with the breeze across my legs. We took several pictures, two of which are posted here. I cant wait until I can do it again, but am also hoping to go to the nudist beach next Bank holiday weekend, and so will be able to dress up (or dress down) in public again.

YIPPIE - Weve done it at last

At last, its over. We have seen some really crappy houses, I dont know how these estate agents can even have the balls to put some of them on the market, and try for full asking price. We have seen one really run down place that needed about 20K's of work doing on it, one that had a garage with an asbestos roof that would have cost a fortune to remove, and then we finally saw a small property this morning that is very much like our current home, but with potential to extend. The asking price was only 160K so well within our budget, we bid 155K, and had to go to 156K to secure the property. At last the frustration and disappointment is over. now we can start planning our move and the new extension over the garage and around the back and front of the house. sounds a massive job, but it wont be really. Ive done this sort of extension work before and the hardest part is getting the planning permission. now at least I can relax and start packing for a move end of June time.

Damn and Blast

The stupid people, they only wanted to push us up to the full asking price for a total wreck, so we told them to go swivel. We are now looking at a nice house needing no work, on the edge of town overlooking a nature reserve, for the same price. so stuff them.

A Very Expensive Week

The past few days have proved to be very expensive ones. Firstly, on Thursday evening, I had trouble driving my car, then Friday morning, I couldn't get it into gear, so it was stuck on my driveway. A call to a mechanic and a quick inspection says the clutch has gone. Therefore as I can be called on by 'The Company' to be anywhere in the country at anytime, I had to hire a car for a week as the mechanic cant fix it until later this week. Then we booked two holidays for later this year, firstly Linda and I will be going to the Costa Del Sol. I've always had a bad feeling about Spain, its the thug'ish British thing, as that's were they all seem to go on holiday, cheap booze and loose women. Perhaps I'm a bit out of touch now, but as we will be going out of school holiday times, we shall just have to see. The second holiday is a family holiday to the up and coming trendy Bulgaria. We are off to Sunny Beach, and it better be.
Then the Biggy' I sold my little house on Saturday morning to a nice couple, first time buyers, and they had me over a barrel really, so I had to drop my price by 3K. Anyway,we saw a very nicely presented 4 bed detached in the posh part of town, and put an offer of 5k below the asking price, only to be messed around and the guy then withdrew his property from the market. Never mind, we then saw a really dilapidated 4 bed detached this morning and put an offer in 20K below the asking price, as we will need to make some significant changes to the place. This offer was rejected as we expected, but we then found out that the sellers minimum price was our absolute maximum for this property, so we should know in the morning if we have a run down old wreck of a house to move into, only to spend a few quid on doing it up into a really nice place. I try and look past the decor and fittings, and concentrate more on room size and possible room layouts. This place has really good room sizes, a fair sized garden and a double garage. So watch this space for an update.

Jerry Springer The Opera - Whats The fuss About

Last night we went to Milton Keynes Theatre to see the Jerry Springer Opera. Well we heard on the local television news, that there would be many protestors there trying to prevent people from seeing the show. Now, I am all for free speech and freedom of expression, but I don't want to be pestered when going to the theatre. Anyway, we arrived a bit early expecting hassle, only to find loads of old biddies outside the main entrance area, which is about 15 meters from the main doors, and people could freely gain access to the theatre, even by the side doors where there were no lobbyists. We went inside unchallenged and went up to the 1st floor balcony and watched them sing songs and hand out leaflets, so really all in all a bit of an anti-climax (oh er misses).
Anyway, by the time the show started there were about 100 old biddies out side, so we went and watched the show. Now, I'm by no means an atheist or a Christian, but I did have a Christian upbringing and was confirmed into the Christian faith many moons ago, so I was extremely intrigued to find out what all the fuss was about. Being a big fan of Jerry Springer back in the 80's when I watched him on Sky TV, I knew he would have gays, lesbians, transsexuals and many other types of people on his show, and hoped the stage performance would have a diverse range of characters as well.
Well, we sat down to a quiet start, and It is mostly all sung, so Opera it is (well sort of), at first I found it very hard to distinguish what was being sung, but picked up on key words, and managed to put them together to make half a sentence. I later fell into the thought train of the writer and could understand what was being said or sung. This show had me laughing from the start, all the way to the end. It was hilarious. I don't know if everybody would like it, but it is FULL of VERY strong language, and features gays, lesbians, hookers and transsexuals, the KKK even made an appearance (how funny where they! Abso-bloody-lutely hilarious).
I went to this to view it as a form of entertainment. I may not be perfect (heavens above, did I say that out loud), and can accept people laughing at me and my foibles, I can accept peoples views, but I don't necessarily agree with them, free speech and all that, and yes there is references to God and stuff, but if you take this as entertainment and not as a form of criticism or the cast slating off religion it is a very funny show.
This is after all a stage SHOW, so if you can live with very strong language for 2 hours, and I mean STRONG, then you must go and see it. It's a great laugh. I haven't giggled so much continuously in a long while.

