tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172562802024-03-13T18:49:26.532+00:00www.briddon.comFor when I have nothing to say to the world but just can't help opening my mouth......Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.comBlogger416125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-29842314463373595652013-07-17T16:16:00.000+01:002013-07-17T18:53:26.527+01:00Porsche Range Experience Day - 6th June 2013<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/8985434808/" title="39.Porsche Experience Centre by Christian Briddon, on Flickr"><img alt="39.Porsche Experience Centre" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8274/8985434808_36d564691d.jpg" width="500" /></a>
As my brother bought a Porsche Cayenne he was invited by Porsche to their driving centre at Silverstone to enjoy what they call their '<a href="http://insidetrack.centres.porsche.co.uk/preevent/range-day-overview.aspx">Range Experience Day</a>'. As it's no fun to do these things alone he could take someone with him and thought there would be no one better than his dear old brother. :-)<br />
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The Range Experience Day is just that. You get to drive the entire current Porsche range of cars in a number of environments. Some were on the road, some on the track and some on what they call the Kick Plate and Ice Hill.<br />
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We had to be at Silverstone by 8:30 so we set of nice and early and actually arrived at about 8am. We were greeted by coffee and a mini full English and then at 9am it was time to begin.<br />
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After the obligatory briefing we started of with the Cayenne. This was a road test drive so we all drove the V8 Diesel out to a pre-arranged place then drive the GTS back to Silverstone. These are great cars! The GTS V8 was a monster that made a lovely growling noise.<br />
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Next came the Boxster and the Caymen which we would be driving on the 'Kick Plate' and the 'Ice Hill'. This was amazing fun. The kick plate is a piece of slippy, wet tarmac which has a surface like ice. As you drive onto it the kick plate literally kicks the back end of the car out either left or right and you have to keep it driving straight. We did this in the Boxster.<br />
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We then swapped to the Caymen (my personal favourite car of the day) and hit the Ice Hill. This was the same surface as the kick plate but on a hill with fountains that you had to drive around. Also great fun. <br />
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You can see a video of my brother doing this <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/8988752066/in/set-72157634003170224">here</a>. There is a video of me doing the same but his editing abilities are so bad I can't possibly post it. :-)<br />
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It was then time for the 3 course lunch that Porsche were treating us too. A fantastic meal that I would happily have paid for in a restaurant. Seriously good food. All it needed really was a cold beer to wash it down but that probably wouldn't have been a good idea looking at where we were. :-)<br />
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After lunch it was time to test the Panamera. I've never likes the look of the Panamera before but seeing <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/8985439542/in/set-72157634003170224">this</a> little number in the showroom I changed my mind. It looked fantastic!<br />
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Like the Cayenne this was a road test drive. We drove the V6 Diesel outwards and the GTS back to Silverstone. To be honest we all thought the Diesel wasn't powerful enough for the size of car and they apparently can't fit the V8 engine under the bonnet. On the other hand the GTS was a beast of a car but costs about £100k!! Both were of course amazing!<br />
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After a break it was time for the 911 test drive on the Porsche test track. They essentially sat us in a Carrera and a Carrera 4S and sent us off around the track as fast as we could. The 'standard' Carrera was a manual 2 wheel drive and the 4S was a 4WD auto (well, flappy paddle). To be honest the 4WD didn't make much difference but the auto is something to go for. It was so quick and responsive and who wants to change gears these days?<br />
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In spite of the differences both 911's were stunning. So quick and no matter how fast I threw them into the corners they never seemed to even begin to lose grip, although this is probably down to me being scared of pranging them!!<br />
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The final part of the day would only involve us as a passenger. We were to be driven round the Porsche off road course in a Cayenne by one of their qualified drivers. This was great fun. I was amazed at how good the Cayenne was off road. Funnily enough so was my brother and he actually owns one!!<br />
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All in all it was an amazing day. We were well fed and we were let loose in some amazing cars. Pictures are available <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/sets/72157634003170224/">here</a>.<br />
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Now which child do I have to sell to get myself a Caymen S? :-)<br />
<br />Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-7597210392541828232012-12-06T13:59:00.000+00:002012-12-06T13:59:28.566+00:00Jools Holland - Sheffield City HallLast night we went to the Sheffield City Hall to see Jools Holland. This is the third or fourth time we've seen him so he must be doing something right.<br />
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Normally we go for a few pints before the concert and then head straight in but this time we decided to go for the hospitality option. Essentially you go a couple of hours early and have a meal. They also provide drinks at the interval.<br />
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We also dragged another couple along with us this year in the form of Ruth and Richard. We like going out with them because they are good fun and like a drink. :-)<br />
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So, I left work at 4pm, went to Yates's where I met the others. It was nice going to the pub straight from work and meeting the wife. We don't do it enough!<br />
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We went to the City Hall at 17:30 and had to queue behind all the old people who were also opting for hospitality. This was not a good sign. Firstly we had to wait to be taken to the dining room in a lift. No stairs option. I guess they don't want to risk broken hips!! Once we were at the table we were offered drinks and soon realised that the advertised 'half bottle of wine or 2 bottled beers each' was just a ploy to avoid getting piss-heads in, and that you can essentially drink what you like. Result! :-) Victoria and Ruth tucked into the red wine while Richard and I enjoyed a selection of beers. So far so good!<br />
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Then came the food!<br />
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The starter was a little uninspiring but not too bad. Goat's cheese tartlet with onion marmalade or something. Nice but nothing special. The main course was just strange. It was chicken with a red pepper sauce and a chorizo risotto. The sauce tasted to me more like a tomato sauce and the whole dish was just a bit wrong. It was also under seasoned I'm guessing to appeal to the the older diner. The dessert was OK but a but sickly. All in all we were not impressed with the food. Good job there was plenty of booze and the company was good.<br />
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After the meal we went into the auditorium for the main event. Jools Holland. He was as ever superb. His band was amazing and they all got to do a solo at some point in the performance. Seriously, if you like good music, even if you don't think Jools Holland would appeal to you, go and see him if you have the chance. He and his orchestra are amazing.<br />
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We all really enjoyed the night even though the food was below par. Good music and good company is obviously enough even with dodgy grub. We will probably go again next year but maybe we will eat elsewhere first.Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-48473294703167103772012-06-29T15:02:00.001+01:002012-06-30T10:28:23.645+01:00West Midlands Palace to Palace - 20th May 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I mentioned in my previous post, I had a 45 mile charity bike ride lined up for the 20th May. This was for the Prince's Trust and was called the <a href="http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/support_us/events/palace_to_palace.aspx">Palace to Palace</a> ride.<br />
