Caught with trousers down

I remember a lecturer many years ago stressing that for communication to be effective there has to be a sender and a receiver.

No matter how much information we publish on our websites, if people are going to take it in they have to read the content to receive it. Sometimes I get frustrated when people don't read what we spend time making available to them and ask questions that have already been answered.

But in the last few days I have been the guilty one. Until Friday I thought I was going to be running today at Ballanette and not at Crossags. I hadn't read the publicity for the Microgaming Cross Country League. Then I rushed out of work thinking I was going to be late for signing on on Friday night between 5 pm and 6 pm. I got there with what I thought was two minutes to spare but was actually two minutes early.

And today, I stood on the start line when Steve Kelly gave the pre-race briefing thinking I had three laps to run and not four. The ultimate in bad race planning.

When I went to the cottage yesterday I was much better prepared. I had a pair of jeans that I would wear while clearing the wet leaves and then I would change them when I went inside for a dry pair of trousers and wash the dirty ones with some of the washing at the cottage. I took the wet ones off but proceeded to start the cleaning in my boxers whilst I cooled down.

And then Nigel Armstrong and Paul Curphey appeared at the door before I was dressed and revived stories of chambermaids in London Hotels.

Its been an incredibly hectic, but enjoyable weekend. We went to Phl Motley's 60th birthday party last night, I took Robbie and Marie's mum out in the car this morning and we drove around the south stopping at the Sound. Having been to Ramsey in the car this afternoon we are about to set out for dinner in Bride tonight.

However you dress that up its a lot of miles for the Isle of Man.