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

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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 ...

Suffering from natural obsolescence

You know you’re getting old when it dawns on you that you’re outliving technological breakthroughs. You know the sort of thing – something revolutionary, that heralds a seismic shift it the way the modern world operates. Clever, time-saving, breathtaking and life-changing (and featuring a circuit board). It’s the future, baby! Until it isn’t any more. I got to pondering this when we laughed heartily in the office about someone asking if our camcorder used “tape”. Tape? Get with the times, Daddy-o! If it ain’t digital then for-get-it! I then attempted to explain to an impossibly young colleague that video tape in a camcorder was indeed once a “thing”, requiring the carrying of something the size of a briefcase around on your shoulder, containing batteries normally reserved for a bus, and a start-up time from pressing ‘Record’ so lengthy, couples were already getting divorced by the time it was ready to record them saying “I do”. After explaining what tape was, I realised I’d ...

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