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Essentially you start at Warwick Castle, cycle in a big loop for 45 miles and end up back at Warwick Castle, all for charity. Who could say no!!<br />
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I'm a big fan of being prepared for such things which is why I had been doing 40 mile rides around Derbyshire for weeks before the main event. The terrain near Warwick Castle looked rather flat compared to the Peak District so I should be fine.<br />
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The company I work for laid on a coach and bike transport so that all the riders from Sheffield could get down to Warwick on time, but this meant we had to meet at the office at 05:20am. An early start but what a fun ride into town with no traffic, only having to avoid the odd hardcore drunk that was still out and about from the previous evening.<br />
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We crammed the 16 bikes into the trailer that measured 8ft x 6ft x 4ft (literally crammed) and set off for Warwick. The coach was rather subdued, probably due to the early start. I took the opportunity to quaff a bottle of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00545CK9A/ref=asc_df_B00545CK9A8171841?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B00545CK9A">Beet It</a>! Concentrated beetroot juice that my brother promised me would increase my riding ability.<br />
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Once we arrived the bikes were reverse jig-sawed out of the trailer and various bits reattached. Brakes tested and tyre pressures checked and we were ready to go.<br />
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This is the first cycling event I have entered. I normally ride alone and the largest group I have ridden in is a massive 3! Well, if you can count McStreet as being in the group as he was so slow. ;-) Cycling with 700 other riders was going to be different to say the least, even if we were on staggered starts.<br />
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We were all released in batches of 30 or so. Gman, Chappers and a few others were in the group ahead which nicely presented a target. Most of the others from SDL were in my group, including Russ and Rich from Sheffield IT. There was a countdown and we were off.<br />
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Russ, Rich and I started at an excellent pace, breaking away from the rest of the group and forming our own mini peloton. We cracked on at about 20mph for the first 15 miles or so and then Russ started to pull away. He was like man possessed!!<br />
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Although Russ was ahead I still kept in touch with him and I settled in and started to really enjoy the ride. The countryside was stunning, the roads were pretty smooth, at least compared to Sheffield roads, and the route was what I would describe as rather flat, although others who had not been training in Derbyshire disagreed.<br />
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As I rode through the rather nice countryside I begin to notice the completely inappropriate bikes some people were riding. First of all, just before we set off, Gman had to apply an emergency splosh of oil to Chappers bike as it was so dirty and rusty that there were practically sparks flying out of the back as he rode along. This was not the only case of a badly maintained bike. There were some real old clunkers that made a terrible noise as they were ridden. I got the feeling that people didn't take a 45 mile bike ride as seriously as they should. The clunkers were not the only issues with bikes though. There were a lot of people riding full suspension mountain bikes. I don't even mean full carbon ultra light ones either I mean £79.99 from Halfords! The effort to drag these bikes round the route must have been immense!!!! Full respect to the riders if they finished on one of those!<br />
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Anyway, back to the ride.<br />
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There I was riding along at a fair old pace and really enjoying myself when Alison (one of our group) rode past me using her aero bars. Now Alison is not your normal rider. She's super fit and does things like swim to the Isle of Man to go to the festival instead of catching a ferry like most people, and cycles hundreds of miles at a much faster pace than I could ever manage. She's obviously made of Sheffield steel!! However, I knew that she had been cycling round France the week before and had covered hundreds of miles already so was probably slightly tired. Now's my chance I thought!<br />
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Alison was not riding much faster than I was so I upped my pace, the plan being to overtake her even if only briefly. I pulled out to the right to make my glorious move, got halfway past her when she swerved right and knocked us both off at about 22mph.<br />
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OUCH!!!! That really hurt!!!<br />
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What actually happened was that there was a water stop on the right that she wanted to turn into it and didn't know I was there. The stop was not well signposted and I didn't have a clue that it was there or I would obviously not even think of overtaking at that point. I felt a right plum I can tell you!<br />
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I seemed to end up with my bike lying on top of me. Not sure how that happened but it saved the frame from getting scratched too badly (silver linings?). My rear brake was knocked against my rear wheel and my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/7281111904/in/photostream">bartape on my nice new six week old bike was scraped all over the road</a> but apart from that the bike was fine.<br />
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I however came of a bit worse. My<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/7260506246/in/photostream/"> knee was badly grazed and cut</a>, my elbow was bruised and grazed and I had somehow managed to punch myself in the face when I landed and so was sporting <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/7260506136/in/photostream/">a lovely black eye</a>. Not a good look.<br />
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Luckily the people at the water station patched Alison and I up and fixed our bikes and we were off again. It took a while to get going as we had cooled down but after about 15 minutes I was back in the game.<br />
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The rest of the ride was rather uneventful which was a good thing. By the end my back was aching and my newly bandaged knee was beginning to set solid, kept loose only by my constant pedaling, but apart from that I felt good.<br />
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As I arrived back at Warwick Castle I was guided through the carpark and onto a finishing straight with people applauding and cheering which made me smile. Once over the finish line I was given my medal and sent off to the food tents for my free lunch. I met up with the others in my group who had already finished due to not having take a tumble and listened to the rumours of my accident that had Chinese whispered their way from me falling off to me being carried off in an ambulance!<br />
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This was a great ride.Apart from the crash that is. I managed to keep to an average of 15.5 mph which meant I finished in under 3 hours which I was very pleased about, and to top it all off we got a medal at the end.<br />
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Well done to everyone who finished. Many of the riders were totally unprepared and therefore had to dig deep to complete the course, and some knew how hard it was going to be and knew that they were under-prepared but turned up on the day and got to the end. Nice one!!<br />
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There is another Palace 2 Palace in October. This one is in the center of London and goes from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle. I'm going to be signing up for that one too. Who's with me?<br />
<br />Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-17767506195559786122012-04-18T06:53:00.000+01:002012-04-18T06:53:56.087+01:00Cycling<a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5316/7052855367_fbe3a1200a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5316/7052855367_fbe3a1200a.jpg" width="320" /></a>A few years ago I started running as a way of getting fitter. I really got into it and was enjoying it when I suddenly started getting blurred vision and crippling headaches after a run. As my regular reader will remember, I went to the doctor who then referred me to the hospital which turned out to me the<a href="http://www.briddon.com/2010/10/this-morning-i-nearly-shat-myself.html"> scariest day of my life</a>!<br />
