Friday 16th September Thursday was a frustrating day both weather-wise and for forward planning of my holiday. Everything has gone very smoothly up until yesterday. The weather has been glorious and I've been able to find flights and accommodation very easily. Unfortunately yesterday I hit a brick wall, namely Ryan Air and it was wet and windy in London, not the type of conditions conducive for sight seeing. For those who aren't aware, Ryanair are one of the most popular discount airlines in Europe and they are fantastic if you do not have to deal with them on the phone. All bookings are done via their website and so you never need to interact with anyone accept when you get to the Airport. Frustratingly something went wrong on their website yesterday and it resulted in my ... read more

Well I’m back in London after my eight days in Ireland and it’s impossible to ignore the excitement of the fifth and final ashes test which has just ended in a draw and a series win to England. There appears to be nothing more annoying than a gloating English supporter and I’m going to lay low this evening. Ireland was great fun, however on reflection I should have spent a few more days there and headed up to Dublin or across to Cork for a night or two for something a little different than the west coast which is a little too quiet for my liking. I’m back in Fulham and staying at Dom and Amanda’s place again for the next week. I have so much to do this week, there are so many more things ... read more

An afternoon’s golf in Ballybunion. Thursday 8th September. Spent the morning preparing for an afternoon’s golf at Ballybunion. I had not really intended playing any golf here, especially as I hadn’t hit a ball in anger for about three years but after enjoying hitting an hour of practice balls at the driving range I was inspired to take up cousin Paudie’s offer of a round of golf on the famous course. As mentioned in my first Irish entry, things are very expensive in Ireland and a round of golf would usually set you back €135 however, as my cousin is a life member “I’ll show them my gold medal!…” he exclaimed, it was only going to cost me €10. The morning started with a brisk walk around the town, followed by 1030am visit to church (I ... read more

Fulham Thursday 1st September, woke up thinking it was only 4am, was in fact 7am and I was late for my early cappuccino at the Mimosa Street Starbucks. They truly do a very ordinary coffee but are a hotspot for free wireless internet access! Ordered a grande café latte and proceeded to write yesterday’s journal about our time at the Millennium Dome, I then scoured the smh.com.au to discover that John Brogden had attempted suicide so I quickly switched back to London time zone and started to think about the day ahead. Today (Thursday 1st September) is my last day in Fulham for a about a week. Tomorrow morning I’m flying to the Republic of Ireland for a week of relaxation (I hope) and to spend some time with the Irish side of the family. So ... read more

Yesterday (Monday 29th August) I travelled north to the lovely, easy going county of Lincolnshire for a tour with former ASIC colleague Terry Quanborough. Terry and I were planning on spending the day at the Trent Bridge test match but unfortunately as most would be aware, it ended in a dramatic Australian loss to England on day four. However, I was not going to let that get in the way of a good holiday and with Terry's offer of a guided tour of his home county I headed to Grantham Town, Terry’s boyhood home. Terry met me at Grantham Station and gave me a brief yet comprehensive tour of the place he grew up to love. Unfortunately for Terry, Grantham has changed a fair bit since he lived here and I get the impression that it ... read more