Super Duper Saturday

Great Britain did quite well today. Gold medals were won by:

Mo Farrah- Men’s 10,000 Metres

Greg Rutherford- Men’s Long Jump

Jessica Ennis- Heptathlon

Laura Trott, Dani King & Joanna Rowsell- Women’s Team Pursuit Cycling

Katherine Copeland & Sophie Hosking- Women’s Lightweight Double Sculls Rowing

Andy Triggs Hodge, Pete Reed, Alex Gregory & Tom James- Men’s Coxless Fours Rowing

Caption not required, surely?

Now don't get me wrong- just because I'm only listing our gold winners doesn't mean I value our second and third placed competitors any less. Anyone deemed good enough to represent their country at the Olympics earns my respect. For a full list of Britain's gold, silver and bronze winners to date, visit the BBC news site here.

Team GB are now in third in the medal table with 14 gold, 7 silver and 8 bronze. Our old friends from Kazakhstan have 5 gold putting them in 8th.

While some of this was going on, Dad and SM (who are visiting for a few days) took LL and myself out in his new car to the National Trust house Basildon Park. This was used as the location of the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice which starred Keira Knightley dontchaknow. Here's a picture of the little fella (mostly) being sensible LOL.

 Stately home not included.

Golden Day

After five days, Team GB has finally struck gold. In the women's rowing competition Helen Glover and Heather Stanning saw off challenges from Australia (silver), New Zealand (bronze) and the USA to win our first gold of London 2012.

 

Olympic rowing gold.










Later today a second gold followed, when 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins added to his own impressive Olympic haul with a win in the cycling time trials at Hampton Court Palace. Fellow Brit Chris Froome came third with Tony Martin of Germany taking second place.

Well done to all our winners to date.

In the medals table Great Britain has moved up to 11th, a long way behind China, the USA and the likes of Kazakhstan! Now keep repeating: " It's not the winning but the taking part that counts." Yeah right.

The 'Ivanhoe Gap'

The Bayeux Tapestry, documenting the Norman Conquest

Descendants of the Norman Invaders in England still wealthier than "average" Britons:

People with "Norman" surnames like Darcy and Mandeville are still wealthier than the general population 1,000 years after their descendants conquered Britain, according to a study into social progress.

Research shows that the descendants of people who in 1858 had "rich" surnames such as Percy and Glanville, indicating they were descended from the French nobility, are still substantially wealthier in 2011 than those with traditionally "poor" or artisanal surnames. Artisans are defined as skilled manual workers.

Drawing on data culled from official records that go back as far as the Domesday Book as well as university admissions and probate archives, Gregory Clark, a professor of economics at the University of California [at Davis], has tracked what became of people whose surnames indicated their ancestors had come from either the aristocratic or artisanal classes.

By studying the probate records of those with “rich” and “poor” surnames every decade since the 1850s, he found that the extreme differences in accumulated wealth narrowed over time. But the value of the estates left by those belonging to the “rich” surname group, immortalised in the character of Fitzwilliam Darcy, in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, were above the national average by at least 10 per cent.

In addition, today the holders of "rich" surnames live three years longer than average. Life expectancy is a strong indicator of socio-economic status.

Of course, the Queen and her family alone could account for part of the difference.  However, the Queen has suffered a recent reversal of fortune, and her salary has been cut to a mere $50 million per year, down from twice that.  Bummer, duddette.  You may need to cut off the kids.

To The Tower

As mentioned yesterday we took a trip to the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels and also the Olympic rings hanging from nearby Tower Bridge. For once (this summer) the sun shone and the sky was blue. It was as if someone "up there" had decided with the games starting soon, it was high time the UK had some good weather.

Here's a small selection of images from today.




The Tower.

LL and the Bridge.

Traitor's Gate.

















Even the weather vanes are a bit posh.

Day 63

The Olympic Torch relay has now made it's way into the capital. Before that it visited Redhill and then on to Guildford in Surrey, where I was fortunate enough to gain a really good vantage point (with LL) to see Lisa Roberts carry the torch.

After Guildford, the Olympic flame was carried by RAF helicopter to London. At precisely 12 minutes past 8 (or 20:12, geddit?), a Royal Marine abseiled down from the helicopter to the Tower of London with the flame contained in a Davy Lamp. The flame is tonight being stored with the Crown Jewels in perhaps the most secure location in the country. Tomorrow the torch will begin a week long tour of all of the London boroughs before the opening ceremony next Friday.

But back to Guildford, here's a short video I made. Hope it gives a flavour of the event.