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Anyway, after discovering that I had a tendency for exercise induced migraines I decided that a new sport was required. One that did not trigger my new found disability.<br />
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Last April the company I work for launched a Cycle 2 Work scheme and I decided to give it a try. I would get a bike and cycle to work each day.<br />
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I signed up and discovered that I had to get a bike from Halfords which didn't please me initially. I saw Halfords as the PC world of cycling. Over priced crap sold my idiots with no product knowledge. I have to say however that I was completely wrong, and although I think their branches vary in staff quality, the <a href="http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/storelocator_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_langId_-1_spid_1#">Queens Road branch in Sheffield</a> has been utterly brilliant.<br />
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So, after speaking to the nice folks in Halfords I decide on a <a href="http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_777849_langId_-1_categoryId_165534">Boardman Hybrid Comp</a>. It looked cool and was (apparently) exactly what I needed. I also got kitted out with a helmet, jacket, lights etc.<br />
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I collected the bike a few days later and was very excited. However, I had not ridden a bike since, er, I can't actually remember. I must have been about 15 or something. When I first went for a little ride I discovered that it was true that you never forget how to ride a bike once you learn but it is also something that is not as easy as it used to be when you were a kid. I was feeling more than a little wobbly and at first I was having difficulties telling my brain to turn the handlebars to go round a corner when I was doing anything more than 10mph!<br />
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The other thing was quite how difficult it is when you start. I thought that as I have been running and my legs are strong I'd be fine but I was wrong. How did I know there was another set of muscles in your legs that are used when riding a bike that had hitherto been left dormant!<br />
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Still, with a little practice the wobbles vanished and my legs got stronger. Riding in heavy traffic was not as scary as I thought it would be either. You just have to be constantly alert, and I have been riding to work since last April.<br />
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So its been just over a year since I started cycling. Am I enjoying it? Do I get the headaches?<br />
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Well the headaches have mostly gone. I still get the odd one and a bit of blurred vision but they are so few and far between that it's not an issue, and I've mostly learned to spot when one is about to occur and to slow right down.<br />
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Apart from that my cycling has gone from strength to strength. I ride to work in all weathers apart when there is ice about due to me falling off last December on black ice which REALLY hurt! I also go out at weekends and do 30 or 40 miles around Derbyshire and I have even started following all forms of cycling on the TV so I have discovered a fantastic new sport to watch too which is great!<br />
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In short I am totally hooked! I love it!<br />
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A couple of weeks ago I received this years Cycle 2 Work scheme email from work and decided that a road bike was in order. My hybrid is brilliant for getting to work and back but I wanted something a bit more sporty for the weekends. Luckily the Cycle 2 Work scheme put an upper price limit of £1000 on what you can buy or I would probably be riding something similar to <a href="http://www.markcavendish.co.uk/">Mark Cavendish</a> knowing myself as I do. This allowed me to buy <a href="http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_789209_langId_-1_categoryId_165710">this bad boy</a>! I shopped around and decided to go for another Boardman. The spec was excellent for the price and as I said earlier, Halfords on Queens Road Sheffield were brilliant at fixing any issues I've had for 12 months so I was happy to buy from them again.<br />
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When I collected my new bike it was unfortunately snowing (in April!) so I couldn't ride it for a few days. When I did manage to take it for a spin round the block it brought back memories of a year ago. The riding position and the dimensions of the bike are so different to my hybrid that I felt wobbly and weak again! It didn't take long to get used to the new bike though and I am so pleased with it. It's so much lighter, stiffer and faster than the hybrid. Amazing!!!<br />
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So that's how I got into cycling. I have a 45 mile charity ride coming up in May which will be fun. Feel free to sponsor me <a href="http://my.artezglobal.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=388582#.T32h-cG3S4s.facebook">here</a>. I'll be the one beating the riders from our Maidenhead office. :-)<br />
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Also, being a geek, there had to be some sort if IT angle. I've tracked all my riding with an app on my phone called Runkeeper. You can see the results <a href="http://runkeeper.com/user/cbriddon/profile?goalId=activityTotals">here</a>. I'm swapping over to using Garmin Connect though so Runkeeper won't be updated for much longer.<br />
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You can also see some lovely photos of my new bike <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/sets/72157629393883304/">here</a>. Isn't it nice. :-)<br />
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Finally, I can't recommend you give cycling a go highly enough. It's great whether you go once a week for a gentle ride in the park or every day to commute. It's great fun and great exercise.Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-52423633967917672862012-03-02T10:27:00.000+00:002012-04-18T06:59:29.259+01:00Driving Experience - Staffordshire Activity Centre - 8th February 2012<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7068/6856636577_a6f99f7dc9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7068/6856636577_a6f99f7dc9.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">My step father, David, is a very generous man. This generosity lead him to kindly purchase a driving experience for himself, my brother and I when he saw a good offer on Groupon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The offer said that we had the choice of driving two out of three cars, the three cars being a Ferrari F360, and Audi R8 and a Porsche 911. Obviously 911's are plebs cars so we all chose the Ferrari and the Audi and the event was booked for February 8th.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My brother picked us up in his nice shiny new Porsche Cayenne which was nice, and meant we flew over to the <a href="http://www.drivingexperiences.com/stafford">Staffordshire Activity Centre</a> in comfort and in no time at all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When we arrived we registered and had a coffee while watching the cars and waiting for out turn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There were quite a few nice motors there. A <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/6856634483/in/set-72157629271058141">Ferrari F360 Coupe</a> and an<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/6856636577/in/set-72157629271058141/"> F360 Spider</a>. An <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/6856643163/in/set-72157629271058141/">Audi R8</a>, a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/6856635745/in/set-72157629271058141">Lamborghini Gallardo</a>, an Aston Martin DB9, a Mitsubishi Evo, a Subaro Impreza Turbo and a Lotus Exige that was being used to take people for a ride round the circuit driven by an instructor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We waited for about 30 minutes before it was our turn in the Ferrari F360 Spider.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Ferrari was the car we were all looking forward to driving the most, but what struck us all as we climbed in was just how dated it looked inside. Still, it's a Ferrari so who cares. :-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Problem number 2 was that the brake and the accelerator were VERY close together and there was so little room for my right foot that I was having to press the accelerator with the side of my foot to stop me pressing the brake as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Not to worry though. Off we went. The instructor and I onto the track.