January 27th, 2012
I’m starting to get really excited about this season’s RBS Six Nations Championship now, as the Wales rugby team is in extremely good form.
I was so gutted when they lost to France in the semi-finals of the 2011 World Cup. Not as gutted as the team themselves, I’m sure, but I really couldn’t believe it. They’d done brilliantly in the pool stages, beating Fiji, Namibia and Samoa (though not South Africa), then took victory against Ireland in the quarterfinals, with a 22-10 score. It was amazing. The last time they got that far was 1987 – 24 years ago. But against France in 2011, captain Sam Warburton was sent off halfway through the first half… and the rest, as they say, is history.
In the Six Nations, three of their five games are scheduled for Cardiff, which is promising. They’re in Poland at the moment, at a training camp, to get up to scratch before the tournament kicks off. I always get Poland mixed up with Portugal in my head, for some reason… they’re similar words. I’m sure they’d rather be in the latter, from a weather point of view, but never mind. Even European holiday destinations aren’t particularly warm in January.
It’ll be the first big competition I’ll have watched with Katie, which I’m also looking forward to. She’s never really known much about rugby, but seems to be developing an interest. Not that she’s got much choice, with me around. I’ve always loved it… I suppose because we played it at school. There’s often a split between those who focus on football at school and those who do rubgy. I do like footy too, but rugby has always been my game of choice.
Seriously, I am SO excited.
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January 22nd, 2012
I’ve started looking at cars again. I know it seems stupid, as I’m not planning on getting a new one for a while yet, but I can’t help it. I love cars. It’s a bit of a hobby for me, checking them out online.
A friend of mine mentioned that the Mazda 2 is a great car – and having done a bit of research, I’m inclined to agree with him. It won the World Car Of The Year award in 2008, for starters. Described by Mazda as a ’supermini’, it’s a sporty vehicle, rather than the more practical style I was leaning towards before. But I haven’t really had a ‘fun’ car before, so I’m tempted.
It’s inspired by the MX-5, to some degree, with every part of the vehicle having been double-checked for excess weight and lightweight but strong materials used throughout. This means it’s surprisingly swift and yet still really tough for a small car.
The Mazda 2 is also good for the environment, which I like. Well, I say ‘good’ – what I mean is that it’s better than many other cars, as its engine is Euro Stage 5 compliant. This means it has relatively low carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
I’m probably sounding geeky now. That’s what Katie would say, anyway. Fortunately, she likes cars too – I think she’s secretly quite excited about the prospect of a new one. Well, it won’t be quite new, as I think I’ll have to go for a second-hand one – but the quality of some second-hand cars is amazing. I don’t think a used Mazda 2 would fall far short of a brand new one. A bit more research and hopefully I’ll make a decision soon – though, knowing me, I’ll have changed my mind at least five times by the time I’m ready to buy.
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January 19th, 2012
I saw in the news last week that Brazilian Formula One driver Bruno Senna has signed with British team Williams. This means there is a member of the Senna family back with Williams for the first time in nearly 18 years – since F1 legend Ayrton Senna, Bruno’s uncle, died in a crash in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
I can’t believe that was so many years ago. I was pretty young at the time, but even then I loved F1 and it was such a tragedy. The event had been quite a complicated one, with several crashes and other incidents – and then, when Senna was leading the race on 1 May, on lap number seven, his car left the track on a fast corner and hit the retaining wall. It was going at 205 miles per hour at the time. Senna received medical treatment almost immediately, but died later in hospital.
There was lots of controversy surrounding the accident for many years afterwards, with Williams even being investigated for manslaughter. The cause was eventually identified as a steering column failure, which the Italian court ruled was due to bad design and ‘badly executed modifications’.
This is partly why some people are surprised that the Senna family has reunited with Williams, but such accidents are never clear-cut – and it was a very long time ago. With regard to his new opportunity, Bruno himself said that he believes ‘things in life happen for a reason’ and that everyone in his family is ‘ecstatic’.
By coincidence, this season is the first time that Williams cars will have Renault engines since 1997. In 1994, when Ayrton Senna both joined the team and lost his life, the team was known as Williams Renault.
I, for one, can’t help wondering whether we’ll see echoes of Ayrton Senna’s incredible talent in Bruno.
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January 16th, 2012
I think my parents were inspired by my trip away with Katie – they’re taking a holiday in the Lake District! Our family has never travelled much, so it’s a bit of a momentous occasion, really. They’ve been really excited about it all week.