Father's Day Special Series - Part I

Last year I did a pretty comprehensive post on my own father.  This year, I felt we should do something for the other "Dad" in the family, Georgia's father, Vincent Massei.  Georgia and her sister Mary have been investigating the family tree recently, and Georgia had a whole raft of photos out last night, mostly either of her father, or by him, around the World War II era.  She gave me permission to scan a few, and make a few posts.

Tonight I will give a brief intro.  Vincent Massei was born in Eureka, California, to Italian immigrant parents in 1911, Giorgia and Joseph.  To the best of my knowledge, except for college, his World War II service, and a few trips to the East Coast to visit us, Vince rarely left Northern California. 

The Eagle House (Buon Gusto) on the only sunny day in Eureka in 100 years

The family ran a boarding house/restaurant, the Buon Gusto, on Second Street in Eureka (the seedy side of town).  Formerly and in a later incarnation, "The Eagle House,"  One of the funny stories Vince told, often was how one day, his older brothers, Albert and Tony (Anthony) left him behind when they went fishing in Humboldt Bay, a couple blocks from the Buon Gusto.  In his fit of pique, he open the tap on the restaurant's wine keg, and lay under it and drank wine until he passed out.  His brothers, whom I knew, verified the story.

Vince went to college, in San Francisco, I believe, on a football scholarship, and joined the service (or was drafted).  He went into the Army Air Corps (the precursor to today's  Air Force) and was sent to the South Pacific, where he served in Fiji and New Guinea as an air craft mechanic:

Vincent Massei in uniform:

4,500

Today some 4,500 beacons are being lit across the planet, in Commonwealth countries to mark the Queen's 60 year reign. These are being ignited at 10pm local time, with the first lit in Tonga, followed by New Zealand and Australia*. The final beacon will be lit tonight at around 10.30pm BST in London by Her Majesty at the end of a free concert in her honour.

Sadly it was announced shortly before the concert that the Queen's husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh had been taken ill and would not be at the Queen's side. It is expected he will spend a few days in a nearby hospital.



*It's always refreshing to see a staunch Republican like Aussie Prime Minister Julia Gillard having to acknowledge and pay tribute to Royalty LOL.

Long To Rain* Over Us

Wouldn't you know it- public holiday in the UK and it's chilly and raining! What happened to all the glorious weather we were enjoying last weekend? I'm seriously thinking about having to put the central heating back on for a bit.

Loving all the repackaged items currently in the shops, just in time for the Jubilee and Olympics.












* "God save our gracious Queen
Long live our noble Queen
God save the Queen
Send her victorious
Happy and glorious
Long to reign over us
God save the Queen"

I guess you might conclude I'm a bit of a Royalist at heart...

St George's Day

Proud of my country.

— · — · — — · — — · · *

Coverage of the run up to 100th anniversary of the Titanic's sinking has been extensive and for the most part very informative, certainly adding greatly to my knowledge of that event.

I won't say any more here- others have and will do it so much better than I ever could. That's not in any way to say I'm not acknowledging the tragedy and loss suffered by so many far and wide.

* Morse code for CQD, meaning "All stations: distress."

Sick

You know how you often hear parents telling their children not to bolt down their food? That they should take their time, chew properly and swallow before cramming the next fork load in or else they will be sick..?

Tonight I'm afraid I was proved right. LL was quite violently sick and the whole lot seemed to come back. Not nice.

Earlier in the day we had to spent far too much time on his homework. They've each been given the task for next few weeks of producing a booklet on an aspect of ancient Egypt, such as the Pyramids, Pharaohs or Mummies. You get the idea. Personally I think it's a bit of a stretch for most 8 year old kids, LL included. If they had been asked to research one new fact each week and then report back, I feel it might have been more appropriate. What they've been given instead is far too onerous and I suspect in many cases the work handed in at half term will be that of many parents, not their children.

I'll let you know if I get a good mark from Teacher LOL. 



2 Jan Cardiff 3 - 1 Reading
14 Jan Watford 1 - 2 Reading


The Royals are currently 5th in the Championship on 42 points after 26 games.

Hands Off?

There's been mixed reaction to the news BBC Worldwide (the commercial arm of the BBC) are planning a big screen film version of Doctor Who. Apparently Harry Potter director David Yates is one of the prime movers behind this announcement. Now I don't know about you but I thought he did quite a decent job with the later instalments of that franchise. However Andrew M Brown in the Telegraph even went so far in his blog to seemingly list many of the reasons often cited as being behind the series cancellation (in the 1990's) as reasons why "Hollywood" should keep well away. So because it used to be seen as fairly low budget- and I guess against the average episode of say Battlestar Galactica it still is- Hollywood money shouldn't be used to (possibly) improve these things? I dunno.

