Jolly Boys Outting~Horse Racing!

Phew! What a weekend!! Last Saturday I was off on our yearly Jolly Boys outing to the horse races. Every year a Bus load of us have a day out at the races. We drink, we bet and we act like a bunch of school kids for the day. Aherm. It started off on the Friday where I stayed around me mates out (Jay). His dad came down and we ordered a Chinese take out and have a couple of tinnies. We were being picked up from Jays house by his dads boss and his son who was then going to take us over to Leicester for the bus pick up that would take us down to the race course near Cambridge. Had a bit of an early night and was on the blow up bed for 11-ish. Got up around 6.30 and we grabbed a quick mug of tea and was out the door for 7.30. Met jays dad's boss, john and his son Jason (another one~lol) and we got to Leicester around 8ish. In the paper shop to get a paper with the horse racing cards in and had a quick study of those while the rest of the bus all met up. Seen some old face from previous years and the banter was quite good. The Bus turned up at dead on 8.30am and we piled on to it. Gessh....bit of an old nail this bus was. I had to move seats at one point coz the bloody roof was leaking. I had water drip down the back of me neck and over me newpaper at one point. Bloody ole knacker! The plan was to get down to this pub half an hour from the track and stop off for a full English Breakfast....couple of pints and then get to the track. We made good time down to the pub (it was called the "Woolpack"). Nice place to be honest...in a small quiet village, very olde~worlde. 1st pint of the day at just after 10am. Gah! It was to be the 1st of 16 that we sank that day. It could of been more but that’s how far I could remember. Not good...it's not big or grown up...I know...I know! We sat down and had breakfast. Was beautiful...bacon, sauage, beans, fried tomato, mushrooms, fried runny egg and toast. Just what we needed to soak up some of the ale we would have. Polished that off and then went back to the bar to study the guide. I'd about decided on what horses i were going to bet on. 3 more pints later and we got on the bus and headed off to the track. The race track we were heading to was called Huntingdon. It was a tiny little race track to be honest, the smallest i'd ever been too. But it was new, modern and very well kept. We piled off the bus and got a drink in. We then headed to the paddock and checked out the horses being walked around the trainers enclosure. Now, for the first race everyone backed the favourite...except me. The odds where so low it was hardly worth a bet on it. So, I went for the second favourite and was lucky that I got it at 5-1 in the betting. I then went down and stood near the finish line and watched the race. Mine romped in...lol....i was going a bit loopy if i was honest. lol. I put £10 and so got £50 back plus my original stake. Get in. Well, i must of had my lucky pants on coz i got 5 winners out of the 7 races. This earned me the nickname for the day has Dangerous D. All you heard all day was "what you going for on this one Dangerous"? Sheesh! By the end of the race card I was £150 up! I kept betting at the same trackside bookie and I think he was getting sick of the sight of me. lol. But, yeah...cracking day....and it got better. The last race was 3.15 and after that was done we had one for the road at the track and headed back to bus. No one was left behind this year....you alllways get one or two that misses the bus somehow....too drunk and stupid. lol. But, nope~ everyone made it on. Back to the pub where we had breakfast for an evening meal. Steak and ale pie. Awe...was starving by then. I think I took the pattern off the plate I polished it off that fast. We then had a few hours to kill at the pub...chilling out. Our little group ended up playing cards...and yup~ Dangerous cleaned up again. Another 20 quid~thankyouverymuchly! lol. Just a lucky day...I don't really gamble to be honest...prob' have a bet twice a year to be honest. Around 7.30 we all got back on the bus and headed home. A great day was nearly ruined by one idiot who could not handle his ale and wanted to start something up with another bloke~ I still don't know what that was over but it soon got sorted and they were split up. We got picked up around 9ish and went home. Phew...what a day! Sunday~well it was cancelled. I slobbed in bed until 11.30~watching football and Rugby highlights. I got up...had a brew and then Jay called saying they were meeting up town for a Sunday lunch. So, I did that...took a walk up town and had a big roast dinner which about sorted me out. I got home late afternoon and that was it...i fell asleep~woke up....fell asleep....and then pottered about the house. Next weekend...London for the day! ;-)

Bugatti Veyron V Euro Fighter Typhoon Jet in a 2 Mile Drag Race.

Amazing challenge as Richard Hammond races a Euro Fighter Typhoon Jet in the Bugatti Veyron. Who will win the horizontal vs vertical 2 mile race? Watch here to watch the challenge in full! Who ya got?

The Week In Pictures~Click to Enlarge.

1) Traffic backs up as a turkey makes its daily walk across a busy road. A pair of turkeys , who live in the wild, travel back and forth early and late in the day in search of food neighbours put out for the birds.
2) Gold fish displayed at the 2009 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo in Taipei.
3) Bulgarian Rosen Markov sets himself on fire in front of the Bulgarian National Television building, to protest against the broadcast of news bulletins in the Turkish language.
4) Young Buddhist monks in Tawang, India stretch out their arms to receive sweets being distributed on the last day of prayer meetings and teaching sessions headed by spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
5) Muslim brides wait for rituals to begin during a Muslim mass marriage in Ahmadabad, India. 81 couples got married at the event.
6) An Indian Army soldier crashes with his motorcycle through fluorescent tubes during Army Mela 2009 celebrations at Shalugara army base on the outskirts of the eastern Indian city of Siliguri.