Tour of Israel, and Tour Guides in General

Last night Linda asked me if I remembered the tour guide we had in Israel, she thought his name was Rudi, but I knew it was Udi, as I have several work colleagues and very good friends over there, one or two are called Udi.
She wanted his website for a friend at work who wants to go to Israel for a religious tour. That had me start thinking about tour guides. Since my divorce in 1999, I have taken three foreign holidays a year, and therefore have had the pleasures (sometimes dubious) of many a tour guide. Most are ok, some don't really give a shit, and to date, nobody has come close to the knowledge, friendliness and enthusiasm of Udi. His motto is 'To look is one thing, to see another. But to understand... Is an entirely different matter'
This is such a true statement, so often we only look at the surface and never see beyond that.

During this tour I was dressed in a totally girly outfit, tight shorts, and girly summer top with girls trainers, we had to cover up a little at some points as it was so hot at the top of Masada, so I covered up with an Indian style feminine top. I felt so at ease in our group.

Our itinerary for this tour was:
Pickup at the Egypt / Israeli border crossing which for me was a bit of a challenge, as I visit Israel pretty regularly, I know the drill, but this was one of the worst times I have had, also as I didn't look much like my passport picture, and wearing girly clothes...... They ask you have you been to Israel before. I said 'yes', they said 'not this passport', I said, 'I don't think so', they said, 'how about February', I said, 'Um, that's about right', but I had been asked not to get my passport stamped by my boss as it was a new passport and I was expecting to go on a trip to Saudi Arabia. That immediately raised alarm bells and both Linda and I were sent a different route to everybody else through the controls. We had been first in the queue, but where last to get to our tour bus. I wont detail what we had to endure, but if your a regular to Israel, you may have some good idea's.

Anyway, the rest of the tour was fine, except we had similar problems getting out of Israel back into Egypt. The rest of the tour consisted of:
1. Travel north along the Rift Valley till the Dead Sea, lowest point on the face of earth.
2. Lunch in a Kibbutz
2. Ascend Masada - Israel's foremost Archaeological Park, via cablecar.
3. A thorough visit gives insight to the rituals, politics and culture of the people who inhabited this desert fortress.
4. Descend to the shores of the Dead Sea for an afternoon of leisure.
5. Indulge yourselves in the mineral-rich black mud of the Dead Sea, float in its therapeutic waters or simply relax at the spa.
6. Return to Eilat at the end of the day


He takes pictures of everybody on his tours, and does not overdo the religious aspect, but does use the holy book as a point of reference for parts of the visits to help explain what was occurring at these places at particular points in time.

So if you want to see some of his recent tours, go to Udi's website and have a look around. I have no idea if his prices are high or competitive, but if you want the best, you must use Udi. To date, nobody has come close to him as a tour guide.

Lowering UK Fuel Prices

If your fed up with paying extortionate prices for your UK fuel, then you can use and register with either or both of the links below. Petrolprices.com will search for the cheapest fuel prices in your location, and pipeline.org is like a company car fuel card (without the tax implications), where they are negotiating a discounted price for fuel in the UK with a major seller. Once of the ground I hope to be able to cut my car fuel bill by a couple of hundred pounds a year, but then I do travel between 25,000 and 30,000 miles a year, so every penny helps.

TransAmerica

Oh Yeah !

I've just watched a trailer for a new film TransAmerica. This looks like it could a roller coaster emotion ride. Its about a guy who becomes a woman, and meets his/her son and goes on a road-trip with him. Obviously, the son finds out. I cant tell anymore about it, but I think its got to be a 'must see' film when it comes out to the far flung reaches of the UK.

film preview

Jury Service - Coroners Court Update 2

Boy am I glad that's over. Hearing the evidence can have an affect on you as at times it could be quit graphic. We had an exhibit of pictures this morning, fortunately all were of the location so easy to deal with. We all then went off to deliberate the outcome, and that was a very interesting discussion which I cannot reveal to anybody. However, it was good to see people from different walks of life and with different life experiences offer their viewpoints, but at no time was anybody pushy or driving us towards a specific verdict. It was all very civilized.
Anyway. That's an experience I have had now, and to be honest. I would do it again. Coroners court is very different from the Crown court, but still as important that the evidence must viewed and analyzed with the same degree of thoroughness to obtain the verdict. I have yet to be a juror on the Crown court, and to be honest, that does hold a degree of trepidation for me, as I would hate to send an innocent person to jail.

You may have heard that it is expected that 1 in 4 people around you are transvestite / crossdresser. Well in our group, I was obviously 1 crossdresser, and looking at the others, I suspect there may have been 2 more. That made our group exceed the average numbers.

That said. I will speak no more of this civil duty, and this chapter in my life is over until the next time.