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was worried that the instructor would be telling us to be careful but no. His constant shouts of "Don't change up yet" and "You're braking too early" were encouraging you to go faster each lap. This added up to a great deal of fun on the 6 laps of the track in the Ferrari.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Apart from the pedal issue the car was amazing. So fast and responsive. Sticking to the road like it was on rails. In a word stunning. My brother and David both thought the same.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next was the Audi R8. I didn't think it would be anywhere near as much fun as the Ferrari to be honest but as soon as I sat inside and saw the modern interior and the far superior driving position and pedal arrangement I started to change my mind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Setting off with a different instructor who thankfully still yelled go faster encouragement at me, I was immediately at home in the Audi, much more so than the Ferrari. This meant that I could enjoy the car straight away and therefore have more fun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Audi was also stunning, although in a different, more accessible way than the Ferrari, and once again I had 6 laps of great fun. At the end of it we all agreed that the R8 was better to drive and given the choice would be the car we all went for were we 'in the market' so to speak. A conclusion none of us were expecting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once we had all driven the Audi our driving experience was over and it was time to head back towards Sheffield, stopping at <a href="http://www.rowleysrestaurant.co.uk/">Rowleys</a> for a spot of lunch.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">What a great day out. Cheers Dave. :-)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pictures are available <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/sets/72157629271058141/with/6856635745/">here</a>.</span>Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-53766273034042602952012-02-18T07:35:00.003+00:002012-02-18T07:50:12.179+00:00Amelia's 4th Birthday<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6846270981_51ea31702a.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 333px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6846270981_51ea31702a.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Amelia was 4 on the 27th January, which means that this post is following my recent trend of being a couple of weeks late. :-)<div><br /></div><div>We can't believe Amelia is 4 already. In what seems like no time at all has gone from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/2223135023/in/set-72157603809339064">this </a>to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/6846258425/in/set-72157629243987341">this</a>. What a little cutie!</div><div><br /></div><div>Amelia got the usual haul of pink plastic crap as presents but she seemed happy which is the main thing. She then had a party a few days later at the <a href="http://www.theplayarena.com/">The Play Arena</a>, one of those horrible places where kids can run around and play on huge padded climbing frames and slides and parents sit drinking coffee praying for an end to the pain. Once again, Amelia and all her little friends enjoyed it in spite of the incredible noise.</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy birthday Amelia you sweet little monkey!</div><div><br /></div><div>Pictures are available <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/sets/72157629243987341/with/6846258425/">here</a>.</div>Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-16399837418253000812012-01-29T08:57:00.006+00:002012-02-09T06:41:49.438+00:00Christmas and New Year 2011<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7014/6780932689_422d6e97b8.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 333px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7014/6780932689_422d6e97b8.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>OK, so it was a month ago, but I'm a busy man and I've only just had time to upload the photo's of Christmas day I took!<br /><br />This Christmas we did exactly the same as we did last year. There was just the four of us and we stayed at home. Perfect!<br /><br />The kids were extremely excited on Christmas eve as you can imagine, but they still went to sleep very quickly and didn't wake up too early. About 6am I seem to remember which is good enough!<br /><br />We got up and opened our pressies. The kids got the usual impressive haul. Victoria got me a Kindle which was a very pleasent surprise as we had agreed to not bother buying for each other. Good job I had ignored her as well. :-)<br /><br />After we had opened our presents we got dressed, the kids played and Victoria prepared lunch with her usual military precision. The preperation as usual included a gap at about 12:30 during which we could all take a trip to the Castle.<br /><br />Lunch was fantastic. The turkey was cooked using the 'Nigella' method of brining it for 24 hours and then only cooking it for 2.5 hours. Perfectly cooked and very moist and tender. It was accompanied by the usual selection of veg and side dishes, all very tasty and also perfectly cooked.<br /><br />After lunch the kids decided we needed to watch the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0345950/">Spongebob Movie</a> we had bought them. We were not too keen to be honest but we are all Spongebob fans so we put it on anyway. Strangely enough it was the perfect Christmas afternoon movie. Funny, exciting and most importantly happy. It even had a cameo from David Hasselhoff! Recommended!<br /><br />After that the kids went to bed and we stayed up and watched Doctor Who.<br /><br />All in all a great Christmas day.<br /><br />Boxing day we were VERY lazy. We just watched TV in our pyjamas and ate leftovers. We didn't even get dressed. How decadent. :-)<br /><br />New Years eve we stayed in as we always have since having kids. Some friends came round with their kids and while they played we all drank beers and wine and chatted the evening away. A very nice way to spend New Years Eve.<br /><br />So, a good Christmas all round for the Briddons. Pictures can be found <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/sets/72157629079105279/">here</a>.<br /><br />Happy (belated) new year every one.Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-66401813584270147352012-01-11T08:28:00.005+00:002012-01-11T08:39:37.113+00:00Itchy ChinsMyself and some work collegues are taking the popular concept of Movember and extending it through to Janu-Hairy. This actually means that we are not shaving for the whole of January while at the same time asking people to sponsor us in aid of Prostate cancer.<br /><br />Today is the 11th of January and I have an extremely itchy chin. I also only have £45 worth of sponsorship and I want to raise at least £200 for going through this living hell!<br /><br />Seriously, not shaving is driving me mad. It's actually more difficult than I thought it would be so I deserve your donations!<br /><br />You can donate by clicking the link below : <br /><br /><a href="http://www.justgiving.com/Christian-Briddon">http://www.justgiving.com/Christian-Briddon</a><br /><br />Go on!! You know you want to!! :-)Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-77847736296831475462011-11-17T07:59:00.007+00:002011-11-17T08:20:36.302+00:00Briddon Birthdays<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/6340154916/sizes/l/in/set-72157628116812750/" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhx6EkfmrXlTt_LmjeA_PyGuVWFQW3ikNvyTJKD1Ot65pmkssj6FjtY9bblJIN2-Cxyd7He6INh4xl80Nv6UUcs2qhfy0HJGoLf6kbWFYtUHeRlf6ZN3FCq9Bz7IeGwpzpzQcJA/s320/6340154916_7aa17b7a8c.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675876021305991618" /></a><div>Last Saturday was my birthday. I was 42 which is the answer to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42_(number)">the ultimate question of life the universe and everything </a>so I am expecting great things from the next 12 months.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>I had a nice birthday. I watched qualifying for the Abu Dabi Grand Prix, then I played a bit of Modern Warfare 3, then I played a bit of F1 2011. Once my gaming was over I ordered a load of winter clothing from Wiggle using the vouchers my family had bought me so that I could cycle in to work warm and cosy. </div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>In the evening Victoria cooked us homemade fish and chips and an amazing but super unhealthy ice cream cake with a cheesecake style base and caramel on the top. Really nice.</div><div> </div><div>On Sunday we went to my mums where I drank too much wine and I took the Monday off work to give me a nice long weekend. It was all good.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>More importantly though on the 1st November it was Alice's birthday. She was 7!!!! Where the hell did all that time go? I can't believe it's been 7 years since she went from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/50554233/in/set-1097053">this </a>to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/6339387189/in/set-72157628116812750/">this</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Alice decided on a bowling party for her birthday. We went to Hollywood bowl and they had cake, lunch and did lots of bowling. Amazingly enough <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/6339402713/in/set-72157628116812750">Amelia won</a>!!