Gawd I have a job interview next Friday at 9am at a rather large and well known institution as a H&S bod on silly money!

I have purchased the pictured apron for the New Romney Mountain Rescue weekend, perfect for my weekend in the kitchen!

Had a great weekend in Wales with friends, we stayed with my big brother in Bridgend and had to be in Cardiff for 1pm for the game, trouble is the match started at 5! so off we went to a local hostelry where hospitality was laid on (Copious amounts of free beer) and me the only Englishman in a bar full of Welsh and Kiwi's! well you can imagine the amount of stick I received as the England South Africa game was on..... all good natured then off to the game, trouble was I spent most of the match popping down to the loo, the atmosphere in the stadium was incredible and when the Welsh belted out the anthem it made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. After the game we decided the train was not an immediate option as there appeared to be 70000 people trying to use the trains, so surprise surprise we hit a bar.... I must say shopping Sunday morning with young Finch was a rather quiet affair!

This Friday Ian and I are off to my brothers again for a walking weekend, my brother has selected a hill called Lord Hereford's Knob to walk round.....

Phew, very busy at the moment, all seems to be work work work, very involved in next years Gang Show which will see me up on the stage again!
This weekend we are off to Wales to see Wales vs All Blacks, I am a bit concerned as the Kiwi and I are meeting her family in Cardiff at 1 and the game starts at 5.15, methinks beer will flow.
All eyes on the weather for the weekends following, a walking weekend with Old Big Nose and my brother in the Brecons is loomin, followed by the New Romney Mountain Rescues Annual Training weekend in the Brecons, I fear the liver may be grumbling by Xmas.

Feeling rather chipper today, the man flu is going finally, and my new found mate Rufus has invited me to come and see him live in December, I was due to see Darts on that night but sadly that has been canceled due to Den Hegarty's wife being ill, so I am free to see the Hound prowling the stage, only trouble is he has sworn blind he is not going to pick on me, unlike when we did the QI Test recording where he ripped the living daylights out of me! so I am fully expecting him to go back on his word.
Next weekend I am off to Wales with Dan and the Kiwi, we are going to see Wales vs The All Blacks, should be a one way game really! then the weekend after its back up to Wales for a weekend of walking in the Beacon, and then the weekend after its the New Romney Mountain Rescue Teams annual trek to the Bunkhouse in Wales for a rather drunken weekend.

I do usually give to charity when sitting on a tube, as I am not 100% sure if they are genuine, today whilst traveling home on the District Line 3 ladies got on in fancy dress, one as Snow White, another as Andy Pandy, the third was in a french maids outfit, I did my usual and buried myself in my ipod until the french maid bent down right in front of me, gorgeous blonde, blue eyed lass a with a cleavage.....kerching, I emptied my pockets of cash into the Children in Need bucket, not that I am fickle you understand

Well the man flu has hit a new level, I ache all over, my eyes feel tired, my head aches, i feel like I have been run over by a ten ton truck. It is so bad, I have had 1 fag and bugger all to eat, just drinking tea.....
Other than all's well.

Man Flu

I have been struck down with Man Flu, a nasty debilitating virus often derided by women!
Here is the Wikipedia entry that shows its real...

Man flu is a largely pejorative term that refers to the exaggerated symptoms experienced by men when suffering from flu or a cold.

I suspect the word pejorative is not a nice word and the thing was written by a woman......

I have been tracing my family history, with the help of my Uncle we can go back as far as around about the 12th Century, and that takes us back to the Sheriff of Forfar! Of the more recent family members I have been trying to get more details of my Uncle's death in World War Two,I recall being told by my mother he had died as a result of wounds received on 28th Aughust 1944 in Italy, and that he lay in the battlefield beyond help and may have survived if they could have got to him. Today I made contact with someone in his Regiment who has access to the Regimental accounts that could tell me more and put me in touch of survivors of the battle. My interest was raised by my visit to the Somme battlefields in the summer, and the emotions that stirred up at the time were very powerful, and I am now determined to visit my Uncles grave next year at some stage.

Well the recording is over! A rather nerve racking day yesterday, but on arrival at the studio we were met with a few cold drinks, a wardrobe lady who was rather keen to see what we where wearing, and then John Lloyd, who he? well he is the Executive Producer and amongst his credits is Not the Nine O'Clock News. We had a mixed bunch taking part, and were taken to our dressing rooms, in our dressing room were 6 of us, one who had won £250,000 on who wants to be a millionaire, another who was on Eggheads, they were there as the brains! Rufus Hound was presenting with Rick Wakeman and Reginald D Hunter taking part, and an expert on each show, the first expert was setting questions on the Tudors, and the other was a hedgehog expert.
We were left n our dressing room with loads of food, and freedom to rampage through the alcohol in the fridge, which we did, Willie the Producer popped in to give us a pep talk and found a rather alcohol fueled bunch having a mini party! Make up was next, man alive the make up girl was fit! then after more drinks it was down to the studio for the recordings, with an audience! for some reason the nerves vanished, it all went very well, I lost the last show in spectacular fashion, you score points for a correct answer and lose for a wrong, I was in a state of negative equity and Rufus before each round told us anyone can win....except Peter! Rick Wakeman was full of great stories and Reginald was hilarious, after we nipped back to the green room for a few drinks with the host and stars, all very approachable, then it was home, where I made my big mistake, in all the excitement I neglected to remove my make up..... Got some great looks on the train!

Another busy week, Saturday found Bertie and I making a rare outing as DJ's at a friends party, thought it was going to be a tough night, set up in someones living room, with older types and lots of young uns. the young uns vanished at around 10pm so Bertie and I stuck on some croons! man alive they loved it, we go had em all up and singing, I was dragged up at one stage and belted out Frankie Vaughan's Tower of Strength which went down a storm as did my unique version of Delilah! Bertie and my friends were impressed with my spot of Ballroom, one of the ladies wanted a dance partner for one tune and I obliged, poor sods had no idea I went Ballroom Dancing a lot with the Kiwi! A very good night, despite our initial fears it would be a wrong un!

Sunday was my birthday, a nice relaxing day, I got some great bits, including a Punk Pig that sings Sham 69 tunes (from John and Judy) Dan got me the Art and Science of Cricket, by Bob Woolmer, everything I need to make me a great cricketer! Tom was over Sunday evening to watch Lewis win the F1 World Title, and I made myself a trifle....yum.

Back to work Monday, very very busy and I have a trade fair tomorrow, where I am speaking! and this afternoon its off to Talkback Thames to record two episodes of The Qi Test, I have had to sort out 3 different outfits for their wardrobe to approve, no stripes or checks! thats me buggered. Have to be there at 3 for make up and we start recording at 4.30 I am told! starting to feel a little nervous now.