Websites sponsored by Coronation Street

The only way I have managed to keep my websites and blogs going this long is because sometimes I have based my evening around watching Coronation Street, one of Marie's favourite shows, particularly if I have been working long hours, running too much or just spending too much time on the websites.

At times I even enjoy it. But on many occasions I have walked out of the room complaining about the excessive violence and "over the top story lines". I usually return a few weeks later when I know that I am pushing my hobbies too far again. But this week even Marie said that she wasn't going to base her week around extra shows with violence threatened.

Last night ITV had to "pull" Coronation Street because the story line was too sensitive bearing in mind the events in Cumbria.

They should stop glorifying violence and recognise the reality of violence - we saw that on out TV screens yesterday without Coronation Street.

Here is to cleaning up soap. It will help this website survive.

PS - this post was sponsored by Sex in the City 2 - Marie is there with her friends allowing me to write this stuff!

Bradford walk

I tried to find a photo of Simon Cox at lunchtime today to go with the report that I wrote based upon Simon's own writing. I couldn't find one so I gave up after half an hour and went for a walk. I went through Ballasalla to see if the road was open (it was; there had been an accident in the morning) and decided to explore the footpath opposite the Whitestone Garage - another place on the Isle of Man I had never trodden on. and how peaceful it was considering it was so close to the village, an industrial estate and only half a mile from the few square feet where I have spent the last two and half years sitting in front of a computer. It came out at the end of the Ballthane Industrial Estate and by the time I got back I realised how warm it was in the office - in other words I had moved myself during the day.

I finally found a photo of Simon a few minutes ago and have published the article. By the way, Simon was amazed that I knew he was taking part.

When I was googling to see if I could find the full results I rediscovered a piece I had written about my own experiences at the Bradford Walk in 2004.

To be honest I had forgotten that I had written so much detail:

http://www.manxathletics.com/2004features/Bradford.htm

I also wrote about the event on my Parish Walk blog in 2008:

http://parishwalkcom.blogspot.com/2008/01/it-used-to-be-best-walking-event-in.html

It was one event I would have loved to have done one more time, if only to stroll around. But its too late now. I just wish more people could have enjoyed the atmosphere, the heat, the smell of food and the hills, like I did.

Calling it a (bad day)

I had a visit from Simon Cox at lunchtime today bringing news of the Bradford 35km on Monday in which he took part.

I couldn't decide whether to do a feature on him tonight and use his report or stick to my original plan.

In the end I am doing neither. I was up at 5.15 today and I am now drained of any creative thinking that I might have had.

David Wilkinson

David Wilkinson who featured on the site in the 1972 TT Relay Walk article that I have just updated was in nearly all my old collections of photos taken by my dad.

David worked for the Isle of Man Road Services, where Bill Lambden was the general manager, and although he would generally ration his slides to 4 or 5 of each race, as it was an expensive hobby in those days, he normally took one of David who he regarded as a model employee.

Here is another which I have published before of David at Ballig in the 1975 TT Relay Walk.

It doesn't get much worse than this

After feeling so good about things this morning I can't believe how bad the day has become.

I learnt about the Cumbrian shootings at lunchtime and although I checked the news throughout the afternoon it was only in the car driving home listening to the Radio 4 coverage that the scale hit me, especially when I heard the update that 12 people had been killed (they had said "at least 5" for a long time before that).

There will surely be thousands of people whose lives will never be the same. From the injured, to the relatives of the dead, to the witnesses, to the professionals who had to deal with the events and the people they will surely be deeply traumatised.

In the (almost) ten years that I have been publishing the website there have been all too many days like this when you wonder where sport fits it. When the terrorists struck on 11 September 2001 (I hate the Americanised 9/11) and on at least one other occasion I have cleared the front page and left it blank as a tribute.

But the sad thing is, unless we are closely connected to someone who is involved in such tragedy we very soon get back to our own lives and I am not sure whether we achieve anything by stopping too long.

If I offend anyone by carrying on as normal and trying to enjoy the quality of our lives here then I apologise but I think we always have to make the most of each day.

I have just stopped to reflect again and become emotional again but I'm not helping anyone.

1, 2, 3 back to the homepage.

It doesn't get much better than this

Was it really only yesterday that we had foul weather in the morning?

Was it only a few weeks weeks ago that there was sometimes a frost in the morning?

Was it only a few months ago that I was slipping and sliding on the ice and snow on my early morning runs?

I went out at 6 am this morning and it was absolutely beautiful - hardly a breath of wind. Even Chris Evans has just broadcast this fact on Radio 2 - from another Chris in the Isle of Man.

I ran twice around Douglas and it seemed that there were more runners joining the throng on each mile.

It was so nice that the lady who pushes her dog up and down the prom had taken it out and was sitting on the grass.

I'll want to look back on this sort of day next winter.

I was looking back last night when I published three photos from the 1972 TT Relay Walk. I wonder if anyone who was not involved in those days can pick out those in the photos.

Tonight I will be looking forward but in a nostalgic sort of way. That probably makes no sense so you will have to look at tonight's offering to work it out.

Nigel the prankster

You should have seen my closing shot from last night - the publicity for Emma Rogan's endurance running.

Its a little over 2 days since the Comrades Marathon in South Africa. Its almost 2 years ago that Emma took part - and her life was to change when she met the Island's fastest dentist, Nigel Armstrong.

When I was looking for a photo of Emma last night I found a whole collection of photos from this year's London Marathon that had not seen the light of day. This one shows that Nigel's keen sense of humour has not changed with his engagement. I wondered why he was so keen to take my photo on the train from Luton airport - he wanted to show that I was sitting in a seat for the old or disabled!