Remembrance Day~We should Never Forget....

Remembrance Day – also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day (the event it commemorates) or Veterans Day – is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.

IN FLANDERS FIELDS.

In Flanders field the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

~~By Major John McCrae, May 1915.~~

Extreme Motorhome Racing - Top Gear Time!

Richard Hammond adopts a new motorsport - Extreme Motorhome Racing! Watch the race in all it's chaotic destructive glory!! Makes me laugh soo much this show does.

Haye shocks Valuev to take title~Click Pic to Enlarge!

Regular readers of my Blog might remember me reporting on a Heavyweight boxing match that was going to take place for a world title. The strange thing about the fight was the fighters and their stats’ about their height and weight…reach….etc. The title holder who is Russian fighter Nikolay Valuev was taking on Britain’s David Haye. Valuey, who stands at just over 7ft tall and weighed 7stone (98lbs) heavier than the challenger. If you saw the picture I posted at the time you could see the massive difference in the fighters and instinct would tell you that there would be only one winner. NOT SO! Haye took the Russian Giant the distance and won on points to be crowned the new heavy weight champion of the world. Approximately 10,000 fans were in attendance at the Nuremberg Arena, including a sizable and vociferous British contingent, to see David do what many thought was impossible and slay Goliath.
Even more remarkable, Haye managed to do it with a suspected broken right hand, which trainer Adam Booth said gave way in the third round.
"His head is solid, the hardest thing I've ever hit," said Haye. "It's like hitting a solid brick wall.
"I'm pretty sure my hand is broken, but it's a small price to pay for being the heavyweight champion of the world."

The Bigger they are….the harder they fall!

Great Central Railway FireWorks Display.

Last night I went out to a fireworks display over at Quorn. Its all ran by the Great Central Railway which is all part of a Steam train trust. Nine of us met down at me mates and made a steady walk up to the old steam trust. Skelly had brought some bottles of beers over with him so we were supping on them has we walked down to the old Great Central railway. There was a bit of a queue when we got there but we soon got thru' the front. The weather held quite fair apart from the odd spot of rain. We got down on the old platform (it's been used in loads of films and TV programs due to it's authentic setting) and looked at the Engine quickly that was to take us down the line to the display site. It was called the "South Yorkshireman". Now i am not a geek at all when it comes to trains...far has I'm concerned...they get you from A-B...job done. But this thing was huge....the wheels alone where taller than me. The engineering that had gone into it. We went up the platform and the only room was left was in the last set of carriages. Wow! It was like being on the Hogwarts express. It was the old style carriages with separate compartments. We piled in the carriage too our seats. Lol..and had a beer. It was funny because we got talking to a Anorak (that’s some one who is over enthusiastic in some thing....they all wear Anoraks it a big pocket in the front with notebooks and such in ~ lol. Hence Anorak....if ya still strugglin' in my meaning...they are a geek in a subject ~ his being steam locomotives). I thought he was going to shoot his load when the train starting to ease out of the station. Sunny, who was sat next to him kept asking him bloody stupid questions and my other mate Huey kept nudging me with his elbow and nodding his head. Typical I get a fit of laughs....flippin' eck. I was about crying...just laughing soo much it hurt. I think it does when you try and keep it in too. lol. Anyway this guy (and he was a nice chap ~ I know it sounds like I'm taking the piss and being horrible ~ I'm not) told us all about the track, trains, the platforms and other events that the steam trust ran. It took about 10 minutes to get to Quorn Station and the lights dimmed in the carriage has the dynamo that powered the lights slowed has the train did. We filed out and joined the hoards on the main platform. The atmosphere was just something wonderful, with the smell of the engine and the sounds of the fair over the track. We crossed over the track and on to the waste ground near the stacks of wood that made up the Bonfire and around to the hotdog stand. We grabbed a bite and by then they were just about to light the bonfire up with the Guy on top (the Guy is like a scare crow made up that’s s'pose to represent Guy Fawlks who tried to blow up Parliament 100's of years ago ~hence he is called the Guy). The Fire on the Bonfire was slow to get going and at one stage all that was coming out of the stack of wood was thick black billowing smoke. I thought we were going to get engulfed with it at one stage. Then the fire really got hold and before you knew it you could feel the heat kicked off the Bonfire. We then headed for the Beer tent but saw that the line to get served was like a mile long....ok, perhaps not quite a mile but it was bloody long. lol. With the Fireworks being lit within ten minutes we decided to hold off and moved back towards the Bonfire. Spot on 8pm the first fire works went up. Was quite a good Display which last 15minutes. I love hearing a crowd of people watching fireworks go up....all the "Woooooo's" and "Arrrrrrrrh's". lol. I did enjoy it too. hehe. After the last set and final crescendo of fireworks hit the sky we headed back to the beer tent. Timed it to perfection. Everyone was still "wooooo-ing" from the last burst of colour across the night sky and we were at the font of the line for a pint. We all grabbed a jar and ended up sitting on the bales of straw. We decided that we'd get the 9pm train back to Loughborough station and then head up town for one last drink. On the way back there was only standing room only but again...ten minutes and we were back on the main platform. We ended the night up the Orange tree pub. A swift Guiness and then headed our ways home. Really good night. Will do it all again Saturday night has the University have a display and Bonfire on too. Well, depends on the weather. ;-)