Keeping Cool

The Weekend Picture No. 52

Splash Down!

As the UK basks in heatwave conditions we have been desparately seeking relief from 2 weeks of 25 degree plus temperatures.

We have experimented with windows open and windows closed. We have closed curtains in the middle of the day and dressed in outfits we wouldn't want to be seen in in public. We have even played havoc with the environment by turning on our car's disappointing aircon.

This weekend we went camping in the depths of Sussex. On the Saturday we visited one of those tree shrouded river banks that Mark Twain used to write about.

The Dubmeister and one of the Signs of Spring made use of a rope swing which appeared to have grown down from one the trees that shrouded the bank. The Dubmeister was particularly keen to fall from the swing into the water - doing it over and over again until his skin turned blue and his teeth chattered.

Tom Sawyer would have been proud.

Speak soon.
JH

Ashes? What Ashes?

Ashton Who? on his way to 98 runs yesterday

The fantastic summer of sport that we are enjoying this year keeps rolling on.

First we had the British Lions beating the Australians.

Then we had "Sir" Andy Murray ending Britain's 77 years of hurt by finally claiming the men's Wimbledon title in a thrilling final 10 days ago.

Chris Froome is currently leading the pack in the Tour de France.

And now we have the Ashes.

The Granddaddy of Cricket Test series.

England and Australia battling it out with the Willow and the ball.

The series has made an epic start. We had 14 wickets tumble on day 1 and the greatest total ever posted by a no. 11 batsman yesterday when Ashton Agar scored 98 in his debut Test innings.

The commentators on BBC's Test Match Special are falling over themselves to tell us what a great sporting spectacle this is.

This is a sporting battle that should be gripping the nation. The boys and girls who were rushing out every playtime with racket and ball to re-enact the heroics of Andy and Laura on the Wimbledon grass should now be doing the same and flinging yorkers and googlies at each other as they re-live the previous day's play.

It's not happening.

A quick survey of my kids' schools indicates that there are still more children playing tennis than cricket in the playground. A quiz of my children's cricketing knowledge tells me that they have no idea who Ashton Agar is and can only name one member of England's cricket team (Kevin Pieterson) - and this at a time when the England cricketers are arguably our most successful sporting outfit.

The 2005 Ashes series genuinely did grip the nation. Children did take to the parks and streets to ape their white clad heroes and for 1 glorious summer we were cricket crazy.

Why is this not happening this year?

Why are my children not in the least bit bothered?

Why can't they tell their Alastair Cooks from their Graeme Swanns?

In 2005 the Ashes was broadcast by Channel 4. Ever since it has been live and exclusive on SKY. Since 2005 Cricket has been chasing the cash of this sporting behemoth. As a result they have had millions of pounds pumped into the sport but at what cost?

Sadly this pursuit has led to Cricket disappearing from the radar for millions of English children. If I were a cricket administrator with a view that extends beyond this summer's payday I would be worried for the future of my sport. I would question whether a big payday today is worth an obscure future.

Cricket is a difficult game for schools to run. It takes a long time to play and it requires a lot of space. As a result it has disappeared from the curriculum of many state schools. It therefore becomes even more important that it gets plenty of television exposure in order to build up cricketing heroes and establish cricketing dreams among the young so that they seek opportunities to play this game which we are currently very good at.

So, Dear Administrators of Cricket - please look beyond the size of your wallets and look to the future - or your sport will die.

Speak soon
JH

PS Photograph courtesy of the Daily Telegraph

Oh, I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside!

The Weekend Picture No. 49

E and the Dubmeister beside the seaside, beside the sea

It was hot yesterday so we did what all right thinking English men and women should have done.

We went to the seaside.

We piled down the A3 to Southsea where we joined the throngs and had a great day for the following reasons:

1. The seaside is much nicer than the town when it is hot.

2. Southsea has Clarence Pier which sells food that is cooked in layers of fat and grease and tastes all the better for it.

3. Clarence Pier has an 80's throwback fun fair with rides that make you scream and/ or puke (if you have indulged in a number 2 (see above)) and a sound system which features up and coming artists like Duran Duran, Belinda Carlisle and Sinitta.

4. If you get bored of number 3 you can always hang out next to the hovercraft terminal and try to avoid getting sprayed as it powers into it's landing station.

5. The D-Day museum is fascinating, moving and eye-opening.

6. It didn't rain once!

Speak soon

JH

The Weekend Picture No. 28

The Signs of Spring do London. August 2012.

I have chosen this picture as this Weekend's Picture because, as the wind and the rain batter the UK, I think we all need a bit of cheering up.

Do you remember last August?

There were a couple of weeks in the middle of August when the weather was fantastic and when everybody was hungry to talk Olympics to each other.

In the slightly unreal period between the Olympics and the Paralympics we took the kids up to London to take in the sights and absorb some of the heady atmosphere of the city at the centre of the universe.

The girls took a break as we walked alongside the Thames on that balmy summer's evening and I took the opportunity to take this snap.

Just to remind us all that the summer in the UK was pretty fabulous this year.

Speak soon
JH

The Summer is/might be coming

Sandcastles at West Wittering Beach

I don't want to say this too loudly in case it annoys the weather gods or tempts fate to kick sand in our faces like a naughty boy at the seaside, but I think that the summer is/ might be coming.

Ever since Sunday when I posted a shocking photograph I had taken of a blue sky it has not rained really that much and in fact 2 days since the weekend have been completely dry.

So here are my THREE reasons for saying the summer is/ might be coming.

1. I have been to the beach

On Tuesday I joined E's class on a trip to West Wittering beach in Sussex. 90 hot and sweaty minutes on a coach were followed by 3 hours building sandcastle, digging holes, eating ice cream and getting sand in our knickers. There was no rain. It was a proper summer's day.

2. The weather forecasters have started smiling 

Throughout May and June the TV weather forecasters looked permanently uneasy - as if the weather was their fault. Those nervous looks have been replaced by confident Colgate endorsed smiles as they swagger across their weather maps.

3. We bought ice cream yesterday and they were too soft!

The signs of spring are good shoppers, particularly when they have been bribed. Yesterday, the bribe was not a nice hot cup of soup but an ice cream. The ice creams were too soft. They were not botulism inducingly runny but the chocolate casing chipped off and shattered on the floor and the ice cream inside went just a little too quickly. But still, WE WERE EATING ICE CREAM AND IT DIDN'T FEEL WEIRD!

So that's why I think the summer is/might be coming.

What do you think? Am I being hopelessly optimistic or might the summer be coming where you are too?

Speak soon
JH

This post is part of a Bloghop celebrating the good things in life entitled "Reasons to be Cheerful." In these times of austerity there is no better investment than to spread a little happiness. Let us know what has cheered you up this week and harvest yet more good feeling by dipping into some (or all) of the blogs listed below. Keep smiling!

The Weekend Picture No.10

"Daddy, why's the sky blue?"

The significance of this weekend's picture will be lost on those of you who do not live in the UK. But for those of us who are unlucky enough to live in Britain the sight of a blue sky this "summer" is a rare one which causes us to grab a towel, a pair of shades and a good book and get in a decent bit of sun worshipping.

The UK had the wettest June on record last month and seems determined to surpass that feat in July as well.

I was so excited at the sight of this bit of blue sky that I took a picture of it!

Speak soon
JH

PS - New series starting next week - "You know that they're growing up when ..."