But this is not the first time Doctor Who has appeared on the big screen. Those two 1960's Peter Cushing films weren't too bad. Surely?

 Yes that was the Bernard Cribbins co-starring.

For me the jury is still out and I'll wait to hear more information before passing judgement. Perhaps a new film will be a welcome addition to the canon and assuming they move quickly maybe even a fitting 50th anniversary celebration in 2013...



1 Nov Nottingham Forest 1 - 0 Reading
6 Nov Reading 1 - 0 Birmingham

Remembrance

To the brave men and women who have given so much so we all might enjoy freedom, thank you. We will never forget you.

11:11 11/11/11

Today marks the anniversary of Armistice Day.

A depiction of the signing of the Armistice.

Big Bang

It's got round to that time of year again when the UK goes mad on fireworks to mark Guy Fawkes' attempt to destroy Parliament on 5 Nov 1605. The anniversary of this event is celebrated with fireworks and a bonfire on which a "Guy" is usually burnt.

As is tradition where LL lives, they celebrate on the nearest Saturday a whole week early, don't ask me why, so usually around Halloween. It seems to work and a great time is had by all. Here's a couple of images from this evening...

Great fun.



29 Oct Crystal Palace 0 - 0 Reading

Cowboys And Buses

My recent life in brief...

• Last night I met a friend at the cinema and we saw Cowboys and Aliens. Absolutely brilliant concept and really well executed. Couldn't quite believe it had such a low certificate mind you. Ford and Craig, almost but not quite a movie dream team.


• Love the new series of "Who Do You Think You Are?"


• College beckons again. Seems like ages since I last had my hands in some clay.


• I've recently found someone really important.


• I have resumed work on the loft hatch cover. I intend to be snug this winter no matter how cold it gets.


• After 8 months out of work, just like buses, two different job offers come along in one go. For the record it's not all about the money but the prospect of having to drive 200 miles (about 320 km) each way at least twice a week sure had something to do with my choice.

End

How sad the Space Shuttle program has now come to a close after 30 years.

In my younger years I had a poster of one of the Shuttles sat on it's launch pad over my bed (next to the life size one of Kate Bush, naturally); like many I used to dream about space exploration and the brave new era it promised. Not quite the fully reusable craft to make Han Solo envious but still an incredible vehicle. I guess now I can add to my list of unfulfilled ambitions: to fly Concorde, to see in person the Space Shuttle take-off and ...  oh maybe I'll cover those in another posting...

At least the crew completed their mission and returned home safely. Truly historic.

Poppy

Thought I would share this picture I took in my front garden around 8 this morning. For some reason my poppies seem to be a little behind those in the surrounding area but it's good to see the first couple flowering.





















It's been said poppies only really grow on former battlefield sites; something to do with corpses making for good manure. Well I'm not sure about that and although Reading has seen it's share over the years, I'm not convinced any skirmishes were held at my exact location. Maybe there's just a body down there somewhere following a grisly murder LOL?

Torch

Further to my last posting where I mentioned the Olympic torch would be visiting Reading.

Dad told me recently some interesting things about the 1948 games (he was 10 at the time). Not only was the marathon held round what is now the Reading University campus but his brother D, being slightly older, got to carry the torch (as part of a group from Boy's Brigade) as it made it's way through the town towards London.

How cool is that?

Curly Fries And Other Thoughts

• Have you noticed the current trend of saying "Up Coming"? If we mean "Future" why not use it? It takes fewer letters after all.
• I got asked yesterday by the lady living across from LL to help apply some eye drops to her poorly cat. Those beasties have sharp claws- I very nearly lost my left raspberry*. No really.
• I now have three different varieties of potato growing in my garden: Rocket, Vales Emerald and Maris Piper. These are due to crop June, Aug/Sept and Aug/Oct respectively.
• Ever heard someone say "I've not heard from you in ages"? If they were that concerned, why weren't they the first to pick up the phone or write an email? It works both ways don't you think?
• Heard today that my great aunt (on Mum's side) died on Friday. She was the last living sibling of my Grandad.
• As requested I returned to the Surgery for another Asthma check. This time I saw someone different and apparently "lung age" is a load of rubbish. Go figure.
• The Royals need a win away at Cardiff on Tuesday if they are to proceed to the play-off final at Wembly. The no score draw at home last Friday in the first leg wasn't a good start.
• Whoever dreamt up curly fries should be given an award. Oh so tasty and brings to mind some very fond memories.

King of the road (or path)? 















* Rhyming slang for... you can work it out, think about ice cream LOL.