France Holiday

This year we chose to re-live our youth, and go back to an area of France we've been to 3 times before, with the Holdsworths. This is always a dangerous thing to do, the world moves on, and the fond memories you had (of drinking giraffes of beer and eating takeaway pizza from a particular vendor) are not always fulfilled (or in this case dismally dashed) when you return years later. However, despite these setbacks we were somehow able to find ways of having fun with a pool, a load of sunshine, a couple of small people and a number local delicacies (beers).

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This is why I love NewNet

8:41pm

This is why I hate Tiscali

8:48am



7:34pm



58kbps? I might as well be on dialup. So I'm switching to newnet, who claim not to do any traffic shaping...

run bike run bike run

After months of training, last week Dan I did the Rendlesham Forest Challenge 2009. This was a 22k race which you do as a pair. You are allowed one bike between the two of you, but you must stay within 10m of each other. After sizing up our opposition (mostly people from running clubs) we realised that this wasn't a race we were going to win. However our 10 minute swapping strategy worked well, and we completed the course in a respectable 1hr 52min.

Homebrew

For Christmas (after quite a lot of hint dropping) I got a homebrew kit , complete with the malt and yeast for a strong dark Belgian ale. It didn't take me long to get the brew gurgling in the airing cupboard.



After 10 days it was bottled, and a secondary (6 week) fermentation started which gave it the flavour and fizz.



And the product of my toil is an 8% tramp killing special brew, that any Belgian monk would be proud of.



Next it's pilser...

http://www.brew-it-yourself.co.uk/

Elliot's first month

I can't believe a month has gone by already. Elliot has put on some good weight (precisely average on the growth chart) and has settled into a bit of a routine (when it suits him).

Sadly my time off work has come to an end, so It's back to the office on Monday.

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Elliot Astbury

Elliot was born at 9:54AM on Sunday 1st February 2009 at Ipswich Hospital. He weighed 8 pounds and had a normal(ish) delivery. Mum and Baby are doing very well and are now back at home after spending the night in the Hospital.

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GRIM 2008

After completing the GRIM challenge last year, I talked my brother-in-law Joe into doing it this year. Accompanied by Heather's personal trainer (Nik) we ran round the 8 mile course of mud and deep ice covered lakes with the 1900 other mad people. It was fun, and I beat last year's time (1 hour 19 minutes 47 seconds). What's next? A 20k race in Rendlesham forest where teams of two have to share one bike, but you have to stay within 10m of each other. Dan and I are tackling it in March 2009. Can't wait.

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Back online

After a few months of upheaval (new jobs, house move, imminent baby) we are finally settled (well almost). We're sitting out the credit crunch in a rented house, which is a stone's throw from both sets of parents in Woodbridge. Perfect.

Sri Lanka

Clare and I just got back from an awesome two weeks in Sri Lanka (via Dubai). We stayed with Jan and Lesley (who arranged most of our trip, and really looked after us - thank you!). Also, a big thanks to Mr B.C. who drove us around the country and acted as our guide, utilising many of his special 'BC shortcuts'. We stayed on a tea plantation, watched 70 elephants bathing in a river, went to a turtle sanctuary, stayed in a 'eco hotel' in the jungle, chilled on the beach, body-boarded and drank a lot of tea.

All in all (despite some illness) we had a great time, and can't wait to go back. Didn't think all that much of Dubai though...

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