</div><div><br /></div><div>We both really enjoyed our birthdays, and it's nice that they are both so close. Let's not rush to get to any more though OK. :-)</div><div><br /></div><div>Pictures of Alice's birthday are available <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/sets/72157628116812750/with/6339402713/">here</a>. Please excuse the fact that Alice seems incapable of keeping her eyes open when having her picture taken. :-)</div>Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-22924077284907914762011-08-30T17:43:00.011+01:002011-09-06T15:24:55.504+01:00Silverstone Single Seater Driving Experience - 29th August 2011<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLWkgv6hJf8qSCnogVvRRbc33AV7ytoGG0EuGiNldbuCUInhtkOR9mBkVozSPrZAgDrKRvu5ROZxMYERtFrQhuf7kFjg6hcg-Icyyh7WMiLN0EBKzQGDICwEvyGK06LKc6eAJEA/s1600/6094194566_725e72d7be_b.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLWkgv6hJf8qSCnogVvRRbc33AV7ytoGG0EuGiNldbuCUInhtkOR9mBkVozSPrZAgDrKRvu5ROZxMYERtFrQhuf7kFjg6hcg-Icyyh7WMiLN0EBKzQGDICwEvyGK06LKc6eAJEA/s320/6094194566_725e72d7be_b.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649252411819691810" /></a>As you know, I love motorsport. You probably also know that the motorsport that I love the most is Formula One. It is for this reason that my lovely wife Victoria decided in her infinite wisdom to buy me a Silverstone Single Seater Driving Experience for Christmas last year. The weather got a bit better so I finally booked my experience a few months ago for the 29th August. <div><br /></div><div>Victoria knows me well. She knows that any driving experience bought for me would have to be as close to F1 as possible. It's OK driving a Ferrari or an Aston Martin but no matter how fast they are they are still road cars and therefore sanitized to allow people to drive them safely. She also knew that we both consider Silverstone to be our own personal racetrack so as great as Donnington is, Silverstone is where I would want to be.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had to be at Silverstone for 07:45. As we were driving in we were excitedly explaining what everything was to Alice and Amelia and they listened but I don't think they were particularly bothered. We were though. We love Silverstone and get excited whenever we drive past let alone actually go there.</div><div><br /></div><div>We arrived and headed to the middle of the track to the experience centre. I went to reception and was signed in and nearly made a big mistake. I was offered £10 insurance cover in case I prang the £100,000 car I was driving as otherwise I would have to pay £50-100 of the damage myself. Pah! I'll take the chance I thought and said no. Victoria then piped up and said I was mad. I then realised that I mis-heard and would have to pay £15 hundred towards the damage. I paid the £10!</div><div><br /></div><div>First of all we had a drivers briefing. All those driving sat in a room while a Silverstone instructor was arrogant and patronising towards us all. Still, I resisted the urge to call him a cock and instead listened to him talk about racing lines, breaking points and the 110mph smash that someone had the day before because they were being stupid. Once this was over it was finally time to drive!</div><div><br /></div><div>We walked over to the pits and were all given helmets. We there then allocated cars and were strapped in by they instructors. Then we were told what the various controls were and how to start the engine (a switch AND a button! Very cool).</div><div><br /></div><div>At last it was time to drive.</div><div><br /></div><div>The cars were were driving were specifically built for Silverstone and are actually called 'Formula Silverstone' cars. They are 1.6l open wheeled single seater's that have no ABS, no traction control and no synchromesh on the gearbox. This meant that is was a bit tricky to get the car into gear at first but I soon got the hang of it. They are 'proper' racing cars. None of that road car nonsense!</div><div><br /></div><div>They also had a very sharp clutch with is why I managed to Kangaroo the car down the pit-lane when I first set off. The liberal application of 4000 revs soon fixed that though.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once I got going we had 2 laps behind a couple of pace cars, mainly to make sure we all got used to handling the cars while driving at a reasonable rate rather than slamming the accelerator to the floor and immediately putting it into the wall. A good idea indeed. Once the initial 'slow' laps were done the pace cars pulled into the pits and it was time for some fun!</div><div><br /></div><div>The cars were so amazingly fast. I can't tell you how fast as there was no speedometer but they felt fast, and when accelerating you were really pushed back into your seat. The most incredible part though was how fast you could go round corners. These things really stick to the road like glue and my neck was aching by the time we had finished.</div><div><br /></div><div>My lap times were improving as the session progressed which was good. I started by doing a lap in 1:28 and at the end I was doing it in 1:09. There was one annoying point where I was being overtaken by a faster car. I pulled to the right to let it past and four cars behind him took the opportunity to overtake me too as I wasn't fast enough to get back on the racing line. DOH!! Apart from that it was all good.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sadly the session was over far too quickly. The chequered flag was waved and we all peeled into the pits. What a great experience though. I'd recommend it to anyone. I was giddy for the rest of the day and really want to do some more race driving as soon as possible.</div><div><br /></div><div>Victoria took loads of pics while I was driving, the best of which are <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/sets/72157627548405516/">here</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thank you for such a great present.</div>Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-28700408040983213372011-08-26T16:43:00.004+01:002011-08-26T17:21:08.237+01:00Legoland - 11th and 12th August 2011<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7n73DVJPL2ZFZyAnijDjcML20QzmOyBk1Gan2mmz6sQUbcDQpMcEkUrT5L_NLPVi257ZCAjp8kh8HQCfoXGhsZRZ6py_xlOrZag-u3vMeTbMGZl5owHaag50dTv-_5pA0CQW-WA/s1600/6056502610_beb66b2840_m.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7n73DVJPL2ZFZyAnijDjcML20QzmOyBk1Gan2mmz6sQUbcDQpMcEkUrT5L_NLPVi257ZCAjp8kh8HQCfoXGhsZRZ6py_xlOrZag-u3vMeTbMGZl5owHaag50dTv-_5pA0CQW-WA/s320/6056502610_beb66b2840_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645198773725722578" /></a>OK, so once again my post is about 2 weeks late, and I can't really say I've been busy as I've just had 2 weeks off, but children take a lot of looking after and there was a lot of SpongeBob to watch!<div>
<br /></div><div>Anyway, 2 weeks ago we took the kids to <a href="http://www.legoland.co.uk/">Legoland </a>in Windsor. I have to admit that this was partly because Victoria and I wanted to go but it was for the kids too. :-)</div><div>
<br /></div><div>We left Sheffield on the morning of the 11th and headed straight for the park. We had a 2 day pass and wanted to make use of both days so we went straight there.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>What a great place! We were all really impressed. The staff were all really friendly and seemed to be happy in their work. The park is big enough not to feel totally packed with people and the rides mostly have an interactive aspect to them which makes them much more fun.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>The first place we headed to was the driving school. Alice has seen this on the Legoland website and was very excited about earning her Legoland driving licence. There was a section for under fives and a section for 6-13 year olds. I have to admit that I didn't think that <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/6055865513/in/set-72157627338851019">Amelia</a> would have a clue about what to do driving a car but she was great. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/6055880315/in/set-72157627338851019">Alice </a>too was brilliant, stopping at red lights and junctions. The only bad part of the ride was that the driving licence cost £6 each!! I think not! At the end of the rides you got a blank licence which you then paid £6 to have a picture put on it and have it laminated. I brought the licences home and did that myself. :-)</div><div>