Jury Service - Coroners Court Update

Oh boy, oh boy. Day 1, and I realize I've chosen the wrong job. We arrived at court in the afternoon, and we're on our way home just after 4pm. Now that's the timescale I like to work too. Anyway, we had to swear an oath, then we heard some witness statements. As I said previously, I cannot comment on this case, but will only detail my feelings. As this is a coroners court, then obviously somebody has died! that's a given right? So we hear statements from family members, friends, and emergency workers. This must be so hard for them having to re-live the experience again. I felt very sad for all concerned and just wanted to go and give them a big hug, but we couldn't. We have some legal beagles asking questions, and we can even ask questions, but what can you say really ! The case has some interesting details and I think we may be hearing from 'expert' witnesses tomorrow. The only way I am dealing with this is to try and forget it whilst I'm not in the courts. Well that's not too difficult since my memory is shot to pieces, its been overloaded with techno garbage for my job, so I have over 25 years of techno rubbish ingrained, that occasionally something bubbles to the surface that is of no consequence anymore, and leaves me wandering where the hell it came from. Anyway, must dash, its dinner time.

Jury Service - Coroners Court !

Hi folks. I have been especially chosen by her Royal Madgeness to sit on a jury at the coroners court. I have to sign a form to declare that I am a suitable candidate, well, I do watch ALL the CSI episodes going, I loved Rumpole of the Bailey, Crown Court, Monk, Quincy and others, so I think that makes me qualified.

I'm off to court and have no idea what to expect, I have been to crown court twice before, once as a member of the public in the viewing gallery, that was with my mum back in the 1970's, now that was an experience, and the second time, I was in crown court as the plaintiff, and won my case. Now that's a really scary experience.

I am obviously not allowed to discuss the case as both myself and the person I tell would be in contempt of court. So don't expect any details here. I will tell you of my experience though.

The First Picture of Baby Callum

Here is the first picture of baby callum taken minutes after he was born on Monday, on my sons mobile phone. Such good quality.

The Good News And The Bad News !.

Here's the good news - I'm a granddad.

Now here's the bad news - I'm a GRANDDAD.

Well that's it folks, according to my children, I am officially OLD. My son has today 13th March 2006 produced what we believe to be his first child, its a BOY weighing in at nn 8 lbs 4 oz, and is called Callum, and was born at 16:40.

Now I have to find a way of not making this sound as if I'm so old (I'm only 46 for gods sake!), so how about Grandpa, grandpops or has anybody any other cool sounding names that I could adopt for this purpose.

this is the 'old codger' signing off ! na no na no

And as an aside, I just found the Mork and Mindy website where you can even get a yourname@ork.net email address.

Republished as the comments option has dissapeared

Amsterdam - What A Place.

Well folks, we had a fantastic time in Amsterdam. We arrived mid afternoon at Schipol airport, caught the train into Central Station Amsterdam, then managed to find our hotel, just a 5 minute walk from the railway station. This was a tricky walk for anybody who knows the area, you have to dodge the bicycles, cars, buses and trams. What a nightmare. Anyway, we arrived safe and sound, and checked in at the hotel. I had been flustered all morning as my nail polish was ruined almost from the time I put it on, so wasn't best pleased.
We went for a walk later, and the weather was shall we say, winter with a touch of summer. Basically it was freezing cold, but sunny. Sunday, we had snow and slush everywhere. We decided to walk everywhere as it only takes about 20 minutes to go to anywhere. We walked up to Dam square, did lots of window shopping, stopped in the occasional cafe for a hot chocolate and visited the sex museum, then returned to our hotel for a mid afternoon nap. My feet were killing me, I only had my 2inch heels with me, and walking on cobbles all morning was killing me. Vanity, maybe one day I will learn that the look isn't everything. We had tapas in the evening, and then back to the bar for a bear, here I had a woman falling at my feet, I thought 'hello, that's a bit forward', but then I realized she had blacked out, so demanded a medic for her. We managed to bring her round after a few minutes, but it was a little scary. I forgot all my basic first aide, as I hadn't used it for years.
Monday, we strolled around the red light district, and took a river boat trip around the canals, also went to Anne Frank's house and the Jewish Museum.
Most of the houses in the area were built in the 16, 17 and 1800's, yet they appear to be in really good condition.
Monday evening, we decided to indulge in a space cake, and got off our heads for few hours. We both had a very strange but powerful urge almost at the same time, and it just had to be accommodated, which lead to an hours most exhilarating fun.
I spent the whole four days in female attire, and loved it, including make-up. I never took a skirt as it was so damn cold, but my trousers, shoes, tops and coat are all from girly shops. I got many a quizzical look, but just carried on with whatever I was doing.

I will post some pictures when I have time, but am a little busy at the moment catching up with work stuff.
Speak again soon people.
Update - Pictures added to Webshots, so take a look a the bottom of this blog page for all my photos on Webshots.