It's good to be back...

Returned today from a lovely week in Coverack in Cornwall. Weather was mostly "challenging" but got a walk or two in and had a relaxing time. Did you know that Cornish people are legally obliged to sell you a pastie is you knock on their door and they live under 100ft from the sea? It's true. A very nice old lady provided us with two that were so hot that even by the time we'd driven for three-quarters of an hour, then walked down cliffs to a beach, lounged around for a bit then decided to eat them, they were still warm. And delicious.

Managed to catch the re-run of the Australian GP. Great race - see? F1 isn't boring after all. Just add water! Great drive by Button and amusing to see Hamilton irritated by his team's decision. Doesn't like being beaten, does he?

Managed to get home in time tonight to see Matt Smith's appearance as the new Doctor Who. I thought David Tennant was brilliant, but Smith got off to a great start in a witty first outing, along with his new companion, the delectable Amy Pond, in a story with an escaped alien prisoner being chased down by his jailers, who were fine with the idea of destroying Earth if he didn't turn himself in. Good to see that the Tardis got a regeneration in and managed a paint-job too. Liked that a lot. Why the St John's badge on the door though....? Did you spot the coat stand? It's been missing in action for a long time. Only complaint was the re-worked theme music. More, please! (Episodes, not the music...)

And tomorrow is the Malaysian GP with Webber on pole...

Happy Easter everyone!

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Malaysian Grand Prix - Vettel hot, but not bothered

Malaysia. It's always hot, and it always rains. Except the 2nd part is no longer true (unless you count the drizzly bit around lap 14). Saturday's qualifying session had highlighted the fact that Red Bull and McLaren seemed well matched on pace, but also that Ferrari were struggling. Whilst Vettel bagged another pole, followed by Hamilton, Webber and Button, Alonso was only 5th, and Massa 7th, with Nick Heidfeld an excellent 6th on the grid between the two red cars. At this point, I would like to break momentarily for a small rant: How many times do I have to say Heidfeld is good? Why wasn't he given a top drive years ago? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?! ARE YOU BLIND!!!?? Ahem. The Hispanias somehow managed to a) turn up b) remember to bring cars c) get both of them on the track d) actually get both of them within 107%. Pretty remarkable really. Oh, and it didn't rain. Race day looked a more likely candidate for a drop of the wet stuff. The start was exciting, with...

"It's all gone quiet..." said Roobarb

If, like me, you grew up (and I’m aware of the irony in that) in the ‘70s, February was a tough month, with the sad news that Richard Briers and Bob Godfrey had died. Briers had a distinguished acting career and is, quite rightly, fondly remembered most for his character in ‘The Good Life’. Amongst his many roles, both serious and comedic, he also lent his voice to a startling bit of animation that burst it’s wobbly way on to our wooden-box-surrounded screens in 1974. The 1970s seemed to be largely hued in varying shades of beige, with hints of mustard yellow and burnt orange, and colour TV was a relatively new experience still, so the animated adventures of a daft dog and caustic cat who were the shades of dayglo green and pink normally reserved for highlighter pens, must have been a bit of a shock to the eyes at the time. It caused mine to open very wide indeed. Roobarb was written by Grange Calveley, and brought vividly into life by Godfrey, whose strange, shaky-looking sty...

A fisful of change at the shops

A recent day out reminded me how much the retail experience has altered during my lifetime – and it’s not all good. I could stop typing this, and buy a fridge, in a matter of seconds. The shops are shut and it’s 9pm, but I could still place the order and arrange delivery. I haven’t got to wander round a white-goods retail emporium trying to work out which slightly different version of something that keeps my cider cold is better. It’ll be cheaper, too. But in amongst the convenience, endless choice and bargains, we’ve lost some of the personal, human, touches that used to make a trip to the shops something more than just a daily chore. Last weekend, we visited a local coastal town. Amongst the shops selling over-priced imported home accessories (who doesn’t need another roughly-hewn wooden heart, poorly painted and a bargain at £10?) was one that looked different. It’s window allowed you to see in, rather than being plastered with stick-on graphics and special offers calling ...

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