While they’re up in that direction, my dad has promised to take a look at used cars north west dealers have on sale, to see if anything takes his fancy. I think he has started to pay attention to my insistence that he needs a new one. His old one is so bad that they’re actually hiring one to drive to the Lakes!
Like where we live now, the Lakes is somewhere that you really do need a car to make the most of. There are trains and buses, and of course you can walk and cycle – or sail! – but to get to the more remote locations you need to use the roads.
I can’t imagine not having a car, now. I know they’re not good for the environment, but my theory is that unless we carry on using cars, demand for alternative fuel methods won’t be there – and so they won’t develop further. If I could afford a hybrid car, I’d definitely get one. I think it’s a great idea. Some people love traditional petrol engines and will always choose those over alternatives, but if we work towards a world where the ‘norm’ is alternative fuel – and petrol engines are a curiosity – it would be much better.
It’d be safer, too. Petrol is dangerous. It blows up! If most cars on the road were electric, the risk of vehicle fires would be surely massively reduced.
I mustn’t talk about this to my parents, though. My mum’s nervous enough about venturing outside Wales as it is.
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January 12th, 2012
Despite being a PE teacher, I sometimes have to step in to help with other things at school – especially as I now have a form of my own. It seems a bit soon for that, as I only started at this school very recently – but another teacher left suddenly. As I’ve settled in so quickly, they asked me to take over.
We’ve got to host an assembly next month, on local history, and I’m wondering which topic to focus on. It’s such a wide area. Though we might end up dealing with several, as even though 15 minutes sounds like a short time, I can already tell it’ll feel like ages!
I’m learning quite a few things I didn’t already know – and finding them surprisingly interesting. Porthmadog apparently started off as a port for exporting slate to England, in the early 1800s. You’d think it was older than that, but it’s very much a product of the industrial revolution. Well, in an indirect way – the cities in England were growing fast and needed slate for house roofs. Porthmadog had a good natural harbour, so the slate was put on to ships there bound for England, after being transported down from quarries.
The town started to spring up around the tramway tracks which carried the slate – and by the 1840s there were shops, a post office… and a pub, naturally! The name of the port was actually coined in the 1930s, as the founder was an Englishman named William Madocks. Though apparently there are some rumours that it was instead named after a character called Madog. The story goes that he was a Welsh prince who travelled to America 300 years before Christopher Columbus. I don’t know if I believe that, but it’s a fascinating story to explore!
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January 9th, 2012
I’m trying to convince my dad to change his car at the moment, as the one he’s got is such an old banger. It’s been really useful and has had a good long life – and now it’s time to put it down. I don’t even think he hangs on to it for sentimental reasons… I think it’s purely laziness! I don’t think he can be bothered with the hassle of looking for and buying a new one.
I’m the opposite… I’m always excited about buying new things for myself! I got a car not so long ago, at short notice, but I have thought a lot about changing it for something more suitable in a few months’ time.
My dad’s also very stingy about money. I know it’s not nice to badmouth your parents, but it’s all affectionately meant… and it has to be said: if there’s cash to be saved, he’ll save it. I even have to watch out for him when we go to the pub together, to make sure he doesn’t swindle me when it comes to buying rounds!
I think a good second-hand car is the best answer for him. Nowhere near as old as his current one, of course, but something he can get for a good price that’ll be dependable. That’s the problem with his present one – it’s only a matter of time before it breaks down completely. Mending it is such a waste of time.
I’ve suggested a cheap used Renault Scenic, as they’re a good size and look more expensive than they are. They’re really reliable, too. I’ll try to force the issue over dinner tonight, as Katie and I are eating with my parents. I reckon he’ll listen more once he’s had a few drinks.
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January 7th, 2012
I’ve been finding it funny watching all the extra runners appearing on the roads around here lately. I know the rush will reduce again by February!
I’m just as bad. Obviously I get a certain amount of exercise in my job, running about teaching PE, but December and the start of January always mean extra food and drink – and I need to put in additional effort to work that off, just like everyone else. But, much as I’d like to continue the additional workouts all year round, I just can’t stay motivated enough. I may do sport for a living and love it, but I’m still human! When there are things like bingo and the pub to enjoy, and nights in front of the TV with Katie, it just seems a bit sad to pound the streets on a daily basis.