<br /></div><div>OK, so that was a bit tight but considering we had paid for the park and the hotel already I was spending a massive amount of money on food and sundries. For example, Alice wanted burgers for lunch from the Legoland own brand McDonald's/BK stand and 2 <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/6055886167/in/set-72157627338851019">burgers </a>and 2 chicken nuggets came to £25!! Crazy!</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Over the 2 days we were there we managed to have a go on most rides. All were a success apart from the Pirate Ship which scared the shit out of both the kids. We only took them on it because they insisted and neither of them enjoyed it. Strangely enough though they loved the rollercoaster which I would have thought would have scared them more. Personally I think the new Atlantis ride was the best. You ride on a Lego submarine and get to see lots of live fish and sharks. This was one of the few rides we had to actually queue for but it was worth it.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>At the end of each day we exited through the shop and bought some Lego. We like the kids having Lego as we like to play with it with them, which as all parents know is a big bonus when you think of the hours playing with some of the crap they have.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>The hotel we stayed in was the <a href="http://www.hilton.co.uk/HiWayWeb/portals/hotel.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=hotel_home_standard&ctyhocn=BRASATW">Hilton St Anne's Manor </a>in Bracknell. We were just as impressed with the hotel as we were with Legoland. The staff were all very friendly and seemed to enjoy being at work. There was a colouring area for the kids, a Nintendo Wii for them to play on and the food was excellent. The bar was a bit expensive but this is a Hilton so what can you expect. At least when I ordered my 16year old Lagavulin the Spanish girl behind the bar explained how it was her favourite whisky and after pouring in a single measure she added at least another half measure as a little bonus. Now that's what I call service.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>All in all a great couple of days away. If you have kids I'd highly recommend going. It's a bit expensive but what isn't these days? If you go to the <a href="http://www.legoland.co.uk/Book/">Legoland </a>website you can get some great deals on the hotel and park if you buy them both together.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Pictures can be found <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/sets/72157627338851019/">here</a>.</div>Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-70668931214910647912011-07-24T08:17:00.004+01:002011-07-24T08:22:10.592+01:00RIP Amy Winehouse<div>Amy Winehouse died yesterday. This makes me sad.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>I remember seeing her when she was just starting out on T4 and thinking how good she was. I went out and bought her first album the next day.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>I know she had her issues and had been sporting the 'tottering goth poodle' look for a few years but that doesn't change the fact that she was incredibly talented.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>RIP Amy Winehouse. :-(</div>Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-10782812562512194022011-07-22T14:53:00.006+01:002011-07-22T15:48:42.130+01:00British Grand Prix - 8th, 9th and 10th July 2011<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWSTpnoqAXrHU677Ud5-nWq4x4R077O-zAz0gxv7WgMj4QK99jSLzM0SnQ3sUIBUMiJkHYcQMNo7zIsxvW7YJjwWn38RDY0IOJUE_XWaOdICHLMvwrlQKKfooy1j7WaYYjQfx3w/s1600/Hamilton.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWSTpnoqAXrHU677Ud5-nWq4x4R077O-zAz0gxv7WgMj4QK99jSLzM0SnQ3sUIBUMiJkHYcQMNo7zIsxvW7YJjwWn38RDY0IOJUE_XWaOdICHLMvwrlQKKfooy1j7WaYYjQfx3w/s320/Hamilton.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632187561442611058" /></a><div>OK, so it was 2 weeks ago but its hard to find time to write posts at the moment. :-)</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>After missing last years British Grand Prix due to buying a house and the following lack of funds, Victoria and I were determined to go this year. In fact we were so grumpy last year about missing out that we ordered the tickets straight after qualifying last year, a year in advance! </div><div><br /></div><div>How about that for pre-planning.</div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div>Our tickets were on the new Internationl Pit Straight. The start line has been moved from the traditional place to the other side of the circuit to allow more room for the teams and to allow the building of a MASSIVE pit complex. It really is impressive as you can see <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/5950626083/in/set-72157627224555146">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>When we normally go to the Grand Prix we like our tickets for race day to be at the front of the grid and we were slightly dissappointed to find we were nearer the back this year. Not a problem though when we found that we were right opposite the podium and the finish line and could see right down to Stowe, Vale and Club. What great seats!</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>We were staying in the Ibis hotel just off the M1 junction 18. The hotel was great and all the staff were Spanish for some reason. Not what you would expect in the middle of England. They were very polite and efficient apart from when one girl didn't know what a gin and tonic was. Very strange. The hotel was clean and modern and the food was excellent which is all you really need.</div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div>We went down on the Thursday this year. We would normally set off early Friday and head straight to the circuit but we were sick of missing the beginning of first practice so we went mad and had an extra night away.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>Friday was practice 1 and 2 and the first time we had seen the new circuit and pit buildings. What an improvement! The place looked much more modern and up to date and as I said our seats were great. </div><div><br /></div><div>We watched practice 1 from the pit straight and had <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/5951138662/in/set-72157627224419836">Kobiyashi crash right in front of us</a> which was nice of him. It was also great when Alonso spun his car and 90,000 fans cheered. We watched practice 2 from Woodcote which meant we could see <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/5951147804/in/set-72157627224419836">the cars coming down the Wellington straight in the wet </a>which was very impressive.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>Saturday was practice 2 and qualifying. We got up at 5am (!) and left for the curcuit as soon as we were ready. As we always say, we'd rather be sat at the circuit rather than being stuck in the car in a massive queue of traffic. When we got there we bought hot chocolate and fresh doughnuts and went and sat in a stand. Yummy. We watched practice 2 from the pit straight again and qualifying from Luffield which was great as we saw <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/5950651717/in/set-72157627224555146">Alonso go off-roading</a> during Q1. More cheers! Unfortunately Lewis Hamilton only qualified 10th which was not too good.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>Sunday was race day which meant another 5am start. We essentially spent the whole of Sunday sat in our seats watching the various races and goings on that accompany a Grand Prix. GP3 races, GP2 races, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/5951314858/in/set-72157627225045946">celeb spotting</a> on the grid and finally the race.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>The race was great even though Alonso won which is not something you want to pay hundreds of pounds to see. At least it wasn't Vettel! Hamilton drove like a man possessed and was up to second at one point before his team told him he was short fueled and if he didn't slow down he would not finish! DOH!</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>Apart from that it was a great race, as usual at Silverstone, and a fantastic weekend in general. It was nice to get back to the kids though. We really miss them when we are away for a few days.</div><div> </div><div>I've said this before and I'll say it again. Even if you only have a passing interest in motorsport you really should attend a Grand Prix at least once in your life, and what better race than the British Grand Prix. You can join a hundred thousand Mclaren fans in cheering on Lewis and Jenson.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>Pictures of the weekend are <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/collections/72157627100680573/">here</a>. Beware! They are very heavily bias towards pictures of cars which while obvious to most people seems to have confused my brother. :-)</div>Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-77166163294444218702011-06-20T10:18:00.005+01:002011-06-20T10:31:58.798+01:00R.I.P Clarence Clemons<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FYfVz-w32Os" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /><br />Clarence Clemons died yesterday. For those that don't know who he is he was the sax player with Bruce Springsteen's E-Street band.<br /><br />Clarence Clemons is widely regarded as the best rock saxophonist ever and he has played with too many people to list, his more recent and sadly last contribution was playing on the new Lady Gaga album.<br /><br />I saw him play 4 times with the E Street band and its sad to think that should I ever be fortunate enough to see Springsteen play live again it will be without the most recognisable member of his band. He has helped provide the soundtrack to my life since I was 16 years old and first started listening to Springsteen, making such songs as Kitty's Back, Tenth Avenue Freeze Out, Born to Run, Jungleland and hundreds more just sound so damn good.<br /><br />Even if you are not a fan of Bruce Springsteen I suggest you check out Clarence Clemons. You can start with the video above and listen to his Jungleland solo.<br /><br />Rest in Peace Clarence. :-(Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-74071636673110724832011-05-15T15:33:00.001+01:002011-05-15T15:33:20.066+01:00@cbriddon just tweeted :<table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;'> <tr> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;line-height: 1.4;'> Lunchtime soon. :-) </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="border-bottom: 1px solid #333333;"> <br/> <br/> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 4px;"> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;'> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 36px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;", width = "45px"> <a style ="font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Georgia, san-serif; color: #333333; text-decoration: none", href= "http://ifttt.com"> <img alt="ifttt" src="http://ifttt.com/images/logo_email.png" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </td> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;'> puts the internet to work for you. </td> <td align="right" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;"> via <a style ="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #0059f6; text-decoration: underline", href= "http://ifttt.com/tasks/20045">task 20045</a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <img src="http://u11142.sendgrid.org/wf/open?rp=bxDdoKIKF%2BbSVSBAeFqAFv989vsD5OwErPPjdFUF7q6ool0NMe4tjQeuXV3OemBCgnXEw5aGLa7Vc9uOfO6PFg%3D%3D&u=-rdq-_kNSCSdpMv1eII1Kw%2Foo0.gif" alt=""> Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-88600822824432961322011-05-14T22:51:00.001+01:002011-05-14T22:51:29.499+01:00@cbriddon just tweeted:<table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;'> <tr> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;line-height: 1.4;'> Why are people giving Jedwood 12 points? Are they mad? #Eurovision </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="border-bottom: 1px solid #333333;"> <br/> <br/> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 4px;"> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;'> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 36px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;", width = "45px"> <a style ="font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Georgia, san-serif; color: #333333; text-decoration: none", href= "http://ifttt.com"> <img alt="ifttt" src="http://ifttt.com/images/logo_email.png" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </td> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;'> puts the internet to work for you. </td> <td align="right" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;"> via <a style ="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #0059f6; text-decoration: underline", href= "http://ifttt.com/tasks/18757">task 18757</a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <img src="http://u11142.sendgrid.org/wf/open?rp=bxDdoKIKF%2BbSVSBAeFqAFv989vsD5OwErPPjdFUF7q6ool0NMe4tjQeuXV3OemBCgnXEw5aGLa7Vc9uOfO6PFg%3D%3D&u=B3wNfY8ITmSQGFfx8JGsoA%2Foo0.gif" alt=""> Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-68075853940892268442011-05-14T21:36:00.003+01:002011-05-14T21:36:31.086+01:00@cbriddon just tweeted:<table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;'> <tr> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;line-height: 1.4;'> Moldova FTW. They rock. Great hats. </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="border-bottom: 1px solid #333333;"> <br/> <br/> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 4px;"> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;'> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 36px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;", width = "45px"> <a style ="font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Georgia, san-serif; color: #333333; text-decoration: none", href= "http://ifttt.com"> <img alt="ifttt" src="http://ifttt.com/images/logo_email.png" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </td> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;'> puts the internet to work for you. </td> <td align="right" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;"> via <a style ="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #0059f6; text-decoration: underline", href= "http://ifttt.com/tasks/18757">task 18757</a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <img src="http://u11142.sendgrid.org/wf/open?rp=bxDdoKIKF%2BbSVSBAeFqAFv989vsD5OwErPPjdFUF7q6ool0NMe4tjQeuXV3OemBCgnXEw5aGLa7Vc9uOfO6PFg%3D%3D&u=exMptuz7SDOAZ599BV9mww%2Foo0.gif" alt=""> Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-63481626451960726212011-05-14T21:36:00.001+01:002011-05-14T21:36:30.764+01:00@cbriddon just tweeted:<table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;'> <tr> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;line-height: 1.4;'> Watching Blue on Eurovision means you are actually watching the death of their careers. :-) </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="border-bottom: 1px solid #333333;"> <br/> <br/> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 4px;"> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;'> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 36px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;", width = "45px"> <a style ="font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Georgia, san-serif; color: #333333; text-decoration: none", href= "http://ifttt.com"> <img alt="ifttt" src="http://ifttt.com/images/logo_email.png" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </td> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;'> puts the internet to work for you. </td> <td align="right" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;"> via <a style ="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #0059f6; text-decoration: underline", href= "http://ifttt.com/tasks/18757">task 18757</a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <img src="http://u11142.sendgrid.org/wf/open?rp=bxDdoKIKF%2BbSVSBAeFqAFv989vsD5OwErPPjdFUF7q6ool0NMe4tjQeuXV3OemBCgnXEw5aGLa7Vc9uOfO6PFg%3D%3D&u=e3IfhJmQQDmS8S2zgINDMg%2Foo0.gif" alt=""> Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-58115609683098376692011-05-14T17:21:00.001+01:002011-05-14T17:21:30.346+01:00@cbriddon just tweeted:<table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;'> <tr> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;line-height: 1.4;'> Forced by Victoria to watch Eurovision tonight. Not good. Just printed out scoresheets. Might end it all before it starts. </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="border-bottom: 1px solid #333333;"> <br/> <br/> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 4px;"> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;'> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 36px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;", width = "45px"> <a style ="font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Georgia, san-serif; color: #333333; text-decoration: none", href= "http://ifttt.com"> <img alt="ifttt" src="http://ifttt.com/images/logo_email.png" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </td> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;'> puts the internet to work for you. </td> <td align="right" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;"> via <a style ="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #0059f6; text-decoration: underline", href= "http://ifttt.com/tasks/18757">task 18757</a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <img src="http://u11142.sendgrid.org/wf/open?rp=bxDdoKIKF%2BbSVSBAeFqAFv989vsD5OwErPPjdFUF7q6ool0NMe4tjQeuXV3OemBCgnXEw5aGLa7Vc9uOfO6PFg%3D%3D&u=mgAKzhIJQR6Tnq1OKVXwgw%2Foo0.gif" alt=""> Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-8213366494953939512011-05-14T10:51:00.001+01:002011-05-14T10:51:29.536+01:00@cbriddon just tweeted:<table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;'> <tr> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;line-height: 1.4;'> Just finished Portal 2. Stunning game. Nice to see SDL in the credits too. </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="border-bottom: 1px solid #333333;"> <br/> <br/> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 