About two or three sessions of exercise a week is generally sufficient. That’s what I aim for. It’s good to be active for at least 30 minutes a day (and by active I mean moving enough to raise your heart rate). There are lots of activities you can try, if you don’t like running. If you have a bike you can cycle – or consider getting a static exercise bike for your home. That way, it doesn’t matter what the weather is like.
Classes are also a really good way of getting fit – and in a way they’re easier, because someone else plans the exercise for you. You just have to carry it out, and you’re more likely to do it than when you’re on your own. From yoga and pilates to step aerobics and spinning, there’s usually something for all tastes at your local gym. There’s my bit of professional advice for the week!
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January 3rd, 2012
Ah…. back to normality – home, school, bingo and pub. I always like the start of a new year. I really enjoyed the festive season, but there’s something invigorating about getting back into a routine. Sometimes with a few amendments, though!
New Year was great – we went to see Katie’s family and I got on with everyone like a house on fire. Very relieved about that! It’s the first time I’ve spent New Year away from my own family and friends, so I did miss them, of course – but it was nice to do something different, and good to see Katie on her home turf and find out more about her background. Her mum got out all the embarrassing childhood photos, of course. That was nice revenge, seeing as she’s already seen all mine!
We took quite a scenic route, on the train there and back… which was lovely. Not cheap, though. Don’t get me wrong – it was worth it, but I really need to keep my costs down for January. It’s incredible how expensive Christmas can be, in general, even when you’ve tried to have a cheap one. It’s things like the coffees you stop off for when Christmas shopping, or a bit of lunch – it all adds up.
I was already looking at debt consolidation loans before Christmas, but now I need to really get a move on and think about actually doing it. My debt isn’t very bad compared to a lot of people… it’s mostly from my university days and a few immature spending sprees when I first started working for a living and got carried away. But I still want to make sure I’m managing it properly. January is a good time for looking for loans and similar services, as banks have sales, just like everyone else!
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December 13th, 2011
Katie and I are trying to decide how to travel to visit her parents for New Year. They live in Maidstone, in Kent, which is a really, really long way. Originally we were set on the idea of the car, which will take at least five hours, according to Google Directions. Probably a lot more, in festive traffic!
We’re therefore wondering whether to get the train and make a trip of it – staying at a few places along the way. We’d have to do that, because it actually takes longer by train. It’s a minimum of seven hours with about four changes! Lots of scope for error, there.
But if we stopped off in Birmingham and London for some sales shopping, with a couple of nights in nice restaurants and hotels, it could be really exciting. I’m excited just to be going to new places, as I’m not very well travelled. I’ve hardly been outside Wales, to tell you the truth!
Generally, I am more of a car person. I suppose that comes partly from being someone who has always lived in a rural area, as public transport hasn’t been up to much! It’s also a bit of a control thing. I don’t like depending on other people to get me somewhere. In a car, you can try a different route if something goes wrong, or travel whenever you need to. If you take a bus or train, you have to stick to their timetable and if something goes wrong, you’re at their mercy.
But on the train, we can chat to each other without one of us having to concentrate and get all tired, which is definitely a bonus compared with driving – just as a novelty. Then we’ll have plenty of energy for the New Year night itself. It won’t be a cheap trip – but it’ll be a lot of fun.
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December 12th, 2011
I haven’t been able to do much outdoor PE teaching in recent weeks, as the weather has just been too appalling. I’ve ended up organising games in the gym instead, which is fun, but I’m starting to run out of ideas!
We’ve also done quite a few other tasks, like helping decorate the school for Christmas. I do enjoy it, but I’d rather be out there running up and down the touchlines. I’m having to have a go on Katie’s exercise machines during the evenings, to make sure I stay in shape!
They’re not bad, actually. She says she watches a TV programme while she’s on them, so she concentrates on that instead of the time, so it seems to go quickly. I’ve tried it, too – though I tend to watch sport, which just reminds me of my timing, so it’s not quite as effective.
In the evenings we’ve been staying in quite a bit, saving up money for Christmas. Katie watches some programmes I don’t really like – girly stuff – so while she’s doing that, I sit on the sofa with my laptop. I don’t only play bingo games and doss about on Facebook, though – I’m always looking for new sporting developments and teaching options.
I’ve also been looking quite a lot at cars, even though if I do change my Clio, it won’t be for a few months yet. I was into the idea of a Renault Megane last week, but now I’m leaning more towards a Renault Laguna. If I’m going to get a bigger vehicle, I might as well get something significantly bigger!
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