4px;"> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;'> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 36px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;", width = "45px"> <a style ="font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Georgia, san-serif; color: #333333; text-decoration: none", href= "http://ifttt.com"> <img alt="ifttt" src="http://ifttt.com/images/logo_email.png" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </td> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;'> puts the internet to work for you. </td> <td align="right" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;"> via <a style ="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #0059f6; text-decoration: underline", href= "http://ifttt.com/tasks/18757">task 18757</a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <img src="http://u11142.sendgrid.org/wf/open?rp=bxDdoKIKF%2BbSVSBAeFqAFv989vsD5OwErPPjdFUF7q6ool0NMe4tjQeuXV3OemBCgnXEw5aGLa7Vc9uOfO6PFg%3D%3D&u=4bjCyRrVTaKZVeJJw-bwsA%2Foo0.gif" alt=""> Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-11441578219696292812011-05-13T21:36:00.001+01:002011-05-13T21:36:30.199+01:00@cbriddon just tweeted:<table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;'> <tr> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;line-height: 1.4;'> Lol. New imacs have a propriatory SATA cable to stop you upgrading the hard drive. Good old Apple. What a bunch of gits! </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="border-bottom: 1px solid #333333;"> <br/> <br/> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 4px;"> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;'> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 36px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;", width = "45px"> <a style ="font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Georgia, san-serif; color: #333333; text-decoration: none", href= "http://ifttt.com"> <img alt="ifttt" src="http://ifttt.com/images/logo_email.png" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </td> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;'> puts the internet to work for you. </td> <td align="right" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;"> via <a style ="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #0059f6; text-decoration: underline", href= "http://ifttt.com/tasks/18757">task 18757</a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <img src="http://u11142.sendgrid.org/wf/open?rp=bxDdoKIKF%2BbSVSBAeFqAFv989vsD5OwErPPjdFUF7q6ool0NMe4tjQeuXV3OemBCgnXEw5aGLa7Vc9uOfO6PFg%3D%3D&u=GENQZeirTTKSW0upcC6jZA%2Foo0.gif" alt=""> Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-32254164009540459062011-05-13T21:06:00.001+01:002011-05-13T21:06:30.671+01:00@cbriddon just tweeted:<table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;'> <tr> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;line-height: 1.4;'> My legs ache. Much cycling this week and all of it fun. :-) </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="border-bottom: 1px solid #333333;"> <br/> <br/> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 4px;"> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;'> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 36px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;", width = "45px"> <a style ="font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Georgia, san-serif; color: #333333; text-decoration: none", href= "http://ifttt.com"> <img alt="ifttt" src="http://ifttt.com/images/logo_email.png" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </td> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;'> puts the internet to work for you. </td> <td align="right" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;"> via <a style ="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #0059f6; text-decoration: underline", href= "http://ifttt.com/tasks/18757">task 18757</a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <img src="http://u11142.sendgrid.org/wf/open?rp=bxDdoKIKF%2BbSVSBAeFqAFv989vsD5OwErPPjdFUF7q6ool0NMe4tjQeuXV3OemBCgnXEw5aGLa7Vc9uOfO6PFg%3D%3D&u=mKld1vrMQM6uS_3oZ6CaZA%2Foo0.gif" alt=""> Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-85018219664771222482011-05-13T13:36:00.000+01:002011-05-13T17:36:48.901+01:00@cbriddon just tweeted:<table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;'> <tr> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;line-height: 1.4;'> Finally experienced Tok You. Now I feel very full indeed. Tasty though. </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="border-bottom: 1px solid #333333;"> <br/> <br/> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 4px;"> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;'> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 36px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;", width = "45px"> <a style ="font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Georgia, san-serif; color: #333333; text-decoration: none", href= "http://ifttt.com"> <img alt="ifttt" src="http://ifttt.com/images/logo_email.png" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </td> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;'> puts the internet to work for you. </td> <td align="right" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;"> via <a style ="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #0059f6; text-decoration: underline", href= "http://ifttt.com/tasks/18757">task 18757</a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <img src="http://u11142.sendgrid.org/wf/open?rp=bxDdoKIKF%2BbSVSBAeFqAFv989vsD5OwErPPjdFUF7q6ool0NMe4tjQeuXV3OemBCgnXEw5aGLa7Vc9uOfO6PFg%3D%3D&u=w2oY_IjqShad3fNw0fUqLQ%2Foo0.gif" alt=""> Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-61874469802095694302011-05-11T16:06:00.001+01:002011-05-11T16:06:32.957+01:00@cbriddon just tweeted:<table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;'> <tr> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;line-height: 1.4;'> Trying a new route home this evening. Hopefully it will allow me to avoid the painful climb up Twentywell Lane. :-) </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="border-bottom: 1px solid #333333;"> <br/> <br/> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 4px;"> <br/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table style='width: 600px;', cellspacing="0", cellpadding="0"> <tbody style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;'> <tr> <td style ="font-size: 36px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;", width = "45px"> <a style ="font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Georgia, san-serif; color: #333333; text-decoration: none", href= "http://ifttt.com"> <img alt="ifttt" src="http://ifttt.com/images/logo_email.png" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </td> <td style ='font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;'> puts the internet to work for you. </td> <td align="right" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;"> via <a style ="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #0059f6; text-decoration: underline", href= "http://ifttt.com/tasks/18757">task 18757</a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <img src="http://u11142.sendgrid.org/wf/open?rp=bxDdoKIKF%2BbSVSBAeFqAFv989vsD5OwErPPjdFUF7q6ool0NMe4tjQeuXV3OemBCgnXEw5aGLa7Vc9uOfO6PFg%3D%3D&u=rZ4tmyHdQkinZHHO0erGvw%2Foo0.gif" alt=""> Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17256280.post-37726875481632305982011-05-11T12:26:00.002+01:002011-05-11T12:29:03.365+01:00@cbriddon just tweeted:<table style="width: 600px;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;"> <tr> <td style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #000000;line-height: 1.4;"> Isn't it lunchtime yet? :-( </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #333333;"> <br /> <br /> <br /> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 4px;"> <br /> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table style="width: 600px;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;"> <tr> <td style="font-size: 36px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333;" width="45px"> <a style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Georgia, san-serif; color: #333333; text-decoration: none" href="http://ifttt.com/"> <img alt="ifttt" src="http://ifttt.com/images/logo_email.png" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </td> <td style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;"> puts the internet to work for you. </td> <td align="right" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #333333; padding-top: 5px;"> via <a style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; color: #0059f6; text-decoration: underline" href="http://ifttt.com/tasks/18757">task 18757</a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <img src="http://u11142.sendgrid.org/wf/open?rp=bxDdoKIKF%2BbSVSBAeFqAFv989vsD5OwErPPjdFUF7q6ool0NMe4tjQeuXV3OemBCgnXEw5aGLa7Vc9uOfO6PFg%3D%3D&u=jyDMYZXcQDCg9PrBCyZSpw%2Foo0.gif" alt="" />Christian Briddonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16600681403525131635noreply@blogger.com0